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BGU's first Principal Fellow of the HEA
Dr Ruth Sayers has become Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) first Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). The HEA is a national body that works to encourage teaching excellence to “help improve the student journey into, through and beyond higher education”. As part of their work the HEA award four different categories of Fellowship, with Principal Fellowship being the most prestigious. Achieving Principal Fellowship of the HEA means that Ruth has demonstrated sustained commitment to learning and teaching at BGU and has influence at a national and international level. Ruth, Executive Dean of Learning, Teaching and International at BGU, has joined a very select group of just under 730 Principal Fellows in both the UK and internationally who have attained Principal Fellowship. There are now over 87,000 Fellows which illustrates the level of interest in professional teaching qualifications for HE staff. Ruth said “I’m very proud to have been awarded Principal Fellowship. It is a recognition that many of the strategic changes that I have led in my role as Executive Dean of Learning and Teaching have been effective.” The process for applying for Principal Fellowship took over two years to complete, because it involved a great deal of reflection and drafting. The application comprised a lengthy written submission which was mapped against the Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) descriptors. Three advocate statements from current and former colleagues were also included in the application. Ruth explains “the process of applying to be a Principal Fellow of the HEA was a rewarding and enriching one. It encouraged me to reflect in a structured and critical way on my leadership of learning and teaching across the institution.” There has been more HEA success at BGU recently with 24 more members of staff receiving recognition over the past 10 months. 14 BGU staff members became Fellows while 10 more became Senior Fellows. Along with gaining her Principal Fellowship, Ruth Sayers has been instrumental in helping her colleagues to receive recognition. She said “I will continue to encourage colleagues to undertake Fellowship of the HEA. We have an excellent record of staff engagement with the process, evidenced through the number of new Fellows and Senior Fellows over the past year. “We create space for staff to reflect on their teaching pedagogies through an active staff development series and annual conference. There is a culture at BGU of putting learning and teaching at the heart of everything we do, to enhance the student experience. We see our students as partners in the development of pedagogies for learning.” Ruth’s Principal Fellowship will help to consolidate an already well-established relationship between BGU and the HEA. “We have an excellent relationship with the Higher Education Academy and have made use of their staff as trainers, consultants and advisers in supporting the development of excellent learning and teaching at BGU.” -
A night at the Academy Awards
Staff from Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln attended Sir Robert Pattinson Academy’s work-based learning skills and academic awards evening last week. Gemma Gazi, BGU's Education Liaison Officer, and Chris Hakes, Widening Participation Coordinator at BGU, presented two awards to students from the school at the celebration on 14 September 2017. Chris was asked to present the ‘MacFarlane Award for Advance Level Studies’, which is awarded to the student who has achieved the highest results in their A levels. The award went to a student called Antonia Folia who had achieved outstanding results across four A-levels plus the Extended Project Qualification. Gemma was asked to present the ‘Work Experience – Education Award’ for students who have completed Year 11 work experience within a school or nursery. The three finalists all had glowing references from their placements. The winner was Sam Benton, who had completed her work experience in the PE department at Lincoln Christ Hospital School. During the placement, she had the opportunity to help deliver lessons and coach students. The evening was in an Oscars style, with canapés and a drinks reception before heading into the school’s main hall for the awards ceremony. Speaking after the event Gemma said, “We have worked closely with Sir Robert Pattinson Academy for a number of years, both through recruitment and widening participation activities, so it was great to be invited to celebrate the evening with their staff and students. “We both found the evening very enjoyable and it was great to support one of our local schools!” Find out more about Outreach for Schools and Colleges at BGU. -
Sport at BGU shortlisted for prestigious award
Sport at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln has been shortlisted for an award at this year’s Active Lincolnshire Sports Awards. The department is one of three finalists in the Sports Department of the Year category. Sport at BGU was praised in the shortlisting process for “a great partnership between students, BGU staff and professionals from Lincoln City FC”. The BGU logo sits proudly on the Lincoln City home shirt and BGU’s sponsorship of the club has brought about many benefits to students, the club and the city over the last year. Sports students received coaching from City manager Danny Cowley in December, worked with players as they trained at BGU and learnt about the importance of data and research in preparing high-performing teams. The FA Cup trophy made a memorable appearance on campus in March prior to the Imps’ historic quarter-final clash against Arsenal. The Imps’ FA Cup run attracted national and international TV coverage of the partnership