Welcome to Episode 2 of Our Student Voice.
To view and interact with the introductory video, click on Start Here in the video screen.
At TU Dublin, we work in partnership with our students and we want to hear your voice. We are always open to hearing from our students and helping you to resolve any issues you have related to your experience as a student. In order for you to receive the most helpful and dedicated support, it is important that you know who is the best person to approach or the best support system to link with for the various queries you may have.
If you find yourself having to solve a problem on your own behalf, or on behalf of others, it is helpful if you take the approach of referring to policy, identifying supports, and interacting with the structures of the University – including the various management roles at all levels.
The structures, supports and policies of the University collectively contribute to the language that is used in formal and informal meetings involving University staff. This episode will help you to prepare for those meetings, and will help you to identify how best to address issues and solve problems that may arise over your time in the University.
If a staff member or support service is not able to help you with any given query or issue you have, they will be able to tell you how it is that you should contact.
As a class representative, or as a student in TU Dublin, it is important that you:
Find out who is who in TU Dublin: This includes your year tutor, your programme coordinator, your Head of School, your Students’ Union officers, and others. These are the people who can help you and your classmates.
Find out about the supports and services in TU Dublin: Find out about how registrations, counselling, careers, disability support, the Students’ Union and the other services can help you and your classmates.
Be aware of TU Dublin policies: Know where to find out about TU Dublin’s policies on assessment, registration, fees, discipline, and other areas.
The following are some of the key people related to your Programme, your School and TU Dublin.
Year Tutor: You belong to a class of students. In addition to having a set of lecturers for your modules, each class usually has a year tutor. Your lecturer should be your first point of contact for any feedback you have about their module. Your year tutor will be your point of contact for any more general issues about your student experience. On some postgraduate programmes, you may not have a year tutor, in which case the programme coordinator will be your first point of contact.
Programme Coordinator: Your class belongs to a programme. Each programme has a programme coordinator whose role spans all the years of the programme. If you are a class representative, you will interact with the programme coordinator for aspects of quality assurance for your programme.
Students' Union Officers: The Students' Union Officers are available to help and advise class representatives and all other students (see Episode on Being a Class Representative). The Students' Union is a separate organisation that works in partnership with the University. The Students' Union represents the student voice in the University, and nominates representatives onto a variety of University Committees, including Academic Council and the Faculty Boards (see Episode on Understanding Quality Assurance and Quality Enhancement). The Students' Union is responsible for the recruitment, election, training and support for class representatives.
Head of School, and Head of Discipline: There are many Schools in the University. Each School has a Head of School, one or more Heads of Discipline, and one or more administration staff. There is also the team of lecturers who teach on the programmes in the school, as well as part-time lecturers, technical staff and demonstrators who are also involved in the delivery of the School’s programmes. Many programmes are offered by more than one School, but generally one School will take overall responsibility for an individual programme. Collectively, the Head of School and Heads of Discipline form a School Executive which is responsible for the management of all the activity in the School. In some cases, it may be appropriate to discuss matters with the Head of School or Head of Discipline, but your first point of contact should always be your year tutor.
School Administrator: Each School has School Administrator in the School Office who supports the work of the management and staff in the School.
Faculty Dean: The Schools in the University are organised into five Faculties. These are the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, the Faculty of Sciences and Health, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, the Faculty of Business and the Faculty of Computing, Digital and Data. Each Faculty is led by a Faculty Dean and managed by a Faculty Executive which includes all the Heads of School in the Faculty and other staff responsible for education, research and operations. The Dean of the Faculty has overall responsibility for the management and quality assurance of the programmes and research in the Faculty.
President, Registrar and Vice-Presidents: The University is led by a President, with the support of a Deputy President and Registrar (this is one role), the Chief Operations Officer, the five Faculty Deans, the Vice President for Organisation, Change and Culture, the Vice President for Partnerships, the Vice President for Research and Innovation and the Vice President for Sustainability. Collectively, these roles all form the University Executive Team. All Schools, functions and units in the University are under the responsibility of a member of the University Executive Team.
The following services and supports are available to you, and all TU Dublin students. Taking the time to learn about these services will help you find the right support and advice when you need it.
Academic Writing Centre: The Academic Writing Centre provides free support to help students develop as independent, confident writers in an academic setting.
Access: The Access Service provides a range of supports, including academic support, social and personal supports and financial assistance.
Accommodation: The Accommodation Service can help and advise you on matters relating to accommodation.
Admissions: The Admissions Office support students in applying for and transferring between programmes. The Student Retention Officer in the Admissions Office can advise any student who is considering withdrawing from their programme.
Career Development Centre: The Career Development Centre supports all students with their decision making and reflection relating to their career, and practical matters such as CV preparation.
