About Reps
Academic Reps exist to represent their course and department peers. They exist as a method of communication between students and the University (Departments/ Faculties/ University management)to identify best practices, make student voices heard and work towards continuous improvements for students.
In order to achieve this a Rep’s primary responsibility is collecting feedback from students and then feeding this back to their Department and/or Faculties. Reps also provide the Student’s Union with student feedback to inform our work and student representation roles in higher levels of University management.
FAQS
What are Lead and Faculty Reps?
Lead and Faculty Reps are positions created on the Student’s Union side of the scheme.
- Lead Reps Reps who agree to be the lead Rep for their department. Their additional responsibilities include acting as a spokesperson in Faculty Forums, overseeing the effective communication of departmental updates/ information to the Student’s Union and writing reports on their Reps’ activity. Some departments similarly utilise Lead Reps for their purposes. There is one Rep per department.
- Faculty Reps Reps appointed to represent their faculty at faculty level meetings, on the Student’s Union Academic Executive Committee and the Educational Assembly. They chair all Faculty Forums but do not affect departments or departmental functioning at all. Two are appointed per Faculty: one Undergraduate and one Postgraduate.
Both Lead and Faculty Reps are elected at the Rep Induction event held in week 4 of Michaelmas Term. If your Reps are appointed or registered late and miss this event, they will miss the opportunity to run for these positions.
How can I become a Rep?
Departments oversee the appointment of Academic Reps, if you wish to get involved contact your department’s Academic Rep Coordinator.
The scheme will begin at the start of term, which includes nominations opening around Welcome Week, for Reps to be elected shortly after. Academic Reps should then complete registration and be ready to start by Week 4 of Michaelmas term. Sometimes if a position is unfilled or becomes vacant throughout the year, departments will re-advertise for Academic Reps and new Reps will be appointed.
Students can only nominate themselves to be an Academic Rep for the department they belong to. Some departments might accept minoring students whose major department is not their own to run for Rep but please ask about this in advance.
What can Reps do?
Reps have a few core duties that include:
- Attending Union meetings
- Attending departmental meetings
- Gathering student feedback
However, there are lots of additional opportunities Reps can get involved with during their time in post which includes:
- Being a Lead Rep for their department
- Being a Faculty Rep for their Faculty
- Participating in working groups
- Participating in Academic/ Educational campaigns run by the Union/ VP Education
- Participating in additional Student Voice activities
- Attend additional training sessions to develop relevant and transferrable skills
- Have the opportunity to participate in complaints panels and consultation groups for the University
What have Reps done?
Reps have done loads of things, but a few examples from the last few years include:
- Worked with FASS to implement trigger warnings for set texts
- Developed Student Only Spaces (now called ‘Talk to your Rep’ Teams) with ISS
- Run campaigns on Moodle Best Practice
- Worked with VP Education to get the University’s online exam policy refined to reflect student demands
What are the benefits of being a Rep?
Being a Rep has so many benefits, from representing your fellow students, identifying best practice and initiating positive change in departments and faculties.
In a personal perspective being a Rep is great experience for your CV and personal development! Loads of our Reps report that their work has helped them develop better time management, public speaking and analytical skills.
What is the Annual Education Review?
Each year the Students’ Union Academic Executive produce a student-led summary of the academic experience at Lancaster University called the Annual Education Review (AER).
The review collates and showcases what Reps have done throughout the year and what students’ told them about their experiences of studying at Lancaster University. It also suggests recommendations for the future.
For Current Reps
If you have been elected as an Academic Rep by your department you should have been sent the link to register with us here at the Student’s Union. You need to do this otherwise you won’t formally be a Rep and won’t qualify for recognition at the end of the year. Please contact the Rep Admin team via reps@lancaster.ac.uk if you have any questions or were not sent this information.
If you have completed this registration, you will be receiving communications from the Union’s Rep Team via email and on Teams. Please check in both those places for the latest information, including dates and events.
The first thing you'll need to do as an appointed Rep is complete your online training via our Moodle page that can be accessed here. You will need an enrolment key to access the module, which you will have been sent upon completion of your registration. Please check all previous communication with the Academic Rep team for the key and do not distribute it.
For Past Reps
All Reps who have successfully achieved Rep status will have been awarded a certificate or acknowledgement on their university transcript at the end of their serving year. We do not offer replacements or alternative methods of recognition here at the Student’s Union.
If you have not had your status recorded or did not receive a certificate at the end of their year(s) in position it means you did not achieve Rep status. Unfortunately, this is not something we can change, or if you think there has been a mistake, we cannot rectify it beyond the academic year they were in position.
We do not offer references for being an Academic Rep.
For Staff and Departments
Each department has a nominated Academic Rep Coordinator. If you are a member of a department looking to find out who your Coordinator is, please email Rep Admin at reps@lancaster.ac.uk and we can provide you with their information.
If you are your department’s Coordinator you will have been sent a Welcome Pack at the start of the year which contains everything you need to know. If you have any questions or concerns please contact Rep Admin at reps@lancaster.ac.uk. If you are leaving your department’s Coordinator position, or there are any staffing changes please let us know asap via email.
