Campus News
National cybersecurity awareness month
October 2nd, 2023
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a global campaign intended to help individuals, institutions and organizations stay safe and secure online. Colleagues from Digital and Technology Services (DTS) are dedicated to ensuring everyone has the resources to stay safe and secure online, and throughout October, we will continue to share our top-tips and best practice.
Cyber threats in Higher Education, and how we’re working to keep you safe
Higher Education institutions are often the targets of cyberattacks, given the wealth of personal and confidential information held, and the high-powered computing resources, high bandwidth networks and valuable research we maintain, all of which are valuable commodities to cyber criminals.
The safety of data and our infrastructure is a core priority for Digital and Technology Services (DTS) and the wider university. As cyber threats continue to evolve, the process of identifying these and taking appropriate steps to resolve and mitigate them is paramount.
Mark Hewitt, Head of Cyber Security here at UoN comments “We have extensive measures in place to assure the digital resilience of our organisation, including Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA, which helps prevent unauthorised access to university IT systems), a Virtual Private Network (VPN, which allows users to access university-restricted web resources and other services securely whilst off campus), and Intrusion Prevention systems and Firewalls to prevent external attacks, as well as continual security monitoring of our systems”
“Maintaining secure digital systems requires ongoing collaboration across the university, and here at UoN we continue to invest in the robust infrastructure needed to meet cybersecurity challenges. It is a shared responsibility, and we all play a crucial role in helping to maintain the security of the university in a digital world.”
DTS tips for staying safe and secure online
1. Use a Password Manager
Never write passwords or sensitive information down – instead, we encourage you to use a Password Manager. Dashlane, LastPass, and RoboForm Everywhere are all good options.
Password managers can store all your passwords securely, so you don’t have to worry about remembering them. This allows you to use unique, strong passwords for all your accounts (rather than using the same password for all of them, which you should never do).
2. Enable MFA
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a multi-step account login process that requires users to enter more information than just a password. Here at UoN, we require all staff, students and associates use MFA – it is mandatory to approve access to a number of services, such as Microsoft 365, VPN, Virtual desktop and Remote desktop. We recommend that you also set up MFA for your personal email and social media accounts to help protect them from attack.
3. Know how to spot a Phishing email
Phishing is one of the most common tactics used by cyber criminals to obtain sensitive information. Phishing is when attackers deceive people into revealing sensitive information or clicking harmful links by posing as legitimate institutions. We’ll be sharing more on this in the coming weeks.
TOP TIP
Think you’ve received a Phishing email?
Ask yourself, does the ‘From’ address match the sender’s name? Is there a sense of urgency or threat? Is there a non-personal greeting (I.e Dear Customer)? Is it asking you to disclose personal or sensitive information? Are there spelling, formatting or grammatical mistakes? Hover over the hyperlinks – do they point to suspicious sites? Chances are, it could be a Phishing email.
To report a Phishing email, or a suspicious looking email, simply select the message/ messages in Outlook. Above the reading pane, select Home > Report Message to report the message sender. This will send a notification to our Security Operations team, which will allow us to put blocks in place.
Next week, we will be looking at Phishing and other common cyber-attacks in more detail.
4. If you are unsure, ask the experts.
If have any cybersecurity concerns, or be that strange USB devices plugged into publicly accessible computers, unexpected security warning when browsing to university websites, replies to message that you never sent, or other issues that you are not sure about, we have DTS have dedicated cybersecurity team who are here to ensure that we are all protected.
Tags: cyber security, Digital security, MFA, phishing
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Student engagement code of practice
October 2nd, 2023
The Teaching and Learning Committee has approved updated guidance, in the form of a Code of Practice, for supporting student engagement and using the Student Engagement Dashboard throughout the 2023/24 academic year.
The Student Engagement Dashboard is a tool to support student wellbeing, for which engagement is a key indicator. It allows us to identify when students’ participation in learning has dropped or is at a level that may cause concern about their progress and wellbeing. It therefore supports retention and success, as well as enabling the university to meet UK Visa and Immigration sponsor requirements.
The experience of students and staff during 2022/23 has been reviewed and the Code of Practice for Student Engagement was presented to the Teaching and Learning Committee in September 2023.
