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Learn about the real 'Gentleman Jack' in BGU Lecturer's latest article
If you’ve been enjoying ‘Gentleman Jack’, the BBC drama exploring the diaries of industrialist Anne Lister, then the latest article by Dr Cassie Ulph, lecturer in English Literature at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), will be for you. Dr Ulph’s article looks at Lister's membership of the Halifax Literary and Philosophical Society, of which she was the first female member, and her ambitions to make a lasting mark on her home town. It is well known that Anne Lister was the first female member of the Halifax Literary and Philosophical Society, but what is less well known is how involved she really was with that society, and how common female membership of such a society was. This article explores how the idea of female membership was debated in the wave of Literary and Philosophical Societies that flourished in the early 19th century, and uses Lister’s diaries and letters to explore her civic ambitions for her hometown of Halifax and her dynastic ambitions for the Lister name. While Lister was a member of the Lit. and Phil. on paper, evidence of her attendance and participation is scarce; however, her donations to the founding of a new Halifax museum (one of the aims of the society) were significant, particularly given her usually careful spending. What we find from her diaries and letters is a desire to ‘make something…by mind or money’ in spite of barriers to women’s participation in such clubs and societies. This article thus demonstrates how common aims brought together the men of the Literary and Philosophical Society with this ambitious and unusual woman, but it also questions the extent to which women in this period, even one as unconventional as Lister, could ever truly access or influence this associational world, and the alternative means they found to participate in intellectual culture. Staff and students at BGU can access the full article here (login required). If you are interested in finding out more about studying English at BGU, visit our website, contact our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days. Image source -
Experiences of Lincolnshire Female Third Sector Leaders to be Explored in Scoping Event
Staff from the Psychology department at Bishop Grosseteste University are working in partnership with Involving Lincs and the Community Fund to facilitate a scoping event relating to resilience in leadership, specifically focusing on women in the Third Sector in Lincolnshire. They would like to hear from sector leaders to establish opportunities, aspirations, successes, barriers and needs. This feedback will then help them inform potential collaborative networking, project work and research. The initial meeting will take place at BGU on Tuesday 25th June from 10am until 12pm. This is a fantastic opportunity to not only share your experiences with like-minded peers, but also to have a hand in shaping relationships across the county. In addition to sector leaders there are also opportunities for students to be involved both in the running of the day and with follow up work in project and research development. For more information contact Thomasin Nicholds, Lecturer in Psychology at BGU. If you are interested in finding out more about studying Psychology at BGU, visit our website, contact our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days. -
Statement on LORIC Closure - Building Now Open
Bishop Grosseteste University can confirm that Lincolnshire Police were called to our Lincolnshire Open Research and Innovation Centre (LORIC) this morning following the discovery of a suspicious item at an archaeological dig on site. On police advice and in line with our health and safety procedures for such an event the LORIC building was evacuated as a precautionary measure. The rest of campus was unaffected. The LORIC site is now open. The Police have confirmed that the item discovered poses no risk to the public and were happy that the University had called them in. Thank you to all our students and staff for being vigilant and reacting swiftly to this incident. We would like to take the opportunity to thank Lincolnshire Emergency Services and the Bomb Disposal Squad for their calm and professional support, as well as our staff, students and partnership organisations for their patience and understanding. -
BGU collaborate with Czech University to support the student experience
Academic staff from Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) visited the Faculty of Education at Masaryk University (MUni), situated in the city of Brno in the Czech Republic, to explore opportunities for supporting student experience. The visit built upon a collegiate partnership between MUni and BGU, which focuses on academic and professional standards, improving student experience and opportunities for sharing good practice in learning and teaching. Dr Claire Thomson, Head of the Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT), and Caroline Meredith, Academic Lead for Flexible and Distributed Learning, facilitated a workshop for MUni colleagues, to explore evaluative frameworks for student experience, retention and attainment. Colleagues discussed strategies to develop students’ positive engagement with University life, which aligns to BGU’s Graduate Attribute framework. Claire shared evidence of CELT's substantial student engagement and enhancement work over the past eighteen months. This includes many examples of good practice in engaging students in academic and personal development activities, student wellbeing initiatives and student-focussed conferences, all of which contribute to students’ identity as successful learners who belong firmly in BGU’s learning community. This responds to research findings, in which students’ sense of belonging and their self-image as successful learners have been shown as crucial to student retention and achievement (What Works? Student retention and success; Thomas, Hill, O’Mahony and Yorke, 2017). Colleagues also had detailed discussions around the programme-level annual monitoring process at BGU, and compared it to the evaluative framework being developed at MUni’s Faculty of Education. A highlight of the visit for Claire and Caroline was an excursion to the elementary school at Bosonožská. They met senior staff, observed some learning and teaching and enjoyed a traditional Czech school lunch with teachers and children of the school. Colleagues examined and discussed the embedding of Professional Standards in curriculum design at BGU, and discussed ways this could be developed at MUni. MUni staff plan a return visit to BGU in 2020, to share approaches and strategies for the assessment of placement experience with students in Lincolnshire schools. If you would like to become a part of BGU’s growing international community, visit our website, speak to a member of our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days to find out how to take your first steps. -
