The Marketplace showcases projects, communities and resources across the University.

New academic discipline policy. Why? When? How?

Philippa Armitage
Centre for Learning Excellence
Contact: philippa.armitage@beds.ac.uk

Why a new Academic Discipline Policy? When should an offence be reported? How does the policy work?

The new Academic Discipline Policy came into being in December 2011. Why was it changed? The University of Bedfordshire prides itself on being fair to all its students. It has developed a policy to enable all offences to be dealt with from a central point, whilst maintaining equality and consistency across all faculties and sites within the University. When should an offence be reported? When the tutor/marker suspects an offence, it should be reported. The tutor along with the Head of Department then decide whether an offence has been committed and the type of offence. How is an offence reported? The seriousness of the offence depends on whether it is considered an Academic Concern or an Academic Offence by the Academic Conduct Panel. The process governing this is demonstrated in this poster

Introducing BREO Blackboard 9.1

Nick Collis
Learning Technology (Centre for Learning Excellence)
Contact: nick.collis@beds.ac.uk

In September we will be moving to version 9.1 of BREO. Come and take a sneak preview, and see the many exciting new features.

You are invited to a sneak preview of some of the new features available in BREO v9.1, which will be made publicly available in September 2011. These include: - Drag and drop files from your desktop to your BREO site - No more separate Control Panel page = less clicks! - Smarter, slicker interface - Enhanced Gradecenter and testing tools. Come along to the BREO 9.1 preview table and take a look.

Online communities for educators

Annika Coughlin, Sarah Jones, Marilyn Leask
Faculty of Education, Sport and Tourism
Contact: annika.coughlin@beds.ac.uk

We want to create a successful network for anyone involved in educational research from any discipline and any sector using Web 2.0 technologies.

The purpose of the Education Communities is to: encourage the development and sharing of new ideas and strategies; enable people to connect locally, nationally and globally to run joint research projects; support faster problem solving; cut down on duplication of effort; provide potentially endless access to expertise.

www.educationcommunities.org

Go Mobile: Learning Resources app for Android phones

Paul Fryer
Learning Resources
Contact: paul.fryer@beds.ac.uk

Go mobile! Quick access to Learning Resources services from anywhere University of Bedfordshire Learning Resources now have our own Android app to help students and staff access our services from anywhere 24/7.

This app is free and features: Links to the Learning Resources website and Library Catalogue with full search facilities, A subscription link to the uoblibrary Twitter feed, Listings all of our 'Just a Minute' Library videos which you can watch on the go, GPS 'Find a campus' to guide you to any of our campuses from wherever you are, E-mail through the auto-enquiry function or call us directly to renew items and more. Compatible with all Android phones running version 1.6 and above This app was developed in-house.

Academic Accountability in Research: Data Validation and Repositories of Knowledge - Monitoring the Research Process

Mark Gamble
CLE
Contact: mark.gamble@beds.ac.uk

Creating a consistent way of recording and archiving notes from research student supervisory meetings

This JISC-funded project uses technology to develop and formalise the operation of research degree programmes; to better support the researcher experience; and to effectively capture and record engagement of research students and supervisors with the research process.

Landscapes for the Soul

Cass Howes with possibly Andrew Goodman
Chaplaincy - Community, Spirituality and Faith
Contact: cass.howes@beds.ac.uk

Landscapes for the Soul are places, physical or otherwise that nourish spirituality and connectivity. The Chaplaincy provides access to such places.

Landscapes for the Soul are spaces, physical or otherwise that nourish spirituality and connectivity. The University's Spirituality and Faith Centres provide direct access to such spaces as well as providing information about worship centres, religious and spiritual groups and organisations. The Spirituality and Faith teams offer all students and staff space to talk and be listened to. We will work with you to explore and resolve issues you may have about your studies, about your working life, about your spiritual path - about life in general! Our landscapes are unthreatening and nurturing, offering safe spaces in which you can be yourself and can explore difficult issues. Spirituality is about connections; with yourself, with others, with the ecology and the environment, with a sense of something outside of ourselves that might be divine. Landscapes for the Soul encourage such encounters and the transformation that may arise out of them.

www.beds.ac.uk/chaplaincy

The Student Information Desk (SiD)

Amanda Krebs
Student Information Desk, Student Services, Registry
Contact: amanda.krebs@beds.ac.uk

Higher Education Academy (HEA) professional recognition

Lesley Lawrence
Centre for Learning Excellence
Contact: Lesley.lawrence@beds.ac.uk

All staff teaching students should be recognised as Associates or Fellows of the HEA or have an equivalent qualification recognising their ability to teach at HE level

In increasingly competitive times students need to see the value of investing in their future at the University of Bedfordshire. We want to be acknowledged across the HE sector for our expertise and commitment to enhancing and supporting the student learning experience. Teaching qualifications of staff is one key indicator of the quality of our teaching. A recent Higher Education Academy (HEA) consultation included whether they should publish 'on an annual basis, a sector wide profile containing data provided by HE institutions relating to the numbers of staff who have, for example, completed Academy accredited provision against each standard descriptor'. The material explains the two routes to HEA recognition. Experienced staff can apply directly and staff relatively new to HE teaching must complete the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice, or one of its units, with the University. Equivalent qualifications and the process for recording existing qualifications via Trent are also identified.

www.beds.ac.uk/learning > Professional development > HEA Professional Development

The Association of University Administrators CPD Framework Project

Tom Phillips, Bethan Michael
University of Bedfordshire AUA Branch
Contact: aua@beds.ac.uk

Administrators at the University of Bedfordshire are participating in an Association of University Administrators funded pilot to support AUA CPD Framework implementation at the institution.

