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Students help local children to discover the exciting possibilities of maths
Students involved in education and mathematics at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) welcomed local school children onto campus to help them explore the fun and entertaining possibilities of maths as part of the first Maths Week England. Maths Week England is designed to raise the profile of maths and promote different ways to engage with the subject in a positive way. At BGU students from a range of courses including BA Primary Education with QTS, Education Studies and Mathematics and Education Studies and Mathematics with a Foundation Year ran activities based around reasoning, problem solving and exploration designed to encourage collaboration between pupils and their teachers. Dr Ashley Compton, Senior Lecturer in Primary at BGU, was one of the event’s organisers and discussed what it, and the wider national initiative, could offer to learners and educators: “Maths Week England is designed to challenge the stereotypes around the subject, take away the anxiety that both children and educators feel towards maths and turn engaging with it into a positive experience. It is an especially key experience for our students as they can now take these lessons into their future classrooms.” And Dr Elizabeth Kimber, Programme Leader for Mathematics at BGU, who organised the event alongside Ashley, explained how the being involved in the activities could also offer academic and social benefits to the BGU students: “By bringing together learners from a range of courses these events allow our students to find a community of fellow mathematicians on campus.” For Sophie Evans, Education Studies and Mathematics student at BGU, who is seeking to move into teaching after her studies the highlight of the event was the opportunity to share the positive side of maths: “Today has been amazing practice for my future. Seeing how different pupils interact with maths and whether they enjoy it or struggle with it. Engaging with mathematics is so often seen as a negative experience but there are real opportunities for fun within it and these pupils will now be able to take those activities and memories back with them.” Eloise Biggin, Education Studies and Maths with a Foundation Year student, echoed Sophie’s feedback: “It’s great that I’m being given the opportunity to experience teaching maths so early into the course. I’m keen to go into teaching when I graduate so being immersed in these activities already is fantastic.” To find out more about BGU’s undergraduate and postgraduate mathematics courses visit our website, speak to a member of our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days. -
‘Inspirational’ First Cohort Complete General Practice Nursing Qualification
Last week Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) bid a fond farewell to the first cohort of students undertaking the PG Cert in General Practice Nursing. After nine months of blended learning in the classroom, in practice and using the Virtual Learning Environment, students are now able to work in General Practice with the range of skills a Nurse in this area is expected to have. Content covered over the course of the qualification included cervical smear taking, Immunisation and vaccines (including Travel Health), management of long-term conditions such as diabetes and asthma, Intermediate life support as well as mental health and support for carers. Speaking at an event to celebrate the students Nicki Walsh, Senior lecturer (and Programme Lead for Health and Social Care) at BGU, praised them for their commitment and example to future students: “The finishing students have been 100% committed to the programme and have not only developed in confidence but are a true inspiration for those who might consider General Practice Nursing as their preferred Career pathway. Students have had excellent support from their clinical environments throughout with clinical and academic supervisor supporting them in and around practice. Whilst sad to see these students finish at BGU, there are opportunities for further study on the MSc Primary and Community Care, as offering support future PGCert students. Further funding has been allocated to BGU by Health Education England for 10 places in March and the team at BGU look forward to welcoming next cohort of aspiring GPNs.” The PG Cert in General Practice Nursing is a specialised Master’s level programme which provides registered Healthcare Professionals, who are currently working in a Primary Care (General Practice) setting, with a learner-centred and practice focused programme of study, meeting their personal, professional and practice development needs all focused on local service demands. It produces high-calibre post graduates who are autonomous, reflexive, possessing of inquiring and analytical minds as part of their continued professional development required by their relevant Professional Regulatory body. The new PG Cert In General Practice Nursing joins the developing portfolio of courses at BGU which reflect current and future needs of the health and social care sector. Other current courses include Master's in Health & Social Care Leadership and Primary & Community Care. To find out how these courses can help develop your healthcare skills visit our website or contact our Enquiries Team. -
Roll up, Roll up! The Carnival Arrives at BGU
All the fun of the fair arrived at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) on Wednesday 20th November in the form of Carnival 2019, a well-being event sponsored by the Centre for Enhancement in Learning and Teaching (CELT).To brighten up a damp and rainy November, the CELT team in collaboration with the SU organised everything from a chocolate fountain, indoor games, limbo and candy floss to cookie decorating, giant mindful colouring in and the adorable hen Gemma who was kindly brought in by ‘OrionTree’ alongside a pair of alpacas and became a huge hit. The animals from OrionTree regularly visit schools throughout the year and provide a fantastic, calming experience for the children and students who interact with them. Over 150 people attended the jamboree, which put lots of smiles on not only staff and student faces but also on children from local specialist school, St. Francis, who popped in to enjoy all of the activities that ran in the Students’ Union (SU) between 12pm-3pm. Linette Wallace, Centre Coordinator at CELT, explained why the carnival day was such an important activity in the University calendar: “Part of the rationale behind hosting such an event for our students, is we recognise a mid-semester dip in the first term through a rise in referrals to Student Advice. Students can sometimes feel an increase in anxiety levels with both the assessment period and the December break and this provides an opportunity for them to get together and just have a few hours of fun.” These aims were clearly recognised by BGU’s student community with Jordan Fane, Bishop Grosseteste University Students’ Union Vice President, praising the event: “The turnout for this year’s carnival was brilliant and it was great to have so many students visit the Students’ Union to engage with all the different activities on offer. The SU are hugely thankful to CELT for sponsoring this event which has become increasingly popular and although I was kept busy supporting the event on the day, I also enjoyed having a few games of chess myself!” CELT, guided by the well-being steering group, will continue to build upon the well-being successes of last year and are fully committed to creating and maintaining a positive and mindful University here at Bishop Grosseteste. If you feel you could support some of our well-being initiatives, please do not hesitate to get in touch E: celt@bishopg.ac.uk -
