Campus News
Dedicated support line for staff and students
June 15th, 2023
A dedicated support line has been set up to help staff and students following the tragic deaths of Barney and Grace.
Colleagues and students are encouraged to call 0115 748 7900 if they need help. The lines will be open from 9am – 5pm (Monday – Friday).
Call handlers will provide a sympathetic, listening ear and signpost further support for those who need it – including access to online, over-the-phone and in-person sessions with trained supporters.
Support is also available through our support and wellbeing services for any of our community who may need it.
Our chaplains are available to support students and staff of all faiths and none.
Appointments can be booked for in-person or online conversations. Email for appointments or call 0115 95 13931.
Tags: support for staff, support for students, support line
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A personal message from Professor Shearer West
June 14th, 2023
Following the tragic events of yesterday morning, I am writing to share my condolences, my sympathies and my support for everyone in our University community, particularly those staff and students who knew Grace and Barnaby well as friends, students or team mates.
It is hard to find the words to express the shock and grief felt across our institution at the senseless loss of two first year students who have had their bright futures brutally curtailed by a seemingly random act of violence.
Grace was a Medical student, thriving in her first year of study and inspired to a career in medicine by work placements in a GP surgery and her volunteering for the nationwide vaccination programme during the Covid-19 pandemic. She was a talented sportswoman, playing International Hockey for both the U16 and U18 England Hockey Team and Essex U15 Women’s Cricket. She was held in the highest regard by her tutors and team mates alike.
Barnaby was a History student, with a particular personal interest in geopolitics of both the USA and China. His tutors recall his energy as a student and as fun, friendly, and full of life in his seminars. He too was a sporting talent, playing hockey, rugby and cricket for his school and local clubs and excelling at sports at Nottingham. His role in the Combined Cadet Forces also saw him exhibit his volunteering and leadership skills.
The University is supporting Grace and Barnaby’s families at this immensely difficult time, and I hope to meet them privately today to express my deep condolences and continue to offer every support at our disposal – although I recognise that nothing will compensate for the loss of a cherished daughter and son.
I will also join the families at our campus vigil on the Djanogly Terrace at 4pm, where I hope as many of our staff and student community as possible can attend to remember our fellow students and show our support for their families.
Against this backdrop of deep sadness and loss, I hope we can draw some comfort from the public reaction locally, nationally, and indeed globally to this dreadful crime. Nottingham is a wonderful and distinctive city, and our University and civic communities are united both in our grief and in our knowledge that this terrible act is not what our city is about.
I know that many in our University will be affected by these events and would encourage anyone who needs support now or in the coming days to contact our wellbeing services.
With my deepest condolences,
Professor Shearer West
Vice Chancellor
University of Nottingham
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Statement from the Vice-Chancellor on the deaths of two students
June 13th, 2023
It is with great sadness that we confirm the sudden and unexpected death of two of our students following a major incident in Nottingham city centre overnight.
Vice-Chancellor, Shearer West, said: “All of us at Nottingham are deeply shocked and saddened by the deaths of two of our students following a major incident in Nottingham city centre.
“I know our entire University community will join me in offering our deepest condolences to their family and close friends, as well as the other victims of the incident. Our thoughts are very much with them all at this incredibly difficult time.
“The university is supporting the students’ family and friends, as well as staff and students. Our security team is working closely with Nottinghamshire Police and the authorities to support the ongoing investigation into the incident.”
Support is available through our support and wellbeing services for any of our community who may need it.
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UoN hitting the headlines – sign up for our Daily News Summary
June 13th, 2023
Whether it’s Lewis Capaldi testing out new technology to reduce tics for people with Tourettes Syndrome or ‘ghost’ drivers on campus gauging pedestrian reactions to driverless cars, the university, its research and its people are rarely out of the media spotlight.
The university’s Press Office team acts as a first point of contact for UK and international media enquiries and tells the world about the university’s incredible research discoveries.
Among its services, the team also monitors and evaluates media coverage, tracking the number of articles or programmes featuring the university – everything from BBC’s Newsnight and the New York Post to BBC East Midlands Today and the Nottingham Post – and its potential audience around the globe.
