Campus News

Compliance with consumer protection requirements: policy, staff e-learning and resources

April 16th, 2024

The university recently published its consumer protection policy, which outlines how it ensures compliance with consumer protection law and advice for the higher education sector from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Alongside the policy, a new staff training course and informational SharePoint site have been developed.

Generally speaking, the university is bound by consumer protection requirements as it markets and provides education services. Its consumers are its prospective and current students.

In March 2015, the CMA published advice to help higher education providers across the UK understand and meet their consumer protection responsibilities. The advice was updated and re-issued on 31 May 2023.

If the university does not comply with its consumer protection obligations, it may face student complaints or legal action and suffer reputational and financial damages.

Staff e-learning module

To help support colleagues in understanding and complying with responsibilities in relation to consumer protection, a new staff e-learning module has been developed. The module is mandatory for colleagues whose responsibilities align closest with curriculum change and student recruitment activity (outlined below). However, all university staff are responsible for ensuring materials and interactions with students are compliant and are encouraged to undertake the e-learning.

The e-learning is mandatory for the following staff:

Faculties  

  • Any Faculty staff (R&T, APM, Technical) that are not formally part of a School or Professional Service)

Schools

  • All R&T staff
  • All APM staff
  • All technical staff

Professional Services

  • All RAA staff
  • All External Relations staff
  • Institute for Professional and Work-Based Learning
  • University of Nottingham Online
  • Any roles not covered by the above that support CPD or short course (including evening classes) activity.

The e-learning (approximately 1 hour) can be accessed through the university short courses site.

Please note all staff involved in university open days should complete the training before these recruitment events.

All eligible staff should complete the e-learning by Sunday 30 June 2024.

SharePoint site

Additional guidance and resources to assist staff can be found in the consumer protection SharePoint site.  Further information will be added as it becomes available.

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University finances: progress made and next steps

April 15th, 2024

As we continue to navigate through the complexities of the current financial landscape, University Executive Board would like to acknowledge the efforts and dedication displayed by teams across the institution.

The commitment shown to streamlining processes and re-thinking finances has been visible and is greatly appreciated, but we have more work to do to keep ourselves financially stable into the future.

What has been done so far?

We have seen tangible results with many of the measures that have been implemented so far, including reduced travel spending, a decrease in advertised job vacancies and ongoing efforts to minimise purchasing card expenditures.

Many colleagues have taken the opportunity to join the Annual Leave Purchase Scheme, which was requested by a member of staff at our recent roadshows. Changes to certain aspects of delivered and provisioned catering have also helped reduce costs.

Locally, faculties and departments are supporting the savings initiative by placing temporary pauses on the purchase of IT equipment and certain elements of catering. The university’s executive board has endorsed an initiative to reduce spend on IT equipment for the remainder of this financial year.

In addition, temporary measures will also be introduced soon which will aim to validate purchase requests and reduce new IT equipment purchasing spend, specifically on laptops, desktops and tablets – reducing spend in this area. The revised process for ordering IT equipment will be communicated within the next few weeks.

These measures underscore our commitment to prudent financial management and align with our overarching objectives.

What do we still need to do?

Despite the good work carried out so far, unfortunately the university is not currently on track to meet the savings needed to avoid a budget deficit.

To start to address this, we are re-examining our estate and looking at savings that could be made within the strategic pipeline to help bring down expenditure.  But locally, we need teams and departments to continue to examine budgets and find savings wherever possible.

This means the measures that have been introduced to help bring down expenditure, including restrictions on travel and professional development, will need to continue into the new financial year.

Additionally, the current recruitment freeze will remain in place. We understand this may pose challenges in some areas, but the measures are essential in our collective efforts to navigate the financial terrain effectively.

We have also agreed to implement tighter financial controls, meaning that all non-research spend above a £10,000 threshold will only go ahead if a newly established Finance Control Group approves it.

Thank you once again for your ongoing support and engagement through this process and we will continue to keep you updated.

For more information including a detailed FAQ, please visit the University Finances SharePoint site.

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Update regarding UniCore go-live date

April 15th, 2024

The go-live date for the university’s new HR, Finance and Procurement system (UniCore) is expected to be towards the end of November 2024.

As previously highlighted, the current nature and complexity of our data created some issues when it was transferred to UniCore during Q4 2023. This resulted in the project team finding that the data was not behaving as was expected.

