Programme Reps and Student-Staff Liaison Committees (SSLCs)
Programme Representatives (Reps) are the link between students and staff at course level. They improve the student experience by representing the views of their peers and ensuring that academic and professional services staff continually listen to and engage with students.
Current student reps
- Undergraduate (UG) School Rep: Kirsty Munro
- Divinity programme rep: Douglas Reid
- Philosphy/Theology and Divinity/Classics programme rep: Alexander Keel-Dwyer
- Religious Studies and Religious Studies/Literature programme rep: Marc Livingstone
- Theology MA programme reps: Josep Marti I Bouis and Lucy Swale
Could you be a future Programme Rep?
Programme reps:
- Make a positive contribution to the University by improving the student experience for your peers
- Receive specialised training in how to represent students democratically and diplomatically, and how to work effectively as a leader within the University and EUSA
- Become part of the Programme Rep cohort as an ambassador who works within the School with students, staff, and EUSA
- Receive recognition on their Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR), or university transcript, after being active in the role as a Rep
- Improve their leadership skills and employability by earning Open Badges and/or the Edinburgh Award for Representing Students
How Reps are chosen
Undergraduate Programme Reps hold office for a year and are elected at the end of the semester before they take office. They cover all propgrammes and are usually Second and Fourth Years:
| Degree programme | 2nd year | 4th year |
| EUSA Undergraduate (UG) School Representative | 1 rep (any year) | |
| Divinity (BD Hons) Divinity (MDiv Hons) | 1 rep (any year) | |
| Philosophy and Theology (MA Hons) Divinity and Classics (MA Hons) | 1 rep | 1 rep |
| Religious Studies (MA Hons) Religious Studies and English Literature (MA Hons) | 1 rep | 1 rep |
| Theology (MA Hons) | 1 rep | 1 rep |
| TOTAL | 8 reps | |
Postgraduate Programme Reps are the elected members of the New College Postgraduate Committee.
Your role as a Rep
Expectations of the role:
Both the Students' Association and the staff within Divinity will support you in your role. Reps should:
- be accessible and proactively gather views from their peers and communicate these at the Student Staff Liaison Meeting.
- complete the EUSA Rep training. (Further information on training below).
- attend the Student-Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) meeting and provide feedback.
- close the 'feedback loop' by reporting back to the students they represent the main points of discussion at SSLCs and how their feedback will be acted on.
What to do as a Rep, and when:
- Weeks 3-4: Attend the Welcome Lunch (dates below)
- Weeks 3-5: Complete the EUSA training (link below)
- Weeks 4-6: Collect feedback from your peers for the SSLC meeting
- Weeks 5-7: Attend the SSLC and provide feedback
- Weeks 6-8: ‘Close the feedback loop’ by feeding back SSLC discussions and actions to your peers.
Programme Reps welcome lunch
Each semester we welcome new Reps by holding a special lunch. The lunch provides Reps with the opportunity to meet other Divinity reps and the staff who will support them. A EUSA representative will provide an outline of their training and information on how, and when, to access it.
EUSA training
Programme Reps are registered with the student association, who actively support this role. Reps receive access to training, support and recognition of their role.
Information on EUSA support for Reps can be found on EUSA's website: https://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/representation/yourrepresentatives/programmereps/
Recognition for Programme Reps
Reps receive recognition for their contribution and hard work by having their role added to their HEAR (Higher Education Achievement Report) report.
The HEAR builds upon existing information incorporating an expanded academic transcript and the European Diploma Supplement. This will provide you with more detailed information about your learning and achievement than the traditional degree classification system alone and will serve to support applications for employment and further studies.
HEAR recognition is dependent on Reps actively engaging with the role during the year and successfully completing the EUSA Programme Rep Basic Training.
EUSA Recognition for Programme Reps
Gathering feedback
To make gathering feedback more effective, Divinity Programme Reps can email their peers and request feedback for the Staff-Student Liaison meeting. Information on how to do this will be sent to reps via email.
Reps should gather feedback from the students they represent before attending the SSLC meeting. This can be done in person or via email.
A suggestion for helping structure the feedback you ask for could be: Stop, Start, Keep - ie. what would fellow students like to see stopped, what would they like to be included that currently isn’t, and what are happy with, that we should keep.
Overall, feedback should be either positive; based on aspects which work well (and thus might be shared as good practice); or constructive criticism concerning issues which negatively affect the student experience. The overall aim is to improve the learning experience for current as well as for future students.
What to expect at a Student-Staff Liaison Committee meeting
Each semester there is one undergraduate SSLC and one postgraduate SSLC. Reps share the feedback they have gathered from their peers at these meetings. SSLC meetings are usually held at lunchtimes and can last for up to an hour. They are co-convened by the undergraduate or postgraduate school representative and a member of academic staff.
Minutes from the Student-Staff Liaison meetings can be accessed on the Divinity intranet:
Support
If you have any questions or concerns or require support as a programme representative please contact: div.student.support@ed.ac.uk