There is at least one Course Rep for every year on every course, and at least one PGR rep for every research programme. Academic Reps are students who:

• Represent their school, course or PGR programme to the University
• Are a vital link between the student body, academic staff, and the Students' Union
• Gather and share your feedback with staff
• Pass on any issues that students in their cohort have that are affecting their studies and/or research
• Keep students informed of progress by sharing updates from staff 
• Are part of a team of representatives across the university, who work in partnership with staff to ensure that the academic interests of students are represented

They sit on the Student Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) within their School, where they bring your feedback to university staff, and push for change. They are also full voting members of Student Council, ensuring students on their programme have a voice in key SU decisions. 

To read a bit more about what reps do, find links to role descriptions just below:

• UG & PGT Course Rep Role Description
• PGR Rep Role Description

If you'd like to find out more, including how to find your rep, go to our Information for Students section below.

Faculty Reps are elected student representatives who represent all the students their faculty to the University.  There are three reps per Faculty, one for each level of study: Undergraduate (UG), Postgraduate Taught (PGT), and Postgraduate Research (PGR). They play a vital role in supporting, consulting with, and building a community amongst their Course/School/PGR reps. Each rep chairs their own Faculty Student Staff Liaison Committee (FSSLC), spaces where students can air any faculty level academic issues with university staff and find solutions together.

Most Faculty Reps attend University Senate, the highest committee in the university, ensuring students' views on educational issues and other matters are being heard. 

Moreover, they're a valuable voice in the Bristol SU democratic structures, sitting on Bristol SU Student Representatives' Assembly, and being voting members of Student Council. Faculty reps make sure that SU policies and campaigns take into account the needs of students in their faculty. 

Faculty reps are elected during our SU Elections in TB1 (September/October) for PGTs, and in TB2 (February/March) for UGs and PGRs. Find out more on the SU Elections webpage.

Through our Rep Finder tool below, you can find your Course or Faculty Rep's email address and contact them with your feedback. If you're struggling to get in touch with your rep, then you can contact the SU Representation Team. Your rep should also be seeking out your opinions so that they can take them to the University.

Be sure to let your rep know if you have feedback or suggestions - they are here to encourage the changes their cohort wants to see! 

Find your Rep

Find your Course Rep here, or find out what your Faculty Rep is working on here. 

Please note the rep finder tool shows reps for the current academic year, and it is updated when the new academic year starts, and after the Term 1 SU Elections (for 1st year UG/PGT students). 

Your School's admin staff should also be able to let you know who your reps are, and if you have a Blackboard student space, they should be listed on there!

Still no rep(s) to be found...?

Get in touch with us! 

We hold SU Elections for Course Reps at two points during the academic year, in TB1/TB2. Reps for new incoming cohorts get elected in TB1 (September/October), and all other reps get elected in TB2 (February/March). PGR Reps get co-opted by their Schools instead of being elected through the SU Elections, so if you're interested in standing, simply let your School's staff know.

You'll be hearing a lot from us when the time comes around. When the SU Elections are live, you will be able to access our platform through our Elections webpage.

If you're interested, you can read full Academic Rep role descriptions below. You can find descriptions for other roles, including Faculty Rep, on this page.

• UG & PGT Course Rep Role Description
• PGR Rep Role Description

It might be the case there are still vacant roles that have not been filled through the elections, in which case, you'll hear about any vacancies from your School (and you can also check through the Rep Finder).

If you aren't a Course Rep, you can still be part of the conversation! Share your thoughts and ideas with your rep, get involved in one of our many student groups or campaign and connect with different networks in the student community. 

Be proactive! It's really important that you make sure your reps are aware of any issues you have so that they can bring these problems to the university. They are elected to represent you – so make sure you give them feedback when they ask for it... or even when they don't!

Aside from improving your course for the better, and the sense of satisfaction that comes from this, we want to make sure that you make the most of the experience you have gained as a rep in your life after uni.

LinkedIn Recommendations

Any reps that show additional engagement in their role through participation in certain steps are eligible for a LinkedIn recommendation from our team. Please get in touch with the Academic Representation Team once you have completed the following requirements: 

-Attend at least one SU Democratic event (such as AMM or Student Council) 

-Participate in an additional event which we invite Academic Reps to, for example Rep Conference, Student Academic Representation Network (SARN) or a focus group or event ran by the Academic Representation Team

-Complete the core training as part of your role  

We can also provide a standard reference for job applications - just get in contact with us.

Bristol PLUS Award

The Bristol PLUS Award challenges you to develop a range of skills to boost your CV, and you are able to use your experience as a rep as part of the 'intensive skills activity' criteria. Find out more about the Bristol PLUS Award on the University website.

Giveaways

At our in-person training conferences we always have some freebies to give away (such as water bottles and laptop stickers!). Come along to get your extra training and to pick up your free stuff! 

Who can I ask for help?

Bristol SU have a team dedicated to making sure that course reps have the support they need. They can be contacted at bristolsu-representation@bristol.ac.uk. They can help with any of the queries that you may have as an academic rep!

Is there any training available?

