Campus News
Research update from Professor Neil Crout
October 3rd, 2022
Update from Professor Neil Crout, interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange
Welcome to the new academic year and my first update as interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange.
I look forward to working with you in securing the goals of the university’s renewed research strategy and sharing news of support and opportunities for researchers, as well as celebrating your successes.
Research culture survey: what you told us
In April, my predecessor Professor Dame Jessica Corner invited you to take part in our first university-wide survey of research culture at Nottingham.
I am delighted to share the survey’s initial findings and an update on next steps as we work together to better understand how to build a positive research culture and environment, where everyone who carries out or supports research can achieve their very best.
Cost of living: support for PGRs
The university has reaffirmed its support and outlined help and resources for postgraduate research students (PGRs), who may be facing challenges due to the rising cost of living.
All eligible PGRs on University of Nottingham-funded scholarships will receive increased financial support from October 2022.
Research and Innovation: update on refreshed structure
Research and Innovation Director Pip Peakman welcomes staff into new roles as R&I completes the first phase of a transition to a new operating structure, which is designed to strengthen support to academics and allow teams to be more agile in anticipating and seizing funding opportunities.
R&I’s restructure aligns with delivery of the university’s renewed research strategy for 2022-27 and will further enhance Nottingham’s ability to be strategic and focused in response the challenges facing the UK and societies around the world.
Very best wishes
Professor Neil Crout
Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange
Read Professor Crout’s full update
Tags: Professor Neil Crout, research, Research and Knowledge Exchange
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VC staff surgeries: Wednesday 19 October, 10am-11am
October 3rd, 2022
The next set of ‘staff surgery’ sessions are now available for colleagues to discuss any issue with Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West, on Wednesday 19 October 2022, from 10am – 11am.
Booking your session
To register for a session, please email BA-VC-Surgery@exmail.nottingham.ac.uk with your preferred date from the list below and a brief agenda for the meeting.
Places are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, so colleagues are encouraged to book early. You will be contacted within two working days of your request confirming the date and time.
Further surgery sessions are available on:
- Tuesday 15 November, 2pm – 3pm
- Tuesday 13 December, 11am -12 noon
- Tuesday 24 January, 3pm-4.30pm
- Tuesday 21 February, 3pm-4.30pm
- Wednesday 22 March, 1pm-2pm
The Vice-Chancellor will only be able to devote 10 minutes to each meeting. In some cases there may be a need to follow up at a separate occasion.
Further information is available at VC Staff Surgery. Conversations will usually be held in-person, although can be arranged via Teams if preferred.
Tags: Professor Shearer West, VC, VC Staff Surgeries, VC Surgeries, VC surgery, Vice-Chancellor Surgeries
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Student engagement – information and guidance for all staff
September 29th, 2022
The Teaching and Learning Committee has introduced new operating guidelines for supporting student engagement and using the Student Engagement Dashboard.
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 2021/22 has been reviewed and operating guidelines for engagement were developed and presented to the Teaching and Learning Committee in August 2022. 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.
- Following on from last semester, all schools must use the official university QR code system for capturing attendance at in-person teaching sessions.
Enhancements to the Student Engagement Dashboard are about to be completed, including a ‘Personal Tutor View’ and a new function embedded in the dashboard to enable relevant staff to record contact and interventions with students. We anticipate finalising these enhancements during the week commencing Monday 3 October 2022, with staff training from week commencing Monday 10 October.
Pastoral process
The operating guidelines detail a step-by-step intervention process for contacting a disengaged student. They describe 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.
To support academic units in contacting students where initial attempts are not successful, a new Student Engagement Dashboard Manager has been appointed in the Student and Campus Life team. You will have the chance to meet this colleague during training and will be able to escalate cases directly through the dashboard.
Tags: attendance, engagement, pastoral support, student engagement dashboard, student wellbeing, teaching
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Vice-Chancellor’s blog: welcome to the new academic year
September 27th, 2022
In her first blog of the new term, Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West welcomes colleagues back to the new academic year and sets out priorities for the university over the coming twelve months.