BGU to explore Georgian culture at triennial Burney Society conference
On 30 and 31 July, Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) will host the triennial conference of the Burney Society (UK), which brings together academics and members of the public interested in the life and works of members of the Burney family in the Georgian period. The Burney family included the novelists Frances and Sarah Harriet Burney, musical historian Charles Burney, explorer Captain James Burney, and many more. The conference will consider how the Burneys and their circle engaged with or constructed narratives of marginality and/or centrality; their relationship to marginal and/or mainstream culture and society; and the imaginative use they made of such categories. Keynote speakers at the conference include Dr Gillian Dow (University of Southampton, former director of Chawton House Library) and Professor Lorna Clark (Carleton University, Canada). There will also be an opportunity to hear some of Charles Burney's compositions during a musical interlude. Anyone wishing to know more about the conference can contact the organiser, Dr Cassie Ulph (Lecturer in English), or alternatively visit the society's website for full programme and ticket information (discounted registration rate available for BGU staff and students). Alternatively, tickets and accommodation for the event can be booked on the BGU e-commerce site. BGU regularly welcome guests from all the world to thought-provoking and intriguing events, you can keep up to date with all the exciting ones still to come on our news and events pages. -
Doctoral Students present at Cathedral Group Conference
Emma Rogers and Tracey Kilcoyne, Senior Lecturers in the School of Teacher Development at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), successfully submitted their abstracts to the Cathedral Group’s annual doctoral conference at Liverpool Hope University, and presented their research progress to fellow Doctoral students. Emma Rogers explored the reading identities of student teachers in her presentation entitled 'Investigating the lived experiences of student teachers' as readers and the shifting identify of student teachers who teach reading' and how a teacher’s ability to inspire young readers is bound to the teacher’s identity as a reader and knowledge of children’s authors. Tracey Kilcoyne's presentation entitled 'Exploring Nurture Groups through staff voice' explored the apparent influences on the presentation of Nurture Groups through the voice of Nurture Group staff. Utilising an exploratory mixed methods framework to identify the extent of this variance, combined with an interpretive phenomenological approach to explore the views of the respective Nurture Group staff, it aimed to create a greater understanding of Nurture Groups and their operation. Following the conference Tracey described her excitement at the impact of the event on her current and future work: “The conference provided an opportunity to share our work and review the progress so far, along with an opportunity to meet others at different stages on their doctoral journey. It was great to be able to experience presentations covering such a diverse range of disciplines and I’m excited by the potential future collaborations that may come from the networking we able to do” Our academics and students are regularly invited to present at conferences around the world, you can follow all their travels on our news page and find out how you can start your own adventures on our course pages. -
Collaborative learning community drives student satisfaction in latest NSS results
Following the release of this year’s National Student Survey (NSS) results Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) is pleased to have again received high satisfaction levels from its graduating students. Seeing the overwhelming majority of our student body engaging with the NSS this year has been immensely satisfying and we’d like to thank our students for providing valuable feedback to us on the issues that are important to them. Creating an environment where students feel that they can not only make their voices heard but be an active part of developing their university experience is a key element of our drive for excellence. Dr Rob Boast, Executive Dean Learning, Teaching & Student Engagement, is leading this collaborative partnership between staff and students and is excited to see where it can take BGU in the future: “At BGU we are dedicated to placing the student voice at the heart of what we do so it is fantastic to see our efforts reflected in the increasing satisfaction scores. For areas such as ‘Student Voice’ and ‘Learning Community’ BGU has outperformed the average for the sector. The NSS provides an excellent opportunity for us to evolve and improve as an institution and we look forward to further engaging with our students on their experiences so that together we can continue creating a positive and rewarding learning environment.” BGU also saw increased scores in a number of other areas including ‘Academic Support’ and ‘Assessment & Feedback’, which was also above the average for the sector. For BGU Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Scott Fleming, these areas of increased satisfaction also demonstrate the value of the challenge laid down by the NSS to universities: “Following previous surveys we introduced a number of new initiatives to increase satisfaction in our academic support and feedback so it is incredibly rewarding to see that work receiving a positive response from our students. However it is important that we, along with all our fellow universities, see the NSS as a challenge to keep striving for consistently high satisfaction across the entire student experience and continuously improve as an institution rather than an opportunity to rest on the success of specific areas. We are committed to ensuring our students enjoy a level of quality throughout their time with us and I look forward to seeing what we, working in partnership with our students, can continue to accomplish over the next five years of our new University Strategy”. To find out how you can become a part of BGU’s collaborative learning community you can visit our website, speak to a member of our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days. -
