Campus News
Teaching and Learning conference 2020: call for contributions – deadline approaching
February 24th, 2020
The deadline for contributions from staff and PGR students for this year’s annual Teaching and Learning Conference is this Friday (28 February).
Contributions can take the form of papers, workshops or posters and should fit with the conference theme ‘Teaching in 21st Century Higher Education: putting pedagogy at the heart of what we do’ or one of the following sub-themes:
- Universal Design
- Student Partnerships and Innovative Pedagogy
- Effective Pedagogy
- Transitions
Submission guidelines and further information can be found on the Educational Excellence website.
You can submit your abstract here (O365 login required)
Key Dates:
Deadline for contributions (abstracts) – Friday 28 February 2020
Review period – Monday 2 March – Monday 16 March 2020
Notification of review outcome – Tuesday 17 March 2020
Registration for the annual Teaching and Learning Conference is now open. Capacity is limited to 306 places, so early booking is recommended if you would like to attend this event.
Sign up for the Teaching and Learning Conference on April 28th here.
Sign up for the Sandpit event on April 29th here.
Tags: annual teaching and learning conference
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Spring into action with Nottingham Conferences
February 24th, 2020
Nottingham Conferences, the University’s in-house conference department, is inviting University staff to the ‘Keep It On Campus’ spring launch.
These sessions will provide the opportunity for staff to discuss their event needs with Nottingham Conferences to help ‘Keep It On Campus’.
At these sessions, you will have the opportunity to find out more about:
- Bring a colleague and chat about your event needs
- Find out about the new internal conference and meeting rates from £25 per person
- The first 10 attendees at each venue will receive a Nottingham Conferences reusable coffee cup
These events will take place:
- 12-3pm, Wednesday 26 February, Trent Cafe, Trent Building, University Park
- 12-2pm, Thursday 27 February Spokes Restaurant, De Vere Jubilee Conference Centre, Jubilee Campus
- 12-2pm, Friday 28 February, outside the KMC Restaurant, Kings Meadow Campus
For further information, contact Nottingham Conferences on 0115 7486100 or email conferences@nottingham.ac.uk.
Tags: events, Nottingham Conferences, spring, Spring into action
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University joins re-signing of Armed Forces Covenant
February 24th, 2020
Nine universities of the East Midlands celebrated the updating of their Armed Forces Covenants in a joint ceremony held at the University of Leicester recently.
The revised agreements include new, clear-cut promises to support Armed Forces personnel.
The event also marked the achievement of 500 Armed Forces Covenant signatories in the region by East Midlands Reserve Forces and Cadets Association (East Midlands RFCA).
The ceremony was attended by Chief of Defence People (CDP), Lieutenant General Richard Nugee CB CVO CBE, who commented: “I am delighted to see these institutions from the East Midlands higher education sector reaffirming their Armed Forces Covenant commitments. In particular, the commitment to encourage students to become Reservists, and paid leave for existing Reservists to undertake their annual training commitments is very welcome. It sets a potent example for peer organisations in the education sector.”
The universities are uniquely placed to support the education and training of the Armed Forces community. As a group, the universities have committed to collaborate in research to the benefit of the Armed Forces community in areas such as social care, sports science and the justice system.
They will also consider how they can improve and help with access to higher education for service leavers, Reserves and military families.
Some further pledges include appointing an Armed Forces Champion and registering with the Career Transition Partnership to establish a specific pathway to employment for service leavers. They also plan to provide work placement opportunities and support the accreditation of military training.
The support will extend to helping service spouses and partners to find jobs, through initiatives such as registering with the Forces Families Jobs employment platform.
There are also currently over 250 Officer Cadet Students in the Officer Training Corps across the East Midlands universities, and this will continue to be supported.
The ceremony was particularly significant to the University of Leicester, as it was founded as a living memorial to those who made sacrifices in the First World War. The University celebrates its centenary in 2021.
Professor Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice Chancellor, University of Leicester, said: “I am proud to re-sign the Armed Forces Covenant. It is appropriate that the signing ceremony took place in our Fielding Johnson Building which served as a military hospital during the Great War. The University of Leicester was founded as a living memorial to the sacrifices of local people during that conflict. Our commitment to all those who serve, or have served, in the Armed Forces is part of that legacy.”
