“The Role and Recruitment of Class Reps” – LYIT update, 8 May 2018

Project 1 update given @ LYIT, 8 May 2018

Hosted by Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LVIT) on Tuesday, 8 May 2018, the 2nd National Student Engagement Programme (NStEP) network meeting provided us with an ideal opportunity to update the wider NStEP community regarding the progress made thus far by Project 1: The Role and Recruitment of Class Reps and to ask both for their feedback on what has been done up to this and for their ideas regarding next steps.

The role and recruitment of class representatives are a central function of educational institutions and their students’ unions, embodying what partnership means and what student (and staff) engagement entails inside and outside of the classroom.

As the image taken from the NStEP tweet shows, the informal setting employed for this particular session allowed project members and those NStEP colleagues particularly interested in student representation to discuss a variety of aspects regarding class representation, including:

1. definitions
2. job descriptions (such as the variety of tasks and practices associated with the role)
3. recruitment processes (e.g. elections)
4. training (i.e. local and national, as well as task oriented)
5. reward and recognition

Various themes emerged during this session including, but not restricted to, the need for appropriate institutional infrastructure to support class reps, the crucial role to be played by ongoing communication in all aspects of this vital work, as well as the challenges faced and potential remedies.

The challenges include the retention of class reps, creating opportunities for other students to come forward, and questions regarding sustainability, as well as the applicability of established class rep models for students who are not full time and undergraduate. Meanwhile, in terms of how to address these issues, the power of momentum, the possibility of multi-year plans, and the part to be played by good working relationships were among those items covered.

One of the outputs which this project is aiming to deliver are exemplars of effective practice in the whole area of class representation, with examples drawn from here in Ireland and further afield. Meanwhile, a survey of institutional practice primarily involving, but not necessarily limited to, Students’ Union officers and staff is being developed as part of this exploration. The project work continues apace.