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Doors Open at BGU
Students thinking about going to university can look round brand new facilities and hear about new courses at a Bishop Grosseteste University open day this Sunday (6th October). The university has spent £4.3 million on a new accommodation building this summer as part of a £6.5m investment programme. Visitors to the open day between 11am and 4pm on Sunday can see the new student residences at first hand and find out more about the courses on offer. These include new single honours degrees in History and SENI (Special Educational Needs and Inclusion) and a new Psychology degree course which enrolled its first students this year. Visitors to the open day will be able to speak to staff and students, go on a guided tour of the campus and even enjoy a minibus tour of Lincoln city centre.There will be a rolling programme of presentations, DVDs and one-to-one meetings and visitors are encouraged to drop in at any time throughout the day. The university’s student advice team will be available to talk to students and their families about issues such as student finance and the accommodation team will advise on places to live. Lunch is available between 11.30am and 2pm and snacks and meals are available throughout the day from the Dining Room in Constance Stewart Hall and from Curiositea, the university’s Alice in Wonderland themed coffee shop, which has been extended and refurbished over the summer. “It doesn’t matter how many prospectuses you read and how many websites you browse, there’s no substitute for actually visiting a university,” said Louise Stow, Student Recruitment Manager at BGU. “Our campus in uphill Lincoln is a unique and beautiful place and we would encourage anyone thinking about studying at university to pay us a visit this weekend.” A further open day will be held at Bishop Grosseteste University on Wednesday 6th November 2013. Please click here to register your interest in this and any other upcoming Open Days. -
Imps Unveil New Bishop Grosseteste Sponsored Kit
Lincoln City’s new home strip for the 2013/14 season has been unveiled today (Friday 2nd August). The new shirts feature the logo of Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) which entered into a new strategic partnership with the club in March. Under the terms of the three-year agreement BGU is a leading partner of the football club and the university’s new lions logo will appear on Lincoln City’s home and replica shirts for the next three seasons. The club and BGU will work closely together on a number of initiatives, including Football in the Community work, placement opportunities for BGU students and partnerships between the football club and BGU’s sports courses. BGU will also work with Lincoln City Sport and Education Trust to support its work with children and young people in the local area. “It’s great to see our emblem displayed on Lincoln City’s shirts for the new season,” said Rob Jones, Director of Enterprise at Bishop Grosseteste University. “We’re hoping that the BGU lions and the Lincoln City imp can strike fear into the opposition throughout the coming season!” Russell Moore, Lincoln City FC Commercial Manager, added: “We are delighted to unveil our new home kit which reflects our new partnership with Bishop Grosseteste University. “This agreement will benefit both the club and the city of Lincoln, with both of us having a proud history and a vision for success. “We are confident BGU will be an excellent partner for us and we are looking forward to building a strong working relationship with them.” 2nd August 2013g -
TV Archaeologist to Launch New Degree at BGU
Well known TV archaeologist Julian Richards will launch a new Archaeology and History degree to be offered from September 2015 at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln. BGU currently offers single honours History but will run a joint degree next year which will be launched at a two-day event on 14th and 15th October 2014. Julian Richards, well known for his appearances on Meet the Ancestors and Blood of the Vikings, will deliver a lecture at BGU entitled Bringing the Past to Life at 6.30pm on Tuesday 14th October. He will also be involved in a school activity earlier in the day at BGU, leading children from Ermine Primary School through a mock excavation so that they can learn how archaeologists work and what they can discover.These activities will take place from 10.30am until 11.30am and from 1.45pm until 2.45pm on Tuesday 14th October and reporters / photographers are welcome to attend. Zoe Tomlinson, Community Archaeologist at BGU, is excited to have Julian Richards launch the new degree at BGU. “Julian is the ideal person to launch our new degree because not only has he undertaken some really interesting fieldwork but also published books and articles for both the general reader and for academic study,” she said. Julian Richards is recognised for his work on Stonehenge and has written a number of books on archaeology for both adults and children. The new joint honours degree will offer a wide variety of modules across the subjects of