Campus News
LGBT History Month at the University of Nottingham
January 9th, 2019
February 2019 will once again see the marking of UK Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans (LGBT) History Month at the University of Nottingham.
Introducing the event, Max Biddulph, Chair, UoN LGBTQ Staff network, said:
“Our programme of events is part of the national celebration of LGBT History which in 2019 will be aligned along the themes of Peace, Reconciliation and Activism.
UK LGBT History Month itself is the product of activism, emerging from a long-standing silence in education in the twentieth century, when the portrayal of the lives of LGBT people and events received scant attention. Thanks to the courageous efforts of Sue Saunders and the late Paul Patrick, members of the LGBT Teachers organisation Schools Out, we now have a national event that has grown well beyond the confines of school classrooms into many public sector organisations and spaces.
The significance of history, is that as well as providing a lens through which to understand and analyse the past, it is able to simultaneously shine a light on the present. In their overview of the 2019 event, LGBT History Month note that it is potentially naive and complacent to think that LGBT issues in society are always aligned as a forward march:
‘With the rise of a new wave of right-wing populism and the election of a number of leaders who would turn the clocks back, it has never been more important to stand our ground and claim our place in the world. We do that by asserting that LGB and T might be 20th century terms, but they describe same sex desire and gender variance, which have existed in all times and all places’.
In identifying significant profiles for the month, LGBT History Month note that:
‘our lesbian face of 2019 is Marielle Franco, the black lesbian feminist murdered earlier this year; an apposite choice from a nation that has recently elected the openly fascist Jair Bolsonaro.
Our gay face is Magnus Hirschfeld, arguably Europe’s first advocate for LGBT rights, whose film Anders als die Andern (Different from the Others) was released in 1919.
Our bisexual face is Robert Graves, most famous for his autobiographical work Goodbye To All That as well as I Claudius.
And our trans face is Marsha P. Johnson, one of the most famous faces from the Stonewall Riots, who is thought by many to be have been murdered. We would argue that Marsha presented as female off the stage as well as on it and that, had the term been available at the time, she would be described and indeed may well have described herself as gender non-conforming.’
Within the university our programme of events will originate from both the People and Culture team as well as from individual schools and departments.
We look forward to welcoming you to this important opportunity to learn about the diversity of our university community.”
As in previous years, a variety of events will take place around the University during LGBT History Month. These are free to attend and open to all, and include:
- Brothers in Arms: sexuality, men and intimacies in the Great War: a performance-lecture event exploring the concept of ‘romantic friendships’ amongst the soldiers of the Great War.
- The Killing of Sister George: a screening of this ground-breaking film, which was one of the first in history to be released with an ‘X’ rating in the United States. Set in 1968, it has historic meaning and is a landmark in queer cinema.
- Further events will be announced shortly.
Professor Sarah Sharples, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, added: “I am really pleased to see such a vibrant and diverse series of events as part of LGBT history month. For all staff and students, whether they are part of the LGBT community or not, it is tremendously valuable to learn about the history of experiences of LGBT individuals. These stories are vital in reminding us how much has been achieved in equality for the LGBT community, as well as how much there is still to do.”
This year’s LGBT History Month will take place from Friday 1 February – Thursday 28 February 2019. To browse all events, please visit the University’s events page.
You can also visit the People and Culture blog for the latest LGBT History Month updates.
Tags: edi, Equality Diversity and Inclusion, LGBT History Month, people and culture
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National Student Survey 2019
January 9th, 2019
Final-year undergraduate students will be invited to complete this year’s National Student Survey (NSS) from Monday 28 January.
The NSS gives final-year undergraduate students across the country the opportunity to provide honest feedback about their experience at University. It’s made up of 27 questions covering teaching, learning, assessment and feedback, academic support, organisation and management, student voice and overall satisfaction.
The results of the NSS are calculated on a University-wide basis but can also be broken down to a course or school/department level. They are used to inform prospective students on the satisfaction rates between universities, and also to make improvements to the student experience here at the University of Nottingham.
The survey takes 10 minutes to complete and consists primarily of Likert scale questions with open-ended comments.
Staff support
Staff support is integral in achieving a strong response rate; the majority of students report finding out about the NSS through members of staff directly.
The University is therefore requesting the support of all staff in communicating the NSS. Please note that there are stringent guidelines in place that provide parameters around the manner in which we do this. Download the NSS Communications Presentation for Staff for more information, and please do adhere to these measures.
