Student Engagement
We believe in a university community where students and staff take an equal part and have an equal say.
Student support
The Student-Staff Committee have designed two schemes offering support for students. These are provided by peers.
This gives our students a chance to pass on their wisdom and expertise gained from their experiences.
Find out more about Peer Mentoring
Find out more about our Peer Assisted Study Support (PASS)
Student-Staff Committee
Student representation and democratic partnership is important to us. We organise this through our Student-Staff Committee. The Committee welcomes your feedback on any issue at any time.
The Student-Staff Committee (SSC) is student-led with an elected chair and secretary.
There are also elected student representatives for all stages of our degree programme. These include representatives for Stage 4 students (returning from year abroad or work placement).
Structure and activities
Each Stage is divided into constituencies. This means that each representative has between 30 and 40 constituents to be responsible for.
Your student representative will contact you early in the year and keep in touch throughout the year. They'll ask for your views, and keep you informed.
The SSC represents you on various boards and committees:
- the Board of Studies, responsible for the overall management of the degree
- the Faculty Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Committee. They are responsible for all education matters in the Faculty
- the Student Union Education Committee
The SSC meets 6 times a year. If you have any items of business to suggest, let your student representative know
Addressing key strategic issues
The SSC does more than deal with student feedback. Each year the representatives identify many key strategic issues to address.
The representatives form working groups to investigate new ideas. They gather evidence from staff and students (and examine good practice externally). They recommend new policy to the SSC, and the SSC implements that policy.
Peer Mentoring and the Peer Assisted Study Scheme (PASS) were developed this way.
Examples of new policies include:
- co-designing new modules
- enhancing the subject advisor and personal tutor system
- ensuring the inclusion of Combined Honours students in all activities and communities within academic subjects
Get involved
If you'd like to take part in these activities, contact a member of the SSC to find out more.
Stage 2, 3 and 4 representatives are elected in March or April. Stage 1 representatives are elected in October. All student officers and representatives serve until the end of the academic year in May.
The SSC meets twice per term. In addition there are:
- representative training events
- a strategic planning meeting
- social events
The Annual General Meeting is held in May. Here the annual report is approved, and the new Chair and Secretary elected.
Combined Honours Society
The Combined Honours Society is run by a team of Combined Honours students.
It's a society that promotes a strong sense of community and allows students from different subjects to come together and mix within one group.
We run a number of socials and events throughout the year. You'll get to meet fellow students on nights out, trips abroad, weekends away and at the Christmas and summer balls.
We also have our own sports teams that play and compete regularly.