John Wilson OBE DL, Director of Employer Engagement at East Midlands RFCA, added: “We are thrilled to have this significant group re-signing take place. It demonstrates the friendly and supportive dialogue between all the East Midlands universities.”
“The Armed Forces Covenant is there to ensure that Armed Forces personnel are not disadvantaged by the commitment they make to their defence careers. Respected bodies like these universities can lead by example and best practice.”
Also in attendance were: Katy Nevitt, Armed Forces Champion, Bishop Grosseteste University: Dr Paula Holt, Pro Vice Chancellor, University of Derby: Group Captain (Rtd) Nick Sharpe, Chief Executive, East Midlands RFCA: Julian Free, Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Lincoln: Chris Euden, Operations Director, Loughborough University: Dr Simon Oldroyd, (Interim) Deputy Vice Chancellor, De Montfort University: Professor Nick Petford, Vice Chancellor, University of Northampton: Jamie Tennant, Head of Employment Shared Services, University of Nottingham: and Professor Mark Biggs, Pro Vice Chancellor, Nottingham Trent University.
What is the Armed Forces Covenant?
The Armed Forces Covenant was enshrined legally in the Armed Forces Act 2011 as a promise from the nation that its Armed Forces personnel will be treated fairly. The Covenant can be signed by any and all UK businesses interested in showing their support for defence personnel. Find more information about the Armed Forces Covenant.
Tags: Armed forces, Armed forces covenant, Forces families jobs, RFCA
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Vice-Chancellor’s Mentoring Scheme: less than one week left for applications
February 20th, 2020
The Vice-Chancellor is once again launching her mentoring programme for 2020.
You can apply now by completing this form (O365 login required). The deadline for applications is Friday 21 February.
The programme is open to staff who have aspirations or ambitions for senior leadership roles within or outside the University. Applications are invited from level 6 and 7 staff with protected characteristics, such as BME, disabled and LGBT+ communities in both academic and professional service roles.
Hear what Professor Shearer West thinks of the scheme:
Considerations will be given to staff who are under-represented in their professional field for reasons such as gender.
Hear from Christina Lee, Associate Professor in Viking Studies, discuss what the programme did for her:
And if you’re after some more inspiration, listen to Gail Allsopp talk about what she took away from the programme:
Find out more about the mentoring scheme on the LMA Hub, or contact Leadership and Management Director Carol Steed for an informal conversation.
Tags: leadership and management, lma hub, mentoring, VC Mentoring Programme, Vice Chancellor
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Staff sports in 2020 – see how you could get involved
February 20th, 2020
If you haven’t taken part in any of our Staff Sport programmes yet, why not pick something from the list below and give it a go – there really is something for everyone.
New sessions
- Nordic Walking (FREE taster sessions) and weekly blocks
Mondays at David Ross Sports Village (5.30-6.30pm) Wednesdays at Sutton Bonington (12.30 – 1.15pm) and Friday at Jubilee (12.15 – 1pm) - Lunchtime badminton at Sutton Bonington – Thursdays from 12.30 – 1.15pm
- Casual squash at David Ross Sports Village – Sundays from 6 – 8pm
Continuing sessions
- Netball – Mondays from 6.30 – 7.30pm at David Ross Sports Village
- Tennis (weather dependent) – Tuesdays from 5 – 6pm
- Badminton – Wednesdays from 7.30 – 10pm at David Ross Sports Village
- Basketball – Wednesdays from 8 – 9pm
- Tai Chi – Wednesdays from 5 – 6pm at Sutton Bonington Sports Centre
- Climbing – Thursdays at either 5 – 6pm or 6 – 7pm at David Ross Sports Village
- Football – Thursdays from 5.30 – 6.30pm at David Ross Sports Village
Keep an eye out
- Golf – New course to be announced in the next few days – keep an eye out on the Staff Sport web pages
- Sailing – Coming in April/May 2020
Events
Sports Day at Sutton Bonington – Tuesday 30 June
Staff Golf Day at Wollaton Park Golf Club – Friday 3 July
Sports Day at University Park – Wednesday 8 July
For details about costings and pre-booking requirements, please visit the Staff Sport Webpage – your first port of call for any NEW sessions that might be added to the timetable as the term goes on.
