Who are Course Represenatives?
Course Reps are students who have volunteered to represent their peers, champion student voice, and help develop the overall student experience at Birmingham Newman University.
We recommend that there be at least one Course Rep per course, per year. However, some cohorts may have more or less depending on size and availability of students. This way Course Reps are the foundation of our Academic Representation structure and act as the most crucial link between Students, The University, and Students' Union.
The majority of Reps are recruited in the first few weeks of term, starting in September. With subsequent recruitment aiming to fill representation gaps across all programmes.
The primary responsibiity of a Course Rep is to listen to their peers, gather and analyse feedback, to then pass on to your lecturers at Student Staff Consultative Committees (SSCCs).
What can I talk to my Course Rep about?
You can talk to your Course Rep about anything relating to your experience at Birmingham Newman University. However, we advise Reps to focus primarily on academic feedback and anything else should be submitted onto 'Your Say' for it to be sent to an appropriate member of staff who can help.
Why should I become a Course Rep?
All Reps are required to complete training provided by Newman Students' Union. This training prepares our Reps to listen, analyse, and represent student feedback. Alognside this, the role of Course Rep will provide you with opportunities to develop a variety of professional transferable skills which may be useful in future employment or interview questions.
Some comments from previous Course Reps:
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"I have truly enjoyed being a Course Representative as it provided a fantastic opportunity to represent my peers, develop my communication and leadership skills, work with the Students’ Union and School of Education closely, and build confidence in advocating on behalf of students."
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"As a Course Representative, I was able to meet so many new people."
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"The Students' Union provided excellent support."
How do I contact my Course Rep?
Your Course Rep should make themselves known to their peers regularly throughout the year, and will occasionally send out emails or messages via social media to encourage engagement and gather feedback. You can also spot a Course Rep by their white lanyard.
If you don't know who your Course Rep is and would like to contact them you can speak to your lecturers or email su-voice@newman.ac.uk to request their contact details.