Department & course representatives

Academic representation is a partnership between the University of York Students’ Union and University departments. Together, we aim to ensure that students and learners contribute directly to the processes of reviewing, maintaining and enhancing the quality of the academic experience here at York.

You can go to your academic representatives with any feedback about best practice, concerns or suggestions about how the department or aspects of your programme are run.

There are three types of academic representatives:

• Course Representatives act as the voice of their cohort and work with staff to make improvements to their programme. By gathering student and learner opinions, Course Representatives become specialists in programme-based issues, helping to identify and tackle problems that may arise.

• Department Representatives take on a leadership role and support Course Representatives to make positive change to the department as a whole. Department Representatives are also invaluable contacts with the University of York Students’ Union and take part in University-wide projects that improve the student and learner experience. There are separate Pre-Registration and Postgraduate Department Representative roles.

• Faculty Representatives work behind the scenes ensuring that the student and learner voice is heard at all levels. By sitting on high-level committees, they influence University-wide decisions as well as pushing forward their own manifesto projects. These positions are recruited by and supported by the Student Unions.

You can apply to be a Department or Course Representative if you’d like to represent the views of your fellow students and learners and have a say in how your programme is run.

All academic representatives will be given regular departmental support and resources to support their role from a named contact within Student Services. This is provided during the recruitment process, induction and through the term of each role. Please contact Student Services for more information.

Department and Course Representatives are also members of the Board of Studies, which is the main decision-making body within the Department. Representatives are invited to attend the Board of Studies meeting each term. Course Representatives are also responsible for ensuring that students and learners are properly represented in regular monitoring of quality within the Department, including the ‘Annual Programme Review’ and ‘Periodic Review’ every 5-6 years.

For our department’s academic representation information please visit our Student and Learner Representation webpages.

Student-Staff Forums are informal meetings which are arranged for all Course Representatives to meet to raise issues with members of staff within the Department. Staff who attend these meetings are involved in supporting the student and learner experience and maintaining the quality of the teaching and learning provision. The Forums have been divided into pre-registration and postgraduate groups to enable issues relevant to different students and learners to be raised. If issues are relevant to all then they can be brought to the Board of Studies meeting for wider discussion. The Student-Staff Forums report to the Board of Studies to ensure that concerns are minuted and responded to appropriately. In response to the University requirements regarding the operation of Student-Staff Forums, minutes from the pre-registration and postgraduate Student-Staff Forums are received by the Board of Studies.

If you attend departmental meetings as a Department or Course Representative you will be entitled to claim for your travel expenses. If the meeting clashes with a timetabled session or practice hours, you will not be counted as 'absent'; however you will be required to inform your lecturer after gaining agreement from your line manager to take time out of practice. Representing your peers at the Board of Studies is relevant evidence towards transferable competencies containing elements such as communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership, management and team working.

An Academic Representative noticeboard is also located in the Student Services resource area.