If you have any specific questions about the NSS, please speak to the NSS lead within your school/department or contact internal comms at studentcommsoffice@nottingham.ac.uk.
Throughout the fieldwork period, students may ask you questions about the NSS. A list of FAQs can be found on the NSS website, along with further FAQs for members of staff.
We will launch the communications campaign on Monday 28 January and it will run until survey close on Tuesday 30 April 2019.
Tags: 2019, National Student Survey, NSS
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Nottingham’s visionary thinking ‘sparks’ global discussions in Hong Kong
January 8th, 2019
University of Nottingham research is to be showcased at an international festival of ideas while senior Hong Kong leaders meet to debate the value of knowledge.
Billed as a platform for cultural exchange between the UK and Hong Kong, SPARK: The Science and Art of Creativity celebrates arts, sciences and education. It also marks the British Council’s celebration of 70 years in Hong Kong.
Nottingham research will be under the spotlight at four events during the festival, which runs from Friday 18-Sunday 20 January 2019.
Scientist Richard Ramchurn will showcase his ‘brain controlled’ sci-fi thriller The MOMENT. Participants wear a headset and their brainwaves affect the edit, sound mix and narrative combination of the specially created film.
Richard said that there are significant benefits to developments in brain-computer interfaces in relation to the arts and creative spaces that will ultimately affect everyone if successful.
He said: “The change will make mobile phones seem like small potatoes. It is going to really change your consciousness and how we relate to the world. It will make us able to access information instantly, which just expands our cognition.”
Professor Eugene Ch’ng, from the University of Nottingham Ningbo Campus (UNNC) will speak on a panel exploring the opportunities and challenges presented by conserving and repurposing buildings. Professor Ch’ng, who is Director of UNNC and NVIDIA’s Mixed Reality Lab, is an expert in Virtual Reality.
His work will also be showcased in a Virtual Time Travel event- allowing visitors the chance to visit Chinese heritage sites, see and touch ancient objects through a combination of photogrammetry and 3D reconstruction.
Finally Dr Samantha Tang will perform a series of live experiments to demonstrate chemical properties and reactions in The Periodic Table of Videos: Live! This is particularly meaningful as this year marks the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table.
Ahead of the festival President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham Professor Shearer West and Matthew Cheung King-chung, GBM, GBS, JP, Chief Secretary for Administration, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, will speak on the value of knowledge as technology continues to evolve at University of Nottingham Global Dialogues Hong Kong, hosted by the British Consulate General.
Tags: Dr Samantha Tang, Hong Kong, photogrammetry, The Moment, University of Nottingham Global Dialogues, UNNC
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Performance Related Reward — focus groups
January 8th, 2019
In November 2018, the Vice-Chancellor and Director of Human Resources wrote letters to all staff announcing changes to the PDPR process and how performance-related reward could operate at the University in future.
A series of focus groups have now been arranged for January 2019 to provide staff and managers with the opportunity to input and share their thoughts on the developing work regarding potential changes to Performance Related Reward.
The dates for these focus groups are as follows:
| 10-11:30am, Tuesday 15 January | University Park |
| 1-2:30pm, Tuesday 15 January | Jubilee Campus |
| 10-11:30am, Wednesday 16 January | Sutton Bonington |
| 1:30-3pm, Wednesday 16 January | University Park |
| 11:30-1pm, Thursday 17 January | University Park |
| 2-3:30pm, Thursday 17 January | QMC |
| 10-11:30am, Friday 18 January | Nottingham City Hospital |
| 1-2:30pm, Friday 18 January | Kings Meadow Campus |
Bookings can be made via this link: Performance Related Reward focus groups.
If you are interested in attending a session that is fully booked, please email rebecca.dalton@nottingham.ac.uk and we will be in contact if further places or dates become available.
To find out more about changes to the PDPR process and the new Employee Hub, visit the recent article on Campus News: https://exchange.nottingham.ac.uk/blog/reforms-to-pdpr/.
Tags: HR, human resources, PDPR
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Campus Solutions implementation plan
January 8th, 2019
From Professor Sarah O’Hara, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education and Student Experience
Happy New Year! I hope that you had an enjoyable and hopefully restful break.
Before things get too busy I wanted to update you on our progress with Campus Solutions. As you will be aware, we began the massive task of migrating and integrating data from our numerous stand-alone systems into Campus Solutions at the end of November. Thus far progress has been good and colleagues in Student Services now have access to the system.
I now want to highlight what you and colleagues can expect to see over the coming weeks as we start rolling out the new student records system across our UK campuses.