The headlines are as follows:
- All academic units must use the Student Engagement Dashboard.
- The university baseline for an intervention is two weeks of zero engagement without an appropriate documented reason.
- Within each academic unit, senior tutors are the academic leads for the dashboard, with heads of school responsible for ensuring roles are appropriately resourced. 1. Following on from last academic year, all schools must use the official university QR code system for capturing attendance at in-person teaching sessions.
Enhancements to the Student Engagement Dashboard for the 2023/24 academic year have also been introduced. These include:
- An additional column to show the number of days since the last QR code scan
- An additional column for the number of days since the last Moodle click
- ECHO 360 deciles to show comparison against cohort
- Mature student flag
- Significant work on dashboard response times
The recommended approach is for schools to use QR codes for attendance capture at all teaching activities. The minimum requirement is for schools to ensure that there are at least two such activities available per student per week across their programme to allow us to meet our UKVI requirements.
Pastoral process
The code of practice details a step-by-step intervention process for contacting a disengaged student. It describes the process flow for contact – broken into the ‘Academic Unit stage’ and the ‘Support and Wellbeing stage’. Timescales have been included to ensure that we are responding in a timely manner to a student who has disengaged from their study.
Permitted periods of approved absence
The Quality Manual states that a permitted period of absence should not normally exceed two weeks and that where absences exceed permitted periods, the school may require the student to interrupt their studies and return at a specified time in the future that will enable the student to resume the programme appropriately.
Personal tutors are asked to please remind students that they are required to attend and academically engage for the full duration of teaching during term-time and that for master’s students, term-time includes the summer dissertation period.
QR code data indicates that rates of in-person attendance decrease in the weeks prior to university vacation periods. For students in the UK on student visas, it is an expectation of UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) that students are attending and engaging with their studies in the UK throughout the term-time period applicable to that particular course.
Tags: academic engagement, student engagement, student engagement dashboard, student wellbeing, wellbeing
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Adoption, Maternity, Shared Parental and Paternity Enhanced University Pay provision enhanced
October 2nd, 2023
To ensure the university continues to drive gender equality across the organisation we have enhanced the full pay element to 26 weeks within the Adoption, Maternity and Shared Parental Enhanced University Pay provision and to two weeks within the Paternity Enhanced University Pay provision.
Details of the enhanced university provision can be found in our FAQs.
The changes will be in place from Sunday 1 October 2023. All eligible colleagues already on these leave types at the point of 1 October 2023 will be provided with the provision and adjustments to pay will be applied within salary at the end of October 2023.
Pro-Vice Chancellor Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & People, Professor Katherine Linehan, said: “This decision has been made in recognition of the feedback received from colleagues at university Town Halls and via other engagement methods. It marks a commitment from the university to support colleagues embarking on family leave.
“This is an important decision and supports the university in living our values. It ensures we are sector leading in providing this level of support to colleagues.”
For further information please visit our Policy Finder website, paternity webpage and our FAQs.
If you have any queries, please contact your line manager in the first instance.
Tags: adoption leave, maternal leave, parental leave, paternal leave
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Reusable period products trial: can you help?
October 2nd, 2023
Project Period is now firmly embedded as part of the university’s infrastructure to provide free pads and tampons in toilets and other key locations across all seven UK campuses.
Though these are produced and disposed of as sustainably as possible, they are still single-use products. So we’re looking at how we might make reusable products – like period pants and menstrual cups – part of the Project Period offer.
We’re looking for colleagues and students who have periods to test these products – starting with period cups – and give us feedback on their experience. This feedback can be anonymous – or not.
It will help us to decide whether reusable period products are something that Project Period offers in the near future.
Reusable period products cost more upfront than single-use products, and this can be a barrier to first use – particularly for those experiencing period poverty.
However, they cost much less when used across an individual’s lifetime menstrual cycle. For example, menstrual cups can cost around £20 – but last up to ten years.
So five cups cost around £100 over 50 years of use, compared to around £5,000 for 11,000 pads and tampons over the same time frame.
Reusable period products are still a big unknown for many – and users don’t want to risk investing in something they may not work for them.
