Student Mini Guide

welcome to all students Keep in touch with UPSU, your Students’ Union Your Students’ Union get involved make the most of ... find help

welcome to all students Welcome from UPSU deputy president ‘Bonjour’ as they say; if you’re French.

Plymouth University and UPSU support over 12,000 students studying across 13 campuses, these span from Bristol to Jersey.

Despite being away from the main campus, UPSU and the University are not any less committed to your studies and the student experience you get.

Although you study away from the Plymouth Campus you can access just as much support. You are a member of the University and the student union, therefore are able to take advantage of the excellent services we provide. Basically you get the best of both worlds, support from your college’s local campus and Plymouth / UPSU.

The purpose of this mini guide is to provide you with a quick glance / overview of what is exactly at your disposal and to encourage you to make the most of these opportunities. If you need assistance or the answer to a query, this guide is here to provide an answer or lead you in the direction to where this can be obtained.

In recent years, some of our best performing students in sports and academia have come from our partner college network.

As a ‘wise’ man once said: “He who dares wins Rodders” – Del Boy Richard Garratt

University Plymouth Students’ Union Deputy President

To help get you started we have put together a wealth of e-resources and information in the form of a welcome site which you will find at: www.studywithplymouth.ac.uk The welcome site has links, documents and more info on all areas covered in this mini guide

Plymouth University

Partner College Sites

If you require any part of this booklet in larger print, please contact UPSU Advice Tel: 01752 588373 Email: advice@su.plymouth.ac.uk

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Keep in touch with UPSU, your Students’ Union UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH STUDENTS’ UNION Every student at Plymouth University is automatically a member of UPSU, so you can register on our website at http://goo.gl/pJvn8 to get all the latest information about offers, activities, gigs, campaigns and contact information for your current HE College Representatives and fulltime Sabbatical Officers.

Along with our students’ union website we have also developed our social networking sites, making it even easier for students to find out what’s going on. facebook.com/upsunion twitter.com/upsu Additionally, there are also specific facebook pages and twitter feeds that have been created especially for our off campus students highlighting handpicked relevant information for you: facebook.com/upsu.partnercolleges At UPSU we now sell online tickets to all our events through www.upsu.com/events so those who study away from the main site are given every opportunity to participate.

UPSU course and college representatives UPSU is all about representation, because we can’t be at all the different institutions at the same time, we rely on a fantastic representation system to keep us updated.

Raising an issue with your Course Rep ensures your voice is heard. Any issues raised with a Course Rep are bought to the attention of the of the deputy president, Rich Garratt, who can then help address these issues and resolve them, working with both the respective colleges and University.

In our biggest colleges we also have part-time elected officers – HE College Representatives.

These students are elected into post to be an additional point of call at your college for raising issues, finding out more about UPSU, as well as helping to organise any HE social activities. Look out for information around your college about how to contact your HE College Representative, and to find out what exciting things they have planned for you. There is also contact information for all our college HE representatives on our website at www.upsu. com under the off campus student tab.

Essential contact information is included on the next page, including how to win yourself a £20 Amazon voucher.

IMPORTANT UPSU contacts for partner college students UPSU Deputy President: Richard Garratt The role of the UPSU deputy president includes representation of all students who study off the main campus by meeting and communicating with the students and representatives in question.

Contact: deputypresident@upsu.com

Student Experience Outreach Co-ordinator: Nathan Gornall Nathan is responsible for providing a link between the students and UPSU, promoting opportunities for involvement.

Rich and Nathan work very closely together, either can contacted to deal with your ideas issues and concerns.

Contact: PartnershipStudents@upsu.com

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Your Students’ Union essential contact info ‘competition time’ At the start of your course it’s extremely important that students studying at our partner colleges access their Plymouth University computing accounts. One of the most important activities for students studying at our colleges to do is making sure you have access to your university account.

