Course Representative Handbook 2025-26

Course Reps: An Introduction to the role

Why are you important?

  • Course Reps act as a liaison between students on your course and the Course Leaders.
  • You are the elected voice of the course. You are voted into position by your fellow course mates because they want you to represent them! Usually, we have between 1 and 4 reps per course, per year (depending on the cohort size).
  • Course Reps are the direct link to students and their experience on their course – allowing staff to gather feedback on the quality of Learning and Teaching being delivered and the wider student experience.
  • Course Reps work closely with their School Reps and the academic staff on their course to ensure that everyone is having a positive academic experience at Teesside University.
  • Course Reps are a vital part of the University’s obligation to provide student representation and the University really value the student’s input!
  • The University strive to ensure that each student has a great academic experience and that they are supported in the right way to help them complete their course. This can only be done if they are aware of anything that is not working, or if something is working well so they can share best practice with the wider University. This is where your role is so important!

What does a Course Rep do?

  • Talk to students on your course to gather feedback and help resolve any problems they have. The staff also like to hear positive feedback about anything that is going well on the course.
  • Meet regularly with course staff to relay feedback on the learning and teaching on your course, including good practice and resolving any issues.
  • Liaise with your School Reps to keep them up to date with any relevant feedback.
  • Engage with the Student Representation system at Teesside University Students’ Union.
  • Attend meetings, such as Your Course, Your Voice Meeting, Your School, Your Voice Meeting, Course Rep Conferences, Student Experience Sub-Committee (SESC) annual meeting with the University Executive Team (UET), and adhoc meetings with academic staff.
  • Signpost students to relevant services within the University or Students’ Union. You should NOT advise students yourself on any matters in relation to academic issues, finance issues or mental health concerns, etc. The SU and University have staff who are trained and employed to provide this support.
  • Feedback to students on your course about what is happening with any feedback that they have provided you and if there are any changes to be made in response to this. It is very important that you always do this, even if sometimes you must go back to them and explain why something is unable to change or why there might be a delay in responding to something.

What can you gain from the role?

  • Learn lots of new transferable skills or develop your skills further.
  • The role will help you to gain confidence e.g. speaking to staff and students.
  • A chance to represent the views of your fellow course mates to staff and gain recognition for your contributions.
  • A chance to get involved with the University and Students’ Union, helping to make a difference and bring about positive change.
  • Meet people from other courses, other years of your course and make new friends.
  • You can use the role of being a Course Rep to log hours as part of the Volun-tees scheme and receive a University recognised award, something which you can highlight on your CV. To do so, you will need to create a Volun-tees account using your University email address.
  • Please visit: https://www.voluntees.co.uk for further information.

What is covered in training?

  • What the role of a Course Rep is, why we have them and what they do.
  • The support available whilst being a Course Rep.
  • The expectations and responsibilities of being a Course Rep.
  • How to work effectively with the School Reps.
  • Scenarios – you will be given a handful of scenarios you may come across during your time as a Course Rep, along with appropriate ways and solutions to deal with them.

Key Responsibilities

As a Course Rep, there are tasks you are expected to carry out including:

  • To represent the views of your peers at meetings e.g. Your Course, Your Voice, Your School, Your Voice and annual Student Experience Sub-Committee meetings with the University Executive Team.
  • To attend a compulsory training session
  • To attend Your Course, Your Voice Meeting
  • To attend Your School, Your Voice Meeting
  • To understand the importance of academic feedback to the University and the impact it can have
  • To inform SUSS about what you have achieved each month as a Course Representative by filling out your journal each month.

What’s the difference?

Below is a comparison between the roles of School Representative and Course Representative. The two roles differ considerably, with Course Reps referring issues up to School Reps that they are unable to deal with.

Meetings to attend

Course Reps will meet regularly with Course Leaders and must attend a Your Course, Your Voice meeting and/or the Your School, Your Voice meeting and Course Rep Conferences, as well as having the opportunity to attend the Annual Student Representatives’ Meeting with the University Executive Team (UET). All meetings are planned to take place through Microsoft Teams for this academic year.

