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Archive for the 'Student Experience' Category

Nominate an exceptional colleague or team for a UCL Education Award

By Angela Young, on 17 February 2023

Do you know a colleague or team within LCCOS that makes an outstanding contribution to the learning experience and success of our students? Then take a moment to nominate them for this year’s UCL Education Awards.

The UCL Education Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of staff and their contributions to our learning community, with a focus on the work of colleagues that is less visible to students – work that has enabled excellent practice or facilitated innovation in teaching and learning.

How do nominations work?

Nominations are made within a department and then submitted for consideration at Faculty or Vice-Provosts’ and Vice-Presidents’ Office. Each Faculty or equivalent, e.g. RIGE, may submit up to 8 nominations, with a maximum of 6 individual and 6 team nominations.

Nominations will be judged on sustainability of impact beyond the work carried out, evidence of impact on creating an inclusive student experience and benefit to UCL student learning and support, with the panel being particularly interested in examples demonstrating excellence across UCL. Nominations should be made within one of the following categories:

  • Assessment & Feedback
  • Openness & Inclusion
  • Digitally Enriched Learning
  • Postgraduate Teaching Assistants
  • Student partnerships
  • Student Support
  • Supporting Students’ employability
  • Sustainability

We are now inviting nominations from across LCCOS. To nominate a colleague or team, please download and complete the nomination form (Word document) on the UCL Education Awards webpage and send by email to Angela Young.

The deadline for submission of nominations to LCCOS is midday on Friday 3 March to allow time for consideration on submission by the Pro-Vice-Provost (LCCOS), and in turn by RIGE, for the overall deadline of Friday 17 March.

Why nominate a colleague or team?

This is your chance to ensure your colleague or an LCCOS team gets the acknowledgement they deserve, so they can be rewarded and celebrate in their achievements whilst highlighting to the wider UCL community the impact that LCCOS staff have on the experience and success of our students.

Facilities & Projects Team Blog – Main Library Toilet Work taking place

By Collette E M Lawrence, on 7 February 2023

Dear Colleagues,

Please be aware that essential works will be taking place which will affect the water supply to the 2nd Floor toilets, just outside the Main Library space.

These works form part of the Estates infrastructure project, which will improve the hot water and heating supply to not only the Main Library and other LCCOS spaces, but to the whole of the Wilkins Building.

For these essential works to take place, rooms 278 & 279, which are the toilets on the second floor, in non LCCOS managed space, just outside the Gallagher doors, leading to Physics, from the Main Library corridor, 236, will be closed from Thursday the 9th February until Friday the 17th February.

Once this work has been completed the project will move to the first-floor toilets, 125a, 125b & 125c, on the same side of the building, which are within LCCOS space, dates to be confirmed. This will ensure that works do not run concurrently on both sets of toilets, these dates to be confirmed, later this week.

We apologies for any inconvenience caused by these works and we appreciate your continued support and patience.

If you have any issues or queries regarding this, please contact the Library Facilities & Projects Team. Our team information can be found at the following link Facilities & Project Team

CPD25 course: Supporting staff and students with autism and learning difficulties, 07.12.22

By Sharon A James, on 24 January 2023

Back in December 2022 Sharon James and Sarah Turk attended this online course. Below are their write-ups of the presentations.

First presentation, delivered by Clare Caccavone

The first presentation, “Progressing neurodiversity and making adjustments” was delivered by Clare Caccavone, Programme Director at Ambitious about Autism. This charity provides support, specialist education and employability services for autistic children and young people. Clare informed us that 56% of autistic children have been unofficially excluded from school, 4 out of 5 autistic young people experience mental health issues, and only 29% of autistic people are in employment.

Features of autism include difficulties with social communication, social interaction, routines, and sensory overload. To bring this to life we were shown a helpful short video in which young people with autism talked about stimming, a coping mechanism that helps with anxiety. It involves repetitive actions such as rocking, hand flapping, feet tapping, sniffing a scent or squeezing a hand toy. The video is from the Ambitious about Autism YouTube channel. We also watched this Sensory Overload video that allows the watcher to experience what it is like to be overwhelmed by everyday noise and confusion.