BGU students invited to share their guidance in developing ‘Reading for Pleasure’
Students on the BA Primary Education with QTS course at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) have been sharing their good practice to encourage children to ‘read for pleasure’ with other HE institutions and schools. -
Successful Scoping Event Creates New Opportunities for Women in Third Sector Leadership
Earlier this year staff from the Psychology department at Bishop Grosseteste University, working in partnership with Involving Lincs and the Community Fund, facilitated a scoping event relating to resilience in leadership, specifically focusing on women in the Third Sector in Lincolnshire. The event heard from sector leaders to establish opportunities, aspirations, successes, barriers and needs and was well received by those in attendance who praised its "Great communication, fantastic insight into the working reality of women in leadership" In response to the feedback from the scoping meeting, efforts are now underway to run a second opportunity for Women In Third Sector Leadership on Thursday the 19th of September. Thomasin Nicholds, Lecturer in Psychology at BGU and one of the event organisers, explained what participants could expect from it: "The second event has been designed by some of the participants of the last session, to develop peer support opportunities and a greater understanding of mentoring. Individuals will be exploring the benefits of developing these professional relationships in order to enable their own wellbeing at work and that of their colleagues. The theme running through the event will be how we ensure a resilient leadership in the third sector, with further exploration as to what this means specifically for women leaders. A working group of leaders has designed the session and are keen to consider the Leadership needs across the third sector, via new and existing resource, all facilitated by partnership working." You can book your place to join in the event here. In addition to sector leaders there are also opportunities for students to be involved both in the running of the day and with follow up work in project and research development. For more information contact Thomasin Nicholds, Lecturer in Psychology at BGU. If you are interested in finding out more about studying Psychology at BGU, visit our website, contact our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days. -
Successful Students See Support Service Soar From Strength to Strength
Enterprising students Damian Taylor (MA Health & Social Care) and Neil Martin (BA History) are the latest success story to emerge from BG Futures Business and Enterprise Centre at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU). Having joined the BGU Enterprise Club just a few months ago the duo have gone from strength to strength with their growing business EarlyBird Lifestyle Support and are already working from their own premises. EarlyBird Lifestyle Support is a friendly well-being service based in Lincoln and serves the city and surrounding areas helping people with tasks such as cooking, cleaning, collecting prescriptions and medication, food shopping, trips out, escorting individuals to appointments and more. Speaking to the BGU Futures Team, Damian discussed how the support from the Centre helped him, Neil and their team reach their goals: “Being able to become residents in the BG Futures Enterprise Room has allowed us the time and space to work productively whilst in the early stages of our business. One of the main benefits is that it has allowed us to present ourselves to local authorities and other community professionals as a legitimate and professional business. The guidance and advice we have received from Becky has been incredibly important for us and invaluable. The enterprise centre is a fantastic resource for new and upcoming businesses. You may have the misconception that you have to have it all figured out with a full business plan before you receive support, this is far from the truth, you can be at the very being stages of an idea! Mixing this support with my 10 years front line and management experience in the sector, along with the Health & Social care provision at BGU, has really enabled Neil and I to create a service that brings both health care and social care together which allows us to offer holistic and bespoke person centred support with a wider understanding of social injustices and the adult social care crisis. I would encourage anyone even thinking about going into business or anyone with a concept for self-employment to come in and speak to someone. I can guarantee you won’t regret it!” Becky Goodman, Enterprise Development Manager at BG Futures, was equally full of praise for the hard work of Damian and his team: “It has been great to work with Damian and Neil over the past few months, and I am excited to see how the business grows and develops over the coming months and years Damian first contacted us following a visit I made to his MA Health and Social Care course and after meeting with both Damian and Neil it became clear that the business needed the space to grow. The duo moved into the BGU Enterprise Club room in BG Futures, and from there we have watched them grow from strength to strength, from recruiting staff, to sourcing promotional products and hope that we have made a real impact to their start up journey, and continue to do so as they take up an office of their own with us in the centre.” The Careers, Employability and Enterprise team strive to support all students during their studies to research and plan their career, and to improve their employability. The BGU Enterprise Club hosted by BG Futures also provides students with Business Start-up support and guidance, in addition to free office space*, and the opportunity to pitch for start-up funding. If you have got a vision for your own business but aren’t sure where to begin then the BG Futures team are the perfect place to start. With facilities and expert support available in their incubation centre, they’ll be able to get you on the road to success. Visit our website or contact them today to see how you can start your own adventure. Support from EarlyBird is available to anyone in Lincolnshire and the surrounding area, to find out how they can help you visit their website, or get in contact via email at info@ebls.co.uk or on 01522424161. On the 31st of August EarlyBird will be running a charity fundraiser in aid of Alzheimer’s Society. Join them from 10am at Freshney Place, Grimsby, as they attempt a ‘Coast to Coast’ 168 mile cycle. Alternatively you can donate to their efforts here. *Competitive process applies.
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