The nature and format of data that is required for UniCore is much more specific than what we hold in our existing systems. More time is therefore needed to ensure we will have the best quality information in our new system.

The exact go-live date for UniCore will be dependent on the project team successfully completing the following activities over the coming months:

  • The data from our existing systems will be updated to meet the specific requirements of UniCore, before being transferred over.
  • Data that has never been recorded in our systems before will be put into UniCore. The project team will be asking Operations leads in faculties and departments to provide information such as staff working patterns, details about organisation structures, and identify their casual and contingent workers.
  • The cutover period will be the time when we will stop using our existing systems, such as Resourcelink and Agresso, so that finalised data can be transferred into UniCore. The project team will rehearse the cutover process to determine the duration and success for each of the steps involved.

Completing these activities will enable us to confirm the sequencing, timing and duration of the cutover period, ensure our data is of the highest quality and determine the final go-live date. A precise cutover timetable will be shared with you towards the end of July 2024.

This will give staff approximately four months to prepare for the processes that will be temporarily impacted during the cutover period.

You will be able to use UniCore to book annual leave, view payslips, access organisation charts, record Appraisal and Development Conversations (ADC), view university jobs, record sickness, make purchases, claim expenses, access reports and record financial transactions for Research projects.

Sessions over the summer months will give staff the opportunity to see live system demonstrations and even try the system for themselves. The approach for staff training will also be shared as soon as possible to enable teams to plan for this.

Since the beginning of 2024, over 250 members of staff have been helping to test UniCore and nearly 5,000 tests have been completed to date. Most of the test results are showing that UniCore is performing how we want it to, but the project team will continue with this rigorous testing to correct errors that have been identified and build high confidence levels with our new system. It is common for system rollouts of this scale to experience some form of teething problems at go-live, but this testing will help to keep these to a minimum.

The revised UniCore delivery plan has been reviewed and challenged internally to ensure it is achievable and realistic. It will now undergo scrutiny by the university’s independent Assurance Partner, PwC.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we work together to launch a modern, integrated, secure and reliable system that will support us in our daily work.

Please visit the SharePoint site or email digitalcore@nottingham.ac.uk if you have any questions.

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Artificial intelligence – an update on the university’s approach

April 15th, 2024

Since our last update on the university’s response to the rapidly evolving emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), there has been significant discussion across the sector, and we’ve seen the increasing proliferation of AI tools both in the workplace and within the educational sphere, prompting a raft of ethical and pedagogical considerations.

This article serves as an update and reminder on the university’s position and progress with regards to various aspects of AI. You can use the links below to jump to different sections within this article.

AI detection capabilities

The university has been reviewing the efficacy of a number of AI detection tools, most notably that provided by Turnitin, our current plagiarism detection tool.

Thorough testing of Turnitin AI Detection has revealed its strengths alongside its limitations. There was found to be little correlation between human detection of AI and the tool’s detection, with the latter flagging an unproportionate number of false positives. Its results are therefore not sufficiently reliable as a basis for initiating academic misconduct investigations and the university has declined to implement the tool in this configuration. This is in line with the majority of providers across the sector.

Over the next two years, the university will explore how it can use a broader suite of false authorship detection tools to provide a more efficient and consistent approach to academic misconduct processes. This will sit alongside a wider programme of work supporting students in the ethical use of AI in their assessments.

In the meantime, the university recognises that staff will be experimenting with detection tools, and advises caution in doing so. There are substantial considerations to take into account, including GDPR compliance and disclosure of the university’s intellectual property. If you are considering using AI detection tools, we would advise you consult the AI SharePoint and associated community before doing so. Alternatively, if you’re using a tool and you want to present your experience to the AI Steering Group, please contact Joseph O’Neill.

Academic Misconduct Policy

During 2023 we updated our Academic Misconduct Policy to include the use of AI tools under the definition of false authorship. The updated policy wording prohibits the use of such tools in assessments, unless the school/department has explicitly permitted them as part of that particular assessment.

The policy also clarifies that overreliance on translation and paraphrasing software (such as Grammarly) for the purpose of gaining an academic advantage is included within the definition of false authorship.

View the Academic Misconduct Policy >

Artificial Intelligence at the University SharePoint

In November of 2023 the university launched its AI SharePoint site, a resource for staff to find support and guidance around the use of AI, as well as to share their experiences with the rest of the community.

