Campus News

UoN Counselling Service receives BACP accreditation

January 7th, 2020

The University of Nottingham’s Counselling Service (UCS) has been awarded accreditation from the leading national professional body of specialists, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

The accreditation shows that the service offers an accountable, ethical, professional and responsive service to clients, staff, volunteers and stakeholders.

In the report awarding the accreditation, the independent assessor noted that UCS “clearly offers an important and quality counselling service to students”, stating how well organised the service is and applauding the work of the team.

UCS provides staff and students with free and confidential psychological support for any personal, emotional or mental health problems.

Our professional counsellors also offer guidance and advice to staff who may be concerned about a student or colleague as well as a number of training courses to help people work with students and colleagues in a positive way.

The Counselling Service is located in the Orchards Building, next to the Teaching and Learning building on University Park campus and can be accessed from Monday to Friday, 9am-12.30pm and 2pm-4.30pm.

A limited service also operates at Sutton Bonington Campus, Jubilee Campus and Derby Campus – please contact the team for further details.

Find out more about accessing University Counselling Services or get in touch with the team on 0115 951 3695.

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Information Services News update early 2020

January 7th, 2020

Information Services are excited to share the following technology updates and news taking place in early 2020: 

Update on refresh to the Print Service
Last year, Information Services announced a refresh to the University of Nottingham print service with the overarching aim of providing a leaner and more sustainable service. 

Since start of term last year, we have upgraded the underlying print service infrastructure, introduced a new print credits website (MyPrint) and simplified the print queues. The wide-format printing service has also been upgraded with the provision of 7 new devices. The new multi-functional devices now have ‘print and release’ functionality and we have located a wide-format printer in Hallward Library and Djanogly Learning Resource Centre for increased access to the service. 

We have started the process of replacing 238 printers with new faster devices. The first phase of the rollout has finished (with 72 printers replaced) and the second phase will take place during February.  

You can read more on the print service update via the Digital Network blog.  

Changes to File storage
This year the University will be moving away from current main data storage, (such as the Z: (Home), S: (Shared) and R: (Research) drives) and on to Microsoft OneDrive. Support is on offer for staff and students in migrating their data. 

From the end of January 2020, access to the existing personal (Z: drive) will be restricted to read only as the University starts to move away from the current file store. 

Staff and students already have access to 5TB of OneDrive storage through Office 365. Staff and students can migrate their data to OneDrive which offers greater flexibility, capacity and collaboration. It also provides a greater degree of security for storing our data. 

To help people migrate from using the Z drive to OneDrive, there will be a series of drop-in workshops throughout January. See Campus News for all dates, no booking is required just turn up.  

Further information on moving to OneDrive can be read in this Campus News article.  

Windows 7 end of life January 2020
This month sees the end of long-term support for Windows 7. Microsoft won’t provide any software or security updates after 14 January. This poses a security risk to the University, so it is vital that any users still using Windows 7 upgrade their PC to Windows 10.  

You can update to Windows 10 by using the self-service upgrade option. If you have any questions or require support, please contact your local Campus IT support team for help and guidance. 

Using a version of Office that is older than Office 2016? 
For Office 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2013, these products will be soon out of mainstream support. Microsoft will not guarantee access to Office 365 based services when old versions of Office are end of life.  

If you are using an old version of Office, we strongly recommend you contact Campus IT Support to discuss how to upgrade these products before May 2020. 

Upgrading to macOS Catalina
Apple computer users may be aware that a new version of macOS (10.15 Catalina) was released a last year. The update introduces changes that could affect the use of some key University software due to compatibility with the new system.  

With the December release of Catalina 10.15.2, we are now able to support the operating system upgrade for Mac users. We strongly recommend following some considerations before upgrading, please read the Digital Network blog for more information. 

New customer service platform coming soon
Last year a project was started to replace the current customer service platform (currently Hornbill Supportworks). The project has purchased a new Ivanti Service Management system which includes Change Management and Configuration Management Database (CMDB) features.  

This exciting and transformational project will also see changes to the way in which we offer and manage support for IT services at the University by offering a new and more comprehensive Self Service portal. This will replace the use of email as a means of submitting support requests and will enable greater automation, which will help to ensure a swifter and more accurate response and therefore improve the overall customer experience. 

The implementation of a Service Catalogue and new Self Service portal is expected to take place during March 2020. There will be more communications, guidance and training coming soon.

For further updates over the coming months, please check the Digital Network blog.

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New Chair of Council Commences

January 2nd, 2020

Sir Keith O’Nions has formally taken up his role as Chair of University Council, succeeding John Mills who stepped down from the role at the end of December.

Sir Keith is a renowned scientist and former President and Rector of Imperial College London. His career includes roles as Director-General Science and Innovation at the Department for Innovation and Universities and Skills, and Chief Scientific Advisor to the Ministry of Defence.