archaeology and history. The course includes the opportunity for students to experience a live excavation project and develop key practical skills in both field and lab-based techniques. BGU has particular strengths in public and community archaeology and students will also gain skills in these areas as they study Britain’s Roman and mediaeval past. Dr Craig Spence, Senior Lecturer and Academic Co-ordinator for History and Archaeology at BGU, explained: “The relationship between archaeology and history is particularly strong and close to us at BGU, because we understand history is not just understood through documents but through a dynamic consideration of words, images, buildings and artefacts. “Studying archaeology at BGU gives students the opportunity to get really hands on with the past.“It is a privilege to be based in a city filled with such great history. As a result we make excellent use of the archives and museums in the ancient city of Lincoln which help to tell its 2,000-year history from Roman foundation to industrial renaissance in the 19th and 20th centuries.” Alongside the launch event, BGU has organised a Young Person’s Photography competition. All shortlisted entrants will be invited to the university to attend Julian Richards’ lecture on 14th October, where he will announce and present the prize to the competition winner. The winner of the competition will be chosen by a panel of four judges: John Rimmer, Academic Co-ordinator for Art and Design and Visual Arts at BGU; Lynne McEwen, award-winning freelance photographer; Steven Cole, photography teacher at William Farr School, and Sam Gordon, Manager of the Lincoln’s Bishops’ Palace for English Heritage. Spaces are limited for the Bringing the Past to Life lecture on 14th October. To register contact Bronwen Kane on 01522 583622 or email bronwen.kane@bishopg.ac.uk. For more information about all of the history and archaeology courses on offer at the university please contact Dr Craig Spence: craig.spence@bishopg.ac.uk. -
BGU Sets Out Ambitious Five-Year Growth Plan
Two years after it achieved university status Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln has set out its ambitious vision for the next five years. Bishop Grosseteste University has chosen today, the annual celebration of the life and work of Robert Grosseteste, a mediaeval scholar, former Bishop of Lincoln and the university’s namesake, to launch its new five-year plan. The development of the strategy has been led by its Vice Chancellor, the Reverend Professor Peter Neil, in consultation with staff, students and key community and business leaders.The ambitious strategy will see the university build on its past success in encouraging and supporting students from non-traditional and low-income backgrounds to gain a university level qualification by offering a greater range of courses and subjects, and strengthening its partnerships with local, regional and national business communities to ensure students are prepared for life and employment in a global society. The plans also set out the investment the university is making in research, its buildings and facilities. “Bishop Grosseteste University is a thriving institution which has achieved a great many successes in recent years.” said Professor Neil. “Like all universities, however, we must always look forward and ensure that we are best placed to fulfil our potential as a 21st-century university. The strategy is both a call to action for our university community and a considered response to the challenges facing students and the higher education sector”. “Our strategy outlines the steps we will take to ensure that Bishop Grosseteste University remains a major player in UK higher education while staying true to its ethos and building on its already excellent levels of student satisfaction and graduate employability.” Professor Neil added that while the university wishes to see more students studying at BGU, new courses and new ways of teaching and learning mean that there will be opportunities for undergraduate students new to Lincoln to study alongside mature, part-time, postgraduate and work-based learning students who already live in the locality. “As a community university, we are committed to ensuring that the balance between ‘town and gown’ is maintained in the city. We intend to develop our existing campus and support the city and county’s economic strategies by creating educational opportunities and employment through the life of this plan.” -
New Degrees on Offer as BGU Expands Portfolio