Your Course, Your Voice Meeting

These take place once in the Academic Year, usually between weeks 7-10 in Semester 1 (Main Campus)/ Block 2 (TU London), and are an opportunity for Course Reps to join staff from their course, and students from related courses, to discuss matters such as modules, feedback, facilities and resources. Your Course, Your Voice provides a forum for Course Reps to share views and suggest improvements within their course. It is always important that these views reflect the views of your peers rather than personal views (unless specifically asked to do so). You will be expected to gather input from your fellow students before the meeting takes place for discussion at the meeting.

There are opportunities available for you to co-chair these meetings with the relevant member of school staff. If you are interested, you can contact your Course Leader who will provide more information.

As a Course Rep, you must attend Your Course, Your Voice Meeting. If you have any queries about a forthcoming Your Course, Your Voice Meeting, please contact your course leader in the first instance.

Your School, Your Voice Meeting (Main Campus)

The Your School, Your Voice meeting is a chance to meet with your fellow Course Reps and School Reps to directly put forward any feedback you may have. It usually takes place between weeks 7-9 in Semester 2. The meeting is specific to each School and is usually chaired by your School’s Dean. The meeting provides an opportunity for your School to update you on any key aspects of its current and future focus as well you getting the chance to discuss, with representatives from the School Senior Management, any good practice and areas for the School to consider to enhance the student experience. Again, it is very important that you discuss with your peers beforehand to understand their views to put across in the meeting.

You will be asked to submit any questions from students to raise at this meeting beforehand. The secretary of the meeting will invite you to submit these questions via the Your Voice Feedback Form and these will be used to put together the agenda for the meeting.

As a Course Rep, you will be invited to attend Your School, Your Voice meetings once over the academic year.

Your University, Your Voice Meeting (TU London)

The Your University, Your Voice meeting is a chance to meet with your fellow Course Reps and School Reps to directly put forward any feedback you may have. It usually takes place in Block 4. The meeting is specific to each University and is usually chaired by your University Dean. The meeting provides an opportunity for your University to update you on any key aspects of its current and future focus as well you getting the chance to discuss, with representatives from the University Senior Management, any good practice and areas for the University to consider to enhance the student experience. Again, it is very important that you discuss with your peers beforehand to understand their views to put across in the meeting.

As a Course Rep, you will be invited to attend Your University, Your Voice meetings once over the academic year.

Annual Student Representatives’ Meeting with the University Executive Team (UET) (Special Student Experience Sub-Committee (SESC) Meeting)

The Annual Student Representatives’ Meeting gives an unparalleled question and answer session with representatives of the University’s Executive Team. Reps are encouraged to speak to the students they represent and see if there are any things that the students would like to ask the University e.g about learning and teaching, the wider student experience, the SU etc. You will be invited to submit these items around 4 weeks before the meeting takes place, and these will be used to set the agenda for the day. If some things can’t be answered on the day or need further action, this will be taken to the next standard SESC meeting and your School Representatives will then be able to provide you with a response following this.

This meeting is not the place to ask questions relating to individual circumstances. Your School Representatives can provide further advice on how to follow this up.

School Reps attend as a compulsory event and Course Reps are also invited. There are however limited spaces at this event and booking is dealt with on a first come first served basis.

Your student Co-Chair for this academic year is TBC. Please feel free to contact them at any time if you have any queries

Course Rep Conference

The conferences are organised by the SU specifically for all our student reps across the whole of the University. It is a chance for you to meet with Course Reps from across all Schools, as well as the School Reps, student officers and staff members from both the SU and University. An agenda will be provided for the day and will usually consist of a guest speaker from the University to update you on any new initiatives or plans that also may help you to be more effective within your role and in providing more information to your peers. There will also be an opportunity to voice the views of your peers in themed breakout groups looking at different areas of the University. These areas of discussion are decided upon collaboratively between the SU and the University.

