Staff-Student Liaison Committee
Information on PGR Staff Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) meetings.
The Informatics Graduate School (IGS) is committed to developing the School's PGR experience, in consultation with those registered on our PGR programmes. In support of this, the IGS hosts SSLC student representative meetings, with the aim of identifying where things could be improved. The membership of this group includes the Deputy Director of IGS, PGR student representatives, IGS admin staff, technical and computing staff.
It is the Informatics Graduate School’s (IGS) responsibility to:
- Formally communicate to all PGR students the names of their Student Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) student representatives;
- Organise SSLC meetings
- At a minimum, the IGS will organise one SSLC meeting per academic semester and will inform the SSLC student reps of the schedule / dates and times of the meetings. As much as possible, these meetings will be held as in-person meetings.
- The IGS will consult with SSLC student reps regarding the agenda for each meeting, and send an invitation and a finalised agenda.
- Distribute draft minutes (including allocated actions) and follow up on the progress and completion of agreed actions.
- Keep the IGS SSLC webpage up to date with current and accurate information.
SSLC PGR Student Representatives
SSLC student reps are a vital channel of communication between the School of Informatics and PGR student community – representing, communicating and giving feedback on School, College and wider University PGR student matters.
The main purpose of the SSLC student rep role is to:
- Represent Informatics PGRs & help to improve the PGR experience
- Ensure that the PGR student voice is heard within Informatics (and beyond)
- Raise awareness of Informatics activities amongst the wider PGR community
Any PGR student can contact their Institute or CDT student representative if they would like to raise an issue or question related to the PGR provision within the School. Students can contact all members of the SSLC student rep group via inf-sslc@inf.ed.ac.uk, or they can contact them individually via their University student email addresses.
To fulfil the role of SSLC rep most effectively, each rep is expected to carry out duties as follows:
Before SSLC meetings:
- Make contact with your peers and note down any issues that may have arisen since the last meeting.
- Before the meeting, IGS will send a copy of the minutes and agenda to each committee member, and ask each rep to liaise with their peers regarding any issues which are to be discussed at the meeting.
- Each rep is expected to facilitate the feedback process by proactively talking to their peers in order to find out any worries or concerns (sometimes issues arise which students do not feel are significant enough, in isolation, to raise with the SSLC, but may be significant and/or a concern for a number of other students).
- Remember that the Committee is also an opportunity to contribute positively to PGR life in the School, so it would also be helpful for reps to bring along suggestions for how things could be improved, as well as sharing positive feedback on what is working well for students.
During SSLC meetings:
- It is the responsibility of each SSLC rep to attend all meetings throughout the year (regardless of whether or not they have any issues to raise).
- If a rep cannot attend due to another commitment, they are expected to send apologies to the IGS and ensure that any items that need to be raised are passed on (either via the IGS or another representative).
- If a rep misses a meeting, they should make sure they read the minutes and contact IGS if there are any queries relating to their programme and/or institute.
After SSLC meetings:
- For the SSLC to act effectively, it is important that any issues raised during the meeting are followed up. Meeting minutes, including an action list, will be drafted and finalised after each meeting. The meeting minutes will be posted on the IGS SSLC meeting minutes webpage, and each SSLC member will receive a copy of the draft minutes in the week after each SSLC meeting.
- If a rep is assigned an action, they should ensure that it is progressed to completion within the agreed timescale, and they should report their progress to the IGS.
- It is the responsibility of each SSLC rep to ensure that their fellow students are kept informed of the outcome of any issues relating to their programme/institute.
- If a student has emailed with a problem, the rep should reply to them letting them know that action will be taken. Or if an issue has been resolved during the meeting or is resolved at a later date, pass on the outcome of the discussion to the individual/ group as appropriate.
- The IGS will let reps know of any further developments in dealing with an issue, but after that it is up to the reps to relay this information to their peers.
Decision making
The participation of SSLC student reps in meetings allows the student voice to formally contribute to the enhancement of the PGR student experience. However, whilst the SSLC student reps act as a bridge between the School of Informatics and the PGR students, they are not authorised to make any formal or informal decisions on behalf of the School.
Each year the IGS invites students to put themselves forward for any vacant posts so please think about putting yourself forward when the invites are emailed.
There are a benefits to being a student rep, for example, it will enhances your CV and offer real life experience of:
- representing the interests of a large group at within a high-level decision-making body; and
- working with diverse colleagues towards reaching common goals; and
- developing a depth of understanding of relevant student issues; and
- influencing decision making and contributing to actions which result in positive change.
Being a Rep will work directly to address the a variety areas of professional development on the Researcher Development Framework:
Domain C. Research Governance and Organisation
- C1. Professional Conduct; Legal Requirements and Respect and Confidentially
Domain D. Engagement, Influence and Impact
- D1. Working with Others; Collegiality, Team work, Influence and Leadership, Collaboration, Equality and Diversity
College Student Staff Liaison Committee (CSSLC)
The College of Science and Engineering has established the College Student Staff Liaison Committee (CSSLC) to discuss the “big issues” which College or University wide issues. For clarity, these issues are not programme-specific items or concerns, but rather thematic issues which resonate more widely across the College. The Committee is an opportunity to work together with students to address key concerns in an effective way to benefit our student experience and wider College community, and to ensure that there is a dialogue across the College about cross-cutting issues. Please click here for an information page which outlines the remit and operation of the CSSLC. There will be separate meetings to discuss taught matters and PGR matters, with agendas set collectively by students at a pre-meeting (to ensure they are appropriate themes which resonate across the student body).
PGR Town Hall Meetings - COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic several PGR town hall meetings have taken place, allowing PGR students an opportunity to speak with the Directors of IGS and raise any issues or concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meeting minutes are below.
Further information and links
University student representation
UPDATED 09/Dec/2022