Tags: sports, sports day, Staff sports day 2020
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Release of Autumn Semester Marks
February 20th, 2020
Blue Castle Results will be live from 10am on Thursday 20 February. After this time those with access will be able to use the Student View to see the following:
- Marks from 2019/20 Autumn Semester modules (and partial marks for Full Year modules where these have been returned). These marks are sourced from Campus Solutions.
- Marks from previous sessions prior to 2019/20. These marks are sourced from Saturn.
We anticipate that there will be a high demand on the Blue Castle servers at 10am. If you or your students experience a problem accessing the system at this time please try again later.
Please note the following:
- Where students have undertaken a reassessment/first sit not in attendance in Autumn 2019/20, the new first sit/reassessment mark will be showing against their 2018/19 module entry and will be sourced from Saturn.
- Where students have undertaken a reassessment/first sit in attendance in Autumn 2019/20 a repeat enrolment appears on their 2019/20 Campus record and a resit entry appears on their Saturn record. In this circumstance, students will see the mark sourced from Campus Solutions. The 2018/19 record in Saturn has also been updated with this information.
- Nursing and Midwifery students will only be able to view 2019/20 data using Blue Castle. Marks from previous sessions will continue to be available in the usual way through ARC.
- Inter-campus mobility students currently at the UK campus from UNNC and UMC will only be able to view their UK marks in the UK version of Blue Castle. Their previous marks will be available in the UNNC/UMC versions of Blue Castle.
Searching for Students in the Student View
When searching for students in the Student View you will need to use either their Campus Solutions ID number or their family name to search for them. Old Saturn student ID numbers will no longer work. In the majority of cases the Campus ID number can be derived by adding a prefix of 1 to the Saturn ID number. This approach does not work for Nursing and Midwifery students who have been given completely new ID numbers to those used in ARC.
Access to Blue Castle Results – Student View
If you previously had access to Blue Castle Results Student View and can no longer access this, please complete an access request form so we can rectify this for you.
Thank you for your continued support.
If you have any queries relating to the release of marks in Blue Castle please contact sandra.mienczakowski@nottingham.ac.uk
Tags: Autumn Semester, Blue Castle, campus solutions, marks, Student View
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Voices from below: Sustainable artisanal mining in Kenya
February 19th, 2020
Co-curated with the award-winning New Vic Borderlines, this exhibition brings to life stories, knowledge and artefacts co-created by miners and stakeholders via cultural animation workshops aimed at co-producing sustainable mining futures in Taita Taveta.
This is a public event running from Monday 24 February to Friday 6 March.
The Exhibition is one of the outputs of the sustainable artisanal and small-scale mining (Sust-ASM) project. The project aims to support the development of responsible and sustainable ASM in Taita Taveta by advancing responsible and ethical business practices in the sector and embedding sustainability in ASM mining education.
The Exhibition launches on Tuesday 25 February 2020, from 5.00pm – 8.00pm in the Foyer at Nottingham University Business School‘s South Building.
The ceremony will be from 5.30pm – 6.30pm, followed by a reception.
Booking is required – please book your place here.
For more information please contact Dr. Judy N. Muthuri.
Tags: exhibition, Public exhibition, sustainability, sustainable mining
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UKRI proposed open access policy – have your say
February 19th, 2020
Share your views to shape the future of open access (OA)
The University is seeking input from staff on United Kingdom Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) proposed open access policy (PDF) to inform an institutional response.
This is part of UKRI’s Open Access Review which aims to align its open access policy with Plan S principles.
Feedback is encouraged from individuals, as well as schools, departments and research groups. The deadline for responses is Wednesday 25 March 2020. Have your say here.
