W:
www.universitybusiness.co.uk | T: @UB_UK
forefront of their disciplines to help students gain transferrable skills that will prepare them well for the future. Southampton is also very well-
connected with some of the world’s top employers who visit our campuses regularly to engage in curriculum-related activities whilst also seeking to recruit from a strong base of graduates across a range of disciplines.
MARK BARLOW (SURREY): The University benefits from major national facilities on campus. Our £45m Vet School will put Surrey
on the map as a pioneering centre for interdisciplinary research to improve animal and human health. The school – one of only eight in the UK – will comprise three state-of-the-art new buildings and will include a pathology facility with high containment laboratories, and clinical skills centres for both large and small animals. Construction began in early 2014, and the complex should be complete in late summer 2015. Surrey’s vision for a 5G Innovation
Centre (5GIC) – the world’s first research centre dedicated to mobile technology – is also fast becoming a reality. A consortium of key global players in telecommunications has formally joined Surrey to develop the centre, together pledging support worth over £40m.
Q: Do you have any recent developments at your campus which best show your commitment to boosting student experience?
PATRICIA PRICE (CARDIFF): The University is commited to student mobility and has set a target of 17% of our home students studying, working, or volunteering abroad for at least a month by 2017. We are investing £1.6m over the next four years in new bursaries to help cover the costs of travelling abroad and to examine new ways of recognising the educational contribution of an international experience. In September 2014, a multi-million
pound redevelopment of the Students’ Union building will be completed. This includes more social learning spaces, a new nightclub and food court, and refurbished reception and social areas. Also launching in September is a new
student residence at Talybont Gate. This is a six-storey, £6.4m project offering accommodation for 179 new students.
JOANNE COOKE (DE MONTFORT): We are currently undergoing a £136m campus refurb. We will transform one complex and create striking new buildings for the world-renowned schools of Fashion and Textiles, Art, Design and Architecture. The work will also lead to the creation
of a new home for our Confucius Institute, which celebrates Chinese language and culture, a rebuilt tower, complete with an outdoor video screen, and a ‘green lung’ of open parkland. The new buildings, designed by local architect CPMG Ltd, will be completed in 2016.
GRAHAM NICHOLSON (DUNDEE): The most recent development which will benefit all students is the opening of a new Enquiry Centre to bring various pastoral services together in a single, shop-front location as part of the strong partnership between the University’s Student Services and Dundee University Students’ Association (DUSA).
SEAN MACKNEY (EXETER): That long- standing commitment has been reflected in many different ways in recent years: Award-winning capital developments in our ‘Forum’, a spectacular, multi-purpose student space at the heart of our Exeter, Streatham campus and our ‘Exchange’ building on our shared Penryn campus in Cornwall. Our Research Innovation Learning and Development (RILD) building for medical research and postgraduate education, or our £8.5m enhancements to our facilities for fitness and elite sport.
ROGER AUSTER (FALMOUTH): In the 2013- 14 academic year, our team of elected officers formed a list of 14 priorities based on the feedback students provided at the end of the previous year. These were to highlight the key aspects of improvement that students themselves identified as needing work to make their university experience beter. These became a powerful tool for the two universities, the students' union and the shared
An expert approach to providing funding information to students
Mat Till explains how Birmingham City University is Open 4 Learning...
As the Assistant Director of Student Services at Birmingham City University, I am centrally involved in the provision of high-quality services to enhance our students’ learning experiences before, during and after university. Financial advice and support are
an essential part of our support remit, not only permiting students access to comprehensive, timely and accurate funding information, but also advising on budgeting and general money maters. Our commitment to provide students
with such support has been enhanced by Idox’s Open 4 Learning tool. This funding database, locked down to our student catchment area, is tailored to match our branding and integrated into our website. Complementing our existing student support systems, it provides a
wide range of information on non- mainstream funding opportunities – from tuition fees to accommodation, travel and equipment expenses and specific course-based grants. Not only does it add value to the high-
quality services provided by our team of specialist advisers, it empowers students to use it themselves, day or night. Feedback confirms Open 4
Learning is easy to access and user- friendly. The portal is proving ROI with a recent user survey showcasing student funding successes as a direct result of using the portal. The team at Idox are proactive in
ensuring that Open 4 Learning is equipped with information relevant to Birmingham City University students, and the portal has become an important part of our student offer. It is an excellent tool for undergraduates and postgraduates alike.
For more information on Open 4 Learning, please visit
www.open4learning.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92