In this section you will find tips on how to gather the views of your fellow students and what to raise in different councils.
As a student representative, you are expected to bring the students' perspective to the issues under discussion as well as raise your own issues that are considered important to the student group. An important part of the role is therefore to provide feedback and discuss with your fellow students before and after meetings.
It is also good to think from as broad a perspective as possible. For example, how does the decision in question affect a student who has children? Or someone whose first language is not Swedish? Representatives are thus expected to bring all students' perspectives to the issues being discussed and highlight what their fellow students consider important.
Collecting opinions
There is no set approach to how you, as a student representative, should gather feedback from your fellow students. Different courses look different; some have 20 students on a program, while others have a course with over 100 students.
You can also be a student representative for a program that includes several semesters. This means that there are different conditions and opportunities for collecting views, which means that you as a student representative often know best what works in your program!
Below are some general tips on how you can proceed.
A common chat forum
Maybe you are studying at a program or course that has already created a chat forum where everyone is involved? Then this channel can be a good way to reach out! Remember to include and update students who may have chosen not to join such a forum through other contact channels.
Canvas
One approach is to write an announcement on Canvas when you start your assignment and introduce yourself as a student representative. It is also a good idea to encourage students to get in touch with comments before a meeting and/or start a discussion thread before a meeting.
A seminar/lecture
Make the most of the opportunity when students are gathered on site! One idea is to ask a teacher for ten minutes in connection with a seminar or lecture. Also remember that the university should make it easier for you to carry out your duties as a student representative; a good argument for borrowing some teaching time!
Google Chat for student representatives
The chat is designed to help you in your educational monitoring work and to give you the opportunity to exchange experiences and discuss issues with other student representatives. As a student representative at departmental or central body level, you can use the chat to collect the views of student representatives on different courses and programs.
What do students think?
Here are some questions you can ask yourself when you read meeting documents or want to gather the opinions of your fellow students.
Syllabi and course manuals
How does the training work? Are the learning outcomes clear and how are different training elements assessed?
Course literature
Is the course literature relevant? Is there enough time to read all the literature or is it too little? Is any perspective missing?
The study environment
What is your workload like? Are the teaching facilities good? Do you experience any disruption during lectures?
Content of the training
How do the different learning activities work? Is the content varied? Does it correspond to the learning objectives?
Course evaluations
Have you had a course evaluation after each course? Have students been informed of the results of the course evaluations? Has the university followed up on comments and acted on them? Are the questions in the course evaluations perceived as relevant?
Course evaluations as tools for advocacy
Each course should end with a course evaluation where all students are given the opportunity to express their experiences and views on courses. These should always be answered anonymously. The university also has a responsibility to compile the course evaluations and inform and make the results available to your students.
In your monitoring work as a student representative, we encourage you to encourage all students to respond to the course evaluations that are sent out. The responses to the course evaluations can also be used as a basis for your work to influence and develop the education. Many non-responses can also be a basis for your advocacy work and be reason enough to raise the issue in a council to highlight the university's responsibility.
Remember!
Egna erfarenheter är viktiga att använda i sitt uppdrag, däremot ska du inte driva en personlig agenda, utan tillvarata samtliga studenters intressen. Som studentrepresentant representerar du den större studentgruppens intressen och inte enskilda studenters.
Du som studentrepresentant ska heller aldrig behöva hjälpa andra studenter att driva individuella ärenden. Om en student anser sig har blivit orättvist behandlad av högskolan ska du hänvisa dem till student- och doktorandombuden. Se “Stöd och råd” <länk till avsnitt> för hur du går tillväga vid individuella ärenden.