This site brings together training and development opportunities, research, and resources from across the sector. It’s also where you can find out about any changes to policy, process and guidance.

Above all, this is a living space for our community to share its own experience, thoughts and feelings about living and working with AI, so please do get involved in the conversation.

Find out more on SharePoint >

Understanding how artificial intelligence may impact you and your work

One of the courses featured on the AI SharePoint is the training module, Understanding how artificial intelligence may impact you and your work.

All staff are encouraged to enrol on this one-hour module, which offers an exploration into how AI tools might be applied to the work that we do across the institution, and the mindset required to adopt them.

AI is highly likely to impact our work, regardless of your job role, so this is an opportunity for you to learn and potentially shape what this might look like.

Enrol on the course >

AI Executive Group

Over the past year, the university’s approach to AI in teaching and learning has been overseen by the AI Steering Group, chaired by Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Curriculum Leadership) Mark Bradley. The group has been responsible for considering and reviewing the impacts of AI on education in the institution, and for making key recommendations.

A new group – the AI Executive Group – has now been established to provide oversight of the organisation’s approach to AI in teaching and learning, research and knowledge exchange, and systems and processes. This group will meet for the first time shortly after the Easter vacation, and will be chaired by a member of UEB. If you have any enquiries about the work of this group, please contact its secretary Paul Couchman (Director of Technology in Digital and Technical Services).

Teaching and Learning Conference 2024

This year’s teaching and learning conference will have a focus on enhanced interdisciplinarity and artificial intelligence technologies, providing an opportunity to consider how we better equip students with the skills to address the complex challenges of the 21st century.

It will be a chance to discuss the challenges and opportunities offered by AI, and to contemplate its impact on the next generation curriculum and future of learning.

Find out more >

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Vote in the upcoming mayoral elections

April 12th, 2024

The first ever election for a mayor for the East Midlands will take place on Thursday 2 May 2024.

Derbyshire, Derby, Nottinghamshire and Nottingham have opened the door to a massive £4 billion investment in transport, skills, housing and the environment after securing a deal for a new combined authority – the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA).

EMCCA has been formed by Derbyshire County Council, Derby City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City Council, and will be led by a mayor, similar to areas like the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire.

The mayor will have new powers and resources to begin a long-term process of growing the region’s economy by investing in skills that lead to better jobs, transport that works better across the region, housing where it’s needed, and an economy equipped to deal with net zero.

This small team will have specific responsibilities – housing, skills, transport and the environment – and the transfer of powers means it will be doing work previously carried out by government. It will collaborate with councils and will not duplicate what they do or provide services that are best delivered locally.

Voting will take place on Thursday 2 May 2024.

Find out more about the campaign and how to vote

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Improved Curriculum Catalogue available for all staff and students

April 9th, 2024

As of Thursday 11 April, the updated Curriculum Catalogue will be available for all staff, students and anyone that wishes to view it externally via this link. 

What is the Curriculum Catalogue?

The Curriculum Catalogue (also known as the online course catalogue) is a resource for sharing module and course information. 

Improved functionality, accessibility and appearance

Created in collaboration between RAA and the Education Administration Continuous Improvement Team (EACIT), this redesigned resource has: 

  • a better search functionality (requiring fewer clicks) 
  • a streamlined layout and branded identity 
  • improved accessibility (data can now be accessed directly via URL links, eliminating the need to navigate through the Curriculum Catalogue home page) 
  • students and staff will be able to download a date-stamped copy of their programme and modules, enabling the creation and download of a durable (uneditable) file format which is essential for Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) compliance.   

Find out more

About EACIT

The Education Administration Continuous Improvement Team (EACIT) focus on reducing the complexity of university systems and processes where Campus Solutions is at the heart of the student journey, making them as simple and as streamlined as possible. 

Any colleague in the university can suggest an improvement to student administration systems and processes. If you have a suggestion for an improvement, please fill in this form and the team will get back to you. 

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Partial road closure: Library Road, University Park

April 9th, 2024

On Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 April 2024, the main road outside of Hallward Library, Library Road, will be closed with no through route to allow room for glazing repairs to take place.

Access to and from the car park will be available from Cut Through Lane or via the Portland building end of the road.

The entire road will be blocked as access equipment will need to be parked on the road along with stabilisers and supports.