Students at Bishop Grosseteste University will be able to take degrees in Health and Social Care, Sociology, Psychology, Counselling and Entrepreneurship from September 2015 thanks to a major expansion of courses announced today (Wednesday). In response to demand from students and employers BGU has reviewed its academic portfolio and will introduce a suite of new degree courses in a range of new and existing subject areas. BGU will introduce a new Health and Social Care degree as well as other courses for professionals working in this area. There will also be new degree courses in Psychology and Counselling. In Business and Enterprise, BGU will have an innovative programme promoting entrepreneurship that will focus on students working in teams to start and run new businesses in dedicated business units. The university will enhance its already strong Education programmes with the introduction of a new single honours degree in Education Studies, and there will also be new degree courses in Sociology as part of suite of Social Science subjects. “Developing BGU’s academic portfolio through a range of new and exciting courses is a key part of our growth strategy,” said The Reverend Professor Peter Neil, Vice Chancellor of Bishop Grosseteste University. “Like all universities we have to respond to what students and employers want, and these new courses will ensure that we can continue to provide students and businesses with the skills that they require to be successful in the future.” As part of the ongoing management of the courses it offers Bishop Grosseteste University will no longer teach Music or Visual Art at undergraduate level once current students have completed their studies. PGCE courses in Music will continue to be offered as part of the university’s postgraduate portfolio. BGU intends to continue its musical tradition through the University Choir and to maintain engagement with the local community through the work of the Community Music Development Co-ordinator. -
Survey Shows Student Satisfaction Rising at BGU
Figures released today from the National Student Survey show that 88% of BGU students are satisfied with their university experience - that's higher than the national average of 86% and three percentage points up on BGU's score last year. BGU's Foundation Degree in Applied Studies (Early Childhood) achieved 100% satisfaction while three other courses - Primary Education with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), Education Studies & English and Education Studies & Mathematics - recorded satisfaction levels of 95%. The proportion of BGU students completing the survey has also increased significantly; from 64% in 2010 to 72% in 2013 and 87% this year. The Reverend Professor Peter Neil, Vice Chancellor of Bishop Grosseteste University, welcomed today's data published by HEFCE, the Higher Education Funding Council for England. "This is an excellent result for BGU," he said. "We are always keen to hear what our students are telling us about their experiences here and the message is clear from these findings - we are doing better and better. "The most significant change this year is that the number of students completing the survey increased by 15 percentage points on last year; this means that the feedback from students is much more robust. The staff are committed to giving the students an excellent experience and will be looking at the areas the students are highlighting as things which they perceive needing improvement. But all in all this is a very good result for BGU." The latest figures come hot on the heels of a survey published last month which showed that BGU is one of the top five universities in England for the proportion of graduates who are employed or in further study six months after graduating. According to the DLHE survey (Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education) published by HESA, the Higher Education Statistics Agency, on 3rd July 2014, 96.5% of Bishop Grosseteste University graduates had found a job or were continuing their studies six months after graduating in 2012/13. The Which? University Guide currently ranks BGU fifth in England for graduate prospects and lists BGU as having the highest average graduate salary in the East Midlands. -
BGU Investigates the Effects of Student Boredom
A professor at Bishop Grosseteste University has been researching the reasons why university students become bored and whether or not it affects their final degree outcome. Research carried out by John Sharp, Professor of Education at BGU, suggests that the final year grades of certain university students can be affected by their proneness to boredom. Boredom manifests itself in two forms: ‘trait boredom’ or the predisposition of an individual to becoming bored, and ‘state boredom’ or the actual experience of boredom in the moment. Professor Sharp’s study is mainly looking at trait boredom in the first instance. “So far the findings of the study suggest that students identified as having a lower predisposition to boredom tend to perform better in their academic work, resulting in higher final degree grades in comparison to those for whom the opposite is the case,” said Professor Sharp. To measure academic boredom and other related-factors, a sample of 324 final-year undergraduate students taking education-based courses and aged between 21 and 40 completed a series of questionnaires including a new boredom proneness scale. They were also asked to rate and comment on which modes of course delivery interested them the most or left them cold. Further interviews with a smaller sample were undertaken to enrich and shed light on the questionnaire data. Professor Sharp is hopeful that the findings from his study will enable