One of the biggest responsibilities as a Student Rep is to collect feedback and to report it to both Herts SU and your Programme Leaders.
We've collected some top resources and guidance on how to successfully collect feedback and report it. Being a Student Leader, you're also invited to a range of meetings, giving you the opportunity to share your feedback with fellow Student Leaders, Herts SU and the University.
Feedback
Collecting Feedback
When you collect feedback from your peers, you have to make sure you do some course-wide. There are different routes you can take to collect the feedback including...
• Surveys and questionnaires
• Online feedback forms
• Focus groups
• Informal discussions
Some reasons we would encourage you to use include Google Forms and Padlet, but feel free to be experimental!
Reporting
After collecting the feedback, you must then report it back to Herts SU and the University. Here are our top tips on how you can do so...
• Use more scale questions rather than yes or no questions
• Create a simple pros and cons list for each module, supporting your points with research from your course, which can be gathered through tools like Google Forms or similar
• Propose solutions to the issues you highlight. Discuss these with students and staff beforehand—prepared solutions ensure the matter progresses smoothly
• Don’t forget to provide feedback on the positive aspects as well, so the University knows what works and should be maintained
• Ensure students' anonymity when providing feedback. They might be reluctant to share due to concerns about it negatively impacting them or their grades, so always make sure the feedback is anonymous
After Reporting
After reporting, you must...
• Update the students and the SU on how the feedback is or will be acted on
• Follow up on the progress during the next meetingn
Insight Form
The Insight Form should be filled out once a month with everything you've discussed with students. It provides the SU with an overview of student experiences, helping them and fellow Student Leaders focus on areas for improvement. The results are summarised in the Student Council each month. You can fill it in here.
Meetings
Meetings and Committees
As a Student Rep, you will be invited to many meetings. Here's the ins and outs...
Programme Committee Meeting
These meetings with Programme staff provide an opportunity to present and discuss student feedback, allowing you to voice opinions that can lead to meaningful changes. Typically attended by Student Reps, Programme Leaders, School Staff, and occasionally SCOs and Module Leaders, these meetings are essential to attend. You can also ask Programme Leaders to share their Continuous Enhancement Process and Programme Action Plans to learn how to incorporate student feedback into programme improvements.
This is the heart of democracy at the University, serving as the highest student-led body that gives students a chance to hear what the SU does behind the scenes. It means you have the opportunity to influence the SU’s priorities by submitting and voting on motions. Attendees typically include the Student Council Chair, Deputy Chair, SCOs, Student Reps, Rep Coordinator, Elected Officers and other SU staff.
Monthly SCO Drop Ins
This is for SCOs and other Student Reps from your School of Study. It provides a chance to get support on issues you're dealing with, catch up and socialise.
Preparation and Confidence
Here are our top tips on making sure you're prepared for upcoming meetings...
• Write out your points before speaking, keep them concise but include all necessary information
• Try to join on time, or even a little early if you're available
• Ask questions if you don't understand something
• Prepare by reading the agenda in advance
• Reflect on your previous notes and follow up on any updates.