Windows 10 rollout
DTS are currently in the process of upgrading all PCs to Windows 10 – the upgrade of student PCs is nearly complete and they will soon begin rolling out to groups of staff. Find out what we need you to do before your PC is scheduled for upgrade to ensure you don’t lose any data or access to software.
Catering services
Aligned with PSOM and implementation of The Catering Plan, there has been a rationalisation of the Catering Services structure and Team.
Catering Services outlets will now be in two operating clusters.
There will be a group of substantive café outlets ( Hallam Central, Charles Street, Robert Winston Building, and The Granary at HotC) open throughout the year, open Monday to Friday from 08.00 to 17.30.
( Cutting Edge will be open from 08.00-17.30 Monday- Friday, through to early December when it closes as a part of the Atrium re-development)
A second cluster will be open to reflect the Academic Timetable, with the six venues open from 16th September through to late May/early June, excluding SHU holiday periods. Four venues ( STEM, Post Office, Cantor and Stoddart) will be open from 08.30 through to 16.00 Monday to Friday. The two library cafes will have extended hours and will be open from 09.00 through to 19.00 Monday to Friday.
Assessment item creation in Blackboard module sites
This year assessment items have been coordinated by Academic Administration Teams at department level and items were set up by 4 September. For academic colleagues who did not check and confirm with the administration teams, an assessment type will have been set up with rolled assessment data from 18/19.
The process did not apply for modules not set to active in SITS or for those modules that do not have a corresponding module site in Blackboard.
What next?
Please check the setup of assessments in the Assessment area, Reassessment area and Grade Centre of your Blackboard module sites(s):
- Where assessment items have been set up automatically, please ensure that these have been set up as you would expect and add any additional content, feedback rubrics, or change to a group assignment type as you would do normally, as outlined in the University Policy for Assessment.
- We were unable to automatically create weighted columns for tasks with subtasks. Please contact your faculty TEL team if you require support setting up weighted columns.
Need to make a change?
- If you need to amend any assessment information or create an assessment item in Blackboard manually please use the decision tree to identify what action you need to take.
Please do not change the submission date or time or rename or delete assessment items created automatically as this will prevent Assessment Reports (such as the Capping Report) from working
Changes to academic and student regulations and policies
There have been some changes made to academic and student regulations and policies. Please ensure you read this document which contains a summary of the revised regulations, policies and procedures to remind you of whats changed and actions you need to take for 2019/20.
If you are new to the University, or if you would like a refresher on student regulations and policies, you might be interested in booking one of the “Introduction to Student Regulations and Policies” briefing sessions. There are some sessions scheduled for Friday 4 October, 10 am -12 noon and Monday 4 November, 3 – 5 pm and these can be booked via Core Portal.
Academic English classes for students with English as a second language
The University English Scheme (UES) offers non-credit bearing modules, masterclass workshops and tutorials aimed at developing students’ academic English. Staff can alert students to the scheme by uploading the Academic English Classes document to their Blackboard site.
You may also wish to encourage students to self-enrol on the UES Blackboard site. The site hosts the EAP toolkit, an interactive learning resource for developing students’ academic English.
Student Success Scholarship
Student Success Scholarship applications are now open. Any undergraduate home student who started on their course from September 2017 on wards is eligible to apply an could be awarded up to £2,000. Please encourage students to apply.
New staff volunteering policy
The University has introduced a new staff volunteering policy to encourage staff to undertake volunteering by providing time off work. Volunteering has numerous benefits, including staff wellbeing and development, and can be incredibly valuable in supporting the communities in which we work.
Volunteering leave is a new addition to the Hallam Deal, and the difference that volunteering makes to our communities contributes to the University’s Transforming Lives ambition.
There are numerous ways to get involved, whether through a one off event, or developing a longer term mentoring/coaching relationship with an organisation. Useful links are provided here to help staff get started.
Phishing email attacks- what to do if you get one
An ongoing phishing campaign targeting educational institutions in the US and the UK has now been seen by some staff members.
Find out what to do if you have been targeted and how to stay vigilant against future phishing attacks
Academic digest
The first Hallam Academic Digest is now available for staff to access details on the latest Hallam Developments relating to the planning and delivery of teaching.
This includes new resources and systems launched over the summer as well as revisions to current systems and processes.
Please note that you may have to log in to view the digest, using the following format,
username@hallam.shu.ac.uk (where username is your normal university login code).
SHU card collection point changed
Staff should now collect any new or replacement SHUcards from the reception desk of the Bryan Nicholson reception at City. There’s no change to the collection point at Heart of Campus (the main reception desk). Customers can collect at either point any time between 10am and 3.30pm from Monday to Friday.
For two weeks from Monday 30 September, students who need replacement SHUcards should be directed to collect them from the PC lab in Arundel between 10am and 3.30pm.
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