What is the Central Disciplinary Committee?
The Central Disciplinary Committee (CDC) is The Open University’s senior disciplinary authority. It is of the highest importance that membership remains confidential. Student committee members will be called upon to attend the Central Disciplinary Committee monthly meeting usually midweek for 4 hours, for example 10am–2pm on Tuesdays. They will read cases, attending meetings, appeal hearings and arrive at decisions that impact other students.
We have 13 vacancies in total available to students and these students join a pool on rotation to attend the meetings. A student CDC member should expect to attend a minimum of 2 meetings per academic year. A rota is in place so that the CDC can hear from a diverse pool of students. A student is not expected to attend every monthly meeting, but should commit to the months that they have said that they would be available.
See the chart below which shows where the Central Disciplinary Committee sits within the academic governance structure at the OU and the committee description that explains how the committee operates.
Committee Chart
Committee Descriptions
Role Tasks
- Attend a monthly meeting (on rotation within the team of 13 students) via MS Teams.
- Read case files in advance of the committee meeting.
- Attend meetings and hearings which includes difficult subject matter.
Role Training
- Core volunteer training covering GDPR, PREVENT and Safeguarding.
- A full role induction from Association staff and OU, providing guidance on how the CDC operates.
- Ongoing support and relevant training throughout your time in the role.
Skills developed in the role
- Problem-solving
- Critical thinking
- Collaboration
- Decision-making
- Confidentiality
Role benefits
- Join a friendly community of volunteers.
- Networking opportunities with Association, Student Leadership Team and OU staff at all levels.
- Learn about the internal workings of the Open University and experience formal meeting structures, hearings and disciplinary proceedings.
- Evidence based decision making, deliberation and teamwork.
- Develop your communication and digital literacy; as meetings are held online via MS Teams.
This role is currently closed - applications due to open Spring 2025.