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Bishop Grosseteste University celebrates excellent National Student Survey results
For three subjects in particular BGU placed in the top ten in the UK, with Literature and English finishing in first place with a satisfaction score of 100%, Sport Science ranking second with 96%, and Health Studies rising to 10th nationally with a 90% satisfaction score. The NSS is an annual survey for undergraduate students that invites them to share feedback on their university experience. Around half a million students are asked to give their opinions relating to various aspects of their course, including teaching quality, assessment and feedback, and learning community. The results help prospective students make informed choices about their education and provide important data for universities and colleges to improve their student experience. The latest survey results show BGU has made substantial improvements in ranking across all NSS core question categories. In the 2022 survey, BGU is ranked in the top 30 for eight out of nine categories – including first for timely feedback, third for student assessment and feedback, and sixth for learning resources. Satisfaction with access to learning resources has also improved, with satisfaction with library resources climbing to 4th, and access to course specific resources rising to 14th. Other highlights also include Education and Teaching Training course areas, placed in the top 25 which is their highest ever ranking to date, and Childhood and Youth Studies reporting above sector satisfaction rates. Rob Boast, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Students) at BGU, said: “The community at BGU prides itself on ensuring that students are a name not a number, and we’re pleased that so many of our final year undergraduates, who experienced all the turbulence of learning throughout the pandemic, have shared such positive feedback about their time with us. “As a small university we are perfectly positioned to offer our students a personal and tailored experience, so it is encouraging that areas such as academic support, assessment and feedback, learning community and student voice have reported high satisfaction rates. “The sharp rise in our ranking across several categories reflects a lot of hard work from our staff across all departments, working collaboratively to provide a student-focussed learning experience, and we will continue with our ambitious plans to expand on our outstanding record for student progression, achievement and employability on a national level.” -
Dr Sunny Dhillon
Prior to joining the Education Studies team in November 2021, Sunny spent five years as a learning developer at the University of Leeds, as well as at BGU, where he also worked as a Visiting Tutor in the Theology, Ethics and Society department. Sunny conducted his doctoral research through the Philosophy department at Cardiff University, focussing on the concept of utopia through the works of Friedrich W. Nietzsche, Ernst Bloch and Theodor W. Adorno. Sunny’s research interests include Critical Theory (The Frankfurt School), Nietzsche, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Utopia and Philosophy of Education. His current research projects critically explore education as ontotheological principle, and student engagement from the perspective of academics in the social sciences who often experience a ‘disclosure dilemma’ when deciding what perspectives to share with students across levels of HE. Office number: Skinner 119 ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6632-701X Blog: https://dsdhillon.medium.com/ -
The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023 ranks Bishop Grosseteste University fourth for social inclusion and teaching quality
The guide, published by The Times and Sunday Times, evaluates factors such as student satisfaction, degree completion rates, and graduate employment prospects, to produce a guide of 132 higher education institutions that allows prospective students to make an informed choice about their education. In the 2023 edition, BGU ranked fourth for teaching quality and 13th for the overall student experience. With data from the recent National Students Survey (NSS) informing their rankings, the guide commented on the ‘extraordinary turnaround in rates of student satisfaction.’ The guide also ranked BGU fourth nationally in their Social Inclusion Ranking, which measures the proportion of students from whole sections of society including disadvantaged backgrounds. In a further breakdown for social inclusion, BGU is also fourth for recruiting students from areas with a low uptake of higher education, fifth for the number of students in receipt of the student disability allowance, and sixth for the recruitment of students who are the first in their family to attend university. The tables for subject rankings also showed an increase in ranks for Education, English and Psychology at BGU. The Rev’d Canon Professor Peter Neil, Vice-Chancellor of BGU, said: “We are incredibly pleased with the positive results in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023. “Being ranked fourth for both teaching quality and social inclusion is testament to the high-quality provision that our students receive. We are delighted that BGU’s long-standing commitment to ensuring education is accessible to students irrespective of their socio-economic background has been recognised.” -
FdA Primary Teaching Studies
Have you ever thought about working towards a degree, but decided against it as you are already in employment or volunteering and don’t want to give that up? Our FdA Primary Teaching Studies course is designed for you if you are a TA who want to continue working while beginning a route into Teacher Training. -
Aggi Doughty