tutors to better evaluate and inform their teaching methods and to find strategies to keep their students who are prone to boredom engaged as well as to help students recognise and better understand the signs and symptoms of boredom to become more effective learners. “Lecturers can use the information to minimise the number of students becoming bored during on-campus learning periods and ways to stay engaged during private learning,” said Professor Sharp. “The fact that we’re able to measure boredom and spot trends in outcomes is extremely useful, because it now gives us the opportunity to act and do something about it.” A similar study in Australia is being co-ordinated by Dr Brian Hemmings at Charles Strut University in Australia. Professor Sharp and Dr Hemmings have collaborated on this and other projects over several years. It is expected that Professor Sharp’s study will be published in four parts with the first currently under review at the Journal of Further and Higher Education. The full study will be completed in the next 18 months. -
Three New Heads Appointed Following BGU Restructure
Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln has made three new senior academic appointments following a major restructure. Dr Graham Basten has moved to BGU to head up the new School of Social Sciences, while the new School of Humanities and the new School of Teacher Development will be led by Dr Andrew Jackson and Dr Nicholas Gee respectively. The new School of Social Sciences is launching a suite of new courses including Health and Social Care, Sociology, Psychology, and Counselling. “This is an exciting and timely phase for BGU given the recent news of devolved health and social care budgets to the Greater Manchester region, a model which could be rolled out across England, putting BGU graduates at the heart of this new initiative,” said Dr Basten. Most recently Dr Basten was Acting Head of The School of Allied Health Sciences at De Montfort University in Leicester, where he was responsible for strategic leadership and management of a complex, broad, multidisciplinary and fast-growing school. He joined DMU in 2007 and has significant experience in teaching, learning, research and knowledge transfer. He secured both a Royal Society grant to look at science in primary schools and funds to deliver projects with charities, sports clubs and local government. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and the Institute of Biomedical Science, and a DMU Teacher Fellow interested in translating primary education methods to higher education and the use of technology and democracy in learning spaces. He holds a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from the Institute of Food Research (University of East Anglia) and a BSc in Biomedical Science from the University of Wolverhampton. He has previously worked at the Medical Schools of the University of Sheffield and the University of Nottingham. “I am absolutely delighted to be joining the team at Bishop Grosseteste University,” Dr Basten said. “It is a university with a powerful vision based on sound values, and I very much look forward to playing my part in its onward journey.” Dr Nicholas Gee will move from the University of East Anglia to BGU next month to become Head of Teacher Development. Meanwhile Dr Andrew Jackson now leads the School of Humanities and was formerly Head of the Department of Culture and Creative Arts at BGU. The university’s new academic structure has been put in place as part of BGU’s Five-Year Strategy which was announced in October 2014. -
Chance to Train as an Early Years Teacher
Teachers who want to become outstanding specialists working with the youngest children can now undertake professional training at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln. In September last year, 13 trainees were the first to begin the new PGCE Early Years with EYTS (Early Years Teacher Status) programme at BGU – and the university will recruit another cohort this autumn. The course has been tailored to suit both those working in early years settings who can be released for study and those who are studying full time. It enables trainees to gain the recommendation for Early Years Teacher Status which is equivalent to QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) through 120 days teaching young children from nought to five and 10 days looking at the progression children make into Key Stage 1. “The new Early Years Teacher Status introduced by the Government is an important development because there is clear evidence that high-quality early education and childcare can have a powerful impact on young children and can fully prepare them for school and later life,” said Amy Stancer, Academic Co-ordinator for the Early Years Programme at BGU. “The new programme is a good fit with our other courses which include QTS (working with ages three to 19 years) and teaching in the lifelong learning sector. Early Years Teacher Status broadens the scope of our training so that we’re now teaching people to teach all age ranges, from babies to pensioners.” Places are still available on the EYTS programme for