Ambitious about Autism are proud of a pilot they ran, the Higher Education Network, where they worked with 17 universities, trained over 100 employers, and enabled more than 170 autistic students to benefit from paid work. Aiming to create a more neurodiverse workforce, they are also working with five universities this year.

Finally, we were given some tips for when working with neurodiverse students and colleagues. These include:

  • In your workplace, notice what could present a challenge for others.
  • Provide advance warning of any changes, cancellations or closures.
  • Allow the use of self-calming strategies that are not harmful.
  • Use someone’s name before talking so that you have their attention.
  • Don’t assume what you have said is obvious; reiterate what will happen and why.
  • Allow more time for information to be processed.
  • Give staff and students any questions you have before meeting up with them.

I found this presentation very helpful, especially the practical tips. The videos were also informative and allowed me to better understand the experiences involved in being neurodiverse.  As a frontline worker I feel that this training will help me when communicating with all library users and colleagues.

Related link

Ambitious about Autism website.

by Sharon James

Second presentation, delivered by Daniela de Silva and Eleri Kyffin

The second presentation, “Inclusive recruitment practices at the University of Westminster, Library and Archive Service”, was delivered by Daniela de Silva and Eleri Kyffin from the University of Westminster Library. We learned about how they have transformed the recruitment process to make it more inclusive and support neurodiverse applicants.

When invited to interview, all candidates now receive a Recruitment Welcome Pack which includes the names and pictures of the interview panel, information about the team and post, interview tips and guidance along with the interview questions (or the topics for questions for senior roles). It was interesting to learn that feedback gathered from both the interview candidates and the interview panel members was on the whole very positive. Whilst some candidates found that having the questions in advance made them more nervous, the majority felt it was very helpful. The interview panel found that even with the questions in advance they could see the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses, and follow up questions could be used to probe a bit deeper.

As a recruiter who sometimes feels that the interview process may not allow a candidate to do themselves justice, it was very thought provoking to hear the positive experiences of both the panel members and candidates at the University of Westminster. What I found particularly inspiring was that whilst this began as a way of making their recruitment more inclusive for autistic candidates, it actually could have the potential to make the process more inclusive for all. Definitely food for thought!

by Sarah Turk

Facilities & Projects Team Blog – IoE Master Plan 2023

By Collette E M Lawrence, on 19 January 2023

Below is important in formation with regards to Senate House Hub and IoE.

It has been agreed at very short notice to lend part of Senate House Hub to the IoE Masterplan team to use a staff decant space unit October 2023.

This plan was only suggested last Thursday and agreed on the same day with Senior Management approval.

The rooms being handed over 303, 304, 305, 307 & 308. These will house about 25-30 staff from the IoE who are due to be homeless. The Masterplan Team are hoping to start the moves on Saturday 21st January 2023. This may be held up by the ability for Access Systems to get locks fitted.

We have already requested that 308 student bookable meeting room be removed from the system. The remainder of the student space in the Senate House Hub, including bookable room 310 and 312, will be unaffected and remain open to UCL post-graduate research students and staff.

We will provide more details when we have them.

We thank you for your continued support and patience, but if you have any issues or queries regarding this, please contact a member of the team. Our team information can be found at the following link Facilities & Projects Team

Facilities & Projects Team Blog – Fixed Wire Testing-Science Library Shut Down

By Collette E M Lawrence, on 8 December 2022

Fixed Wire Testing-Science Library Shut Down

As part of the current fixed wire testing, and to incorporate these essential works, the Science Library will be closed from 21.00 on Sunday the 11th December 2022 and will re-open at 15.00 on Monday 12th December 2022.

