…ereira Union Affairs Officer, Leeds Beckett Student Union Supporting their Communities, and the Nation/s, throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Alliance universities have been at the forefront of the Covid response. Thousands of nursing students from all 12 Alliance universities volunteered to take up positions with in the NHS to support the nationwide effort to stem the spread of the virus; something Birmingham City University PVC Dean Professor Alis…
…and choice benefits all students – even on campus students have lives and commitments- it is a win-win situation. Often simple, low cost actions can make a difference. Maguire and Morris offer a good ‘go-to’ list when planning changes. Some good first steps for us have been the following: Listen for the voices of commuter students in the data you already collect. You don’t always need a new survey. Consider how the Student Union represents commut…
…socialising, which supports motivation while promoting solidarity and peer-to-peer support. One of the key benefits I have gained from my role on the DTA Rep Committee, is developing intimate knowledge of the complexities and challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic. The survey we distributed was effective in illustrating its far-reaching negative consequences for our PhD researchers. These include concerns about the continuation of fundi…
…ng back students with a blended learning approach (a mix of online and face-to-face teaching). For Alliance universities this approach is nothing new, with digital learning opportunities existing long before the pandemic. But our recent experience has taken this one step further. Alliance universities have now amassed a wealth of evidence about the benefits of blended teaching and learning, and have a good understanding of the challenges of delive…
…Innovation Ecosystem, I lead a specialist team dedicated to supporting pre-commercial and early-stage innovation. Working together with experienced research and academic colleagues across the Group, we focus on delivering support for business, Intellectual Property (IP) realisation and commercialisation, industrial research, and support and advice for SMEs. This represents a significant growth area for the Group and, by building strategic partner…
…nts. The Exhibition of Research flash presentation sessions were held both online and in-person on 6th and 7th, and the participants who were not presenting had a chance to interact with a few DTA alumni as a part of the online sessions. The afternoon sessions included ‘Creative Techniques for Academic Writing’ by Katharine D’Souza for in-person participants, and ‘Project Management for PGRs’ with DTA alumnus Dr Eleftherios Nomikos for online part…
…ugh these they can then create the informal connections to receive the peer-to-peer support that may become vital for their wellbeing. Develop strong representation systems While it is great that Student Unions (SUs) cover postgraduate representation, I know from my own experience that undergraduate-focused SUs are not the best place for PhD issues to be actively listened to. PhD students need dedicated representation systems and the issues they r…
…HD researcher’s wellbeing and mental health. 9. The University Alliance welcomed 3 new members to the group: Birmingham City University, Leeds Beckett University and Anglia Ruskin University. 10. Through the ministerial taskforce we made urgent representations for more support for teaching and healthcare placements, and as a consequence, Health Education England was awarded £15m funding for healthcare placements, a 50% increase on the funding prev…
…vice for academics on how best to conduct themselves when engaging with the press. Watch the full launch event recording below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaafg7OhIAE&t=1392s …
…generally and / or those with an interest in how universities are run. If you would be interested in being involved with the programme please contact tea@www.unialliance.ac.uk. More information can be found at www.unialliance.ac.uk/tea …
