My name is Caroline Shaw and I am currently a 2nd year, studying English Language and Media Communication.
Having experienced university through being part of two courses, including separate departments in the university, I have witnessed different ways of running university courses. I believe this has given me great insight into the way courses are run.
I also have experience in effective communication and liaison, which would make me effective as a course rep. This is through being a member of the cheerleading sports society. As a sports society, we have had to get our opinions across to the student’s union and DMU Sport. I have also gained this experience through my Frontrunners internship where I have had to communicate with members of staff at the university and have run their social media.
Overall, the English Language department from my perspective has been very successful which is praise I would like to share with the staff. Particularly this includes the workspace that is provided downstairs in Clephan, which has been useful especially for group work and is something that the media department lacks.
However, the areas of improvement within the English Language department, which is an issue which I think most departments face is effective communication with students. This is evident from the English Language Prague trip that did not go ahead due to lack of awareness. I believe improvements could be made to communication by utilising social media accounts. This has worked effectively in my Frontrunners role and is something that I believe could engage students more than emails.
Finally, a student voice is required because it improves communication with staff and gives an opportunity for new ideas that are from a student’s perspective of university. This is something I would hope to achieve through becoming a course rep.