This will allow the works to be completed, which includes the fixed wire testing on the ground floor and entrance areas, as well as a full electrical shut down of the building, whilst ensuring all disruption is kept to a minimum and safety of staff and students is a priority, the tests include the security and access gates, as well as high occupancy areas, including the mezzanine cluster and the teaching space, along with the loss of lighting

Staff will not be permitted to work in the building on the day of the closure, for safety reasons, however, please be aware that your offices will be available on completion of the shutdown, after 15.00.

All systems will be back up and running and the building reopened from 15.00 on Monday the 12th December 2022.

We thank you for your continued support and patience, but if you have any issues or queries regarding this, please contact a member of the team. Our team information can be found at the following link Facilities & Projects Team

Subject Guides: a Refresher / Introduction

By Lindsay Ure, on 18 November 2022

It has been 2 years since we moved our Library subject guides over to the LibGuides platform and the Subject Guides Group thought this would be a good time introduce them to wider LCCOS colleagues and any Library staff who have joined us recently, while also providing a refresher for anyone who needs it. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to take a look at our guides.

What are subject guides?

Subject guides are a starting point for finding key library resources on a particular subject or discipline. Individual guides are developed and maintained by Subject Liaison Librarians and Site Library teams. Additionally, there is a  Subject Guides Group, that provides oversight and support to guide authors, as well as looking at future enhancements to guides as a whole.

What is in a subject guide?

In addition to key databases, you can find information about ebooks, locations of physical book collections, journals/ejournals, databases, audio-visual resources, special collections, and other libraries outside UCL that hold relevant resources. Subject guides don’t just list resources though. They include guidance on literature searching, and referencing, and refer students to our LibrarySkills@UCL web pages where appropriate for further support.

Screenshots of subject guide web pages

When might I use a subject guide?

  1. If you receive enquiries about finding library resources on a specific subject (e.g. via LibChat, or LibAnswers), subject guides can help you to identify who to refer enquiries to, while also providing the enquirer with a starting point for independent research.
  2. If you are doing independent research yourself, for academic study, or related to your role, our guides could be helpful to you.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Contact the guide owner if your feedback is about a specific guide, or Lindsay Ure if you want to share your thoughts about our guides overall.

NSS 2021/22 Results: back on track!

By June Hedges, on 27 October 2022

Results of the NSS 2021 have been shared with the UCL community. This survey was open to students January to April 2022; final year students at UCL in 2021/22 still faced disruptions due to the COVID pandemic. However, their feedback, in the form of satisfaction ratings, via the NSS survey puts UCL back on track with improvements in almost all categories.

Overall satisfaction with UCL came in at 77.6% (up from 72.7 in 2021), but this remains on a par with a sector average of 75.4%, and slightly above the Russell Group average of 76.7%

Learning Resources, always one of UCL’s strongest categories has regained its place as the highest scoring category for UCL.

The three highest scoring areas in the 2022 survey were:

Category 2022 2021 2020 Difference
Learning Resources 86.2 77 86.9 9.2
Teaching 81.2 80 81.9 1.3
Learning Opportunities 79.8 78.5 80.1 1.2

Further good news for LCCOS, is that Question 19, which relates to library resources, achieved the highest satisfaction rating within the UCL results set.

Top 3 scoring questions %
19. The library resources (e.g. books, online services and learning spaces) have supported my learning well. 88.6
20. I have been able to access course-specific resources (e.g. equipment, facilities, software, collections) when I needed to. 87.2
3. The course is intellectually stimulating. 86.7

A breakdown of the questions within the Learning Resources category offers further reassurance that the 2021 results were an outlier resulting from a disrupted year for finalist. The satisfaction rating for the “library-related” question (Q.19) remains the highest within the category, as it has always been. Results for all questions have regained ground and are back at levels that we would expect. This result puts us second of the 22 Russell Group universities for Learning Resources.

