What is the Central Disciplinary Committee?
The Central Disciplinary Committee (CDC) is The Open University’s senior disciplinary authority. Because of this, membership must remain 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, attend meetings and appeal hearings before arriving 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. If your circumstances change and you’re unable to attend a meeting, please inform the committee so they can arrange suitable cover, as student representation is essential.
Student Committee members will consider information on individual cases relating to academic offences and will hear appeals from students to determine the outcome of an alleged offence as specified under Section SD1 of the Code of Practice for Student Discipline. You will not be representing the student concerned but will be acting as a member of the student body in upholding the values – academic and otherwise – of the OU and the OU Students Association.
Committee Chart
Committee Descriptions
Role Tasks
- As a full member of the committee, you will be required to:
- 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.
Applications for this role will be open from the 26 March 2025 until 25 May 2025.
View Current Opportunities Here