Class Representation Policy and Procedures

This policy document applies to all students and staff members of Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland (the “University”).

To provide a framework for the representation of students in courses and programmes.

The Student Voice Policy states that student representatives ensure that student voice is a part of learning and teaching quality assurance and enhancement activities. Class representatives represent student voice and are a conduit for formative feedback to Course Directors and teachers, and report to academic leaders on students’ learning experiences in courses and under supervision.

Principles

1. Class representation is the practice of appointing or electing one or more students to represent the interests and concerns of students in courses and programmes.

2. All students enrolled in taught courses or engaging in supervised research must have access to a class representative for their course or cohort.

3. Student-Staff Consultative Committees (SSCCs) are formal committees of academic units to consider matters raised by class representatives for the courses and/or the cohorts they represent.

• Faculty Student-Staff Consultative Committees (FSSCCs) are formal committees to consider matters referred by SSCCs and other matters affecting students.

4. Class representatives communicate student feedback to course directors, teachers, Programme Directors and Te Rōpū Kahikatea Auckland University Students’ Association (AUSA), among others in order to facilitate dialogue between students and teachers to improve the learning experience.

5. Class representatives ensure that student voice is included in learning and teaching quality assurance and enhancement activities.

6. Class representatives will be attentive to the diversity among students and of students’ experiences.

Note: Attentiveness includes understanding students’ diverse identities, backgrounds, experiences, and values, and hence different needs and/or perspectives. It involves listening carefully to students’ perspectives and using inclusive and accessible language and communication methods.

7. Class representation is a position of responsibility and class representatives adhere to the highest ethical standards in their engagement with students and staff members, and behaviours consistent with the University’s Code of Conduct.

8. Through this Policy the University partners with AUSA to support the class representation system.

Roles and responsibilities

9. A class representative is responsible for:

• Representing the interests and concerns of students in course(s) or cohort(s) for which they are appointed, and reporting on these.
• Being available and accessible to students in the course(s) or cohort(s) for which they are appointed as a class representative.
• Participating in the relevant SSCC for their course or programme.
  Maintaining student confidentiality while representing students’ feedback.
• Engaging respectfully with their peers and at all times adhering to the standards of behaviour outlined in the University’s Code of Conduct.
• Undertaking training and engaging in activities specified in the Procedures.
• Contributing to the AUSA’s feedback to faculties through sharing advice on matters in their courses and/or programmes.
• If appointed to an FSSCC, reporting on matters of students’ interests for their academic unit, programme and/or subject, and considering these and other matters at faculty or University level.

10. A class representative is not responsible for:

• Supporting fellow students with coursework, homework, assignments, or test preparation
• Tutoring students
• Solving students’ personal problems
• Assisting lecturers with administrative tasks
• Marking assignments or tests
• Investigating misdemeanour or academic integrity cases. 
  

11. A course director, or nominee, is responsible for:

• Ensuring that a class representative(s) is appointed for their course.
• Facilitating class representatives’ communication with students, including making their contact details available to students in the course.
• Consulting the class representative(s) on matters of concern to students and students’ satisfaction with the progress of the course.
• Advising the class representative(s) of actions taken in the course in response to student feedback.
• Communicating directly with students in response to matter raised by the class representative(s).

12. A Programme Director, or nominee, is responsible for:

• Ensuring that a class representative(s) is appointed for cohorts of students where class representatives are not appointed for individual courses.
• Ensuring that a class representative(s) is appointed for cohorts of students undertaking supervised research.
• Appointing a class representative as a replacement for one not able to fulfil the role and to ensure that this is communicated to AUSA.
• Facilitating class representatives’ communication with students, including making their contact details available to students in the courses and/or in programmes.
• Consulting the class representative(s) on matters of concern to students in courses and/or undertaking supervised research. 

13. An academic unit is responsible for:

• Specifying the number of course representatives for each course and the number of cohort representatives.
• Supporting the appointment of class representatives for all courses and students undertaking supervised research.
• Ensuring that the class representative(s) are registered with AUSA.
• Supporting class representatives for courses and programmes, and where required facilitating their engagement with course directors and/or programme directors.
• Convening and coordinating SSCC meetings for all courses and programmes administered by the academic unit.
  