The Academic Representation Team will be in contact about training when you start your role! All academic reps must complete core training to fulfil their role, and we also have lots of training opportunities available throughout the year.

I'm a course rep – who is my faculty rep?

Please check our list of faculty reps.

How do I communicate with my fellow reps?

You can find other reps in your school via the Rep Hub, a platform for Academic Reps to use to find one another's emails, keep track of what they are working on and more. You can find the user guide for the RepHub here. It's worth getting to know your reps early on in the year so that you can support each other through the SSLCs and share good practice.

Here is the Code of Practice for Taught Students
Here is the Code of Practice for Research Students

Each month in our newsletter, we announce the winner of the Rep of the Month award. This award celebrates Academic Reps going above and beyond in their role by harnessing the power of representation, championing ‘yet to be heard’ voices or working in partnership.

What do Reps of the Month receive?

Reps who win this award receive a digital badge and certificate which can be posted on LinkedIn, a physical badge and they get a spotlight on SU social media pages.

How is the Rep of the Month selected?

Each month, the Academic Representation Team look at the nominations for the month and use the criteria below to pick nominees. These nominations are then discussed on a panel with our Full Time Education Officers, and the winner is announced in our newsletter!

1. Over-and-Above in their role collecting student voices: We want to highlight Reps who go over & above in their role in collecting student voices and perspectives.
2. Harnessing the Power of Representation: Harnessing the power of representation is essential. This means not only asking students what they think but making full use of tools for representation, by engaging in things like an Education Action Plan or work on issues from the National Student Survey/Postgraduate Experience Surveys
3. Evidence of co-creation with the University, SU and Students: A major focus for both the University and the Students’ Union is working co-creatively. This means redesign modules or parts of learning together with University staff
4. Championing the “Yet to be Heard” Voices: We are keen to ensure under-represented students are also championed by Academic Reps. This means working on issues which affect them specifically and being an active ally.

Can I nominate someone for Rep of the Month?

Yes! Students, staff and reps are all able to nominate someone for this award! You can nominate them here.

Previous Reps of the Month:

Watch this space to see who our first Rep of the Month is!

Bristol SU runs Elections twice a year, in TB1 for all incoming students (1st year UG, and PGT), and in TB2 for all continuing students. Other roles also get elected as part of the SU Elections, please check our Elections webpage to find out anything you need to know about Elections.

The Academic Representation Team are:

• Janine Fox -  Academic Representation Manager 
• Sabrina Jones - Senior Academic Representation Coordinator
• Hope Ameh - Academic Representation Coordinator (P/T)
• Natasha Jenks - Academic Representation Coordinator

They can be contacted at bristolsu-representation@bristol.ac.uk

They are part of the Impact & Influence Directorate at Bristol SU - meet the Bristol SU Team on our staff webpages.

You can find any resources for University staff in the Student Academic Representation SharePoint.

The RepHub is a platform you can use to amend course codes, see a list of reps in your school/faculty and change rep details. Click here to access the staff user guide for the RepHub.

How do I find out details of reps in my school/faculty?

School Admin staff can access the RepHub, where they can find the full list of reps in their school and amend rep details. You can find out more about the RepHub on our sharepoint, and your school admin team should be able to provide you with the login details for this if you are new to the role. Otherwise, please contact us.

Where can I get more information on the Representation System at the University?

On our Sharepoint site for staff, you can find more information about how the rep system at Bristol works and how we support reps in their roles as the SU. If you have any specific questions then the Representation Team are always happy to help at our shared mailbox, or you can reach out to the SU team member working with your faculty. 

What training do course reps get?

We have compulsory online training for PGR Reps and Course Reps, which new reps are invited to complete when they enter the role. You can see when reps ahve completed training via the 'student leaders' section of the RepHub, or take a look at the training via our sharepoint! We have optional training moduels available to reps throughout the year, on topics including meeting hosting training and using teams for SSLCs.

The RepCon, which we hold in TB1 and TB2, offers a bespoke opportunity for all Academic Reps to meet one another and join workshops specifically designed to enhance their skills within their roles. For Faculty Reps, we hold an in person day of training for each level of study (UG/PGT/PGR) soon after they enter the role through the elections, alongside a residential day of training with other student leaders, and 1;1 support thoughout their time in role.  

Core Training 

Our compulsory online training for academic reps covers all you need to know to get you started in your role, whether you are a course rep (UG & PGT), or a PGR rep. It will equip you with necessary skills and resources to help you succeed and develop positive relationships with students and staff. You will be sent a link to this once you enter your role.

Optional Modules

Alongside Core Training, we also offer optional online modules and training opportunities throughout your role. These include topics such as our Meeting Hosting training, to help you feel prepared when joining your SSLC on Teams or chairing a meeting for the first time. You can find extra modules via the RepHub, on the 'training' page.  

Rep Conference

Each academic year, in TB1 and TB2, we hold a Rep Conference, where Academic Reps from across the university can receive exclusive training, workshops and development opportunities. This is also a great space to meet other Academic Reps and share experiences and ideas. Look out for an invite from us to our next RepCon!