8: Student voice and how to get involved

Graduate Student-Staff Liaison Committee

The MSc GSSLC (Graduate Student-Staff Liaison Committee) is an important platform for communication between the Economics Department and our MSc cohorts. It is an opportunity for you to provide feedback on your MSc course and influence its delivery and future development. The GSSLC is made up of elected student representatives (known as course reps) and key members of staff involved in delivering and running the MSc courses. The GSSLC discusses all issues that concern the learning experience and can generate actions for both the Department and the course reps in order to improve student experience.

The GSSLC is student led with the course reps chairing the meetings, organising the agenda and recording the minutes. Your student representatives are named on the GSSLC webpageLink opens in a new window. If you would like to raise an issue for discussion at the GSSLC, please email your representatives. Please note that the GSSLC is not intended to address special problems that concern only one individual student. These can be more efficiently resolved if you speak to the Postgraduate Office or to the module teacher concerned.

Issues that have been raised in the past include access to material in the Library, questions concerning the Department’s IT facilities, positive feedback on, and concerns about, students’ learning experience and examinations. More long-term matters such as curriculum development, social events and improved careers support have also been developed with GSSLC input. The GSSLC is not in general a channel for the evaluation of individual modules or teachers. This should be done via the module evaluation forms. However, if the representatives feel that there are some issues about an individual module that are time sensitive or not addressed via the module evaluation form then they are free to raise these in the GSSLC meetings.

During the MSc course, GSSLC representatives will meet with staff from the Department five times. For these meetings to be effective course representatives should make sure they prepare the agenda for the meetings by canvassing opinion across the student body and preparing a list of issues that they want to bring to the Department. The GSSLC is most effective when the reps have strong links and clear communications channels with the cohort and when the agenda is prepared in sufficient time for staff to consider the issues raised.

A course rep's job is to help the students and the Department to communicate. If you are willing to listen carefully to both, and if you like to communicate and to analyse problems, you will be able to make a great contribution through the GSSLC.

How GSSLC representatives are elected:

• All students have the opportunity to declare their candidacy for a rep position.
• The department will organise the voting.
• Elected representatives choose two chairs to lead the GSSLC over the year.

Roles in the GSSLC

• The Chairs' main tasks are to organise the agenda, chair the GSSLC meetings, write and agree the minutes and actions with the Department following the meeting.
• Representatives canvass opinion across the cohort, help disseminate information to students and take part in the discussions at the GSSLC. They may help the Chair set the agenda and produce the minutes of the meetings.
• The minutes are agreed with the Department and circulated to all students so they know what’s going on.
• All course reps contribute to the annual report.

Useful tips for new Course Reps

• The first thing to do for the representatives is to look at last year’s GSSLC annual report to get a feel for what has been discussed
• It is also useful to begin each meeting with an update on how the issues of the last meeting have been addressed since then
• Before each meeting, the Postgraduate Office will ask you to prepare a list of items to be discussed. All the representatives, and the Chair persons in particular, are responsible for collecting these issues and sending them in on time
• Ask your fellow students what they think about the courses

During the Summer Term the representatives will be asked to prepare an annual report of the year. This will be considered by the University and Students’ Union to monitor the effectiveness of the SSLC system, highlighting issues and examples of good practice. All GSSLC meeting minutes must be uploaded to the SU website and provide another way for the Students’ Union and the SSLC Staff Co-ordinators to keep informed of current developments and issues of concern or good practice. The Education Officer, Postgraduate Officer and SSLC Co-ordinators have membership on the University’s Academic Quality and Standards Committee to make representations on behalf of the SSLC system and escalate any issues accordingly. The SU provide training and a handbook Link opens in a new windowfor all course representatives, and there is a code of practiceLink opens in a new window which all course reps should be familiar with.

Director of Student Engagement and Progression (PGT)

The Director of Student Engagement and Progression for postgraduate students, Subham Kailthya, will act as a champion for the student voice in the department and is responsible for working with you to enhance the student experience. This includes a focus on building a strong learning community, working with students to enhance learning, teaching and inclusion, and developing department policies and practice to improve student experience. The Director of Student Engagement and Progression works closely with the MSc Student Staff Liaison Committee, and is always keen to hear your views and feedback.

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