  Note: academic units will identify a specific staff member(s) to fulfil their responsibilities under this policy, including administrative and teaching staff.
  

14. A faculty is responsible for:

• Coordinating FSSCC(s) for all courses and programmes administered by the faculty, and convening meetings of these.
• Supporting the student chairperson of the FSSCC

15. AUSA is responsible for:

• Providing training for class representatives.
• Supporting class representatives through ongoing advice and resources.
• Maintaining records of current class representatives.
• Monitoring the performance of class representatives.
• Advising on the need for replacement of class representatives.
• Maintaining an online register to support students in identifying their class representative.
• Sharing feedback from class representatives with faculties.
• Ensuring that class representatives are given formal recognition for their service. 

16. A student is responsible for:

• Providing feedback to class representatives on their experiences in courses, programmes and/or in supervised research.
• Engaging respectfully with their class representatives and at all times adhering to the standards of behaviour outlined in the University’s Code of Conduct. 

Expectations

17. All students will be represented by a class representative.

• Class representatives will be appointed with the approval of the students that they represent.
• In general, students’ approval will be confirmed by an election. Where election is not appropriate or feasible, a class representative(s) may be appointed by a course director or Programme Director.

18. Class representatives will be supported in their role by all parties identified in items 11 to 16 of this Policy.

• Course directors will ensure that class representatives are provided with the opportunity to contact students during class time for the purposes of receiving and providing feedback.
• Programme Directors will ensure that class representatives are provided with the opportunity to contact students for the purposes of receiving and providing feedback.

19. All students enrolled in courses and programmes, and undertaking supervised research, will have access to information with which to contact the class representative.

20. Class representatives will be supported by the University to obtain feedback from students in the courses, programmes or cohorts that they represent.

21. Class representatives, course directors, Programme Directors and academic units will apply the principle of subsidiarity in reporting and receiving feedback, to ensure that matters are addressed at the most appropriate level and most efficiently.

Appointment of class representatives

22. Class representatives may be appointed to represent either specific courses or for specified cohorts of students.

• Course representative is a class representative appointed for a specific course or group of courses and holds that appointment for the term of the course(s) being offered.
• To ensure that the role can be performed well alongside other commitments, a student should not act as course representative for more than two courses at the same time. Legitimate exceptions to this include cases where a course representative is specifically appointed for a group of courses, typically courses in the same programme with small numbers of students.
• Cohort representative is a class representative appointed for a specified group of students and for a specified term.

23. Course directors or Programme Directors, or nominee(s), will ensure that appropriate class representatives are appointed for all students enrolled in taught courses, programmes and/or undertaking supervised research.

• In most cases, an election will be used to determine the class representative(s) for a course.
• In cases where an election is not appropriate, such as where there are no volunteers for the role, the appointment may be made directly by the course director or Programme Director, or nominee. However, in all cases the appointee must be acceptable to the students being represented. 

Class representation of courses

24. The following courses will have at least one course representative:

• Tertiary Foundation Certificate courses
• Undergraduate taught courses, including online courses
• Postgraduate taught courses, including online courses.

Note: courses with fewer than five students may have a course representative appointed for a group of courses, or a cohort representative(s) for the courses offered in a programme.

25. Academic units may appoint more than one course representative for a course in order to ensure that students in a course have reasonable access as specified in item 2 of this policy, and/or to ensure that the course representatives may be reasonably expected to fulfil the responsibilities specified in item 9 of this policy.

• For courses that are organised by streams it may be appropriate for a course representative to be appointed for each stream.

26. Course directors will ensure that the specified number of course representatives are appointed for their course. The process for this will include:

• Advice on the class representative role will be communicated directly and made available on Canvas.
• A call for volunteers – ensuring that every student has an equitable opportunity.
•  Where there are more volunteers than specified by the academic unit in item 25, the course director will coordinate an election process to appoint the course representative(s)
• The election process must be equally accessible to all students enrolled in the course. Guidance and resources are available in the Class Representation Guidelines.