The team’s Media Officers Liz Goodwin and Faith Pring produce a daily email alert for staff members at the university featuring a round-up of the university’s top news stories.
The Daily News Summary highlights up to five of the most impactful pieces of recent coverage and provides information on the faculty involved, the spokesperson featured and, where known, the estimated numbers of readers or viewers (reach).
Head of News in the Press Office, Emma Thorne, said: “I think it’s hugely important for staff to be aware of the many and varied places that the university features in the media.
“It can offer a sense of how well the university and expertise of the people who work for it are regarded by the wider public and can help to engender a sense of pride in the institution in which we all play a part.”
Anyone who is interested in signing up to receive the Daily News Summary can email liz.goodwin@nottingham.ac.uk Recipients are easily able to unsubscribe via a button on the email at any point.
Tags: Daily News Summary, media, media team, news
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Marking and assessment boycott – how marks, progression and graduation could be affected
June 13th, 2023
The University and College Union (UCU) is continuing its industrial action in the form of action short of a strike. We expect the majority of students to be unaffected by this action. However, some staff may be taking part in a marking boycott. The university will do everything we can to support students during this period, so that they can progress to their next year of study or graduate as planned.
The following information outlines how students may be impacted, and the actions they may need to take. Depending on the year of study, the choices students make may have different impacts and deadlines will be different.
Assessment results – released Tuesday 11 July
All undergraduate students will be able to access their marks from 10am on Tuesday 11 July via Blue Castle. We will email a notification to university email addresses once this information is live. The majority of students’ marks will be unaffected by the marking and assessment boycott, and marks and classification information will appear as normal.
How will I know if my marks have been affected?
Where students are in the minority and one or more modules have been affected, it will be clearly indicated when marks have been calculated by the derived or part-for-whole methods in students’ Blue Castle profile. For more information on the derived and part-for-whole marking methods, read our FAQs and our contingency regulations.
What should I do next? Finalists who are expecting to graduate this summer
Classification information will be released at the same time as marks on Tuesday 11 July at 10am.
If marks have not been affected by the marking and assessment boycott, students will not need to do anything. They can attend graduation with their cohort as expected and collect their certificate at the ceremony.
If some or all marks are indicated to be derived or part-for-whole and students are happy to accept them as final mark and degree classification, they do not need to do anything. They can attend graduation with their cohort as expected and collect their certificate at the ceremony.
I am a finalist and I don’t want to accept my derived or part-for-whole mark
If some or all marks are indicated to be derived or part-for whole and students wish to wait until their work can be marked, they must complete the notification form on Blue Castle by 5pm on Friday 14 July. This form will be made live at the same time that marks are released.
If students choose not to accept their derived or part-for-whole mark we will not be able to confirm their classification until their work is marked. It could go up or down from the classification originally given from their derived or part-for-whole marks.
The form will go live once marks have been released. Students will not be able to complete the form until you have their marks.
We are assuring students that they will be able to attend graduation in July with their cohort and course mates as expected. Whilst their certificate will not be available to collect, we will post this out as soon as their work has been marked and their classification is available. We will update students with this information as soon as we have it. Alternatively, students could decide to attend a later graduation ceremony, when their certificate is available.
Some programmes or individual modules carry an extra professional accreditation element. This may mean there are additional standards or requirements around the assessment or marking process. It is possible that students affected by the boycott may have professional accreditation requirements which mean it is not possible to generate a derived or part-for-whole mark. We expect this scenario to only affect a small number of students – if any at all.
In the unlikely event that a student’s school can’t determine whether they have met these requirements for their programme, they will contact that student directly via their university email to explain individual options regarding graduation.
Students who are expecting to progress to their next year of study
Marks will be available on Blue Castle on Tuesday 11 July. Progression information will follow on Tuesday 18 July, going live at 10am.
If marks have not been affected by the marking and assessment boycott, students do not need to do anything and will progress in their studies as expected. If they have passed this stage of their programme they will progress and be invited to reregister in due course. If students need to take reassessment to progress they will be notified on Blue Castle.
