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CEL Course rep toolkit (Level 2)
Welcome to the toolkit for course representatives .
The Course Representatives Toolkit has been developed to help you in your time as a course rep. It contains materials and resources that cover the situations that you will experience as a representative over the next year.
It includes everything from getting started, to engaging your fellow classmates and gathering their views on quality and curriculum, to how you can influence and improve the wider college environment. All arranged in five easy-to-use sections.
The core section, ‘the basics’, covers everything you need to get started and encourages you to think about the important role you can play within your college. This section includes some useful resources as well as video clips.
We suggest that you read the basics section carefully first. Then scan the remaining sections so that you know where to find help when you are facing a particular issue or want to explore a particular topic in more detail.
The other sections contain documents that may be of use to you throughout your time as a representative. These provide information about confidentiality issues, how to write a presentation and even how to influence people like potential employers and local officials outside of the college.
To get the most out of being a course representative, you need to be involved through meetings inside and outside the college. This is your opportunity to develop your skills of critical analysis by reflecting on your own education and training.
This is an important skill if you want to carry on to higher education or further training. You will also find that you build the skills to get your point across more effectively - not just about your education but also other parts of your life such as housing and health.
You do not have to sit in silence any more! When you think that something can be taught better or structured in a more learner friendly way you have a right and a responsibility to speak up. Students in colleges throughout England have already made a difference by suggesting new ways to deliver courses that are more appropriate to learners.
As a course representative, you will see how change happens and learn how you can make a difference.
Welcome! Enjoy your time as a Course Representative – we’re counting on you!
Contents
Theme 1: The basics
How to use this toolkit
Why be a course representative? This resource looks at how you can make a difference in your institution and introduces ‘Learner Involvement Strategies’ which all colleges will have in place from September 07. It also shows you what you can gain from being a course representative.
What does a class rep do? This document explains the basic roles and functions that you will carry out during your time as the course representative. It’s a great place to get started.
What is a good learning experience? Your key role as a course representative is to improve the educational experience for you and your fellow learners. But what do we mean by a ‘good learning experience’? This pdf aims to get you thinking about the key questions you should be asking those on your course.
Quiz - reviewing the basics
Theme 2: What makes an effective course rep?
Serving all your class As a course rep it’s your role to make sure that all the learners in your class can have their voices heard. This resource looks at how to be representative and to consider equality and diversity.
Planning your time As a course rep you will need to consider the best time to collect learners’ views in order to communicate them to your tutor or to a course review meeting. This resource encourages you to think about how to use your time over the months, terms and year ahead.
Confidentiality It’s important as a Course Rep that your fellow students feel confident that you will keep their comments anonymous. This resource covers some of the key issues that you may face and suggests what to do next if you are unsure.
Acting on learners’ views Once you have collected views from other learners in your class, it’s important that you know how to feed them into your college structures. This resource outlines the most common ways to make sure that all views are heard.
Quiz
Theme 3. Representing effectively
Gathering learners’ views As the Course Representative it’s vitally important that you gather views from your whole class, not just the learners who are the most confident. This resource encourages you to think about ways to make sure that all your class feel they can talk to you about their learning experience.
Completing learner feedback sheets It’s important that you keep a good record of what other learners tell you to make sure that you pass on the right information later. This document explains how to use a learner feedback sheet to make sure that views you feed back are accurate.
Giving a presentation At some point during the year you may be asked to give a presentation. This could be to your class on the work you have been doing, or to your tutors at a course review. This resource gives you some hints on where to start and how to structure your presentation.
Writing a report You may want to write a report during your time as course representative in order to communicate your message effectively. This resource guides you through what you should include and how you should structure your report.
How to get the best out of committees As Course Representative, you may be asked to sit on a committee to represent learner’s views. This could be a college or learner-voice committee. It’s important that you understand how committee meetings work so that you feel confident and get the best out of the experience. This resource explains how a typical committee meeting works and gives you some top tips on how to contribute.
Communicating your impact As a Course Representative it’s very important that you tell the rest of your class what you have been doing on their behalf. This resource shows you some of the ways that you can feedback to your class and encourage them to keep voicing their opinions.
Quiz
Theme 4. Knowing the system
Inside the college As a course representative you can really influence the way your college works. This resource explains the systems that many colleges use to collect learners’ views so that you know how to feedback the learner’s views from your course to influence and change your learning experience.
Outside the college Once you have started as a course representative you may also want to speak-out about other things that impact upon learners’ lives outside the college. This resource highlights some of the main opportunities you have to influence your local community.
Jargon The language that other people in your college may use about teaching and learning, government policies or funding agencies may be confusing at first. But don’t worry, this section on jargon explains the words, phrases and acronyms that you are most likely to hear.
Quiz
Tools
Course rep checklist
Course rep casesheet
Event timer When you are organising a group activity, you need to make sure people finish their activities on time. This tool provides a large stop-clock which you could project onto a screen to help you do just that!
ForceField Analysis Whenever someone starts something new they can feel nervous and unsure. A force-field analysis helps people to consider things that will help them, and things that will NOT help. They can then consider how they can maximise the'helpful' forces and minimise the 'unhelpful' forces.
Feedback sheet
Task prioritisation sheet
Questionnaire – entry
Questionnaire – on programme
Questionnaire – exit