This trial – and your feedback – will help us better understand the level of interest in reusable products among the university community, as well as providing case studies of user experiences that may encourage other reluctant-but-interested people to try them out.
We are asking for two types of volunteers:
- People who are will to promote Project Period locally (for example, in their Departments, Schools, Halls of Residence, Courses, etc.) to encourage trials of reusable period cups and period pants. These volunteers will aim to recruit 10-20 people into a trial.
- People who will trial the products and provide feedback (anonymously or not) after three to six months of use. By commenting on experiences, we will gain understanding of whether these reusable products are preferred more or less than single use pads and tampons, hence determine if we discontinue or expand this offering in the future
To register your interest in volunteering for the trial please fill in this form and encourage your colleagues and students to do so too.
For more information on period cups, you can view this presentation and video guide and information sheet provided by our ethically sustainable partner company, Grace & Green.
Tags: Grace & Green, period cups, Project period, volunteers
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Be sustainable, get rewarded and win a £50 voucher
October 2nd, 2023
Green Rewards is an online platform and mobile app that rewards you for your sustainable activities. Log your actions to earn Green Points and the chance to win vouchers and make charity donations.
Plus, many of the actions are not only good for the planet but good for your pocket too.
Last year, university staff and students took part in 64,881 positive sustainable actions via Green Rewards. As a result, collectively we saved 98, 897 kg of carbon emissions – that’s equal to approximately 167 flights from London to New York.
Join Green Rewards before Tuesday 31 October and you could win a £50 voucher of your choice*.
There are themes with actions to complete addressing the environmental impacts of energy, travel, waste and nature. The top 8 point earners each month will win a £20 voucher.
As well as individual prizes, you’ll be in a team based on your department and the winning team will vote on a charity for the university to donate £200 to.
Most recently, the Chemical and Environmental Engineering team, won and voted to donate £200 to Nottingham Wildlife Trust.
We’re committed to our university being truly sustainable and we need everyone to join us in getting there. Change is possible when we all work together and even the smallest actions add up to big impacts.
If you’d like to know more about sustainability at Nottingham and how you can get involved, subscribe to the Sustainability Team’s monthly newsletter.
*Details of the voucher options can be found on Green Rewards.
Tags: environment, environmental sustainability, Green Rewards, Green Rewards app, sustainability, zero carbon, Zero Carbon Zero Waste
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Nominations for Lord Dearing Awards 2023/24: less than one week left
October 2nd, 2023
There is only one week left for staff and students to nominate an outstanding member of university staff in this year’s Lord Dearing Awards.
Please take a few minutes to submit a nomination.
Running since 1999, the Lord Dearing Awards recognise and celebrate the world-class contribution to the student experience or teaching and learning made by university staff across campuses, job families, roles, and disciplines.
The scheme was personally supported by Lord Ronald Dearing, the fifth Chancellor of the University of Nottingham, and hundreds of individual members of staff and teams across the job families and campuses have received an award since 1999.
Staff impacting on some aspect of the student experience (broadly defined) or teaching, learning, and / or student outcomes are eligible to apply for up to two categories of Lord Dearing Award each year: Individual Award, Team Award, and / or Excellence in the Learning Environment Award for faculty Schools or Departments.
Staff and students can nominate an individual staff member or team for an award. Heads of School or Departments can nominate their School or Department for an Excellence in the Learning Environment award.
Once nominated, a nominee can choose whether to progress with a Lord Dearing Award application.
Please take a few minutes to submit a nomination.
Find out more about the Lord Dearing Awards including the nomination process and the subsequent application process undertaken by nominees who choose to accept a given nomination.
Nominations close on Friday 24 November 2023 and awards will be conferred in the summer 2024.
Tags: LDA, Lord Dearing, Lord Dearing Awards, Lord Dearing Awards 2023/4, Staff and student recognition
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Disability Recognition Month 2023: call for funding open
September 29th, 2023
As part of the university’s ongoing commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, we are inviting applications for the celebration of Disability Recognition Month, which will take place from 16 November – 16 December 2023.
This year we would like to amplify our commitment to being an organisation that promotes a social model of disability which includes:
- Fostering an open, inclusive, and transparent culture
- Improving awareness and understanding
- Encouraging disclosure
- Improving support
We encourage colleagues, student societies, and clubs to align their events and activities with the above principles. Applications relating to neurodiversity are welcomed.
