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Skills Building Project Keeps Learning Live during Lockdown
As part of the level 5 Project-Based Learning module on the BA (Hons) Business course at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), students recently undertook a Graduate Skills Builder project facilitated by BG Futures with peers from The University of Lincoln and organisations across the county. -
Royal Seal of Approval for BGU Cornerstone Building
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal will officially open the new library and student services building at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln next month. The Princess Royal’s visit on Friday 15th February will round off a momentous year for the institution, which has celebrated its 150th anniversary and earned the right to use the university title for the first time. The £2.75 million Cornerstone Building at BGU, which was refurbished and extended last year, houses the university’s library and its student support and advice teams. During her visit The Princess Royal will meet dignitaries including the university’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Muriel Robinson OBE, the Mayor of Lincoln, Councillor Karen Lee, the Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt Revd Christopher Lowson and Lincoln MP Karl McCartney. She will also meet staff and students at BGU and visit BG Futures, the university’s business incubation centre, and the university’s coffee shop Curiositea. Reporters, photographers and TV crews are welcome to attend. Full details and timings of the visit will be sent to the media nearer the time. “Everyone here is looking forward to The Princess Royal’s visit with tremendous excitement,” said Professor Muriel Robinson, Vice Chancellor of Bishop Grosseteste University. “We are very proud of our new Cornerstone Building and we’re delighted to welcome Her Royal Highness to open this fantastic facility. This event will cap an amazing 12 months for this institution, during which time we have celebrated 150 years of education in Lincoln and become recognised as a university for the first time.” The Cornerstone Building houses 135,000 resources including books, journals, audio-visual resources (DVDs, CDs), ebooks and a renowned Teaching Resources Collection, including children’s books, resource packs and puppet bags. It is also home to BGU’s Student Advice and Learning Development teams, bringing all the support students need in a first-class new facility. ——- 1 January 2013 Notes to editors: The timings of The Princess Royal’s visit will be released to the media in early February. The Princess Royal will also be visiting Lincoln College and Lindum Construction on 15th February. -
Foundation Degree Sets Dad of Three on Road to Learning
A father of three from Boston set off on the road to postgraduate study by enrolling on a Bishop Grosseteste University foundation degree course at Boston College. This week Dave Callow (37) will graduate with an honours degree from BGU at Lincoln Cathedral – and he is now set to embark on a master's course at the University of Lincoln. Dave left school at 16 with a good set of GCSEs, and after studying Art and Design at Boston College he tried factory work, landscape gardening and office roles, but he didn’t settle into a permanent career. After becoming a full-time dad he realised he needed a rewarding occupation. “I wanted to be an example to my kids,” he said. “I didn’t want to be coming home to them feeling miserable from a job that left me unfulfilled.” He approached Boston College for careers advice, began volunteering at his local school and re-took his Maths GCSE. In 2012 he enrolled on the BGU Foundation Degree in Applied Studies (Learning Support) at Boston College and soon found himself being challenged to think about his work in school in fresh and interesting ways. “It awakened a thirst for knowledge,” said Dave. “I wanted a deeper understanding of social issues and injustices. At my work setting I found I was suddenly more aware of the complexities of children’s lives outside of school. “The connection between what we were learning in the modules and the day-to-day work was so strong; I felt drawn to working with families and to making a positive contribution to society.” One of the benefits of BGU’s collaborative partnership with Boston College is the opportunity it offers to people to study locally, said Dave. “At that time, as a full-time Dad in Boston, I just couldn’t have gone anywhere else. It gave me such an important step on the way.” At the end of his foundation degree in Boston Dave stepped up to the BA (Hons) degree in Applied Studies in Education at BGU in Lincoln. “I’ve loved the experience of being in a university,” he said. “The BGU campus is lovely, the library is amazing and the tutors are nice and helpful. I like the structure of the progression year - the way the modules had been planned allowed us to become more independent as the year passed.” As he neared the end of his degree Dave knew he wanted to continue studying, so he spoke to careers staff at BG Futures and undertook an in-depth psychometric test. He applied for the MSc in Social Work at the University of Lincoln and within a few weeks he had been offered a place. Dave recognises that he has come a long way since he started. “When I think now about the first presentation I had to do on my foundation degree, it was one of the scariest days of my life! But now, at the end of the honours degree, I feel much more confident in my ability, my knowledge and myself. Even though I’ve finished my degree, I’m still reading about the things I’ve studied – it’s definitely unleashed something within me that wants to go on learning.” BGU’s Foundation Degree in Applied Studies is a work-related programme that enables working practitioners (or experienced volunteers) to study alongside their work and family responsibilities. Students choose from three pathways: Learning Support, Early Childhood or Children & Youth Work, according to their work role. The course is validated by the university and delivered at three colleges in Lincolnshire – Boston College, New College Stamford and North Lindsey College in Scunthorpe – as well as at BGU in Lincoln. It usually runs over two years. -