Students tackle food waste and social problems in ‘Make Your Mark’ challenge
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) students recently had the chance to devise solutions to the global issue of food waste as part of the ‘Make Your Mark’ challenge. Sponsored and hosted by the Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT), and supported by BG Futures, the ‘Make Your Mark’ challenge asked the students to think of improvements that could be made at BGU to help limit food waste. While the University’s BG Lincoln Ltd. team have made great strides in this area, they still face the difficulty of balancing these efforts with customer demand for a varied menu as John Hodson, Operations Manager at BG Lincoln Ltd., explains: “Over the past 3 years we have reduced our in-house waste by 28%, resulting in savings of around £14,000 in total. To achieve this, we have focused on an efficient menu, cooking within managed periods of time to meet projected demand, however, we are aware that students desire an expansion to the menu choice.” With this in mind students were asked to think about how about the menu choice could be expanded upon in catering outlets at BGU whilst improving waste control further. They were also asked to reflect on the sustainability of any of these initiatives and whether they could be developed/run as a social enterprise venture. The group of students who took part generated a raft of ideas from different portion sizes and a “lite bites” menu, to generating compost and introducing of ‘doggy bags’ to helping the disadvantaged through food bank donations. Amongst all these fantastic concepts, the winning solution suggested the development of an online app which releases a pre-bookable, weekly food plan. Devised by student Kim Lucia Spielmanns, who won £150 for her idea, the app would allow a higher percentage of food to be pre-booked by staff and students. Speaking at the event she explained her motivation: “Even though our in-house sustainability has greatly improved, I wanted to focus on a solution which could reduce our carbon footprint and better manage the volume control institutionally. My app idea means that more meal tickets can be pre-bought which can better inform buying decisions.” Two runner-up students also won a £20 Amazon voucher for their overall contributions. All the suggestions put forth by the students have been disseminated to the relevant BGU staff and will be built upon further in the New Year. John Hodson is keen to work with students further to ensure their voice is central to the menu offer and their ideas are incorporated into future plans and will be setting up dedicated focus groups in the New Year. Linette Wallace, CELT co-ordinator, led the event and has plans to expand its impact beyond BGU: “I am pleased that this event was so well received by our students and I believe there is a growing need for a pool of social entrepreneurial talent. Next academic year, we hope to be able to run this type of challenge with a group of local secondary schools and will be sending out invitations in the New Year.” For further information on the activities being carried out by the CELT team email CELT@bishopg.ac.uk If you'd like your school to be involved in future Make Your Mark challenges, fill out the below form and a member of our Outreach Team will be in touch with more information. -
‘Death and Dying’ conference to shine a light on difficult conversations for fourth year
Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) annual ‘Academic and Creative Responses to Death and Dying’ conference is returning for a fourth year in 2020 aiming to provide an open and interactive forum to bring discussions on death and dying back into the mainstream. The topics and conversations on ‘Death and Dying’ have almost disappeared from everyday life. They are hidden away in hospitals or hospices and often take place away or outside the inner family circle and yet, we have to learn to cope and live with loss. It is this challenge that the ‘Death and Dying’ conference, organised by members of BGU’s academic and chaplaincy teams, with additional funding from the Church Universities Fund, is designed to overcome. Taking place over two weekends in early 2020 the conference will deal with issues to do with bereavement and grief from an interdisciplinary angle. There will be papers, keynote speeches and creative responses – including dramatic performances, art and writing workshops – along with a concert to close out the event organised by musicians from BGU. The conference is fast becoming a recognised tradition in the University calendar and Dr Sibylle Earle, Reader in English Literature at BGU, one of the main organisers discussed what links the event so closely to the work carried out at BGU: “The issue of death and dying is one which very frequently arises in chaplaincy work in HEI, as well as schools and daily practice. Trainee teachers can prepare for it. BGU students. I think it would be good to point out that students can fulfil requirements for graduate attributes when they attend this event. Whilst the event is framed against a Christian and specifically Anglican understanding of these issues it is not inclusively so and the speeches and discussions taking place will involve a wide range of viewpoints. All are welcome and we look forward to seeing where our attendees and delegates will take us this year” The conference will be taking place over the 30th of January to the 1st of February with a second session over the 27th to the 29th of February. Full details of the programme of activities, bookings and dates can be found on the conference website. -
Raising Mental Health Awareness at Bishop Grosseteste University
