Course Representative

2023/24 Autumn Term

Author

Dr Jon Cardoso-Silva

The Process

The Data Science Institute (DSI) is excited to announce that the elections for Student Academic Representatives have now gone live! You can nominate yourself if you are taking DS202A this Term, and all students get to cast their votes anonymously on the candidates. The nomination and voting process will all be conducted via the #course-rep channel on Slack.

As a Student Academic Representative (Course Rep), you’ll work with staff to ensure your peers’ feedback is seen and acted on and that student voices are represented in institutional decision-making. It is also a fantastic way to develop new skills, to know the Institute better, and bolster your CV.

You can see the positions available in the table below:

Course Number of Positions
DS202A 1

📝 Commitments

What can you expect from this role:

🏅 Engagement and Perks

  • You get a guaranteed place in the DSI Industry Trip to the Bank of England on 17 October 2023. (more info on Moodle here)
  • You will have a direct channel of communication to voice suggestions, concerns and recommendations to the teaching and administrative staff at the DSI.
  • You will be allowed to use the DSI space during specific periods during the week.
  • You will have direct contact with PhD students and researchers visiting the DSI.
  • You will be the first to know about internal research projects and events available to undergraduate students.

Teaching Committees

As a course rep, you will be invited to attend one or two Teaching Committee meetings at the DSI during Autumn Term:

  • Week 05 (exact date to be confirmed)
  • Week 09 (exact date to be confirmed)

Plus, some informal coffee chats with our staff.

Teaching Committees are official meetings where academic and professional service staff at the DSI discuss how the courses are going, devise adjustments for what is not going as planned, and plan new ways to boost recognition of innovative work of students enrolled in DSI courses. These meetings typically involve Lecturers, the Teaching Support Officer, the Communications Officer, the Institute Manager, and the Director of the DSI.

🧑 Why nominate yourself?

  • You will play a significant role in making a difference and improving the academic experience for yourself and your peers
  • You will build strong interpersonal skills, including confidence, effective communication, and dealing with and resolving complex issues
  • You will get to know your classmates much better, as well as senior staff in your department and around the university

🗳️ The Election Process

There are two stages to this election:

1. Nominations

  • Write down a short paragraph (max. ~50 words) explaining why you feel you would be great for the role!
  • Head to your Slack group and post your short paragraph on the #course-rep channel.
  • You can nominate yourself anytime but no later than Sunday, 8 October 23.59 p.m..

2. Voting

  • We will set up an (anonymous) poll on the #course-rep channel using the app Polly
  • No one will be able to see who is winning/losing. Only when the poll closes will we know the results.
  • All students will be able to cast their votes anonymously on their favourite candidates from Monday 9 October – Wednesday 11 October (early Week 03).
  • Results will be announced on the #course-rep channel on Thursday.

💬 Q & A

Q: What if no one nominates themselves?

A: No hard feelings! We will try next term again.

Q: What if there is a tie?

A: We will do a swift run-off election within a day (Thursday 12 October)

Q: Can I nominate myself to represent more than one course?

A: No. If you are taking multiple DS courses this term, say DS101A, DS105A and/or DS202A this academic term, you can only run for course rep in one course. You can run again in Winter Term.