Teenagers Invited to Options Evening
Are you unsure what your next step will be after finishing your GCSEs? Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln will give year 10 and 11 students the chance to learn more about their post-16 options next month. The options evening on Thursday 15th October 2015 is designed to inform and advise students and parents about the range of choices available for them after year 11. Representatives from school sixth forms and further and higher education establishments will be on hand, as will apprenticeship and training providers from the Lincoln area who will be offering guidance. Allison Lawrence, Head of Careers, Employability and Enterprise at Bishop Grosseteste University, said: “The evening will provide an opportunity for pupils and parents to find out about some of the options open to them following year 11 to help pupils make the right choices. “There will be careers staff from a range of different backgrounds as well as university representatives to provide advice and support.” The evening will run from 4pm until 7pm at the Hardy Building, Bishop Grosseteste University on Longdales Road, Lincoln, LN1 3DY. Parent talks which offer tips for supporting with student decisions will be held at 4.30pm, 5.30pm and 6.30pm. If you would like to book a place for one of these talks or have any other queries please contact Diane Haines, BG Futures Administrator, on 01522 583900 or diane.haines@bishopg.ac.uk. -
Exploring the Constructions of Dreams at BGU
We all sleep and, believe it or not, we all dream too. What we don’t always do, however, is remember those dreams. To explore the importance of our nocturnal imagination, psychologist Dr Caroline Horton is heading up research at the new DrEAMSLab which will be launched tomorrow at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln. “Research shows that although we dream several times a night, arguably even continually through the night, we remember very little of our dreams,” said Dr Horton, who has set up DrEAMSLab (Dreaming, Emotions, Associations & Memories in Sleep Laboratory) at BGU. “Although dreams are difficult to access, there are systematic ways of studying them. Indeed, scrutinising the individual elements of dreams, and the ways in which these different elements combine, can tell us a lot about how the brain processes memories during sleep – a process known as memory consolidation. Sleep enhances memory as part of that consolidation journey.” Dr Horton added that the Continuity Hypothesis broadly states that there is overlap between our dreams and in our waking lives, a theory which challenges those who have argued that dreams are the product of random firing of brain cells during certain stages of sleep, or that dreams might provide an insight into our futures. The British Psychological Society, which accredits the suite of Psychology joint degree courses offered at BGU, has recently funded Caroline and her team of researchers from the Universities of Manchester, Swansea and Bedfordshire to co-ordinate a series of seminars that aim to push the boundaries of our understanding of how dreaming might contribute to memory consolidation in sleep. The first event in the seminar series will be held at BGU on Wednesday 10th February and will include a series of talks, discussions and celebrations. If you are interested in coming along to learn about what dreams can tell us about brain and mind, as well as the role of dreaming in memory formation, you can register your interest by emailing bronwen.kane@bishopg.ac.uk Tomorrow’s event begins at 10am in the Hardy Building at BGU and will conclude at 4pm with the launch of DrEAMSLab. To find out more, visit www.dreamslab.co.uk or follow DrEAMSLab on Twitter @sleepandmemory. -
BGU Commits to Greater Public Engagement
To demonstrate its commitment to engaging with the wider community, Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln has joined the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCPPE) and signed up to its manifesto. The move is part of BGU’s wider stakeholder engagement work which forms an important part of the university’s five-year strategy. The term ‘public engagement’ describes the many ways in which higher education, learning experiences and research can be shared with the general public. The NCPPE says public engagement “is by definition a two-way process, involving interaction and listening, with the goal of generating mutual benefit.” The Reverend Canon Prof Peter Neil, Vice Chancellor of BGU, commented: “I am very pleased that Bishop Grosseteste University has now signed up to the NCCPE’s Manifesto for Public Engagement. “This is a reflection of our long-term public engagement strategy and of our continuing dedication to our various communities. I am looking forward to encouraging further public engagement efforts by the university and all its members.” BGU has been increasing its investment in staff volunteering, which builds on the successes of its existing student volunteering scheme. High levels of student volunteering have helped BGU to establish itself amongst the top three universities for employability in the whole of UK, as seen from the latest Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey published by HESA, the Higher Education Statistics Agency. BGU also offers public lectures on campus and innovative skills development courses ranging from journalism to paediatric first aid and from writing skills courses to Makaton. The university’s enterprise incubation centre, BG Futures, plays an important role in engaging with the business community and the campus hosts regular national and international conferences. -