If some or all marks are indicated to be derived or part-for-whole and a student is happy to accept them as their final mark, they do not need to do anything. They will progress in their studies as expected. If they have passed this stage of their programme they will progress and be invited to re-register in due course. If students need to take reassessment to progress, they will be notified on Blue Castle.
I am expecting to progress to my next year of study and I don’t want to accept my derived or part-for-whole mark
If some or all marks are indicated to be derived or part-for whole and students wish to wait until their work can be marked, they must complete the notification form on Blue Castle by 5pm on Friday 21 July. We will not be able to confirm their progression until their work is marked.
The form will go live on Blue Castle once marks have been released. Students will not be able to complete the form until they have their progression information.
If a student decides not to accept their derived or part-for-whole marks, this may mean that they will not have their marks in time to progress to their next year of study. They may not be able to re-register in September and may lose access to grant and loan funding.
International students with visa requirements will need to consider how a delay in progressing to their next year of study will affect their visa and right to study in the UK.
Some programmes or individual modules carry an extra professional accreditation element. This may mean there are additional standards or requirements around the assessment or marking process. It is possible that students affected by the boycott may have professional accreditation requirements which mean it is not possible to generate a derived or part-for-whole mark. We expect this scenario to only affect a small number of students – if any at all.
In the unlikely event that a school can’t determine whether a student has met these requirements for their programme, they will contact the student directly via their university email to explain individual options regarding progressing to their next year of study.
Students who we think may be affected by the boycott – even if the chance is small – will be contacted directly by their schools to outline the process relevant to them, and signposted to their local support contacts.
Though the majority of students will be unaffected by the marking and assessment boycott, we know that some will be anxious about the process.
For more information, the university has also produced detailed FAQS.
Tags: Action short of strike, ASOS, Assessment reuslts, Industrial Action, MAB, Marking and assessment boycott, part-for-whole
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Moodle is being upgraded this summer
June 12th, 2023
This summer (2023) will see Moodle upgraded to version 4.1, bringing improvements to the layout and look of your module site.
The upgrade, which will take place on Wednesday 26 July 2023 between 8am – 6pm. Moodle will be completely unavailable during this time. The upgrade will introduce a new look and a new layout for menus and buttons, improving usability. The updates will not have any impact on the content of Moodle, but you may wish to make some small, preferential changes to the way you structure your pages due to the new layouts.
Your new and existing Moodle webpages will automatically be upgraded – you do not need to take any manual action.
If you would like to learn more about the upgrade, please take a look at this blog post and the Learning Technology sharepoint site detailing some of the changes.
We also encourage you to join us at a roadshow about the upgrade, both in person or online – no need to sign up; just turn up. Dates and locations are as follows.
Moodle Roadshows
- Wednesday 21 June 11am – University Park, Monica Partridge Building C11
- Thursday 22 June 11am – Online via Teams
- Thursday 22nd June 1pm – Medical School Room E62
- Friday 23 11am June – Jubilee Campus, Business School South, Room A06
- Monday 26 June 11am – Sutton Bonington Campus, Plant Science Building, Room A17
- Tuesday 27 June 1pm – Online via Teams
- Wednesday 28 June 11am – University Park, Pope Building A15
- Wednesday 28 June 1pm Coates Building, Room A10
Please note that some schools are having their own sessions which will be advertised to you via your school or faculty.
If you have any questions, please email learning-technologies@nottingham.ac.uk and the team will get back to you.
Tags: moodle, Moodle 4.1, moodle upgrade
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Professional Services Awards 2023: save the date
June 12th, 2023
Save the date, Monday 2 October 2023 – once again, join with your University of Nottingham Professional Services peers to celebrate the achievements of our extraordinary teams.
Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, the university is delighted to be hosting our second annual Professional Services Awards on Monday 2 October 2023.
Last year the Awards attracted 180 nominations over eight award categories and were a fantastic showcase of all that our teams had achieved in the preceding two years.
It was very tough for our Professional Services Executive Panel to choose winning categories from across the breadth of nominations and the event certainly lived up to its theme of ‘Inspire’.
