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► Academic Sabbatical

Academic Sabbatical Role Description

The Full Time Sabbatical officials are the representative leaders of the Students’ Union and are elected in a whole-Union ballot by and from all of the students who are registered to courses of study at the University of Cumbria. These roles are expected to travel around the various campuses and sites of the University, and may be based at any of the Students’ Union offices in Carlisle, Penrith or Lancaster.

The post of Representation Sabbatical takes over the senior position of President. All Sabbaticals are Trustees of the Union and have permanent positions on the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee.

Each post is paid approximately £15,000 for their single year of office and will be required to sign a contract of employment with the Union.

Academic Sabbatical

Underpinning the work of the Students’ Union is our core objective – ‘improving the quality of education at the University Of Cumbria’, and the Academic Sabbatical takes the lead in this regard. As the main representative from the Union on high powered University educational boards this role is at the fore front of the Unions’ struggle to improve quality and standards within the teaching, learning and assessment within all courses. They also lead the largest group of elected officers with defined roles, the Faculty Representatives elected from each site. Together this Academic Team exist to campaign to bring about positive change and to make the most of the representational opportunities and administrative systems offered to the Union by the University.

The Academic Sabbatical is one half of the ‘Campaigning Axis’ of the Union, and is focused on academic campaigns and is expected to spend time consulting and gathering student opinion at all sites through regular surgeries. They will also be heavily involved in the Unions’ campaign to improve the Student Academic Representative (Course Reps) and generally be the main student expert and point of contact for the Union on educational and academic issues. They have some responsibility for ensuring that the needs of particular educational groups, like Further Educational students, are met by the University.

As a key campaigner driven to fulfil the core aim of the Union success in this role is vital, and requires that the post holder is determined, able to digest complex information and can channel the energies of a diverse team of volunteers. The ability to soundly research and plan effective campaigns is more important than previous educational policy experience, although that wouldn’t go amiss!

The full role description for the Academic Sabbatical as they are currently defined in the proposed policy documents are as follows:

4.3.1 The Academic Sabbatical shall:

i) Have responsibility for representing and campaigning on behalf of students individually and collectively on Academic (learning, teaching and assessment) issues;

ii) Be a member of Academic Board and other Senior University Academic Committees such as:

a) Academic Strategy & Planning Committee;

b) Academic Standards Committee;

c) Learning, Teaching & Assessment Committee;

d) Research, Scholarship & Knowledge Transfer Committee;

iii) Be responsible for the activities of the Students’ Union specifically in regard to advancing the educational opportunities of students at the University;

iv) Act as the Students’ Union Sabbatical liaison with regard to all University Learning, Teaching and Assessment and Academic Quality Assurance issues;

v) Coordinate and support with appropriate parties elected official attendees to all University Faculty Boards and other Academic Committees not covered by this post holder;

vi) To hold a consultation surgery once a week at a different site and to hold regular communication sessions using email/forum/online media, and to be accountable to the Members if they do not hold regular consultation surgeries (or equivalent) at each Campus or Site

vii) Oversee the work of, assist, be accountable for and to the Campus based elected Faculty Representatives in providing local academic representation and global attendance at Faculty based Boards and Committees;

viii) Have joint responsibility with appropriate parties for co-ordinating attendance of student representatives at Faculty & Course Consultative Committee meetings;

ix) Have joint responsibility with appropriate parties for development of Academic Representation and student representation within University structures and driving expanding Students’ Union involvement in these processes;

x) Take a lead role in collating the Students’ Written Submission for Quality Assurance Agency Audit purposes and any other learning, teaching and assessment inspections such as OFSTED;

xi) Be the lead elected officer in driving student involvement in the National Student Survey;

xii) Develop and maintain formal and informal networks with Deans of Faculties and educators within the University;

xiii) Have responsibility for assisting the appropriate parties when necessary in representing students in disciplinary, academic appeals and student review cases;

xiv) Assist appropriate parties in reviewing and campaigning on matters concerning academic and educational matters; such as learning, teaching and assessment, academic regulations, organisational structures within the University teaching departments etc;

xv) Assist the Campus Representatives and Faculty Representatives in setting up and maintaining local Academic Groups;

xvi) Be the lead Sabbatical to oversee the work of, and be answerable to, the local Academic Groups and global Academic Assembly, and where mandated take actions forward from those groups to Union Council and/or Board of Trustees;

xvii) To be the Chair of any global Education/Academic Representation Team within the Students’ Union internal structure;

xviii) Support the work of the Students’ Union Advice Service through their work as advocates for students in academic appeal situations;

Undertake all other duties commensurate with the post as may be reasonably required by the Union Council, Union Board of Trustees and Union Executive.