We encourage students to set up a forward from their University account to their college account, therefore getting both college and university/ student union emails to one inbox. Guidance on how to do this can be found on the student portal.

This is essential as UPSU and the University can only send emails to your University account, and obviously we don’t want you missing out on any information.

As an incentive we have a competition where five £20 Amazon vouchers are up for grabs.

To get your hand on one of these are you have to do is set up your forward and then email: deputypresident@upsu.com saying ‘forwarding is the way forward’ – five lucky winners will then be selected at random.

visits from UPSU Both the UPSU Deputy President Rich Garratt and Student Experience Outreach Co-ordinator Nathan Gornall have revamped UPSU’s approach to ‘freshers’ this year, aiming to bring the main campus excitement to our off campus students.

2012 ‘freshers’ will see the maiden launch of our mobile students’ union.

This is a campaign UPSU have recently managed to secure funding for, courtesy of the University.

The mobile student union will do exactly what the name suggests; acting as an extension of our main building being regularly situated around our vast partner college network campuses. It will turn up with a team of ‘freshers angels’ who will be able to tell you all about the great opportunities offer by UPSU, whether these be sporting opportunities, our extensive advice centre or some of the great upcoming events.

UPSU SHOP Our UPSU mobile student union will also sell our hotly sort after Plymouth University merchandise, such as t-shirts, hoodies etc. These are also available to buy online at upsu.com/shop.

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UPSU falmouth takeover night The ‘freshers’ period will also see the UPSU working alongside CCSU (Cornwall College Student Union). We have arranged a Students’ Union take over night in Falmouth. Much like the main campus fresher ball, we will be transforming a club for into a great spectacle; the event will be taking place September 27th 2012. For more information look on upsu.com/events/ or contact deputypresident@upsu.com

Representation UPSU representation is made up of five full-time Sabbatical Officers and many part-time voluntary officers. In our largest partner colleges we also pay part-time elected officers to act as a key representative (HE College Representatives) from that college, and link UPSU’s work with the students. The colleges at which these Reps are based include: Truro and Penwith College, Somerset College, Petroc, South Devon College and City College Plymouth.

UPSU’s representation structure of the Union means that its simple to see how your voice can be heard. At the very heart of our representation system are the Course Representatives. UPSU supports our Course Reps to feel confident to raise issues at college level for quick resolution, or if required, we can provide further assistance to raise issues in other forums.

Elected HE College Representatives have a great opportunity of involvement in choosing the direction of the students’ union and making sure their students voices are heard.

All HE College Representatives are allocated a seat on parliament. If you would like any more information on this please email: deputypresident@upsu.com

NUS EXTRA CARD Being a member of UPSU allows you to obtain an NUS card for discounts in stores nationwide - one of the great benefits of being a student!

UPSU aims to ensure easy distribution of NUS cards to partner college students. You can buy your NUS card online at www.nus.org.uk NUS Extra is the definitive student discount card with a range of exclusive discounts, offers and competitions designed to make student life more exciting, more memorable and more rewarding. Use it to make your money go further on books, clothes, sports wear, CDs, travel, computer gear and eating out.

Your NUS Extra card costs £12 and is valid for one whole academic year and is a useful form of student ID, as well as getting you all those discounts. To make the most of your money, get your card early, and start making savings.

Getting your NUS Extra card couldn’t be simpler…

HOW TO BUY AN NUS EXTRA CARD 1. Go to www.nus.org.uk/nus-extra/ and select ‘buy it now’ 2. Choose either your college name or ‘University of Plymouth Students’ Union’ from the drop down menu 3. Fill in your details to buy online 4. If you have purchased your NUS Extra card online, and have selected ‘University of Plymouth’ you will need to send an email to: info@upsu.com stating that you are a Partner College Student. Let us know your name, college, and your home address. This ensures that we can send your card straight to you, and you can start making savings.

support for course reps In our Partner Colleges, we encourage all students to get in touch with their Course Rep if they would like to raise an issue. All Course Reps play a vital role and are expected to contribute student views on the quality of teaching and learning within your college, and also on the overall student experience gained whilst studying. Course Reps mostly represent the views of their peers at Programme Committee or Joint Board of Studies Meetings, and feedback from these meetings is passed on to the UPC Faculty Board. If you have been elected as the Course Rep for your group, make sure you pass on your contact details to your college, and email partnershipstudents@upsu. com to be added to our Course Rep database.