Big Issue Founder to Speak at Lincoln Conference
Lord John Bird, founder of The Big Issue, will be the keynote speaker at a conference in Lincoln next month which will help school leaders to improve the emotional wellbeing of young people. Think2Speak LIVE at Bishop Grosseteste University on Thursday 13th October is the first conference of its kind to be organised by Think2Speak, a community interest company based at BG Futures at BGU. The company and the conference aim to show those who work with young people how they can support their emotional wellbeing and understand the impact and value of doing so. Think2Speak, set up by Lizzie Jordan and Naomi Watkins, provides workshops, advice and consultancy to support schools where young people are affected by issues surrounding matters such as self-harm, suicide, HIV, domestic abuse, puberty, LGBT and mental health. John Bird, who was brought up in an orphanage, served time in a young offenders’ institution and often slept rough in London as a young man, will share his story and describe how his childhood and those he met influenced his life. “Staff in many schools have difficult conversations with young people that could be handled much better,” said Lizzie. “When schools ask for help we go in to support the senior management team, the teachers and the pupils with a range of services, including training, workshops, counselling and advocacy. “Our inaugural one-day conference is all about discussing the difficulties schools are facing, the benefits to the whole school for investing in emotional wellbeing, and signposting staff to the support that’s available.” In the morning there will be a series of short, focused TED-style talks covering the personal impact, the academic perspective and the school experience of the value of investing in emotional wellbeing of students, young people and the wider community. In the afternoon delegates will go back to the classroom to participate in a series of bookable workshops on topics including domestic abuse, puberty, HIV, suicide and self-harm. The sessions will make use of combinations of teacher training and demonstrations of the student workshops available to both primary and secondary schools. Simon Blake, Chief Executive of the National Union of Students, will also give a presentation on the day. Think2Speak LIVE is free of charge for senior leaders working in education. This includes head teachers, assistant heads, principals, deputies, business managers, heads of department of schools, colleges and universities, and heads of local authority education departments, national curriculum and government-funded education organisations. Limited paid for tickets are available – details are available at https://www.think2speak.com/think2speak-live/ -
Royal Visit to Mark Opening of Landmark Building at BGU
HRH the Duke of Gloucester will visit Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln next week to officially open the university’s latest new building. The £2.2 million extension to Constance Stewart Hall, which has created a new landmark building at the junction of Newport and Longdales Road, will be opened on Thursday 6thJuly. The works have doubled the size of the teaching block and involved building a steel-framed structure on top of part of the original building to give the university an additional seven teaching spaces set over two floors. This approach of building over an existing structure means that BGU will significantly increase its teaching space capacity without increasing the building’s overall footprint, which helps to maintain the green and open feel of the campus. During his visit to Lincoln on 6th July the Duke of Gloucester will also officially open the Battles and Dynasties Exhibition at The Collection. At BGU he will be introduced to dignitaries including the Bishop of Lincoln, the Right Reverend Christopher Lowson; the Mayor of Lincoln, Councillor Chris Burke; Lincoln’s MP Karen Lee; the Vice Chancellor of Bishop Grosseteste University, the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil; and the university’s Chancellor, Dame Judith Mayhew Jonas. On a tour of the campus the Duke will visit the university’s business centre BG Futures, the Victorian chapel and the new Centre for Enhancement in Learning and Teaching which opened in March. He will then officially open the new extension at Constance Stewart Hall by unveiling a plaque at approximately 2.45pm. A bold statement “This iconic addition to our estate really makes a bold statement in uphill Lincoln that BGU is an outward-facing institution,” said the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil, Vice Chancellor of Bishop Grosseteste University. “It’s further evidence of our ongoing commitment to invest in our teaching resources to ensure our students continue to have an outstanding experience.” Steve Deville, Director of Resources at BGU, said: “This fantastic new building reinforces BGU’s commitment to invest in our students and their learning experience. “This