The student voice is an integral part of ensuring learners receive an outstanding educational experience, and that students feel empowered to be active in either making curriculum- or institution-wide change.
Academic Representation
A major part of the University and the Association’s student voice work is through our Academic Representation structures. Academic representatives are volunteers for the Students Association who sit on a variety of OU committees and play a vital role in providing information on student opinion to enable a better study experience. Academic representatives are supported by the Volunteering and Representation staff team within the Students Association, relevant members of the Student Leadership Team, and members of OU staff (depending on their committee).
To learn more about any of our academic representation roles, click on the boxes below. To see what academic representative roles are currently open for applications, check out our volunteering pages too.
Partnership with the OU
Alongside our academic representation structures 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:
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.
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 are usually held face-to-face, but they have been online since March 2020.
Join fellow OU students at community events, participate in workshops, forums, Student Consultation Meetings and much more! It's your chance to shape your OU experience.