which has helped to raise the profile of the Club, BGU and the city of Lincoln as a whole. The Sports department also received praise for working with its partners and the wider community to provide more opportunities for people to become involved in sport and physical activity. The Sports Department, working with its FE College partners, has developed a new BSc (Hons) Sport, Coaching and Physical Education degree that will enable more people across the county to study the benefits of sport and physical activity. BGU’s Student Ambassadors are putting their coaching and teaching skills to good use supporting local primary schools to deliver sport and physical activity for young people. The Cathedral Cup, an initiative developed jointly by students from both of the city’s Universities, was also highlighted as a particular success. Sports teams from BGU competed against teams from the University of Lincoln in October 2016, culminating in a showpiece football match, at Lincoln City’s Sincil Bank stadium, attended by thousands of sports fans from across Lincolnshire. The Cathedral Cup has become an annual charitable and community-focussed showcase for the city. Dr Graham Basten, Head of School of Social Sciences at BGU, said, “I am absolutely delighted that the Sports Department at BGU has been shortlisted for the Lincolnshire Sports Award. “That an independent panel has noted our sustained progress in developing community links, student engagement, our partnership with Lincoln City Football Club, and our new BSc Sport and Coaching is testimony to the great work of the academic and wider staff at BGU, our students and our partners. “It was great to see our logo on the Imps football shirt worn by young and old, a real sense of pride in the city. I therefore hope that more students will be inspired to ‘Study Sport at BGU’”. The Lincolnshire Sports Awards will take place at the Lincolnshire Showground on 2 November 2017. Find out more about Sport at BGU. -
Clear Advice to Students from BGU on A-level Results Day
With A-level results day looming, Bishop Grosseteste University’s admissions team is poised and ready to guide students through the Clearing process. If you haven’t quite achieved the grades you need for your first-choice university or if you’ve done better than expected, it’s not too late to apply to through Clearing. That’s the message from Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) which recently achieved an impressive 85% satisfaction rate in the National Student Survey. Notably students praised BGU staff for their level of availability when it came to supporting their needs, in addition to their ability to explain complex topics. The admissions team at BGU in Lincoln will be on hand to deal with enquiries during Clearing, which begins on Thursday 17th August when students across the country will receive their A-level results. The call centre will be open from 8am until 6pm on both Thursday 17th August and Friday 18th August and the number to call is 01522 583698. Prospective students can also visit the university at an open day on Friday 18th August from 10am until 3pm. The day provides an opportunity to see what Bishop Grosseteste University has to offer, take a minibus tour of Lincoln and speak to staff and students about courses and life as a student. To book your place on the Clearing open day, visit www.bgu.ac.uk/open-days “A-level results week can be a stressful and worrying time for students and their families, but remember that we are here to help and advise whatever your situation,” said Louise Stow, Student Recruitment Manager at BGU. “Our open day is also an opportunity for those who are starting (or hoping to start) in September to speak face-to-face to our staff about any anxieties they might have. “It’s a busy period for us but as always we will do our best to ensure that students are not left worried or uncertain about their place at university.” Top Tips for Clearing If you’ve just got your A-level results and you’re not sure what to do next, here is a handy set of tips for students who will be entering the Clearing system: Don’t panic! If you stay calm you’re more likely to take in all the information you need to succeed. Don’t panic! If you stay calm you’re more likely to take in all the information you need to succeed. If your grades fall short, wait for that important acceptance/rejection indication on track before you put yourself into Clearing. You never know – your first-choice university might still accept you. Don’t give up! You may well get a place on a similar course that’s just as good – but you’ll need to shop around. Don’t rush your decision. The UCAS system doesn’t even let you trigger the formal process of accepting a Clearing place until 5pm on results day, so you have the chance to shop around. Be realistic. If you’ve seriously blown it then think hard about re-sits or another course altogether – you can always re-apply next time around. UCAS is offering a free (for landlines) Exam Results Service on 0808 100 8000 where trained, professional careers advisers will be available to give help and advice Be prepared to make lots of phone calls and to be persistent! Keep your nerve – you may need all your negotiating skills to persuade an academic that they should take you on. Enlist the support of friends and family – keep them informed, as they’ll be a great help to you when you have to make that difficult final decision. Be prepared to explain to universities why you didn’t do as well as you hoped in your exams – and be honest. If you don’t get the grades you need it’s not the end of the world – there are plenty of other opportunities to consider. -
Research Boosted at BGU as Five Earn Promotions