Aggi Doughty is a Senior Lecturer on the Careers Development Professional Apprenticeship within the Business Team, and a Careers Adviser at The Hub. Aggi gained an undergraduate degree in Drama from the University of Leeds in 2001 and ran her own business working as an actor, director and dramaturg for five years, before moving into careers and completing her Postgraduate Diploma in Careers Guidance (DipCG) and Level 6 in Careers Development simultaneously in 2014. She has continued to study and practice within the careers space ever since, gaining a Masters in Career Development from Nottingham Trent University in 2021. She is committed to lifelong learning, gaining her Level 6 Professional Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing in 2014. She has most recently gained a Level 2 in Youth Work Principles, and has been a Fellow of the HEA since 2020. Her research interests are around the intersection of coaching and careers, narrative in career journeys, and sociological theories of employment, specifically in relation to gender and leadership. Prior to joining BGU, Aggi held a portfolio of careers consultancy and teaching roles alongside leadership positions in Further and Higher education. Her experience is local and national in a wide variety of educational settings from alternative provision, to Independent secondary schools, to Higher Education Institutions. She has been a Careers Leader in a number of secondary schools and has gained the National Quality in Careers Standard via the Career Mark pathway from scratch for four separate institutions (and counting!). She continues to work in practice as a Career Development Professional alongside lecturing. -
Carers’ Conference 2022
Earlier this month, we were delighted to host the 'Engaging, identifying and supporting carers within education and employment learning' Conference. This was a joint collaboration between BGU's Health and Social Care Community and Every-One, with an aim to raise the profile of unpaid carers. “An unpaid carer is described as someone who looks after a relative or friend who due to ill health, physical or mental illness, disability, frailty or addiction cannot manage without support” - Lincolnshire County Council A variety of guest speakers spoke throughout the day, along with BGU staff and students, all of whom shared their experience of being a carer. Over 80 delegates participated from a number of different healthcare providers in Lincolnshire. Representatives from Lincolnshire Coop, Lincolnshire County Council, Every-One, Carers First, Kisimul School, Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust and North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, were all in attendance, alongside our Health and Social care students. The students played a vital role at the conference, in terms of co-hosting and facilitating workshops. Speaking about the conference, The Rev’d Canon Professor Peter Neil, Vice-Chancellor of BGU, said: “As an institution we take carers very seriously and have obtained the Carers’ Award on repeated occasions which is in recognition of both the work with our students and staff who have caring responsibilities. It was good to have BGU being described as a centre of excellence for this particular group, and it was pleasing to hear so many positive comments from delegates and organisers about our students’ engagement with this as they will be the professionals with a role in taking the agenda forward as future innovators” Thank you to everyone who participated and attended in the conference. We look forward to seeing you again at future events. To find out more about our Health and Social courses at BGU, click here. You can also follow the team on social media: Health & Social Care Twitter Feed – follow us @BGUHSC Health & Social Care on Facebook – join us today https://www.facebook.com/groups/413626524138455/?ref=share -
Emma Edwards
Before joining BGU Emma had been a Primary school teacher for over twenty years. She worked in a number of settings, both rural and city based and in every year group from Foundation Stage to Year Six. She still maintains a teaching role within school, allowing her the opportunity to make links to current practice for training teachers. Emma has worked with trainee teachers and ECTs (NQTs) for many years as well as training and supporting the mentors with whom they work. Whilst working in schools Emma has led in most areas of the curriculum, but her main interest lies in Reading. She is particularly interested in text choice and how all pupils can be engaged to read through a curriculum which prioritises their love of reading. Emma is currently studying for the Children's Literature and Literacies Masters, here at BGU and has found the modules exploring the reflections of the child within a text both fascinating and relevant for today's classroom. -
BGU Vice-Chancellor announces retirement
The Vice-Chancellor of Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), the Rev’d Canon Professor Peter Neil, has announced he will retire at the end of July 2023. He is the second vice-chancellor of the institution since it gained university title in 2012 and amongst the longest serving VCs in the UK. During his ten-year leadership, BGU has transformed from its former status as a university college with a strong tradition in teacher education to become a higher education provider that is shaped by a flourishing suite of research and knowledge exchange activities and an enhanced campus estate. Since 2013, the portfolio of taught provision has expanded to include professional studies, social sciences, and the humanities. The volume, scope, and quality of research at BGU has improved significantly with a four-fold increase in the number of researchers returned to the Research Excellence Framework between 2014 and 2021. Knowledge exchange has also gathered momentum during this time, especially through projects in partnership with the public sector. Throughout BGU has remained steadfastly committed to its person-centred approach and focus on the students’ experiences. Professor Neil said: “It has been an immense privilege working for Bishop Grosseteste University as one of the key education providers in the city. It is a very special place and its values and ethos remain as strong today as they did when the then College was opened in 1862. "I am extremely proud of what we continue to do for students and of the contribution that BGU and our community make to the life of the city, county and beyond.” The Chair of University Council Anne Frost said: “Professor Neil has been one of the longest serving Vice Chancellors of this very special education institution. The Council would like to thank him for everything he has done for the university in that time and wish him well for his retirement. We will now begin the recruitment process to find his successor.” Professor Neil - who is also a Canon of Lincoln Cathedral - will leave post at the end of July. -