Funding will be awarded to host local events or activities to a maximum of £200.
Applications will be assessed according to the extent to which the proposed activity’s aims align with the recognition month themes and how broad the impact would be.
For guidance on how to run EDI events, please see our EDI events toolkit.
How to get involved
For funding applications, please complete the form using the link below by Monday 23 October 2023 at 12 noon.
Submit a Local Funding Application here.
For any queries, please contact the EDI Co-ordinators.
Learn more about UK Disability Recognition Month on their official website.
Tags: disability recognition month
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University & Alumni Challenge
September 29th, 2023
In aid of Nottingham Ambition Giving Day, join us on Thursday 2 November 2023 from 5.30pm – 9pm for our University & Alumni Challenge.
With a variety of general knowledge and special rounds, buffet food, a cash bar and some fun prizes, you’re guaranteed a great time.
The quiz will take place at the Trent Building on University Park Campus or you can join us online. You can register teams of up to 6 players or register yourself to join one of our assembled-on-the-night teams.
There’s no fee to register – but as the quiz is in celebration of Giving Day we will ask if you would like to make a donation at the event.
Tags: Nottingham Ambition Giving Day, University & Alumni Challenge
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UoN awarded ‘Silver’ status in Teaching and Excellence Framework
September 28th, 2023
The university has been awarded ‘Silver’ status in the national Teaching and Excellence Framework (TEF).
This is a nationally recognised mark of quality for the education offered to current students and applicants to the university.
While the overall rating was silver, the university scored a Gold in the ‘Student Outcomes’ category, and a Silver in the ‘Student Experience’ category, meaning it has Silver status overall.
The nationwide Teaching Excellence Framework was introduced by the government to evaluate the quality of the undergraduate student experience, recognising excellent learning and teaching in universities. TEF awards institutions either a gold, silver or bronze ranking.
The university was praised in particular for:
- Staff professional development and academic practice
- Student support that is tailored to the needs of individual students
- Approaches to supporting student success
- Continuation and completion rates
- Progression rates
- Effective routes for students to gain professional skills
The panel concluded that the evidence is consistent with a best fit rating overall of ‘Silver’, that student experience and student outcomes are typically a combination of very high and outstanding quality.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Education and Student Experience Professor Sarah Speight said: “We’re proud to have received a TEF Silver rating and a Gold for Student Outcomes.
“It reflects the creativity and collective effort of our teaching staff and support colleagues across our UK campuses. Thank you to everyone who helped contribute to this institutional award.”
Tags: Teaching Excellence Framework, TEF
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University reaffirmed as leading collaborator with industry and public sector
September 27th, 2023
Nottingham has again been reaffirmed as one of England’s leading universities for working collaboratively with industry and the public sector and the commercialisation of Intellectual Property (IP), as part of our mission to share knowledge and expertise for the benefit of all.
Research England’s Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) is a survey of how universities work with external partners for the benefit of the economy and society.
The third update, (KEF3), further demonstrates the university’s commitment to knowledge exchange with our partners and collaborators across seven areas, including working with partners ranging from big businesses to small local firms, commercialisation of our IP and working with the public and third sectors.
Professor Sam Kingman, interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange said: “The results of KEF3 reconfirm Nottingham’s excellence in knowledge exchange and the vital role we play in supporting innovation, addressing global challenges, and driving local economic growth. I am pleased to see that we have scored highly on public and community engagement, ensuring our audiences are aware and able to be involved in what we are doing embodies the spirit of KEF.
“The KEF results, however, can only tell part of the story and are made up on the back of hundreds of projects delivered by UoN colleagues from working with global firms like Rolls-Royce, Siemens and GSK to develop zero carbon transport and new therapeutics to supporting inclusive communities in our city in our pioneering Universities for Nottingham partnership.
“Our recent investment in Castle Meadow as well as our work with the East Midlands Freeport and Investment zone demonstrate our commitment to ensure our KE delivers tangible benefits to the people of the region.”