About the policy
The core elements of UKRI’s proposed open access policy include:
Research Articles
From 1 January 2022, peer-reviewed research articles (including reviews and conference papers) acknowledging UKRI funding would be required to be open access via one of these routes:
- publishing with journals or OA publishing platforms that make the final version of record immediately OA via their websites, and with a CC BY licence
- publishing with journals or platforms that allow the author’s accepted manuscript or version of record to be made immediately OA with a CC BY licence via a subject or institutional repository
Monographs, book chapters and edited collections
From 1 January 2024 monographs, book chapters and edited collections which acknowledge UKRI funding would be required to be open access via one of these routes:
- the final version of record or post-peer-review author’s accepted manuscript must be free to view and download via an online publication platform or institutional or subject repository within a maximum of 12 months of publication
- the OA version should be published under a licence that maximises reuse and is appropriate to the content of the work; CC BY is strongly preferred but where necessary CC BY-ND will be permissible
Briefing sessions
Colleagues will have an opportunity to find out more about the proposed policy at briefing sessions which will highlight the key elements and implications of the policy.
Book onto a session through Central Short Courses:
- Tuesday 17 March at 12.30 – 2pm, B12, Main Building, Sutton Bonington Campus
- Wednesday 18 March at 12.30 – 2pm, A34, Business School North, Jubilee Campus
- Friday 20 March at 12.30 – 2pm, A40, Sir Clive Granger Building, University Park Campus
Find out more about the policy and share your views on the Libraries website.
Any further questions about the consultation can be directed to library-researchsupport@nottingham.ac.uk.
Tags: open access, Plan S, research articles, UKRI
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New Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience Appointed
February 19th, 2020
Following a national recruitment exercise, Professor Sarah Speight has been appointed as the University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience, succeeding Professor Sarah O’Hara when she becomes Chief Executive Officer of Nottingham Global Online in August 2020.
In her new role, Sarah will lead the University’s strategy to deliver an outstanding educational experience for every student in our community. Reporting directly to the Vice-Chancellor, and working across the University’s executive team, the role will offer strategic leadership and oversight for policies and activities to enhance teaching, curriculum, and the broader student experience, delivering recommendations, reports and advice to relevant University committees.
Confirming the appointment, Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West said: “I am very pleased that Sarah will take on this role in representing our students’ interests at the highest levels within the University. Her extensive experience in supporting students at Nottingham, combined with her expertise in higher education pedagogy, make her ideally placed to ensure that all of our students receive an excellent education and are able to develop the skills and attributes they need for lifelong learning and fulfilling employment.”
Sarah said: “In my current position as Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Teaching and Learning, I am privileged to work with fantastic colleagues from across our University. I will be trusting in them to support me as I transition to the PVC role. Together, I hope that we can nurture the development of our students, but also the development of ourselves so that we can create a curriculum journey that empowers us all.”
Sarah’s disciplinary background is in European medieval history and archaeology. She completed her postgraduate studies here at Nottingham as a part-time student while working in the toy soldier industry. She then worked in adult education before becoming a degree programme administrator and then an academic. She is a Professor of Higher Education, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and both a National Teaching Fellow (2013) and Principal Fellow (2014) of Advance HE.
She is the recipient of a University of Nottingham Lord Dearing Award for excellence in learning and teaching (2006) and a Lord Dearing Fellowship (2011). She has held a number of senior roles at the University of Nottingham including Academic Director for the Nottingham Advantage Award and Deputy Head of the School of Education.
Following routine review and consultation, the Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West has also confirmed a second term of office on the University Executive Board (UEB) for Professor Jessica Corner as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange.
Professor Sarah Sharples will also have her role extended for a full five-year term with an expanded portfolio as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and People, chairing the UEB sub-committee on People and Human Resources.
Tags: Education and Student Experience, Professor Sarah Speight, student experience, teaching and learning
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Guidance for supporting transgender staff
February 18th, 2020
An updated guide for supporting transgender staff is now available on the EDI and HR web pages.
The guide is intended to be a useful source of information to support staff who are planning, are in the process of, or have transitioned as well as to help managers and/or colleagues support trans staff effectively in the workplace.
It incorporates best practise from AdvanceHE, Stonewall and the Government Equalities Office.
The guide contains information on areas which will be relevant to all staff for example updated advice on use of inclusive language, what it means to be trans and the University’s commitment to inclusivity in the workplace. We encourage all staff to read the guide – you can find a copy here.
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