building is to be opened just a few months after our new Centre for Enhancement in Learning and Teaching facility and will provide students with flexible teaching spaces and state-of-the-art facilities to aid their learning.” The new teaching spaces will incorporate moveable partition walls, increasing their flexibility, meaning that they can be used not only for teaching but also for a variety of functions and events. Delivered by Lincoln-based architects LK2 and local construction company Robert Woodhead Ltd, the project was carried out in two phases and saw a 7,770 square foot extension added to the Constance Stewart Hall to accommodate new teaching space. The extension is supported by an impressive steel framework made from locally sourced steel and erected by Robert Woodhead Ltd. Throughout the project, contractors pledged to use local resources wherever possible. The project was procured through the empa framework which is managed by Scape Group. The development of the new building on campus was an opportunity to enhance the graduate attributes of BGU students, who were able to gain valuable work experience on the project with Robert Woodhead Ltd. -
BGU student organises activity day for young carers
A BGU Drama in the Community student recently organised an activity day with forty young carers from across Lincolnshire. Every year Drama in the Community students at BGU complete a community project in their final year working with a community group for approximately three months. The communities vary from work with the elderly, projects with people with mental health issues, special needs, schools, youth groups and many more. Chloe Stewart, a third year Drama in the Community student, decided to work with young carers for her project. Her project culminated in an activity day at the BGU campus giving young carers the opportunity to relax, socialise and try out a range of activities. The young people took part in drama, dance, samba band, sports and craft workshops. Chloe said “after speaking to some of the young carers, it was apparent that the day had had an effect on them. “Some expressed that the day had given them the opportunity to get away from their responsibilities, others said how thrilled they were to have tried the different activities that were available for them, and some just stated how nice it was to meet individuals of a similar age to them in a similar situation. “I felt immense pride in watching the two communities come together to give the young carers the opportunity to have some time away from their home life and responsibilities.” To make the day a success Chloe liaised with a number of outside organisations, companies and Lincolnshire County Council. Freshtime Futures Trust, a charity from Boston that give young individuals funding to achieve their goals, invested just under £1000 to enable the day to go ahead. The connections made at the event will be long lasting and there is hope that the event will be held again in the future. The community project is just one of many opportunities that Drama in the Community students at BGU get involved with. Chloe said “the course gives students incredible opportunities. I am thrilled we are given the chance to go out into the world and use our knowledge and skills to benefit a community. “It is incredible to be able to see your hard work come to life and what real effect you can have on other individuals.” Find out more about studying Drama at BGU. -
Celebrating a Year of Improving Access to Higher Education
A scheme which aims to double the proportion of disadvantaged young people going to university will celebrate its achievements so far at an event in Woodhall Spa this week. LiNCHigher is led in Lincolnshire by Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) and is part of a wider national initiative (NCOP) funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to raise aspirations amongst young people. The overall aim is to meet government targets to improve access to higher education and the scheme will run for two years until December 2018, and possibly beyond. Around 50 guests are expected to attend the celebration at Woodhall Spa Manor on Wednesday 1st November, including the Mayor of Lincoln, Councillor Chris Burke and Professor Jayne Mitchell, Deputy Vice Chancellor of BGU. Since its formation in January 2017 the project team, consortium partners and delivery partners have worked to change attitudes towards higher education, improve knowledge of the options available to young people and raise aspirations within communities. “LiNCHigher is committed to offering information, advice and guidance for the young people of Lincolnshire and promoting local opportunities for their futures,” said Project Officer Natalie Poole. “We hope to inspire a new generation of students to grow and realise their aspirations while studying in or outside of Lincolnshire. “Our celebration event will bring together key stakeholders to encourage discussions around skills needs, higher education and Lincolnshire’s business community.” BGU's Professor Jayne Mitchell added: “The LiNCHigher project has made significant progress in engaging with young people, parents and teachers across Lincolnshire. As the success of the project gathers speed, support from partners and the wider community will prove ever more critical. “This celebration event will showcase our successes so far, introduce new stakeholders to the project and discuss plans for the future. It should be a fabulous event and I’m looking forward to welcoming our guests as Chair of the LiNCHigher Governance Board.”
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