It is worth noting that for all meetings you will be provided with more information closer to the time of the meeting taking place. You will receive the full terms of reference as well as agendas, instructions how to submit items for discussion, etc. If you do have any further questions about them in the meantime, you can speak to your Course Leader for further information or the Senior Representation Coordinator in the Students’ Union.

Annual Roadmap for Course Reps / Meeting Dates

Meetings this Semester will take place on Microsoft Teams or in person, so please read any invitations carefully. You will be sent out an invite to these meetings closer to the time of them taking place. Any other important meeting dates will be updated and added to this handbook throughout the year so remember to keep checking back for updates.

Dealing with Course Related Issues

As part of the role of a Course Rep, you may have to help fellow student(s) with any concerns or problems they have with the learning and teaching of your course. There will be points throughout the year where students will be given the opportunity to provide feedback, such as module evaluations and pulse surveys, but in between these times the quickest way to address an issue is through the course rep. This may be a problem with the lecturer’s teaching style, concerns over a module’s content or assessment, timetabling issue, simply a lack of understanding of a topic or even the facilities.

When dealing with issues always ensure the following three points are covered:

  1. Gather information: Ensure you know exactly what the problem is, how many students it is affecting and how this is impacting upon their studies/University life. Speak to the student(s) and find out more so that you can consider your approach going forward.
  2. Know your outcome(s): Once you understand what the issue is, always ask the student(s) what they would prefer or what could be done differently. This will make addressing the issue with a member of staff much easier, as you can present a possible solution.
  3. Consider your approach: If it’s a module related issue, the first point of contact will normally be the relevant module leader. If it’s a course related issue, your first point of call will either be one of the module leaders or the course leader. When speaking to a member of staff about an issue, always consider the way in which you do this. Set aside some time to speak with them, try to do this 1-2-1 and always be diplomatic and consider their position on the matter. If it is not an issue that is directly related to the course, you can always speak to your Course Leader, School Reps or the SU Representation Coordinator to help point you in the right direction.

If you are ever unsure how to deal with an issue or would like some advice, please speak to your School Reps or contact SU Student Support (SUSS) and ask for a member of the Representation team.

What Support is available?

  • Training provided by SU Student Support (SUSS).
  • Senior Representation Coordinator, based in SU Student Support (SUSS).
  • Drop-in sessions held by your School Reps.
  • The School Reps and SU officers are there to offer guidance.
  • Your course team/ school staff (it is very important for you to build up a good working relationship with your academic team).
  • There is a closed Microsoft Teams group for all Course Reps, and lots of information will be posted in here, along with an electronic version of this handbook!

• SU Student Support (SUSS) - SUSS is a department comprised of three main areas - Representation, Academic Advice, and Housing Accreditation. All the services provided are focussed towards providing support and guidance to students during their time here at Teesside University. Academic advice relates to misconduct cases, appeals, fitness to practice/study and complaints. SUSS does NOT support students with academic writing, course withdrawals or the loan of equipment to support studies. If a student needs help with these areas, they will find support from the Student Library Services or Student Life. SUSS does NOT house students or contact potential landlords to arrange viewings. Each year SUSS inspects landlords and those who meet the requirements for accreditation are listed on our website and advertised in the Students’ Union.

• University Student Services – The University’s Student & Library services department (SLS) offer a wide range of support for students from Student Finance, Counselling, Careers, International Office, Disability Services and University accommodation. It is good to be aware of what services are available as you may need to signpost students to the correct service for support at points throughout the year.

Important Contact Details and Useful Links

SUSS

SU Officers

Clinton Aideloje - President Wellbeing: preswellbeing@tees-su.org.uk

Ganesh Poshala - President International: presinternational@tees-su.org.uk

Sai Dorapally - President Education: preseducation@tees-su.org.uk

School Representatives

Or find them on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schoolrepsteesside

Or Instagram @schoolrepstees

Student and Library Services

• Up-to-date information on available Library services is available here

Student Life

The University has lots of different support services available in Student Life that may be useful to know about if you ever need to signpost a student for appropriate support.

