Words by Euan Morrison, your Vice President Education
A Review of the Academic Year 2017-18
With just two weeks before the first students return to campus, we are busy at the SU preparing for the year ahead. One of our biggest areas to get ready is the Academic Representation System. With the preparations well underway, it seems apt to reflect on what happened and what was agreed last year, and what you can expect to see next year.
So, what's been happening at Worcester?
Last year, for the first time ever, Worcester Students' Union hosted a Course Rep Conference. It was a fantastic success and it was great to see so many Reps getting involved and meeting each other. The Conference offered Reps the opportunity to gain new skills, develop their understanding of Higher Education (HE), and discuss the big talking points of University life. I can confirm that the Conference will be returning for 2018-19 and it will be even bigger and better than before!
We, of course, also held the University-wide Course Rep Forums. This year, the topics focused on Student Services, Timetabling and Module Selection followed by a trial of a new format for virtual learning. We were really happy with the format of the third Forum and are keen to continue with this for the upcoming academic year. This year we hope to see more conversations than ever between our Reps and using these to really shape the University and its projects. To read the minutes from past Forums and to get a flavour of what to expect, please click here.
Probably one of the biggest pieces of work that has been going on this year has been the new Academic Representation Code of Practice. When I began my role under the pledge of a review of the Academic Representation System, it immediately became clear that for us to have a truly outstanding Rep System in the future, we needed strong foundations. For this to become a reality, we decided to develop Worcester's first ever Code of Practice. This would lay out the principles, policy and guidance required for the Rep System to function effectively. It has been a joint effort with the Students' Union, School Reps and University staff, and next year it sees its first year of implementation.
Higher Education Headlines 2017-18
Last year has been a pretty big year for the sector to the point that headlines about Universities in newspapers were appearing on a daily basis. The debates on the value of University education to Vice Chancellor pay and the Black Attainment Gap have swirled around in the public conscience, not to mention the less than smooth start that our new regulator, the Office for Students (OfS), got off to, or even the implications of Brexit to students.
Whatever the sector throws at us, I look forward to keeping you all updated and ensure that we have our voices heard.
What's next for Worcester?
September is nearly here and that means the new team of Course Reps are soon to be elected. Becoming a Course Rep is a great opportunity and one that I would highly recommend to any student - new or old. The skills gained as a Course Rep can act as useful learning curves to best prepare you for the world of work and often sees your confidence levels soar. Look out for plenty of information about the role during Welcome Week and feel free to ask me or your Course Leader any questions you may have.
We also have an exciting new event for the new year. This year, we will run our first ever Change Week! Due to take place on the week commencing February 4th (the same week as the Course Rep Conference), Change Week will be a week where, as a team of Reps, we work together to actively seek feedback and make changes to the student experience. It should be an exciting new initiative and I can't wait to tell you all more about it. Pop the date in your diary and watch this space!
Euan
Vice President Education 2018-19