Exam boards and results
Exam boards and marks processing for January/February will be carried out in the usual way in Saturn. Exam results for the Autumn Semester will be released on Thursday 14 February through BlueCastle. Students who do not usually receive their results through BlueCastle will continue to receive their results in the same way as they have previously done. Please view the Exam Boards and Marks Processing frequently asked questions for further information.
Student ID numbers
In preparation for the move to the new system we added a ‘1’ to the beginning of the student ID numbers for the majority of our UK students. Please remember this change if you work with student ID numbers, in addition to the other student ID number changes that you will need to be aware of.
New UK module codes
As we have previously advised, the implementation of Campus Solutions involves the introduction of new UK module codes. Colleagues and students can view the complete list of old and new module codes on the Module Codes Workspace site.
Campus Solutions access for staff
As detailed in the rollout and support plan communicated at the end of last year by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Andy Long, colleagues that will have access to Campus Solutions will be notified during the week commencing 14 January. These colleagues will be able to access the new system during the week commencing 21 January. In the meantime, student records can be viewed in Saturn Web until at least the end of February.
The access level for Admissions Tutors was updated on Monday 7 January to reflect the new role assigned to them in the system. Admissions Tutors can continue with their admissions processes and they have been notified separately regarding this change.
MyNottingham access for students
Students will be able to use the MyNottingham website, the student-facing part of Campus Solutions, to check and update their personal details from the week commencing 21 January. They will also use the system to request some online support from the Student Services team – this feature will be introduced to students in phases as the service is expanded.
Module selection pilot
At the beginning of the Spring Semester, the Schools of Geography, Physics and Computer Science will be taking part in a pilot where students will complete module selection in the MyNottingham website during the change-of-mind period. Although module choice might seem like a very simple part of our processes, it is in fact remarkably complex as we need to ensure that a given student has the right module mix, pre-requisites, co-requisites etc. required for their particular programme, and this data then needs to feed through to other functions such as timetabling. Adopting a pilot approach will allow us to mitigate against any problems that might arise because of our underlying data (see below). All other students will need to complete and submit a paper form, as usual, for this change-of-mind period.
Guidance and support
A full range of help and guidance will be available to support colleagues as they start using the new system. This includes nominated go-to expert users and support coordinators, along with drop-in sessions, webinars and online support materials. Further details will follow for those colleagues using the system.
Data quality
One of the challenges that we have had throughout the project is data quality. Although colleagues in Schools, Faculties and Professional Services invest immense amounts of time ensuring our data is correct, given the size and scale of the University and the fact that we have numerous sources and multiple versions of data, we will no doubt have errors in our underlying data. As anticipated, the move towards Campus Solutions is highlighting these errors.
Data used by Campus Solutions is owned and managed right across the University. Technical experts and senior ‘business owners’ of the data have ensured that colleagues in their teams will prioritise the validation and rectification of data errors as soon as they can after data queries emerge. Moving forwards, Campus Solutions will allow us to ensure these errors are minimised as data will be added and be available in only one central system rather than multiple systems.
Thank you for your continued support as we rollout Campus Solutions. If you have any questions or feedback please email campussolutions@nottingham.ac.uk.
Best wishes
Sarah
Professor Sarah O’Hara
Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education and Student Experience
Tags: campus solutions, data, exam boards, exams, module codes, Saturn
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Annual Teaching and Learning Conference: save the date
January 8th, 2019
Preparations are in full swing for this year’s annual Teaching and Learning Conference, aimed at staff and PGR students.
The theme for this year’s conference is Universal Design: meeting the challenges of teaching and learning in 21st Century Higher Education.
This event takes place on Friday 3 May 2019 – so if you’re interested in attending, please save this date in your diary.
* UPDATE: 20 March 2019 *
Please note: the previous sandpit session scheduled for Thursday 2 May will no longer take place.
Registration for the annual Teaching and Learning Conference on Friday 3 May is now open. Capacity is limited to 306 places, so early booking is recommended if you would like to attend this event. To book your place at the conference, enter the password TLC2019 when prompted on the EventBrite page.
Tags: Teaching and Learning Conference, Teaching and Learning Conference 2019
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Wonder 2019 — express your interest in delivering an activity
January 8th, 2019
Get involved in Wonder 2019 — a stimulating day of discovery, play and learning, showcasing the best of what we do at the University.
The event is aimed at families across Nottinghamshire, giving them the opportunity to come to University Park and explore the huge range of research and teaching activity taking place at the University of Nottingham.