  • University Mental Health Services
  • Finance information
  • Sexual Violence Liaison Officers
  • Disability Support Services
  • Hardship support
  • Careers and Employment Support

You can see a full list of services here or you can email studentlife@tees.ac.uk

Student Futures

Detailed information about employment and graduate support can be found here

Volun-tees

• You can find details about volunteering opportunities for yourself or any interested students through the University Volun-tees service. You can also find out how to record your hours for your Course Rep role here

Student Regulations

• Academic regulations – details of the Assessment Regulations for your award (e.g. Undergraduate, Taught Masters) and the Academic Regulations (e.g. Academic Appeals, Extenuating Circumstances) can be found here

Jargon Buster

You are not expected to attend the following meetings, however you may hear about them. Below is a jargon buster guide to various meetings:

  • AGM/SMM: Annual General Meeting (also known as the Student Members Meeting) – The AGM is every current student's chance to hear from Students’ Union Officers and have their say about how the SU should be run. The Student Officers will give updates on their priorities and plans for the year ahead and take questions. (All School Reps attend and Course Reps are also invited).
  • SSG: Student Safety Group - This aims to increase the safety of Teesside University students, reduce crime in the locality of the University and offer specific support to student groups and individuals aimed at improving their student experience and quality of student life. (School Reps attend this meeting).
  • SESC: Student Experience Sub Committee - A Sub-Committee of the University’s Student Learning & Experience Committee (SLEC). The key purpose of this Committee is to focus on a range of matters that impact on students while they are studying at the University and to share good practice. (School Reps attend this meeting).
  • SSLESC: School Student Learning & Experience Sub-Committee - to enhance the student experience, ensuring the student voice informs decision making in the areas of learning, teaching and assessment. (School Reps attend this meeting).
  • SRF: Student Representative Forum - The SRF meets once a month and exists to discuss and report issues surrounding the student experience. The student experience can be anything that effects a student’s time at University including academic, welfare and safety issues. The SU Officers also give updates on their current campaigns. (All School Reps and SU Officers attend this meeting).

FAQs

Who do I represent?

A Course Representative is normally elected to represent their cohort (year) for a period of one year. Where we have bigger cohorts there may be more student reps elected (this is at the discretion of your course leader), so you may have a team of students working together. The rep(s) should reflect the view of those students on your course, rather than your own personal views.

What is within my remit?

  • To attend the Your Voice Meetings (Your Course, Your Voice and Your School, Your Voice) i.e. two meetings a year
  • To attend the Course Rep Conferences
  • To take part in training offered by the SU
  • To provide a student perspective on any issues relating to the operation of your course that may arise and to provide feedback through the appropriate channels (normally the Course Leader or a module leader) in order to ensure that improvements can be made as quickly as possible
  • To offer positive feedback to the University and to ensure that developments and successes are shared with fellow students
  • To provide feedback on behalf of your fellow students when requested to do so by the Course Leader or after an issue has been raised.
  • To direct fellow students to sources of support that you feel comfortable to do so

How do I work with the Course Leader?

You are a valuable part of the work of the University. Please provide any information or feedback to your course leader as quickly as possible stating the facts and possible solutions. You will develop a good working relationship over-time and it will provide valuable experience for yourself as well as being beneficial for the course and your peers.

What if I no longer want to do the role?

Please inform the course leader as soon as possible and, also inform the Student Union Senior Representation Coordinator.

Who is my first point of contact?

The Course Leader will usually be your first point of contact. However, you can also speak to your fellow Course Representatives, School Representatives, and the Senior Representation Coordinator in the SU who can also provide support.

How will the SU support me?

You will receive a training session and an invite to the Course Rep Conference. There is an appointed Senior Representation Coordinator who is specifically there to support you within your role or provide you with any advice at any time. You can always contact someone in our representation department by emailing: representation@tees-su.org.uk