27. Course representatives must be appointed sufficiently early in the delivery of the course to enable them to be effective in their role.

• For courses taught in semesters and quarters appointments must be completed before the end of the second week of the term.
• For courses taught in Summer School appointments must be completed before the end of the first week of the term.

28. Academic units are responsible for obtaining course representatives’ details and contact information for the courses and programmes under their administration.

• This information will be forwarded to the AUSA as soon as possible and in within the periods for appointment specified in item 27.
• Academic units will advise AUSA on courses where course representatives have not been appointed and will advise on alternative arrangements to ensure that students are represented in accordance with item 2 of the Policy.

Class representation of groups of courses, and/or programmes

29. An academic head or Programme Director may decide - where appropriate – to appoint one or more course representatives for a specified group of courses, or one or more cohort representatives for a programme.

• This may be appropriate is where courses are expected to have 5 or fewer students and/or where it is anticipated that there will be few volunteers, if any.
• This may be appropriate where courses are taken almost exclusively by a clearly defined cohort of students such that a cohort representative(s) will be readily accessible to students enrolled in all courses.
• The AUSA Student Voice Manager will be advised on these arrangements and may be called upon to support the appointment process.
• The appointment process must be consistent with the requirements for acceptability of class representatives specified in item 23.  
  

Class representation of research students

30. An academic head or Programme Director will ensure that cohort representatives are appointed for students undertaking supervised research.

• Cohort representatives will represent a specified programme(s), and/or cohorts of students within a programme(s).
• The appointment process must be consistent with the requirements for acceptability of class representatives specified in item 23.

Registration of class representatives

31. Upon appointment class representatives will provide contact information that may be shared with students, course director, Programme Directors, academic heads, faculties and AUSA.

32. AUSA will maintain a registration record for all class representatives.

• AUSA will make available the contact details of class representatives to students.
• AUSA will engage with academic units and/or faculties where class representatives have not been appointed, or their details have not been received.

Replacement of class representatives

33. A class representative may be replaced by an academic head if their performance is found to be deficient.

• AUSA will advise the academic head where a replacement may be required, such as where a class representative withdraws from a course or programme, or if for any other reason cannot continue in their role.

Training and support of class representatives

Training

34. AUSA will provide training materials and information to support class representatives in their role.

35. The AUSA Student Voice Manager supports the Class Representation System and works with class representatives and staff. The Student Voice Manager will work with Group Services Administrators and faculty professional staff supporting SSCCs, including providing guidance on processes. 

Support for class representatives in courses and programmes

36. Contact information for class representatives will be made available to students in all Canvas courses and/or other online platforms.

• Academic units will monitor this and support course directors and Programme Directors.

37. Course directors and Programme Directors will support class representatives’ communication with students in their courses and programmes, respectively.

• Course directors will provide class representatives with opportunities to contact students during classes and/or through communications on Canvas.
• Programme Directors will relay communications from class representatives and/or provide options for direct communications.

Student-Staff Consultative Committees

Academic unit Student-Staff Consultative Committees

38. Each academic unit will constitute at least one SSCC as appropriate for each term in which courses and/or programmes are offered.

• Where appropriate, separate SSCCs may be constituted for discrete programmes and/or levels of study.
• Where appropriate, separate SSCCs may be constituted for course representatives and cohort representatives.
• Faculties without academic units may combine SSCC(s) with FSSCC(s).
• An SSCC may include class representatives for overlapping terms, such as semesters and quarters.

39. All class representatives will be assigned as members of the relevant SSCC.

40. SSCC meetings must be held more than once in the term(s) for which the SSCC is constituted.

• The first SSCC meeting should not happen before class representatives have been appointed and introduced to the students
• The final SSCC meeting must be held before the end of the teaching period in that term in order for class representatives to report back to their peers.
• The dates and times for SSCC meetings will be scheduled one week before the start of each term and notified to all students through Canvas, and to AUSA and course directors.
• The dates and times of SSCC meetings must be known to students before volunteers are called for and class representatives are appointed.

41. SSCC meetings should be held in hybrid mode to enable class representatives to attend in person or online. 

42. A senior staff member who is involved in learning and teaching will be appointed by the academic head as convenor for each SSCC.

