College Hosts Welcome for Academic Reps

On Monday 27 October, the College of Social Sciences and International Studies (CSSIS) hosted a welcome reception for all academic representatives in the Xfi Café. The evening was hosted by the Associate Dean for Education, Professor Wendy Robinson, who spoke about the educational priorities and projects taking place within the College this year, as well as how academic reps play a vital role in engaging in meaningful dialogue with staff about key issues and sharing examples of best practice. The event saw over 50 representatives from St Luke’s campus and Streatham campus attend, with postgraduate and undergraduate students from a range of disciplines and programmes. A welcome lunch for Penryn reps has been scheduled during November for those students who were unable to attend the Exeter event.

The evening set a positive tone for the year ahead in which student engagement initiatives play a significant part. Simon Wright, the College Manager, said “It was great to meet such a dedicated group of student representatives brimming with ideas and enthusiasm on how we can make the student experience in CSSIS even better. I’m really excited about what we can achieve by working together.” The event was attended by key College staff who work closely with students, as well as Guild Colleagues involved in Academic Representation, including the VP Education, Ben Street. This collaboration between the Guild and the College follows on from earlier successes of partnership working when the University of Exeter and Students’ Guild won the “HEA and NUS Students’ Union and Institution Partnership Award” and the “NUS Best Academic Representation Award” back in July. Through recognising and rewarding the time and effort that academic reps invest in improving the student experience at Exeter we hope this partnership will continue to grow over the next year.

The evening gave students a chance to voice any initial ideas or concerns they had ahead of SSLC meetings this Term. Pavel Kondov, the Politics and International Relations Subject Chair said, “The event was a fantastic opportunity to meet and chat with staff and representatives from all departments, which is key to establishing great working relationships within the College.” The Subject Chair for Law, Johannes Neumann, followed that, “The event was a great chance to network in an informal way; it meant you could put a face to a name and meet the people you will be working closely with.” Academic Representation and Student Engagement is a huge priority within the College this year, with more “Students as Change Agents Projects” having been initiated already than ever before. “Students as Change Agents” is an ambitious University scheme which enables students to take an active part in improving the student experience by proposing research questions, exploring solutions and putting these into action with the help of relevant staff. Projects can focus on anything from improving assessment and feedback techniques to organising a career’s fair with alumni! If you have an idea for a project, however big or small, please email changeagents@ex.ac.uk.

Find out more about the scheme.