As well as looking at the year ahead, Professor West discusses the cost-of-living crisis, and outlines the different ways in which the university is supporting our staff and students through unprecedented times.
Tags: cost of living, VC Blog, Vice-Chancellor's blog
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Cascade funding: up to £10,000 for student projects
September 27th, 2022
Staff and current students can apply for up to £10,000 to fund projects that benefit the student experience.
The Cascade funding programme gives staff and current students the opportunity to apply for up to £10,000 in funding for projects that benefit the overall student experience.
Cascade projects may be academic, pastoral or extracurricular, but they must directly enhance the student experience and cascade the positive impact the student community can create.
The programme uses donations from alumni and friends of the university, and has gifted over £1 million to more than 120 projects since 2007. Previous funding has supported student-led initiatives such as Community First Responders, Liter of Light, Global Buddy Scheme and Foodprint.
Of special interest to the programme are projects that:
- Connect campuses and communities
- Encourage creativity and innovation
- Enhance teaching and learning experiences
- Promote environmental sustainability
- Advocate for global citizenship
- Promote healthy bodies and healthy minds
How to apply
To apply, please send the following information by email to cascade@nottingham.ac.uk.
- Full name
- Email address
- Name of project
- Brief description of the project
Following this, a member of the team will be in touch.
You may find it helpful to read What makes a good application before applying.
The deadline for expression of interest is Wednesday 2 November 2022.
The deadline for applications is Sunday 13 November 2022.
If you would like more information, please email cascade@nottingham.ac.uk.
Tags: Cascade, Cascade funding, Cascade Grants Programme
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Student access to University Counselling Service changes to referral only
September 27th, 2022
From Monday 26 September 2022 student access to the University Counselling service has changed to a referral only service.
Previously, students could self-refer to the service by contacting the team directly.
Students can now only be referred following a meeting with a staff member from one of the teams below:
- Support & Wellbeing Team
- ResX Team for students in halls of residence
- Disability Team for students accessing Disability Support Services
- Report and Support Team
The referral process has been introduced to allow the counselling service to understand the issues of students who want an appointment and to prioritise those who need to be seen sooner.
This way, students are sent to the right service for them at the right time.
The new process is for students who have never used the University Counselling service, or those who have not has an appointment in four months or longer.
If a student is referred by someone outside the above teams or completes a registration form without being referred, they will be directed to meet the suitable representative from the teams above for referral prior to an appointment being arranged.
Faculty of Medicine and Health Science students on placement should follow their course-specific processes.
Staff access to the counselling remains as self-referral.
Staff can also access counselling through the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).
Tags: UCS, University Counselling Service
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LGBTQIA+ steering group seek views from staff on diversity programme
September 27th, 2022
The LGBTQIA+ Steering Group are seeking information from staff across the university regarding the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme.
As we approach the point of renewal with Stonewall, the steering group is keen to gain a sense of how our membership to the programme has impacted on staff in a range of ways.
This online form is available for you to share your experiences, and the group would be grateful if you could take a few moments to answer the questions provided.
Filling in the form should take no more than five minutes, and the responses received will inform the LGBTQIA+ Steering Group’s next steps.
The online form is open until Friday 21 October 2022.
If you have any questions, please contact the Steering Group co-chairs, Lucy Jones and Sarah Wilson.
Tags: diversity, Diversity champions, edi, equality, inclusion, LGBTQIA+, LGBTQIA+ steering group, Stonewall
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Nominations for Lord Dearing Awards 2022/23 are now open
September 26th, 2022
Running since 1999, the Lord Dearing Awards recognise and celebrate the world-class contribution to teaching and learning and the student experience 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 (across job families) who have a direct link to the student experience impacting on some aspect of 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.
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 Friday 18 November 2022 and awards will be conferred in the summer 2023.
Tags: LDA, Lord Dearing, Lord Dearing Awards, Lord Dearing Awards 2023
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