• The convenor will schedule meetings, set the agenda for meetings, and for each meeting ensure that the agenda and all supporting documents are circulated to all members of the SSCC.
• The convenor will ensure that minutes are recorded for each meeting and that these are shared with the academic head and with the Associate Dean Learning and Teaching (ADLT).

43. At least two additional staff members who are involved in learning and teaching will be appointed by the academic head to attend each SSCC.

44. At the first meeting of the SSCC a chairperson will be appointed from among the members.

• By default, the chairperson will be the convenor unless an alternate chairperson is confirmed by a majority of the members.
• A class representative may serve as chairperson.

45. At the first meeting of the SSCC the chairperson will ensure that new members understand their role, where they can seek advice or support, and the way in which the Committee will work.

46. At the first SSCC meeting, one class representative will be elected by the class representative members to attend the FSSCC.

• The elected class representative’s details will be conveyed to the relevant faculty.

47. The agenda of the SSCC will normally include:

• A report from each class representative on the experiences of students and significant matters arising in their course(s) and/or programme(s).
• Other matters of interest to students in the courses and/or programmes represented.

Note: detailed advice on the agenda and record-keeping of the SSCC, and on the source of agenda items and scope for discussions will be provided in the Class Representation Guidelines.

Note: SSCCs are not the appropriate forum for complaints or grievances about staff or students. The processes for resolving academic complaints or grievances are outlined in the Student Academic Complaints Statute.

Faculty Student-Staff Consultative Committees

48. Each faculty will organise at least one FSSCC for each term in which courses and/or programmes are offered.

• Separate FSSCCs may be constituted for different student levels of study.
• Faculties without academic units may combine SSCC(s) with FSSCC(s).
• A FSSCC may include class representatives for overlapping terms.

Note: the timing of faculty SSCC meetings must be agreed as soon as possible, communicated to SSCC members, and added to the Calendar in the University SSCC website (see item 46).

49. Each FSSCC will meet at least once.

• The meeting(s) will not be held before representatives from each academic unit SSCC have been appointed.

50. The ADLT will normally be the convenor and member of each FSSCC.

• The Associate Dean Postgraduate Research (ADPGR) will be both a member and convenor by default for FSCC(s) that include only class representatives for postgraduate courses and programmes.
• The convenor will schedule meetings, set the agenda for meetings, and for each meeting ensure that the agenda and all supporting documents are circulated to all members of the FSSCC.
• The convenor will ensure that minutes are recorded for each meeting.

Note: the timing of FSSCC meetings should be scheduled in advance of each term and communicated to academic unit SSCCs before their representatives are appointed (see item 46).

Note: See the Class Representation Guidelines for the contents of the agenda.

51. Student membership of FSSCC(s) will be:

• At least one student representative from each academic unit.
• The faculty may appoint more than one representative from each academic unit to the FSSCC if an academic unit has more than one SSCC.
• One representative from each faculty student association.

52. Each FSSCC will be chaired by a student member of the FSSCC.

• By default, the chair will be a student representative from the faculty student association.
• The chair will have a senior academic staff member as deputy chair to support them.

53. At least one other senior academic staff member must be a member of the FSSCC.

54. During Summer School, if it is not possible to hold a FSSCC meeting, faculties will appoint a staff member whom the class representatives can approach to raise issues.

55. The purpose of the FSSCC is to:

• Consider matters of a general nature affecting students in subject areas and/or programmes, including progress on resolving these matters.
• Consider matters that have faculty-wide relevance, and those referred by the Student Consultative Group or AUSA, including those of University-wide relevance.

Note: detailed advice on the agenda and record-keeping of the FSSCC, and on the source of agenda items and scope for discussions will be provided in the Class Representation Guidelines.

56. Minutes will be recorded for FSSCC meetings.

• Minutes will include action points on the issues raised in meetings.
• Minutes will be reported to faculty meetings.
• Minutes will be reported to the Student Consultative Group.
• Minutes will be made available to all members of the University.