Counselling Service: Counselling provides students with a safe, non-judgmental space to talk about and discuss any concerns you may have. Common issues include stress or anxiety, academic difficulties, relationship difficulties, depression or mood difficulties, grief or bereavement, homesickness or loneliness, sexual / personal identity issues, assault or abuse, self-harm, addiction or substance use, low confidence or self-esteem, and financial support.
Disability Support Services: The Disability Support Services provide confidential one-to-one needs assessments to all students registered with the service. The relevant supports are then put in place based on the recommendations of these needs assessments.
Examinations: The Examinations Office will be able to advise you on all aspect of your examinations, including accessing transcripts and repeating examinations.
Financial Support: A range of financial supports are available for students through this service.
International Office: The International Office offers support to ensure that all international students can fully embrace University life in Dublin.
IT Services: IT Services will assist and advise students on matters relating to Wifi, passwords, and other technology related issues.
Library Sevice: The Library Service will assist students in accessing study space and study materials.
Mathematics Learning Centre: The Mathemcatics Learning Centre provides free support to help students develop their mathematics ability.
Pastoral Care and Chaplaincy: The Chaplaincy provides a safe and confidential setting where students can begin to explore concerns and worries, whatever they are.
Registrations Office: The Registrations Office will be able to advise you on registering for your year of your programme, getting your ID card, paying fees and submitting - where required - the forms for repeating (internally or externally), deferring or withdrawing from your programme. You can avail of many of these services online and at the Student Information Desks.
Societies: TU Dublin has societies for all interests.
Sport: TU Dublin has a wide range of sports clubs and facilities.
Student Health Centre: The TU Dublin Student Health Service provides on-campus Health Care to our students. This student service provides an holistic approach to health and incorporates general medical, sexual, psychological and social aspects of student health.
Students' Union: The Students' Union is one of the largest Students‘ Union in the country. It represents your opinions and upholds your rights throughout your time in TU Dublin. All full-time, part-time, day / block release, postgraduate, apprentice and ERASMUS students are automatically members of the Students' Union.
For more information, see the For Students and Student Services and Support sections of the TU Dublin website.
The following are a selection of the many policies that are in place in TU Dublin - you can refer to these to find out what is - and is not - permitted, encouraged and supported in TU Dublin.
TU Dublin Strategic Plan: The TU Dublin Strategic Plan explains how - as a University - TU Dublin has three main areas of focus, or pillars, that will direct how we develop over the years until 2030. These pillars are People, Planet and Partnership.
Academic Quality Assurance Policies: Currently, different policies apply in different campusses, so you can review the Blanchardstown policies, Tallaght policies and the policies that apply in Grangegorman, Aungier St and Bolton St. These policies explain how your programme is run, how it is designed, how it is validated, how it is monitored, how it is reviewed, how it is informed by how student feedback and by input from staff and external examiners. These are lengthy documents but it is important that you are aware of how this framework shapes your programme and your student experience.
Information Technology Policies: These plicies cover the use of IT services and equipment in TU Dublin.
Student Discipline, Dignity and Respect Policies: These policies cover areas such as student discipline, student complaints, bullying and harrassment.
For more information on TU Dublin policies, see the sections of the TU Dublin website on Student Policies and Regulations and TU Dublin Policies.
These learning activities are designed to help you develop the knowledge and skills required for this episode. These learning activities are also a requirement for the Active Class Representative, Curriculum Co-Designer, and Quality Assurance Expert Digital Badges.
Learning Activity 2.1: Contact List
Copy the table below and complete the contact list.
| Role | Name(s) | Email/Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Year Tutor | ||
| Programme Coordinator | ||
| Students' Union Officer(s) | ||
| Head(s) of Discipline | ||
| Head of School | ||
| School Administrator | ||
| Faculty Dean | ||
| Registrar | ||
| President |
If you are applying for a Digital Badge, include this (or a link to this) in your E-Portfolio.
Learning Activity 2.2: Moya's Advice to Andy
The scenario that was presented in the video on this page is as follows:
Moya is a Class Representative in TU Dublin. Moya's classmate Andy got 35% in the Science module and he is worried that he failed. He explains to Moya that he had a tough time over the last couple of months and he doesn’t know what he can do about this. He hasn’t spoken to anyone else.
The correct outcome from this scenario is for Moya to reassure Andy and advise him about the people, supports and policies that can help him.
Write an email, from Moya to Andy, with specific details on the people, supports and policies that can help him.
Show this email to one of your own classmates to get their feedback on its clarity and helpfulness.
If you are applying for a Digital Badge, include this (or a link to this) in your E-Portfolio.
To find out more about TU Dublin, take the time to explore fully the For Students and About the University sections of the TU Dublin website; and the Students' Union website.