Our project objective is to analyse administrators' understanding of, and confidence in, accurately and consistently applying University of Bedfordshire undergraduate regulations. The project will interpret a variety of quantitative and qualitative data. The Association of University Administrators CPD Framework's professional behaviours will be utilised and a representative sample of data will be used. The project will cover three geographical sites, four academic faculties, professional and non-professional courses, and various types of undergraduate award. Questionnaires will be completed by administrators involved in the delivery of Field Boards of Examiners. Expected outcomes include: providing data needed to deliver high impact training; resources and documentation; improving staff confidence in applying regulations; complementing ongoing work within the University; sharing good practice; providing a form of internal peer review that can be implemented both within the institution and in the wider HE sector, and raising the profile of the AUA within the University.

aua@beds.ac.uk

The effective Higher Education Achievement Report

Peter Norrington
Centre for Learning Excellence
Contact: peter.norrington@beds.ac.uk

The Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) promotes recognition of effective curriculum design, extra- curricular activities and student employability

The Higher Education Achievement Report is a higher education sector initiative to improve the quality and accessibility of information available to students, staff, graduates and employers on student achievement at university. The structure of the HEAR is sector-wide. Each institution determines the key features of its courses and how they are represented; we are focussing on graduate impact statements and the special features that each course offers. The student has the opportunity not only to show their academic achievement, but also prizes, significant extra-curricular activities and awards. The HEAR will be recognised across Europe, extending the Diploma Supplement.

www.beds.ac.uk/hear

Sexual Orientation and Transgender Forum

Peter Norrington
Sexual Orientation and Transgender Forum
Contact: peter.norrington@beds.ac.uk

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, straight, transgender: the sexual orientation and transgender forum working for respect and support for all.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, straight, transgender - lots of gossip, less understanding, more judgement. Yet all people share needs to be safe, respected, loved and to flourish. Recent changes to UK law have improved protection for people. But the law is not enough. In a diverse, complex institution, we still have much to do to provide a welcoming environment for all staff and students. Families and friends, colleagues and communities: we still have much to do. The University has taken a solid step by joining the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme. The Sexual Orientation and Transgender Forum supports equality and celebrates diversity. Do you have stories to share with us? Or support you need?

Professional writing development at the University of Bedfordshire

Andrea Raiker, David Mathew
Centre for Learning Excellence
Contact: andrea.raiker@beds.ac.uk

Opportunities to develop academic writing and publishing skills, supported by experienced writers and editors, through UoB's journal and writing retreats

Writing for publication is an essential part of being an academic. As a new academic or academic writer, writing a four to seven thousand word paper could seem daunting. Writing for the Journal of Pedagogical Development is an excellent first step. Contributions to the Journal are only two to three thousand and there is peer and Centre for Learning Excellence support to help new authors achieve work of publishable standard. Experienced authors who would like feedback from colleagues and experts on their ideas for a full article are welcome to submit to the Journal too. A next step could be submitting a nearly finished article to gain a place at CLE's annual writing retreat. At these events, participants work with fellow authors, experienced writers and editors to hone their articles for submission to chosen publications. Take a look at the Journal and external publications from this year's contributors on display at the Marketplace!

www.beds.ac.uk/learning/writingretreat

www.beds.ac.uk/learning/support/jpd

UNISON

Alison Randall
UNISON
Contact: alison.randall@beds.ac.uk

UNISON is the only recognised union for support staff working at the University of Bedfordshire. Come and find out more.

UNISON is the UK's largest public sector trade union, with over 1.3 million members working across local government, health, education, police, community & voluntary, utilities, environment and transport sectors. 50,000 members work in Higher Education, as registrars, librarians, HR professionals, technicians, administrators, clerks, secretaries, cleaners, craftworkers, catering staff, porters, IT workers, finance and estate workers.

www.unison.org.uk

University of Bedfordshire equality & diversity in changing times

Maria Udu, Shajna Begum
Human Resources

Equality and Diversity contribute to the USP (unique selling point) of the University so it is crucial that their visibility is maintained at all times and at every given opportunity

The last year or so has seen (and continues to) lots of uncertainty for equality and diversity direction resulting from changing governments with different priorities, the emergence of new legislation in the form of the new Equality Act 2010 and varying interpretations about how these legal requirements should be implemented. The importance of and need to maintain some form of certainty in the face of uncertainty is hence a pressing priority and one which the University has managed to do by continuing to celebrate diversity with various events, consulting with equality strand fora on various issues, working towards the elimination of bullying and harassment in the workplace by raising staff awareness, working towards more visibility of lesbian, gay and bisexual issues by joining Stonewall's Diversity Champions Programme, continuing with equal pay reviews and working towards renewing its Athena Swan Bronze Award by looking for ways to support female staff within science, engineering and technology (SET) fields.

For more on the University's equality and diversity initiatives: http://in.beds.ac.uk/equality

What we do well

June Wilson
Careers and Employment Service
Contact: june.wilson@beds.ac.uk

Launching the Edge, the UoB employability skills award, and the Graduate Internship Scheme recruitment service to businesses

¤ The Edge ¤ Our new Employability Skills Award launches in Sept 2011. Students can gain recognition for their achievements - being a course representative, volunteering, part-time work, curriculum work etc. Interested? Please contact Eileen.Scott@beds.ac.uk before the end of July. ¤ The Recruitment Service ¤ Having placed over 170 graduates into employment through the Graduate Internship Scheme, the University of Bedfordshire is now able to offer a professional recruitment service to businesses seeking to fill their full and part-time vacancies.

careers@beds.ac.uk