Reporting and feedback

AUSA feedback to faculties

57. AUSA will collect feedback from class representatives periodically and prepare reports on this feedback.

• Reports will be sent to ADLTs for consideration in faculties.
• Reports will be shared with class representatives.
• Reports will be made available to all members of the University.

Course reviews

58. Class representatives may provide feedback to course directors for consideration in course reviews.

Note: course reviews are required after each offering of every course. This is specified in item 17 of the Enhancement and Evaluation of Teaching and Courses Policy and Procedures.

Note: Class Representative feedback is meant to inform course improvement, not to evaluate the performance of lecturers or course directors and should be taken into account accordingly.

Recognition and rewards

59. Class representatives will be formally acknowledged for their service.

• AUSA will provide each class representative with a written acknowledgement of their service.
• Service as a class representative will be considered as an activity in the University’s Co-Curricular Recognition Programme.

The following definitions apply to this document:

Academic head means head of department, school or other teaching and research unit; or a nominee such as a programme leader or deputy.

Academic unit means – for the purposes of this policy – a school, department, discipline, programme or other teaching unit.

Associate Dean Learning and Teaching means the person for the time being holding an appointment of Associate Dean Learning and Teaching at the University; and includes any person for the time being acting in that capacity and/or their nominee.

Associate Dean Postgraduate Research means the person for the time being holding an appointment of Associate Dean Postgraduate Research at the University; and includes any person for the time being acting in that capacity and/or their nominee.

AUSA Student Council means a council of students comprising AUSA Executive members, the Student Voice Manager and faculty association presidents which meets monthly during the academic year.

Canvas refers to the University’s learning management system for courses. This includes the Canvas LMS and any other LMS used in courses offered by the University.

Class representative means a student appointed to represent the interests and concerns of students in courses and programmes. Class representatives may be appointed for individual courses or groups of courses, student cohorts and/or programmes.

Cohort representative means a class representative appointed for a specified group of students and for a specified term.

Convenor – for the purposes of this policy – the individual staff member appointed to coordinate an SSCC, including scheduling meetings and ensuring that the agenda and any supporting documents are shared with all members of that SSCC.

Course director refers to staff members who are responsible for the management, teaching and assessment of a course.

Course representative means a class representative appointed for a specific course or group of courses, and holds that appointment for the term of the course(s) being offered. Where appointed for a group of courses, these are typically courses in the same programme with small numbers of students.

Faculty refers to the University’s organisational unit responsible for programmes of study, and the teaching of courses and of supervising student research. For the purposes of this Policy this includes Large-Scale Research Institutes.

Faculty student association refers to a faculty-based students’ association affiliated to AUSA and a member of the AUSA Student Council.

Faculty Student-Staff Consultative Committees (FSSCC) means a committee comprised of class representatives nominated from academic unit SSCCs. The FSSCC considers matters of students’ interests at programme, subject, faculty or University level.

Programme Director means – for the purposes of this policy - the staff member responsible for the coordination of a programme, major or specialisation.

Staff member refers to an individual employed by the University on a full or part-time basis. This includes permanent, fixed-term or casual staff members.

Student Consultative Group is a forum for senior University staff and student representatives to share information and perspectives on strategic issues affecting the student experience at the University.

Student-Staff Consultative Committee means a committee comprised of class representatives and academic staff for courses and/or programmes offered by an academic unit. The SSCC considers matters of concern brought by class representatives.

Subsidiarity – in the context of this Policy – means that matters of student concern should be raised, discussed and resolved at the level most appropriate to effect a resolution. For instance, for courses matters should be raised with course directors first and escalated to SSCCs or programme directors only when solutions cannot be achieved at the course level.

Te Rōpū Kahikatea Auckland University Students’ Association (AUSA) is the voluntary students’ association at the University of Auckland.

Teacher refers to an individual employed by the University on a full or part-time basis to provide instruction to students in taught courses.

Term refers to the academic term in which the course or programme is offered. Terms include semester, quarters and Summer School.

University means Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland and includes all subsidiaries.

Owner: Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education)
Content manager: Manager, Academic Quality 
Approved by:Vice-Chancellor
Date approved: 8 Dec 2021
Reviewed date: June 2026
Next Review Date: June 2031