Why Become a Student Ambassador for Learning and Teaching?
Here are some of the things you will gain from being an Ambassador for Learning & Teaching:
Power
The power is in your hands to bring about a real change in the way students learn and are taught. You can work with staff to identify areas needing improvement, and prove the valuable input students can have. Make the most of this opportunity - and you could make a real difference.
Skills & Employability
By being an Ambassador you will gain a whole range of skills which will make you super-employable. It's not only a great thing to add to your CV, but will also demonstrate a wealth of real-life experiences which are certain to impress any employer.
Inspiration & Development
You may find talents, interests and strengths you never realised you had. Perhaps there is a budding teacher, an artistic designer, a creative writer, or IT whizz in you somewhere?
Friends
By working with students from other Departments and Faculties you can forge friendships with people you might not otherwise have had the chance to get to know, or even meet!
Sheffield Graduate Award / Skills for Work Certificate Recognition
Student Ambassadors for Learning & Teaching is a role which is credited by the Sheffield Graduate Award and the Skills for Work Certificate recognising the valuable experience you're getting outside of your degree course.
Money
That's right, you'll get paid whilst improving your and everyone else's University experience! You will be expected to work 3 hours a week, and if you are appointed as the Lead Ambassador for your Faculty, you may be working around 5 hours a week.
Testimonials from Current SALTs
"Applying to become a SALT two years ago is one of the best decisions I have ever made at university. The best thing about the job is the way you can develop a concept into a finished project. Working as part of the team is great because you get to mix with other like-minded students, interested in changing the way we are taught. I have learnt a great deal about how things are run in the university, as well as networking and meeting different members of staff. This year the MDH SALTs have worked on two projects, the first was called “Joint Operation” which was an event aimed at encouraging interdisciplinary discussion between healthcare workers surrounding hypothetical patient cases. The second project is a language phrasebook called “languages in clinic.” The book translates useful terms into ten different languages so that students can communicate with patients who do not speak English. Both projects have helped my interpersonal skills, team working skills and organisational skills. SALT has increased my understanding of other courses and definitely expanded my skill set." Ashna Phakey, Dentistry Student, Lead SALT for Medicine, Dentistry and Health 2012/13
"Being a SALT this year, has been full of planning and coming up with ideas on fulfilling our project aims. I've had the opportunity to facilitate focus groups and even be involved in the University's annual Learning and Teaching conference. I've learned a lot whilst being a SALT this year, from completing focus groups to individual interviews. It has been a great experience that I aim to continue next year and that I'd recommend it to any students interesting in making an impact." Sarah Browne, Maths Student, Institutional Team SALT, 2012/13
"Being the SALT (Student Ambassador for Learning and Teaching) within your department is a fantastic experience. As a student directly involved and integrated in a faculty project you get an insight into the University as a whole; you get the opportunity to work with people from other departments on projects that directly impact on a huge range of students. The role of SALT allows you the ability to demonstrate your communication, organisation and teamwork skills to potential employers while making a real difference to the University and the learning and teaching of your fellow students. The opportunity to be the SALT for your department is a great experience and something I would definitely recommend to anyone considering the role." Philip Wells, Law Student, Social Sciences SALT 2012/13
"If I had to describe my time as a SALT in a word, that word would be evolution. This is as by being a SALT I feel I have been part of a dynamic, fast paced, task force with the aim of improving the institution for which I have been part of. It involved laying the foundations down for a project and then through hard work and determination, nurturing it through to completion.
This nonetheless led the way to excellent personal development; from the onset of becoming a SALT you will be placed with unfamiliar people, who as a team will have to make decisions. One thing I learned from SALT is negotiating skills; if you have a good idea it is not simply enough, in order for that idea to be realised you have to convince the team it will also be a good idea.
The finished product from this year’s task was a video aimed at improving transitions. This was both enjoyable and challenging as none of the members had any prior experience in media. In order to overcome this the team attended workshops on video production and editing, though often problems simply required them to be worked through systematically until we found a method that worked.
Overall if you were thinking about becoming a SALT, I would simply say do it! It’s a rare opportunity to broaden your horizons, substantiate your CV and meet new people." Jason Brocklesby, MBB Student, Science SALT 2012/13