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  • Home /
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  • Representation

Representation

Representing the student voice and empowering students to use their voice is key to our mission as the OU Students Association. Find out how you could make an impact by sharing yours today.

Academic Representation

Academic Representation is central to Student Voice at the Students Association. With over 100 Student Representatives on every OU Governance Committee, our volunteers play a crucial role in ensuring that students' views are considered in decisions impacting the student experience.

                                                          Image of a Student Rep speaking into a mircophone

Wider Work

Outside of the OU Governance Structure, we have Student Representatives involved in a wide range of OU and Students Association projects that will have an impact on OU students. Whether these are short term initiatives or long lasting programmes, we aim to ensure that any discussions which affect students have students in them.

Student Representatives are supported by the Student Voice Team within the Students Association. They may also be supported by members of the Student Leadership Team, or relevant members of OU staff.

To learn more about what our Student Representatives do, please click the boxes below. Applications to become a Student Representative usually open in the Spring each year.

If you have any questions about the role of a Student Representative, please contact the Student Voice Team.

Partnership with the OU 

We also work closely with the OU, as outlined in the OU-OU Students Association Relationship Agreement and in the Student Charter, developed in partnership, which commits to:

  • Actively supporting the Students Association to engage with all its members in order to foster a vibrant student community and promote student interests.
  • Actively supporting student engagement in university decision-making, ensuring the feedback loop is closed.
  • Building a partnership between staff and students.

Other elements of partnership-working include:

OU Student Voice Website 

Developed in partnership between the University and the OU Students Association, the aim of this site is to provide a way for students to see how their feedback is listened to and responded to across the OU. 

Student Consultations

A series of forums and meetings on matters affecting your study and student experience. Students are invited to get involved with the Student Consultation Panel, in Boards of Studies forums relating to different subject areas, and in the annual Student Consultation meetings. These Student Consultation meetings take place each Spring, both online and face-to-face.

Have Your Say Day

Join fellow OU students at community events, participate in workshops, forums and discussions! It's your chance to shape your OU experience.

  • Student Representatives This group of volunteers attend and contribute to meetings and are members of committees from school, faculty, and institutional levels within the OU’s governance structure. We also have a more detailed page for post-graduate academic representation.
  • Senate and Student Senate Reference Group Senate is the academic authority of the OU, and six student representatives attend on behalf of the OU Students Association. Volunteers on the Senate Reference Group also act as an advisory group for the student members of Senate.
  • Appointments Committee The Appointments Committee is a group of six students selected by the Association Board of Trustees to make decisions about the appointment of new Student Representatives and some categories of Senate Reference Group members.
  • Postgraduate Research Students The Students Association represents all OU students, including post-graduate research students. Discover how post-graduate research students can have their say in shaping their student experience and the research experience at the OU.
 
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Charity number: 1183837/SC049546
Company number: 12031028
Address: PO Box 397, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6BE
Email: ousa@open.ac.uk

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