Monday 12-10-2020 - 14:20

Academic Reps are awesome! Reps are students elected within each department to represent their peers, present an authentic student voice to your Students’ Union and University and campaign for change

Not only will you get to improve your course, make a difference and influence University decisions, but you will also gain great experience and transferrable skills to improve your CV!

Last year 68% of Reps thought they have achieved or succeeded with significant change! This took many forms, from advising on academic content, supporting students during strikes and COVID and improving departmental resources. For example:

• Law’s Academic Rep’s lobbied for timetable changes, moving from an inhospitable lecture hall
• Accounting and Finance Rep’s were able to get their lecturers to use microphones while presenting to improve the quality of their lectures and learning
• FASS Reps successfully submitted an Open Letter to the Vice-Chancellor regarding increased support and clarification on the Extenuating Circumstances policy during COVID19
• Organisation, Work and Technology Reps successfully persuaded their departments to release additional writing guidance for international students struggling to write essays in English
• Law and Engineering Reps worked with their departments to release all lecture recordings in a great step forward for accessibility

Plus, from Academic Rep surveying we discovered 66% of students would rather submit their coursework online due to environmental concerns about paper submissions. This led to several department’s switching to, or making paperless submissions available, and Sociology officially declared a climate emergency in their department!

 

The possibilities are endless! As an Academic Rep you will:

• Consult with students in your department and gather feedback on your course
• Engage with the student-staff committees in your department and represent the authentic student voice to staff and academics
• Complete mandatory online training
• Present feedback and join discussion at the twice-termly student-led faculty forums
• Campaign for change!

All Academic Reps are appointed or elected by the students in their department/ year at the beginning of the course, so just put yourself forward (your department will let you know how to do this). Once you have been appointed, you will need to register online with the students’ union and complete the online training. But don’t worry about that, your department will tell you about registration and everything else once you’re a rep! 

 

Got questions? Simply drop us an email at reps@lancaster.ac.uk or contact VP Education, Bee Morgan at su.vp.education@lancaster.ac.uk