This year our theme is ‘Ambition’ and we’re looking forward to hearing how teams have reached even higher since the last awards, not only ensuring our professional services and campus operations run smoothly, but developing new services, capabilities and support for our fantastic global UoN community.
The Professional Services Executive (Paul Greatrix, David Hill, Jaspal Kaur, Margaret Monckton), who are sponsoring the Awards, reflected on last year’s event;
“The first Professional Services Awards was a pleasure and a privilege to attend. The passion and pride shown by colleagues in their work for the University was demonstrated by the huge range and array of nominations across all award categories, all of which were genuinely inspiring.
“This made our role as judging panel near impossible, but we are really excited to be providing a further opportunity for nominations with our second awards event. We know our teams are ambitious, we know that they inspire others and we know they are creative and innovative.
“We can’t wait to hear everything that you have achieved and are very much looking forward to receiving your nominations”.
Further details regarding the event and how to nominate will follow later this month.
Nominations will be open for a five week period across the same eight nomination categories as last year, all of which align to core university goals and values.
All nominations will be team-based and any member of the university staff or student community can nominate a team. Professional Services staff are also able to self-nominate.
Catch up on last year’s event with the video below.
If you have any queries about the PS Awards, or would like to volunteer to be involved in this annual celebratory event, please email ps-awards@nottingham.ac.uk or contact Sharon Caine or Sam Rudd.
Tags: Professional Services awards, Professional Services Awards 2023, staff awards
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Progress on visitor car park resurfacing work and pending temporary closure
June 12th, 2023
Throughout the works to date, the contractors have worked to ensure some capacity in the car park has remained available.
However, as activity heads towards completion the car park will need to close for a period of three weeks from Monday 26 June to Friday 14 July 2023 (inclusive).
This will enable work across the top of the access road to be undertaken, and completion of the drainage work through the centre of the car park. The entire car park will then be resurfaced in preparation for reopening.
During this period, car parking around the Tower Building will temporarily re-open to relieve immediate pressure, providing 51 alternative parking spaces.
Whilst the works to the visitor car park have reduced parking availability in the centre of campus, parking is still available in other areas.
Daily surveys throughout May and early June have shown that between 9:30am and 11:30am, there have consistently been between 30 and 100 hundred parking spaces available in the car parks around the halls of residence and Beeston Lane on University Park.
There have also been 60+ spaces available at Jubilee and 100+ at KMC throughout this time, with the hopper bus services continuing to connect all sites.
We apologise for any inconvenience this will cause. These are important works to ensure flood risk at George Green Library is reduced, as well as improving the overall car parking conditions for staff and visitors.
Once all works are complete, larger parking spaces will be introduced, alongside additional electric vehicle charging points.
Tags: car park, car park closure, temporary car park closure, temporary closure, Visitor car park
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Progress lanyards
June 12th, 2023
The University of Nottingham has invested in new Progress lanyards and we invite all staff to wear a lanyard, as either an LGBTQIA+ person or as an ally.
By wearing a lanyard, you signal to colleagues and students that you are a safe person for them to talk to and that you are willing to support them if they need you to. Progress lanyards represent the Progress flag, which has been adopted by the LGBTQIA+ community and uses the original rainbow flag but includes black and brown to represent people of colour within the community, and the colours pink, light blue and white to represent trans and non-binary people as well as those across the gender spectrum.
The progress flag can be seen flying from the Trent Building on key occasions such as the start of LGBT+ History Month.
Those attending LGBT+ History Month events throughout February 2023 may already have a lanyard. If you did not receive a lanyard, please email the EDI Coordinators.
If you weren’t able to attend an event but would still like to demonstrate your allyship to the LGBTQIA+ community, you can make a pledge that you will:
- speak out against hate speech and discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people
- commit to an ongoing process of learning how to be an ally, including by listening to LGBTQIA+ people’s lived experiences
- help to create a safe and inclusive environment within your team/department/area
A lanyard will then be sent out to you and your name will be included on a list of LGBTQIA+ allies on the EDI in Practice SharePoint page.
Please note that members of the LGBTQIA+ Staff Network can obtain a lanyard by sending an email for the attention of Craig Butterworth.
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