People will have access up to the closure from either direction, but traffic will need to turn around and leave via the same entrance.

Pedestrian access and scooters on foot paths should be unaffected and can cross the road outside Hallward entrance.

Parking near the Law and Social Sciences building will also be obstructed on Wednesday 17 April 2024.

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Pension webinar series with Legal and General

April 9th, 2024

A series of pension webinar sessions with leading financial services provider Legal and General will be taking place over the next few months.  

Colleagues will be able to join the online sessions to gain more information around savings, pensions, retirement planning, financial wellbeing and responsible investing. 

Upcoming webinars include: 

Starting to plan your retirement
Register here
Wednesday 10 April 2024, from 12noon
This webinar is aimed at members who want to find out more about retirement planning and who are more than 10 years away from their selected retirement age 

Approaching your retirement
Register here
Wednesday 22 May 2024, from 11am
This webinar will provide members who are less than 10 years away from their selected retirement age with a reminder about the things to consider when it comes to finalising their retirement plans 

Financial wellbeing
Register here
Thursday 13 June 2024, from 11am
This webinar is suitable for members of all ages and will focus on a range of topics including how gender and ethnicity can have an impact on the size of a member’s pension pot 

An introduction to responsible investing
Register here
Thursday 4 July, from 11am
This webinar is suitable for members of all ages who would like to learn more about responsible investing 

Members can register for any upcoming event by clicking on the ‘Register here’ links above for the webinar they are interested in attending.  

Once a webinar has been delivered, members will be able to click on the same link to ‘Watch on demand’. The link will take members through to the BrightTalk platform, which we’re using to deliver these events.  

If you haven’t already registered with BrightTalk, you’ll be asked to set up a BrightTalk account. You should only have to do this once.  

Find out more about pensions and retirement information and guidance on our Pension webpages.  

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Open Conversations – for leaders and managers 

April 9th, 2024

If you would like to learn more about open conversations and how all conversations can be approached in an open inclusive manner, then this session is for you.   

Join the Organisational Development team for an interactive workshop on how leaders and managers can approach conversations using the principles of an open conversation.   

Open Conversations are at the heart of our university values and the culture we want to see thrive. This workshop is to support those in leadership positions as part of a programme of activity to support the growth and development of open conversations across the university.    

What is an open conversation?

An open conversation is a spoken interaction between two or more people, where those engaged in the conversation feel safe and able to contribute or raise relevant ideas, questions or concerns.  An Open Conversation includes any or all of the following behaviours and actions:    

  • based on empathetic listening.    
  • where questions are used to explore and build understanding.    
  • non-judgemental.    
  • where not having an answer provides for the foundations of exploring and developing solutions.    
  • being comfortable and open with not knowing.    
  • empowering others to learn and develop and make decisions.     
  • believing in the ability of the individual to solve problems and find solutions for themselves.    

Session dates, times and location   

The sessions will be available both face to face and online via Teams on the following dates and times: 

  • Tuesday 7 May 2024, from 1.30pm – 3.30pm (University Park) 
  • Wednesday 5 June 2024, from 1.30pm – 3.30pm (Jubilee Campus) 
  • Wednesday 3 July 2024, from 1.30pm – 3.30pm (Via Ms Teams) 

Book your place on an upcoming session here.   

Session outcomes

  • To understand what an open conversation is and share our experiences.  
  • To explore the barriers to having an open conversation.   
  • To develop understanding in the importance of creating a culture of trust and psychological safety. ​ 
  • To explore the importance of effective listening and questioning in how we approach an open conversation. 
  • To practise the skills needed to have an open conversation​. 

Who is the session for?

This workshop is to support those in leadership positions as part of a programme of activity to support the growth and development of open conversations across the university.    

This is part of a programme of activity for open conversations. There is also an introductory session exploring what an open conversation is and a session designed to support all staff members to explore how to initiate, prepare for and have an open conversation. 

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Fancy learning Mandarin?

April 8th, 2024

The Nottingham Confucius Institute offers evening and weekend Mandarin classes as well as a range of private, in-person and online lessons all taught by experienced language teachers from Chinese universities.

The summer term group lessons begin from Tuesday 23 April 2024 with a registration deadline of 12:00 noon Wednesday 17 April 2024.

An early bird discount is available to staff and students until Wednesday 10 April 2024.

Visit the Nottingham Confucius Institute webpage to register or find out more.

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