The University’s Chair of Council is responsible for leading the University’s Council, a body of high profile and influential individuals, which makes key decisions and senior appointments, influences strategy, and acts as ambassadors for the University, helping it to fulfil its mission and delivering impact across the communities that the University is part of both locally and globally.

Sir Keith, who was Head of Earth Sciences and Professor of Physics and Chemistry Minerals at the University of Oxford was knighted in 1999 for services to Earth Science.

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Contensis CMS (website) forms and data – new retention laws

December 18th, 2019

Recent Data Protection laws and GDPR have changed how we need to keep and look after data. Understanding your responsibilities when it comes to online forms and personal data isn’t easy.

That’s why the Web Team, advised by central compliance teams, is issuing some guidance on how to handle it.

  • Data shouldn’t be kept in Contensis. Make sure you download any data collected by forms and keep it securely. Delete any data on the CMS you have copies of elsewhere
  • Don’t keep forms online if they’re no longer needed. You need to be careful not to accidentally get data you didn’t want
  • You are responsible for the data collected by forms, so make sure you’re aware of your responsibilities under GDPR, or talk to Information Compliance about training

All forms that are created in Contensis save the entries submitted on Contensis, even if you also have them go to an email address. This is form data, and you might not have even realised it was being created by your forms.

To help this process along, the Web Team will be deleting all existing form data older than 3 months that they haven’t had a specific request to keep. Remember, you should be moving this data to somewhere more secure as soon as possible.

Let the Web Team know by Saturday 1 February 2020 about any data you absolutely need to keep in Contensis. Make sure you move your data before then. If you don’t know how to do this, ask your local web coordinator for help.

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Christmas switch off: tips to save energy

December 18th, 2019

This Christmas, the University is again encouraging all staff to turn off as much equipment as possible over the holiday period to try and reduce our energy consumption.

During the Christmas closure period last year, energy use on campus rose from 68% (2017) to 72% (2018) and University Park alone consumed more than £112,000 worth of electricity.

As a result, we’re asking staff to think carefully about what equipment has to stay on and what can be switched off for the 12-day closure.

You can help the University to reduce energy costs as well as cut carbon emissions by:

  • Talking to your office/school/facilities manager to agree responsibilities for switching off lights and shared kitchen and office equipment (shredders, hot water boilers, microwaves etc.)
  • Surveying labs and workshops to identify what equipment can be switched off during the Christmas break. Un-used fume cupboards can waste huge amounts of energy, so where possible, make sure they are switched off. Remember that some equipment might affect other labs
  • Shutting all doors and windows
  • Reporting any dripping taps or jammed windows to the Estate Office Helpdesk
  • Switching off and unplugging any hot water boilers or water coolers. Put a notice on the boiler/cooler so that the first person back after the break knows to run off the water (approx. 10 mugs) before making a drink
  • If your office has a kitchen with a fridge-freezer, you can use the closure period to defrost it (to make it run more efficiently) and keep it off over the break. Put a notice on the fridge door so that others know
  • Check that no taps are left running.

Find out more about work the Sustainability Team are doing to combat waste and emissions and how you can get involved.

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Appraisal and Development Conversations (ADC) Update

December 17th, 2019

The University announced reforms to PDPR and the launch of the new Appraisal and Development Conversations (ADC) in July 2019, with the main changes associated with ADC summarised below:

  • ADC came into effect from August 2019
  • There is no rating outcome associated with ADC
  • ADC is delinked from Performance Related Reward (replaced by the new Nottingham Reward Scheme)
  • The ADC cycle runs from August-July to coincide with the academic year
  • Annual ADCs will take place between April-July (with the first annual ADCs taking place from April 2020)
  • Regular conversations are encouraged throughout the year, supported by an end-of-year ADC
  • There will be better alignment with the University’s strategic priorities via balanced framework templates
  • ADC provides the opportunity to focus on development conversations in the short and longer term and to have broader conversations which incorporate wellbeing, work/life balance and workload management
  • Conversations are encouraged about how work is achieved as well as what work is achieved (supported by the Building a Culture for Success Guide)
  • New forms have been introduced, as well as simplified guidelines.

Between July and December, the HR team held briefing sessions across our UK campuses with more than 800 colleagues taking part. The sessions explained the rationale behind the move from PDPR to ADC, introduced the balanced framework templates and outlined the main elements of the appraisal conversations – as well as explaining the next steps within the cycle.

What happens next?

  • Faculty/Professional Service Area/School and Departmental leadership teams are developing their balanced framework to support the annual ADCs in 2020
  • The balanced frameworks will be available by April 2020 ahead of the first annual ADCs taking place
  • Current year objectives can either be transferred onto the ADC forms, or where objectives have yet to be set, meetings should take place as soon as possible to discuss and agree objectives for the remainder of 19/20
  • The annual ADCs will take place from the beginning of April until the end of July each year.

Support, guidance and training

To help people get their heads around ADC, the HR team have created a number of resources on the HR webpages; including ADC forms, ADC guidelines and ADC videos – as well as links to additional resources and learning materials.