this September – and two students currently on the course can thoroughly recommend it. Ryan Gilbert (30) from Halifax graduated with a degree in primary education from Leeds Metropolitan University (now Leeds Beckett University) and was working as a supply teacher in West Yorkshire when he decided to enrol on the EYTS programme at BGU. “During my time with the supply agency and in settings when I was studying for my degree I found a fondness for early years more than Key Stages 1 and 2,” said Ryan. “Add to that the comments I had from schools about how positive it is to have a male teaching in early years, and I firmly decided that I wanted to become qualified to teach within the age range. When I wanted to progress more into early years Bishop Grosseteste University was the only university which responded promptly and guided me through its application process. I have enjoyed the course immensely, from the dedicated team of lecturers at BGU to outside professionals who have come to speak to us and the passionate members of my course who really do want the very best for young children. Being surrounded by all these makes me want to continually improve my own skills, passion and knowledge relating to early years.” Ryan continued: “I have learned far more than I realised I would, and I’m still only halfway through the course! I am truly shocked at just how little I knew about early years and how the course content from my degree did not even begin to scratch the surface of what I now know.” Jenna Farrow (22) from near Sleaford volunteered at a nursery between lectures and coursework while studying for a degree in Visual Communication at Birmingham City University as she had always taken a keen interest in how young children learn. “After I’d worked there for a year the manager signposted me towards a new postgraduate opportunity that specialised in the early years,” said Jenna. The course so far has been an enormous learning curve, enabling me to build on all areas of my professional development. The opportunity to work with all ages from birth to seven in a range of placements has given me a clear insight into how the process of the early years practice supports foundations in school. “I would highly recommend this course to others interested in working with young children as it has broadened my knowledge and understanding of the wider social context around early years practice and how early learning must be understood and fostered as a vital component to support our next generations.” To find out more about the PGCE Early Years with EYTS programme at BGU contact Amy Stancer on 01522 527347 or email enquiries@bishopg.ac.uk. -
Archaeology Lecturer Made Member of Chartered Institute
Bishop Grosseteste University lecturer Dr Craig Spence has been made a member of the new Chartered Institute for Archaeologists – and he’s looking forward to strengthening relationships between the institute and the university. The CIfA has been awarded chartered status and Dr Spence, Senior Lecturer in History, Archaeology and Heritage Studies at BGU, thinks the change is timely. The university has launched a new undergraduate joint degree in Archaeology and History alongside its existing Master's in Community Archaeology, and the courses will benefit from closer links with the CIfA, says Dr Spence. “One of the aims of the new degree is to provide students with employability skills to prepare them for working life in the field,” he said. “The CIfA will support this with its Student Member status opportunity. As members, students receive direct support and information from the institute and, once graduated, are eligible to apply for full membership and all the benefits that come with it.” The CIfA’s Student Membership gives budding archaeologists access to training opportunities and a variety of magazines and journals as well as use of Society of Antiquaries of London library. “We encourage all of our students to make use of this fantastic opportunity and I’m looking forward to further developing a relationship between BGU and the CIfA in the future,” Dr Spence added. The CIfA, which achieved chartered status last month, is a national professional organisation which represents the interests of archaeologists both in the UK and overseas. It sets standards, informs on professional practices and provides its 3,100 members with up-to-date information and developments in the field as well as training and networking opportunities. The new BA (Hons) Archaeology and History joint honours degree at BGU is the first of its kind in Lincolnshire and will allow students to get hands-on with the past and explore civilisations and societies from throughout history in a practical and interesting way. BGU currently offers single honours History and the new joint degree which starts in September 2015 was launched last October by Julian Richards, well known for his TV appearances on Meet the Ancestors and Blood of the Vikings. To find out more about all of the history and archaeology courses on offer at the university contact Dr Craig Spence: craig.spence@bishopg.ac.uk.
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