Course Rep Handbook

Academic Reps represent their cohorts on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes, their wider school as Postgraduate Research representatives, and within their Academic Communities. They collect and provide feedback from students on their course and meet with staff members to discuss this feedback and identify how the student experience can be improved.

All Academic Reps are required to engage with training and guidance provided by the Students’ Union. An outline of what you can expect from being a Course Rep can be found in the Student Representative Volunteer Agreement.

Deadline

The position will close on Friday 16th October 2026.

The Students’ Union (SU) oversees academic representation, working in collaboration with the University. The SU maintains a register of Academic Reps and coordinates the annual induction training which takes place early in the academic year. The SU is here to support Academic Reps over the course of the year. If you need to get in touch, email communityorganising@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.

The University promotes opportunities for engagement with Academic Reps at various levels and supports them in their duties. Academic staff will work with Academic Reps to resolve students' issues, and teams from across the university's services are keen to hear back from students; these include the libraries, disability services, and the student wellbeing teams.

Academic Representatives are trained in Community Organising techniques to allow them to listen to students and grow power in the areas they represent. By building power amongst their peers, Academic Representatives make change happen on the course or area of research.

Academic Representatives can liaise with Community Leaders in their areas. Community Leaders run events to improve the academic experience of those in their subject area(s). By working alongside each other, Reps and Leaders can ensure that the needs of students in the community are being met. For example, offering students the chance to showcase their work to one another; providing group study session; and inviting in external speakers to talk to students.

As Academic Representatives, you can also work with Community Leaders to create localised campaigns for change in your subject area. For support with this, you can reach out to communityorganising@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.

Academic Reps are part of a larger structure within the Students’ Union, informing the work undertaken by the SU Officers and the Student Community Organisers. Feedback from Academic Reps highlights key issues that can be escalated for higher-level discussions with the university’s Senior Management, thus facilitating change. The SU works on a Community Organising model and focuses on the needs of students as points to act on. The feedback from Academic Reps provides a vital source of insight into students’ academic experience and helps shape campaigns and priorities across the SU.

LBSU organises the mandatory training for all Academic Representatives. Further development opportunities may be provided throughout the year. All opportunities can be found on the Course Rep Training & Development Events on the Academic Representation page on the LBSU website.

A range of support is available to aid Course Reps in efficiently fulfilling their roles, ensuring they remain comfortable and confident.

• LBSU Community Organising Team - Supporting in training and localised campaigns, reachable at communityorganising@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.
• Course Director and Module Leaders - Primary contact for resolving course-related issues. Their details will be in your Course Handbook
• Leeds Beckett Library - For support with accessing resources and information on learning sessions and other library workshops
• LBSU Advice Team - Offering free, impartial, and confidential advice on academic issues.
• Student Services - Catering to various student needs including disability services, career guidance, wellbeing, and financial advice.

Academic Representatives can guide students to appropriate services for issues outside of their expertise, utilising the support structures mentioned above or reaching out to communityorganising@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.