In addition, a rolling training programme has been planned to run between January and March 2020.

Book your place on either the appraisee or the appraiser training courses (please note: there is no requirement for colleagues attending the appraiser training to also attend the appraisee training).

All appraisers should attend an appraiser training session and in most cases, this should take place prior to the annual ADCs taking place from April 2020.

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Accessibility in UoN Libraries

December 17th, 2019

We want to better understand the kinds of support that library users with a disability need.

To help us do this, we’re inviting all library users with a disability (declared or not) to fill in this online form (O365 log in required) and give us their feedback about our spaces, facilities and services with a view to making them as inclusive as possible.

The form will stay live until the end of January 2020, but there will be more opportunities to drop-in and talk to library staff in the coming months.

Find more information about our enhanced library support service.

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Teaching and Learning conference 2020: save the date

December 16th, 2019

Plans for the University’s annual Teaching and Learning Conference are gathering pace and this year’s theme has now been confirmed.

This year, the conference will focus on “Teaching in 21st Century Higher Education: putting pedagogy at the heart of what we do”.

The event is the biggest so far and will take place over two days – starting on Tuesday 28 April 2020 and finishing on Wednesday 29 April 2020 – please save these dates in your diary!

Anyone involved in Teaching and Learning across the University is encouraged to sign up for the conference.

Day one will include keynote speeches by Professor Rowena Murray from the University of the West of Scotland as well as a number of discussion sessions and workshops.

Day two will be a sandpit event where people will have the opportunity to team up with colleagues who are interested in developing a research projects specifically orientated to teaching and learning and linked to the University’s strategic plan.

You’ll then have the chance to present your proposals to a panel in the afternoon. Two projects will be chosen to receive £5,000 funding each. You will then be expected to present your findings at the Teaching and Learning Conference in 2021.

Sign up to the Teaching and Learning Conference on Tuesday 28 April 2020 (login required)

Sign up to the sandpit event on Wednesday 29 April 2020 here (login required)

For more information about the conference, please email the Teaching and Learning Conference Working Group.

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USS Pension: Joint Expert Panel – Second Report

December 16th, 2019

The second report of the Joint Expert Panel (JEP) was published on Friday 13 December.

Established by Universities UK (UUK) and the University & College Union (UCU), the Panel consists of pensions and academic experts asked to make recommendations on the principles that could underpin the future joint approach of UUK and UCU to the valuation of the USS fund.

The second report by the Panel sets out a series of recommendations covering the governance of the USS pension scheme and its valuation methodology, including:

  • the establishment of a new, jointly agreed purpose statement and shared valuation principles;
  • the creation of a series of joint bodies within USS including a valuation forum and a high-level joint union/employer steering committee to agree issues relating to the future direction of the scheme;
  • improvements to the operation of the Joint Negotiating Committee which comprises UCU and UUK representatives;
  • agreement to a more appropriate valuation methodology driven by the agreed purpose of the scheme and a re-articulation of the Trustee’s, employers’ and employees’ risk appetites;
  • the adoption of a dual discount rate approach to the USS valuation which would distinguish between past and future service, better reflect the demographics of the scheme and automatically evolve as the scheme matures; and
  • investigation of different approaches to contributions in order to address the high level of scheme opt-outs among younger and lower paid staff.

Joanne Segars, chair of the JEP said:

“Our recommendations, which should be considered as a package, are rooted in the belief that the USS is of crucial importance to members, employers and to the health of the higher education sector.

“We propose significant changes to governance and valuation methodology, each of which may be difficult for individual parties to accept. However, as work on the 2020 valuation commences, employers, unions and the Trustee must urgently come together through a facilitated process to make them work.

“The JEP does not underestimate this task, but we believe that it would be failure for scheme members, sponsoring employers and the sector if our recommendations are not seriously considered.”

UUK and UCU have welcomed the report, issuing statements at UUK and UCU.

UUK will open a formal consultation with employers on the report’s recommendations in the new calendar year. In the meantime, Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West welcomed the report in her blog published today, Monday 16 December:

“My hope is that this offers the scheme’s Trustee, UUK and UCU improved grounds for national discussion and agreement on maintaining the scheme’s excellent benefits over the long term.”

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Restoration of service to impacted IT systems

December 13th, 2019

We can confirm that the following systems have been restored and are now available:

  • Moodle
  • Xerte
  • Scripware
  • Clinical Trials
  • Image Bank
  • International PGCHE-I (distance learning courses)

The majority of websites that are hosted on the Central Unix Cluster have also been reinstated and are now live. Please check any websites that you own to ensure they are functioning. Regrettably, any changes made to these websites between 5pm on Wednesday 4 December and 1pm on Thursday 5 December have not been saved and will therefore need to be made again.

PC Finder is currently unavailable and work continues to restore this service as a priority.

We are sorry for the inconvenience caused by this outage and we would like to thank you for your continued understanding.

If you require any support please contact the IT Service Desk.

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