Breakdown of the questions within the Learning Resources category
Question UCL 2022 % agree UCL 2021 % agree UCL 2020 % agree Change vs last year
Learning resources 86.2 77.0 86.9 11.2
18. The IT resources and facilities provided have supported my learning well. 83.1 74.4 82.3 8.8
19. The library resources (e.g. books, online services and learning spaces) have supported my learning well. 88.6 79.6 88.5 9.0
20. I have been able to access course-specific resources (e.g. equipment, facilities, software, collections) when I needed to. 87.2 77.7 90.1 9.5

This results set is excellent news for LCCOS, and testament to the continued efforts of all colleagues to deliver excellent services and support to UCL’s students.

Main Library first floor lobby entrance painting works

By Phil Watson, on 21 September 2022

Please be advised that from 09:00 this morning, the 21st September 2022, the first floor lobby area, Main Library entrance, there will be the completion to the painting works taking place.

The painting will only take place on the side of the exhibition case, meaning the works will not impact on the entrance, the lift, or restrict access in any way, and opening hours will remain as per usual.

The works will take 2-3 hours to complete and will be non-intrusive.

We apologise for the short notice to these essential works, if you do experience any issues in relation to this project, please do not hesitate in contacting a member of the F&P team and we will be more than happy to assist you.

Student Centre deep cleaning of carpets

By Phil Watson, on 2 September 2022

We have recently been working alongside Sodexo to improve the flooring surfaces around our spaces and we are pleased to inform you that we will now be focusing on the Student Centre.

This coming weekend, Saturday the 3rd and Sunday the 4th September, we will be carrying out a deep clean to all of the carpets in the public spaces within the building, to help us ensure all spaces are meeting the best environment possible for our staff and students, and enhance the student experience, ready for the new academic year commencement on the 26th September 2022.

In order for us to carry these works out, safely and to ensure the space is cleaned thoroughly, we will be closing off floors, one floor at a time, throughout the weekend, as programmed below:

4th, 3rd & 2nd  floors will be cleaned on Saturday 3rd September, between 05:00-15:00

1st, B1 & B2 floors will be cleaned on Sunday 4th September, between 05:00-16:00

If you require any further information please contact the F&P team and we will be more than happy to assist you.

Our team information can be found at the following link Facilities & Project Team

 

Further updates on the Main Library closures

By Phil Watson, on 18 August 2022

Dear Colleagues,

Unfortunately, due to Quad closures by Estates, a change to dates has been necessary in regards to the redecoration of the Main Library stairwell, there is also a further closure required to allow for the hard floors to be cleaned:

We have received confirmation from the UCL Campus Experience & Infrastructure team (CE&I, part of UCL Estates) that contractors will be redecorating the Main Library entrance stairwell. In order to carry out these works safely, and to keep access to the Main Library during the works, a scaffold will be erected with a deck over the stairs. This deck will be sealed with plastic to ensure no debris or paint can fall on users or the stairs. Vacuums will be used while sanding down and making repairs to the walls. The lighting will also be cleaned, repaired and re-fixed.

To erect the scaffolding the Main Library will be closed on Saturday 20th August 2022 all day. The library will reopen as normal on Sunday 21st August at 11am. A second closure on Saturday 27th August 2022 will be required to strike the scaffolding, again the library will remain closed all day.

Even though the scaffold will be removed on the 27th August, redecoration works will continue at lower level for another week, until the 3rd September, however, the library will remain open as usual, whilst these lower level redecoration works are carried out, unless otherwise stated and communicated.

Also, on Saturday the 27th and Sunday the 28th August, the Main Library will be closed in order for the essential deep cleaning of all hard floors in corridors, landings, stairs, the Flaxman Gallery, reading rooms, toilets and public spaces. This is in partnership with the Estates department and Sodexo, the cleaning contract company, to ensure the floors are in the best of health for the start of the new academic year.

Due to the bank holiday the library will reopen on Tuesday the 30th August at 08:45.

These are essential works to help us strive to maintain the health & safety of all of our students and staff and to ensure our spaces are kept to the highest level possible.

If you have any questions in regards to this project, please contact the F&P team and we will be more than happy to assist you

Our team information can be found at the following link Facilities & Project Team