Working with business
Data from KEF3 confirms that the university is among the very best in the country for working with business. We support thousands of businesses every year from large organisations like KPMG to SMEs such as Nottingham-based, Added Scientific Limited.
Working together with KPMG to support and drive economic growth and close the digital skills gap across the East Midlands, we are partnering our specialists from the university’s Data-Driven Discovery Initiative (3Di) on advanced data analytics. KPMG will develop new research and provide insight that will enhance data and analytics services for businesses. This project has ambitions to transform Nottingham through data science, technology, and innovation.
Added Scientific Limited (ASL), an established spin-out from the university, is an independent additive manufacturing and 3D printing contract research company providing consultancy, problem-solving and lab-based technical services. Supported by expertise from our Centre of Additive Manufacturing, this Knowledge Transfer Partnership will enable ASL to develop a disruptive method to tackle complex problems when creating scalable engineering-grade, silicone materials for additive manufacturing.
Our state-of-the-art Power Electronics and Machines Centre (PEMC) underlines the commitment of the university to work with our industry partners and accelerate the delivery of solutions to climate challenges, with PEMC awarded a share of £28.5m from Driving the Electric Revolution, part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
In 2022, we launched the Zero Carbon Cluster (ZCC), convening a group of leading researchers to harness intradisciplinary research and accelerate the translation of zero-carbon research into real-world commercial and policy solutions.
Pairing innovative technology with world-leading research expertise in engineering, natural and social sciences, and the arts, the ZCC actively engages with business and government partners to align early research priorities to ensure sustainable solutions can be rolled out at scale and pace.
The ZCC has begun its work toward these goals by launching two ‘pathways’ within the zero-carbon transport space. These pathways, electrification and hydrogen propulsion solutions, seize upon the university’s research strengths and the opportunities to connect with industries in need of commercial solutions.
This year, we announced our new Castle Meadow Campus which will be a vibrant hub inspiring transformation and cultivating innovation, and where teaching, research, and practice converge.
It will allow us to bridge academia and industry, offering valuable insights and collaboration opportunities, as well as creating synergies with companies including KPMG and Browne Jacobson around placements and employment opportunities for students.
Commercialisation of Intellectual Property
We use our research expertise, knowledge and inventions to help companies to innovate, improve business performance and enter new markets, including by creating our own spin-out companies to develop new technologies.
The university has more than 250 live licence deals with industry, with more than half of these deals being secured with small to medium enterprises.
This year our spin-out portfolio continued to grow, with four new companies (Reactive Fusion Ltd, PERFORMS Assessment, Peptimatrix and Theragenix) formed in the past year.
The portfolio now consists of 32 companies, with applications across areas such as pharmaceuticals and biotech, cleantech and additive manufacturing. Nottingham Technology Ventures (NTV), a subsidiary of the university, manages the portfolio, as well as investments made from the university’s £5m Invention Fund.
The potential for impact generation by the university’s spin-outs is highlighted by the recent news coverage of the NeuPulse device, developed by Neurotherapeutics Ltd, which aims to help people living with Tourette’s to manage their symptoms.
Working with the public and third sector
As part of our Universities for Nottingham initiative – which brings together the combined strength of Nottingham’s two world-class universities and underlines our civic mission and commitment to work with local partners – we are working across a number of areas to improve prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for our communities.
Col(l)aboratory is just one of our pioneering projects. The eight-year, £5.1m project aims to bring together researchers, community-focussed organisations, and local people to deliver meaningful change for the people of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
The Haydn Green Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship forges partnerships with the public and third sector through initiatives such as the Ingenuity Programme and the charter for inclusive entrepreneurship.
Our university and Nottingham Lakeside Arts play a leading role in supporting the cultural, sporting and artistic activities that enrich lives, and knowledge shared by our researchers has informed some of the region’s most significant exhibitions and public engagement events.
The Institute for Policy and Engagement supports our academics in reaching new audiences and communities, deepening the reach and impact of their research. Nottingham discoveries have informed legislation affecting every UK citizen, from road safety to protecting consumers to keeping children safer online.
KEF’s interactive website includes a dashboard where the University of Nottingham’s sector-leading performance can be viewed alongside those of other universities.
Tags: KEF, Knowledge Exchange Framework, research
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