Not A Luxury: How BGSU is tackling period poverty
In December 2022, I created the ‘Not a Luxury’ campaign following a difficult interaction with a student who had found herself in a desperate situation. Despite its negative origins, my hope is that the campaign will have a positive impact for everyone at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU). I was working in my office when a group of students knocked on my door. I answered the door to be met by two young female students, one of whom was visibly upset and being encouraged to speak by her friend. When she gathered the breath to speak, she asked me if I had a tampon. Thankfully, I did. This brief interaction left me thinking of a few things: why do students feel like they can’t ask for what I would consider to be a totally normal request? And why are these products not readily available to those who need them? After some research I found that in 2022, nearly one in eight women in the UK struggled to buy menstrual products for themselves and/or a dependant. This began a personal mission for me to not only provide free period products for staff and students, but also to raise awareness for the issue of period poverty and destigmatise the use of these products. This is because nearly half (46%) of women who struggled to afford sanitary products in the last six months kept sanitary pads or tampons in for longer or used tissues (46%). 10% doubled up their underwear. The ‘Not a Luxury’ scheme aims to provide free period products to all staff and students via bathroom stalls, by placing a small bag of products in a sign-posted stall in a publicly accessed toilet. It also aims to de-stigmatise the use and discussion of these products through raising awareness and encouraging open discussion. This scheme been designed to grow and evolve to respond to the needs of the BGU community. Starting with the product distribution on campus and with the next aim to increase the number of sanitary bins in the toilets on campus. I am very proud to say that this scheme is not alone. Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with student leaders from all around the UK at the NUS National Conference. It was at this conference where I was asked to speak about the ‘Not a Luxury’ campaign. This was received very well and presented an opportunity for other student leaders to discuss their own, similar schemes with some even going as far as to refer to BGSU as a ‘trailblazer in inclusivity’. Attending the NUS conference To succeed, this campaign needs continued support from both staff and students. The main motivation of the campaign is to provide products to those who might not otherwise be able to access them or purchase them. It’s just one way that BGSU is trying to help people who need it, with zero-judgement. The ‘Not a Luxury’ campaign has been fostering understanding, providing much-needed products to those who need them, and shining a light on gender non-exclusive use of period products. To show your support or for more information email connor.short@bishopg.ac.uk or come to the student’s union building and ask for Connor. Period products are a right, not a luxury. -
Business student completes placement with geocaching magazine
Bishop Grosseteste University student, Lewis Garrett-Pughe, recently completed a placement with PinPoint, a magazine which explores the hobby of geocaching. Geocaching is a real-world GPS treasure hunt game, where players use mobile technology to find containers hidden by other players. There are over 3.5 million geocaches and 350,000 players worldwide, in every country except North Korea! BA Business student Lewis was placed with PinPoint for the final dissertation module of his programme in the spring of 2023. He was involved in a number of tasks and projects during this time, including designing a readers' feedback survey, editing and proofreading, interviewing contributors and contributing to web design. PinPoint, the UK’s only print magazine about this game, was launched in spring of 2022 following a Kickstarter campaign by two lifelong friends, Jane Spencer and Andy Wright. Jane is a professional editor, proofreader and publisher, working with authors, publishers, businesses and organisations. Andy is a BGU alum and has also held a number of roles at the university, including Careers and Employability Co-ordinator. Andy said: "It’s been an absolute pleasure having Lewis with us these past few weeks. He’s turned his hands to such a range of tasks and has challenged us to think about the way we do a few things. He’s been a great member of the team." The final day of Lewis' placement was spent at 'London Calling' a large-scale gathering in Marylebone, London, known in geocaching as a Mega Event. The convention saw players and suppliers from across the UK and several European countries gather for a day-long jamboree of puzzle-solving, litter-picking, searching and trading, as well as several social activities in the capital. Lewis was involved in selling magazines, including subscriptions, interacting with attendees, engaging with potential contributors and networking with a range of suppliers and event managers. Reflecting on his time with PinPoint, Lewis said: "I am grateful for the placement opportunity with PinPoint over the last three months. "I have learnt a lot of new skills as well as developed my existing knowledge along the way with the help of the organisation. It's great to get an insight into how a small business operates."
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