In 2018, the Office for National Statistics produced its first estimates of Higher Education student suicides, an area which typically until then was difficult to quantify. By amalgamating different data sets (Death Registration Records and Higher Education registration data) they were able to see a better picture of this area. Their research showed, that whilst the rate of suicide of Higher Education students in England and Wales is significantly lower than the general population, tragically university student suicide rates have gone up over the last decade. -
Students and Staff Instigate International Research to Combat Climate Change
In April 2019 Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) played host to the International Symposium on Climate Change and the Role of Education. Organised in partnership between BGU, the International Climate Change Information Programme (ICCIP), Hamburg University of Applied Scientists and the Baltic University Programme; the Symposium explored how society can adapt to the far reaching effects of climate change to overcome the challenges it poses using “Education” to engage and empower people to act to alleviate the many and various impacts of climate change. Following the successful event, research and discussions from the day have now been published in a new book ‘Climate Change and the Role of Education’. Part of the Springer Nature Climate Change Management Series five of the book’s 30 chapters have been authored by BGU staff and students with the University’s Programme Leader for Geography, Dr Sarah Hemstock serving as editor alongside Walter Leal Filho. Speaking following it’s publication Sarah and Walter explained why the book’s unique viewpoint made it an important tool in the study and combatting of and adaptation to climate change: "Climate change is without a doubt one of the most pressing challenges of modern times. One which affects both industrialised and developing nations. Education is known to potentially play a key role in catalysing the participation of individuals and communities in climate change mitigation and adaptation processes. But the role of education it is not only about helping people to understand the impacts of global warming. Rather, education on matters related to climate change is also about catalysing changes in attitudes and behaviour, which may encourage individuals to take a more active role in both, climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. International experiences show that there is a perceived need to make climate change education a more central and more prominent component of responses to climate change, both at the international, regional and local level. Yet, there is a paucity of truly international publications, which address the many pedagogical, social, and economic variables which characterise climate change education. This book has been produced to address this need. It is the outcome of the “International Symposium on Climate Change and the Role of Education”, organised by Bishop Grosseteste University (UK), the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and the International Climate Change Information and Research Programme (ICCIRP). Papers here compiled look at matters related to the use of a variety of educational approaches to educate, inform or raise awareness about climate change across a variety of audiences. It contains experiences from empirical research, practical projects and teaching methods being deployed round the world, all with the aim of bringing the message across various audiences. Moreover the book also entails contributions on how to promote the climate agenda and foster adaptation efforts at the local level. Thanks to its scope, this is a truly interdisciplinary publication. We thank the many authors who contributed to this volume, and for their willingness to share their knowledge and expertise. We hope it will be useful to scholars, social movements, practitioners and members of governmental agencies, undertaking research and/or executing projects on climate change education across the world." If you would like to explore the discussions and research on climate change visit our website, contact our Enquiries Team or by come along to one of our Open Days to find more information on our Geography courses. -
“Amazing” Carers’ Initiatives Earn “Well Deserved” Awards for BGU
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) is delighted to announce that its Health and Social Care team and wider community have successfully been accredited with the Lincolnshire Carers Quality Awards for providing outstanding support for Carers at the University. -
BGU Lecturer Part of the Evolution of Higher Education in Zimbabwe
Earlier this year Dr Hadiza Kere Abdulrahman, Lecturer of Inclusive Education at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), was invited to take part in an international workshop focused on devising a comprehensive framework for the internationalisation of higher and tertiary education in Zimbabwe. Dr Abdulrahman’s involvement in the initiative came as a result of her work with colleagues at the University of Nottingham and The Zimbabwean Council of Higher Education – ZIMCHE. Their collaborative work explored the "The State of Internationalisation of Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa" requiring an understanding of events and procedures across six different countries and attempting to cast a critical decolonial light on the whole process. This new workshop took the group’s findings and utilised them from a Zimbabwean perspective and its recommendations are now in the process of being adopted as the national policy on internationalisation of higher and tertiary education in Zimbabwe. Speaking on her return to BGU Dr Abdulrahman discussed her motivations for taking part in the initiative: “My involvement in this workshop builds on my wider work of always problematising the things we have come to take for granted, be they the notion of Education or Internationalisation or any other such issue. How can African settings in particular address these issues with an adequate understanding of our particular historical specificities and peculiarities? My aim is to always attempt to view the issues through various lenses and theoretical constructs with Decoloniality being one. This paper was jointly undertaken with Professors Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni and Juliet Thondhlana and Dr Evelyn Garwe who were also present at the workshop in different capacities.” Our academics are regularly invited to present at conferences and support learning initiatives 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. -
BGU joins fellow East Midlands Universities in support for Armed Forces Covenant
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) joined eight other universities from the East Midlands to celebrate the updating of their Armed Forces Covenants in a joint ceremony held at the University of Leicester last week. The revised agreements include new, clear-cut promises to support Armed Forces personnel.
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