HOW TO REPRESENT

CLASS REP HANDBOOK

WELCOME!
Congratulations and welcome to your new role as a Class Representative! Your role as a Class Rep
is invaluable as you are the first port of call when it comes to making change.
This role is to facilitate communication between academic staff, the student body and DUSA.
You have the opportunity and potential to create change in your university and improve your
learning experience.
Through the training provided by DUSA and the advice in this handbook, you will be fully equipped
to go and #raiseyourvoice.

REPRESENTATION STRUCTURE
As a Class Rep you are the most important aspect of
representation on campus.
By talking to your fellow peers and communicating to staff members about
the factors of university of life that impact you, you make up the largest
network of problem solving in the university.
You will work alongside other forms of representation such as the DUSA
Exec, Student Representative Council (SRC) and School Presidents.
As a collective, representation in DUSA can help to make big changes
happen!

WHAT IS A CLASS REP?

The primary role of a Class Rep is ensuring that you effectively communicate the views and the
needs of the students you were chosen to represent.
Throughout this year you will get opportunities to convey those opinions effectively through
meetings called Student - Staff Liaison Committee meetings (SSLC), where you will meet other
reps and staff.
You can discuss issues with your course, technical issues but also give positive feedback.
Your role does not limit you to academic issues as you can approach Student Services, SRC
councillors and your School President.

REMIT OF A CLASS REP

OPPORTUNITIES OF A CLASS REP!

Improve your course
Meet other reps and the students on your module
Get involved with DUSA
Be credited for your work as a Class Rep

Being a Class Rep will require some time and dedication but only as much
as you can give. By engaging with your class you can find out their likes and
dislikes at university.

Gain skills from training

Be able to learn more about your school
Improve University visibly

SKILLS? WHAT SKILLS?

Leadership
&
Problem-Solving

Campaigning
&
Communication

Engagement
&
Public speaking

Negotiation
&
Listening

AND DAY TO DAY?

Gather your classes opinion on the module they are taking
Attend SSLC meetings

Liaise with your Academic President on subject issues

To feedback and discuss issues raised at the SSLC meetings

Distribute minutes to your class

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

Once all Class Reps are in place across the university then you will be invited to a
training event at the end of September/start of October. This interactive workshop is designed to get
you into real and common situations that you may face while being a Class Rep.
Your School President and the Vice President of Representation can help you with any queries you may
have and provide you with support for effective change. Resources are available on the website where
you can find things like follow up email layouts, feedback forms and action tracking.

COMMUNICATION
These things are common sense but equally important. Its important for class mates
and also staff members to know who you are, so dont be shy, introduce yourself!

Lecture shout out take 4-5 minutes at the beginning of a lecture

Email draft of what you might want to say is in the resources section
Social media maybe your class as a Facebook group which you can post in
MyDundee ask your school secretary to post your name and email address on
MyDundee

By using these methods you can let your class mates know when a SSLC meeting is coming up and
when they should have their feedback in by. It is equally important for you to return feedback and
discussion from the SSLC meeting to your peers.

STUDENT - STAFF LIASION COMMITTEES

This is a meeting where reps from each year and staff representatives get together to
discuss student matters that affect their academic life. This is the opportunity you have
to discuss problems that has been raised in your class.
This is also useful to learn about issues in other years and maybe you can help! There
is usually a Learning and Library Centre (LLC) representative so you can pass on all
library matters directly. In the SSLC agenda there are items set out for each year group
so you will have your opportunity to speak when it gets to your year.

ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION

Curriculum
Technical issues
Learning spaces and resources
Assessment and feedback
Advisor/tutor support
Teaching methods

KNOWING WHAT RESPONSIBILITIES

ARE YOURS
Issues that are to do with a specific individual

This is not in your remit. If there is an issue that is specific for an individual then it is not
your responsibility to help. Advise them to speak to the School President or a member
of staff. Student Services in the enquiry centre, can also be of great help; they provide
services such as study based support, counselling, money advice and so much more.

Issues that affect you and your class

This is what Class Reps do, if you have an issue within your class that you need
addressed then why not be the hero?

Issues outside of class that affect the whole university

These issues can be taken to your School President, a Student Representative Council
(SRC) member or a member of the DUSA Exec. The SRC has the power to vote on
motions to lobby the University on key issues on campus.

HOW TO BE A GOOD REP?

Commitment

As your role is all about communication and

negotiation, these skills can be transferred
to other part of life and after university. There
are fundamental for employment. You will also
gain skills in public speaking, listening and
leadership.

Something to consider as important is being

able to understand issues and feedback you
get from your peers. This means that you
are able to communicate this information to
another representative or staff member if
needs be.

Understanding

Being effective can mean that you need to

understand the limits of your own capabilities
and responsibilities. When faced with an
issue you will need to establish if you are
capable to resolve this in an SSLC meeting
or whether you need to take this to a higher
level for discussion. Having knowledge and
understanding of limiting factors towards an
end goal can be more effective than being
ambitious.

Organisation

Be Realistic

Keeping it in your diary when SSLC meetings

may be can help with planning out the year. You
can also create a feedback form for your class.
Your peers can then submit a request quickly
and easily for you to take to a SSLC meeting
or to another representative. Other things you
may want to think of is having a list of useful
contacts such as lecturers, other reps or your
Academic President.

ADVICE & SUPPORT

For student academic support:
Your School President is

....................

.............................

My School Secretary is

....................

.............................

My Library Representative is

....................

.............................

Vice President of Representation

DUSA President

01382 381084
01382 386002

vpr@dusa.co.uk
president@dusa.co.uk

01382 386007

deputypresident@dusa.co.uk

01382 381900

enquiry@dundee.ac.uk

For academic appeals:

Deputy President
Other matters:
Student Services & Enquiry Centre

REWARDS OF BEING A CLASS REP?

This is a great way to meet new people and staff in your school. This also
gives you the opportunity to see the inner workings of your course and
what is takes to give you a quality learning experience.
As well as learning new skills, you can develop ones that you already have
and use them outside of university life. Skills that you have can also be
useful to mention when you are applying for jobs after you graduate.
The Dundee Plus award is a scheme that recognises the value of being a
Class Rep in university life. You will also receive a certificate at the end of
the year for all the work you have done.

WHAT NEXT?
In the resources section there are some resources you might
consider using in your time as a Class Rep.
The feedback sheet can be distributed to your class and also
emailed. This can keep students in the loop about what issues
they raised and what is going to be done about it.
Action tracking is a great way of keeping on top of points raised
in an SSLC meeting. As a group, targets can be set for the next
meeting so that everyone can work to achieve progress. This can
be things for both staff and students.

RESOURCES
Best Practise Letter/Email
Date
Name and address (always have title and full name (e.g. Dr, Professor)
RE: Title bar Name of student/issue in hand/Praise for course etc
First paragraph: Acknowledgement of the receivers position. Explain what the letter is
about and who it concerns.
Second paragraph: explain who you have been corresponding with regarding this letter,
the progress that has been made/ no progress been made.
Third paragraph: explain what you would like from the individual to help this matter.
You may want to attach documents or something for the individual to refer to.
Closing Statement: I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible or I will
be in contact again regarding this matter
Yours sincerely,
Your name and position

RESOURCES
Feedback Sheet
Issue:

Date:

Issues raised at SSLC:

Was the objectives met? If yes, how? If no, why?

Additional comments:

Time:

RESOURCES
Action
Point

Detail

What has
been done?

Action
Required

Deadline

RESOURCES
Notes

D O N T PA N I C