At uea(su), we believe your voice should be heard at the heart of everything we do, academics included! That's why we work in partnership with your Schools to make sure your feedback and ideas help shape the future of your course, your school, your education.
What is an Academic Convenor?
An Academic Convenor is a student who represents your school or faculty at key meetings with university staff. They collect feedback and ideas from students about how your experience can be improved – from what’s working well to exciting new suggestions – and raise these to the university to make sure positive changes happen. They also liaise with our Education Officer to ensure the uea(su)’s support on students’ matters.
Some things have changed, what's different?
In partnership with the University, we’ve recently made changes to the Academic Representation system to ensure every student has a voice. Here’s what’s new:
Stronger Voice
Any student can now provide feedback and raise ideas directly by attending one of the monthly SEP meetings of their school.
Join your school's School Experience Partnership (SEP)
SEPs are special initiatives focused on improving the academic experience within your schools. The partnerships bring academic staff, convenors and other students to tackle issues and bring innovative ideas to life within your school.
School and Faculty Convenors
Convenors continue to work at both the School and Faculty levels. They gather feedback and ideas from across different courses, ensuring that your thoughts, whether shared individually or as part of a group, reach the highest levels of university decision-making. On the other side, they also attend the Education Committee to receive any support needed from uea(su) and the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Officers.
Online Engagement
You don’t need to attend meetings in person to get your voice heard! The We're Listening platform allows any student to submit feedback, share ideas, and raise issues.
How can you get involved?
- You can join a SEP to work on issues and ideas that matter to you. Contact your school or your school convenor to find out how to join.
- Share Your Ideas with Your Convenor: Got a suggestion for how things could be even better? Want to highlight a success or bring attention to a challenge? Your convenor is here to listen! You can reach out to them directly or submit feedback through the online platform.
- Run as a Convenor: Want to represent your peers and drive positive change? Elections are held every year, and this is your chance to make a real difference, build leadership skills, and shape your academic environment. You can contact our Voice Team (su.voice@uea.ac.uk) for more information.
Why is your feedback important?
Your ideas, suggestions, and concerns are vital for improving the student experience. Academic Convenors work on issues like developing new initiatives based on student ideas and enhancing teaching quality and improving learning resources.
Your experience matters! Whether you have a great idea for improvement, want to celebrate something that’s going well, or need to raise a concern, we want to hear from you! Reach out to your convenor today or submit your feedback and ideas online.