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln has appointed a professor and four readers from among its academic staff in recognition of their research work. Dr Kate Adams in the University’s Research and Innovation Centre becomes a professor, while Dr Jack Cunningham and Dr Sibylle Erle in the School of Humanities and Dr Caroline Horton and Dr Emma Pearson in the School of Social Sciences become readers. Professor Adams is an education specialist and the University’s Head of Research. Her research focuses on aspects of childhood from children’s perspectives, particularly on spirituality, and the implications of children’s understandings for the wellbeing agenda in education. Dr Cunningham is Academic Co-ordinator for Theology and has researched extensively into early modern and late medieval religious history. He is also one of the principal investigators of the Ordered Human Project based at BGU and a specialist in the life and work of Robert Grosseteste. Dr Erle is a Senior Lecturer in English and her research interests range from William Blake and Alfred, Lord Tennyson to 1790s politics and landscape gardening. She has lectured and given seminars at Tate Britain and the Wellcome Institute and most recently lectured at the Universities of Greifswald and Zürich. Dr Horton is the Academic Co-ordinator for the PhD programme. She also teaches on psychology courses and runs DrEAMSLab, the university’s Dreaming, Emotions, Associations and Memories in Sleep Laboratory. She is an active researcher in the field of sleep-dependent memory consolidation, with a particular interest in studying dreaming as a reflection of autobiographical memory consolidation processes. Dr Pearson is a Senior Lecturer in Education and Academic Co-ordinator for the Education Doctorate programme, and her research activities are centred on the study of socio-cultural contexts of learning. Her consultancy work with organisations such as UNICEF, UNESCO and the Asia Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC) has supported her research and involved travel to many countries, from North Korea to Vanuatu. “These appointments recognise the exceptional leadership and excellence in research which is being demonstrated by these members of staff,” said Professor David Rae, Executive Dean for Research and Knowledge exchange at BGU. “BGU has a long-term plan to develop research excellence, and recognising the talent and achievements of our top researchers is fundamental to this. The new professorship and four readerships aim to provide the research leadership for our entry into the next Research Excellence Framework in 2021 and beyond.” -
Retired RAF Service Woman Realises Her Dream at BGU
A Lincoln woman who spent over two decades in the Royal Air Force before retiring and returning to education will graduate with a degree from Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln this week. After moving to the UK from the Caribbean, Amanda Betts (47) joined the RAF and served as an Aerospace Systems Operator for 22 years before deciding to go to university. With an interest in primary school teaching she attended Lincoln College to study an Access to Higher Education course in teacher training in 2013. At the same time, she began volunteering as a Teaching Assistant at Chad Varah Primary School in Lincoln, before starting a three-year BA (Hons) degree in Education Studies and History at BGU in 2014. Amanda said: “It was always my intention to do some aspect of teaching, but it was only after getting into university that I thought that being a primary school teacher would be my next role,” While at university Amanda joined the Networking Club through the BGU Employability Award which helps students prepare for the workplace after graduation. After initially wanting to become a primary school teacher, she decided that she would be better suited in a slightly different role. “It’s not always easy knowing if a career or particular job will suit you but the Networking Club allowed me to speak to a range of teaching staff and experts all in one place. I soon realised that full-time teaching was not the path for me. “Instead I wanted to work in an environment with children using a wider range of activities and services which would help the child in life, not just academically.” Once back on track Amanda applied for a voluntary post to work with vulnerable children and adults at the St Giles Sure Start Children’s Centre during her third year. She said: “I met a variety of social workers and outreach workers who were dedicated to making sure each child received the best start possible. “I knew that by volunteering I could make a difference to children’s lives too, and this is when I discovered where my skills and interests would be best suited.” The road to graduation has not been an easy ride for Amanda, who not only found out she was dyslexic during her time at university but also got married part way through her degree! “I never did many academic examinations in the RAF apart from oral exams so getting used to reading and writing essays in a short space of time was hard for me. I just thought that I was having difficulties with the workload, especially being a mature student, but I never considered myself dyslexic. As well as all this I was adjusting to married life!” After graduation, Amanda will start volunteering at the St Giles Sure Start Children’s Centre and plans on using skills from her degree to facilitate activities for the children who visit the centre. Amanda Betts will graduate at Lincoln Cathedral with a BA (Hons) degree in Education Studies and History at 10.15am on Wednesday 19th July 2017. -
Free conference at BGU to 'Improve Relationships in Schools'