We last held Wonder in summer 2017 and it was a great success, thanks to volunteers from schools and departments across the institution. This year’s event, jointly led by the Institute for Policy and Engagement and Nottingham Lakeside Arts, will be themed to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table of the Elements — part of broader celebrations taking place throughout 2019.
We’re looking for activity proposals which link subjects to the elements — whatever the field of study and interest.
How should I develop my proposal?
There are many ways to link your field to the periodic table, for instance:
- Gold (Au) might inspire activities connected to understanding the economy
- Sulphur (S) could examine visions of hell and damnation in literature
- Cobalt (Co) could look at a specific shade of blue and its relevance in ceramics and painting
You might wish to run a similar event to 2017, but develop a creative link to the periodic table. Or you might like to create something new or even cross disciplinary. An activity that showcases your work and research in an innovative way is encouraged, and the link can be as creative or as tenuous as you wish. We can even help match your activity to an element. The Periodic Table of Videos featuring our own inimitable Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff CBE might provide some inspiration.
When and where will Wonder take place?
Wonder will take place on Saturday 15 June 2019.
The event will be using a more focused area closest to the south entrance of University Park, mainly based around Physics, Chemistry, ESLC, George Green Library, Pharmacy and Lakeside buildings. The event is likely to run from 11am to 4.30pm.
How do I sign up?
Fill in our expression of interest form online. Please complete one form per activity. If any questions below aren’t applicable please just enter N/A.
The deadline for entry is Friday 15 February.
We look forward to working on Wonder with you in 2019. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact wonderteam@nottingham.ac.uk
Tags: Wonder, Wonder 2019
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Extended application window for new AXA voluntary private medical insurance scheme
January 8th, 2019
Details on the new AXA voluntary private medical insurance scheme have been published on the Employee Hub.
This is a company scheme with payments taken direct from salary: this approach allows the University to secure discounted rates for members of staff who wish to take cover. Partner and family cover is also available.
The application window has now been extended to include January 2019, with the cover backdated to commencing on 1 January 2019. All the detail is available through the Employee Hub. Key points to be aware of include:
- All plans are based on Full Medical Underwriting (FMU). This means that medical history, including any pre-existing conditions, is declared in advance. FMU cover offers additional assurance in relation to future claims/cover
- Monthly premiums will be deducted direct from salary
- Cover will cease if an employee leaves the University
For more information, please visit the Employee Hub: http://www.uonemployeehub.com/.
Tags: AXA, Employee Hub, health, human resources, Private medical insurance, wellbeing
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University leaders warn against No Deal
January 4th, 2019
University leaders have written to politicians and government to warn of the risks for research, staff and students if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
In an open letter to MPs, Universities UK, the Russell Group, Guild HE, Million Plus and University Alliance – which collectively represent more than 150 higher education providers across the UK – say the impact of a no deal scenario could lead to “an academic, cultural and scientific setback from which it would take decades to recover.” As a matter of urgency, they call for a guarantee that research funding from which the UK may be excluded at the end of March will be replaced.
The letter states: Our 50,000 EU staff and 130,000 EU students, not to mention the 15,000 UK students studying in Europe, are starting the new year facing significant uncertainty about their futures. Vital research links will be compromised, from new cancer treatments to technologies combatting climate change. The valuable exchange of students, staff and knowledge would be seriously damaged. And we share the concerns of business about the impact of no deal on everything from supply chains to security and travel. The government needs to demonstrate the required ambition, put the right measures and guarantees in place, and, crucially, avoid the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal on 29 March.
The University is currently undertaking ‘no deal’ planning with the hope that we will never have to implement it, and is encouraging EU staff to stay with us at the University of Nottingham, paying the registration fee for all European staff and their families should they wish to apply for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. Over the next few weeks and months, faculties and professional services departments will hold open meetings for EU staff to hear their concerns and answer their questions. UEB will be hosting receptions to celebrate our European staff and highlight their work.
Tags: Brexit, EU, no deal, open letter, Russell Group, Universities UK
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UoN sport: free fitness and wellbeing day
January 2nd, 2019
On Saturday 12 January we are hosting a free fitness and wellbeing day at David Ross Sports Village and Sutton Bonington.
Our fitness and wellbeing day gives you, your friends and family a great opportunity to see how you can stay healthy and active with our public membership packages.
Come and try out our fitness suite and group exercise classes for free.
Check out the timetable of activities and register your interest: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/sport/whats-on/whats-on.aspx.
Tags: department of sport, fitness, sport, wellbeing
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