Code of Practice

This Code of Practice on the Student-Staff Liaison Committees (SSLCs) was developed jointly by:

The University of Warwick

And

Warwick University Students’ Union

Principles of the Code of Practice for Student & Staff Representation on Student-Staff Liaison Committees

  1. Student-Staff Liaison Committees (SSLCs) are student led and jointly operated committees of the University of Warwick and Warwick University Students’ Union (SU).
  2. The SSLCs are made up of appointed staff representatives including an Academic Convenor and elected student representatives. The Academic Convenor should be an experienced member of staff.
  3. SSLCs are normally operated separately for postgraduate taught, postgraduate research and undergraduate programmes.
  4. SSLCs are committees that provide a formal opportunity for student Course Representatives to provide feedback and be involved in the co-production of their curriculum including the creation of new courses and modules and amendments to existing modules and course(s).
  5. The SSLCs exist to provide an effective and coherent system for communication between staff and students on all issues relating to academic quality, teaching, feedback, examinations, external examiners reports, teaching and learning facilities, library facilities and resources, IT, contact time and all other departmental, faculty and university-wide activities relating to the provision and delivery of teaching and learning.
  6. All Course Representatives should be elected at the end of the preceding academic year or within four weeks of the beginning of the new academic year. It is recognised that the start of the academic year for some distant learning and part-time programmes will fall outside the normal start date of the new academic year and that departments must ensure that these courses are represented in their SSLC structures. All students belonging to Warwick Students Union have the right to stand as SSLC representatives and the SSLCs should ensure a commitment to equality and diversity of representation.
  7. The training of Course Representatives is the responsibility of Warwick SU.
  8. The training of Academic Convenors is the responsibility of the University of Warwick.
  9. Training of both Course Representatives and Academic Convenors must take place as soon as practicable after their election (Course Representative) and appointment (Academic Convenors).
  10. SSLCs shall meet at least four times per academic year (the first meeting will normally see the electing of the Chair and Secretary – both of whom will be student Course Representatives unless these positions are determined at an earlier point during election of representatives). In the case of distant learners and some part time courses, adjustments will be required to have maximum participation with the minimum adjustment to election schedules and meetings held.
  11. It is the joint responsibility of the Chair and Secretary of each SSLC to update the SU SSLC portal with the scheduled dates of SSLC meetings and the minutes of the SSLC meetings (Departments can, in addition, chose to publish the minutes of the SSLC meetings on their departmental websites). It is the responsibility of the Chair and Secretary of the SSLC to produce the Annual SSLC Report.
  12. It is the responsibility of the Teaching Quality Office at the University to inform the SU annually of the nominated departmental SSLC Convenor(s) (PG and UG) in the summer vacation before the start of the new academic year.
  13. Details of the roles and responsibilities of Course Representatives and Academic Convenors are available on the SU SSLC Portal at warwicksu.com/sslc.

Download Code of Practice as a PDF.