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln has partnered with Think2Speak to again support their annual conference #T2SLive17. The event is aimed at staff working with young people to discuss the importance of 'Improving Relationships and Communications with a Whole School Approach'. The conference features expert speakers, including BGU's Dr Sacha Mason and Dr Richard Woolley, who will share the latest research, resources and practical guidance to teach relationships education and communicate more effectively; in the staffroom, classroom and between school and home. Delegates are also able to choose from a selection of workshops including RSE for SEN, Mental Toughness and Resilience, Recognising & understanding the signs & impact of shame on relationships and Leveraging Digital Media to Improve Communications in Your School. The conference takes place on Tuesday 28 November 2017 in BGU’s Hardy Building and is free of charge for staff employed in educational settings and school governors. Full details of the agenda, online booking and all the available workshops are on the website. -
Listening to the patients’ voice: A collaborative conference between BGU and ULHT
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) co-hosted a Patient Experience Conference with United Lincolnshire Hospital NHS Trust (ULHT) at Lincoln City Football Club on Wednesday. The conference brought together care providers across the county to reflect on “how we listen to our patients, carers and families” and to consider how these messages can enhance care provision. The patient voice (and indeed the staff voice) and the content of the narrative is critical to service enhancement and ensures that needs and expectations are met. But what we really hear and what we do with this message is of equal importance and helps ensure that what patients are really saying is translated into practice change. The conference was chaired by Dr Graham Basten, Head of School of Social Sciences at BGU, and Michelle Rhodes, Director of Nursing. National and local speakers all talked about the importance of effective engagement, challenging practice, listening rather than measuring. The small things actually mean the most and are often missed therefore we need to be effective in the way we listen and what we do with this information. Find out more about Health & Social Care at BGU. -
Women’s Victorian college life at BGU on show at Being Human Festival
This year Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln takes part in the national festival for the Humanities, Being Human 2017, to reveal the lost and found voice of the first students who trained to become teachers in the Victorian era. BGU’s event, titled ‘Becoming teachers: women’s college life from 1862 to 1918’, will explore the lives of women who trained as teachers from the 1860s onwards. Staff and students worked together in unfolding their stories through the remarkable original material diligently preserved in the BGU archive located on campus in the Cornerstone Building. This is the first time this rich material will be displayed and presented to the community. The event takes place on Saturday 18 November 2017 and invites attendees to engage with the lives of women, who trained as teachers at BGU from the 1860s to the vote, through imaginative activities. The programme includes an interactive display, talks, workshops, and presentations. You will be involved in rediscovering the lost voices of pioneering women and in unfolding BGU’s Victorian origins. At the centre of the event there is an exhibition entitled, BGU’s Victorian Origins: a women’s teacher training college for the Diocese of Lincoln, which displays original material from the archives including photographs, needlework, bulletins, records, and books. The event will being at 11:00 am. Additionally, on Thursday 23 November, Lincoln’s young writers in the making will help give the women who trained as teachers from the 1860s onwards a voice. Young writers from local schools who take part in Slam Jam and First Story will work with staff, students, and creative writers to recreate voices from the archives imaginatively through creative writing workshops. (If your school would like to take part in this event, please contact Dr Claudia Capancioni, claudia.capancioni@bishopg.ac.uk, by the 3 November.) -
National Poetry Day celebrated at BGU
Staff and students celebrated National Poetry Day 2017 at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln yesterday with a special event. Dr Claudia Capancioni and Dr Cassie Ulph from BGU's English Literature team at BGU hosted an afternoon of readings on the National Poetry Day's theme of 'Freedom'. Dr Andrew Jackson, historian and Head of School of Humanities at BGU, opened the event, introducing a poem by Lincolnshire's First World War Home Front poet, Bernard Samuel Gilbert. The poem was performed in dialect by local poet and folklorist, Maureen Sutton, and was warmly received by the audience. The event featured Paul Sutherland, Sufi Muslim poet, who read from his eleventh and newly published collection, 'New and Selected Poems'. Members of local poetry group The Pimento Poets also took part in the event. Another Lincolnshire poetry hero, Lord Alfred Tennyson, made an appearance thanks to the BGU Tennyson Poetry Award. The student winner of the Tennyson Poetry Award 2017 was announced as Phil Nicholls with his poem 'Do they even know'. Students at the event also read highly commended poems - ‘The Bird’s Song’ by Cameron Robson and ‘The Wild Poet’s Song’ by Laura Taylor Caçoete. Paul Sutherland, Nic Lance, and Maureen Sutton joined students and staff in reciting poems and sharing thoughts on the theme of 'Freedom'. There were emotional moments and funny ones, unpublished poems and very famous ones; most importantly, a sharing atmosphere where everyone in the audience felt free to talk, read, and make poetry happen in its most powerful way. Inspired by National Poetry Day 2017? Find out more about English at BGU.
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