We have a special section of the UPSU website dedicated to Course Reps, and this provides links to the ‘virtual voice’ community for all faculty Course Reps. We encourage all Course Reps to make the most out of their experience, by attending training, using your Course Rep handbook, and sharing examples of best practice and innovative problem solving ideas.

Visit the Partner Colleges tab on upsu.com for more information or log into the UPC Virtual Voice Community at www.help-cetl.ac.uk/moodle/virtualvoice The Virtual Voice community has been created to share the student voice across the partnership.

The mobile students’ union will also have the facilities to sell and print NUS cards, so make sure you take advantage of this when it is on your campus’ – it is a simple process that will literally take five miuntes.

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get involved Campaigns for change UPSU are active in making sure students get the most out of their university experience and we run campaigns to make changes in improving students’ lives. Students in Partner Colleges can ask UPSU to support them in campaigning for change, as well as joining our existing regional and national campaigns. For more information on campaigning, email Steph Driscoll the Education and Welfare Officer at vpedandwelfare@upsu.com

UPSU STUDENT NEWSPAPER UPSU STUDENT NEWSPApER “The Knowledge” UPSU has its own student newspaper: The Knowledge. Any student is able to write articles about anything that interests them, so why not give it a go? The Knowledge is also available online at www.upsu.com.

For more information please contact UPSU Activities and Communications Sabbatical Officer at vpactivities@upsu.com

volunteering

ENTERTAINMENT and EVENTS UPSU has bars, shops, online services and much more. All our profits go straight back into providing better services for students.

Partner Colleges students are very welcome to join us in Plymouth for a night out, and trips to Plymouth campus have been arranged in the past by Partner College Reps. Information about upcoming events can be found at www. upsu.com, as well as being able to buy tickets online for upcoming balls and gigs. UPSU are trialling many events specifically for off campus students this year, so please do keep an eye out on our facebook pages and on your emails (details of these found on the ‘keep in touch section on pages 2 and 3).

The UPSU Volunteering department has over 600 volunteers and organises volunteering across the region, off campus students are welcome to join in many volunteering activities, such as at the Looe Monkey Sanctuary, railway projects and beach clean-ups. Volunteering is a free service so any student is able to join, simply email volunteer@su.plymouth.ac.uk We have an online based volunteering opportunity with the charity Beatbullying. Last academic year 100 students became cyber mentors, helping to support young people who were experiencing bullying. You just need to commit 2 hours a week, after attending a training session in Plymouth and then you can do the voluntary work from home or college.

UPSU Falmouth take over ball confirmed for 27th September 2012, email deputypresident@upsu.com for more info

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Keep a look out on facebook for all the exciting opportunities coming up, either through the UPSU page website of facebook pages or just go straight to facebook.comUPSUVolunteers

GET INVOLVED

sports and activities UPSU has over 150 different sports clubs, societies and volunteering activities. If a student lives or studies close to the Plymouth campus, then it is very easy to get involved with activities. If you would like to join or set up a sports club or society, get in touch with the Sabbatical Officers by emailing vpsports@upsu.com and vpactivities@upsu.com respectively.

One of the best ways to get involved with UPSU clubs, societies and ViP (Volunteering in Plymouth), is to come along to the Sports & Societies Fair. This year the Sports & Socs Fair is being held in the SU on Sunday 23rd September between12pm and 6pm!

Remember to bring along some passport photos and some money so you can sign up to join anything that takes your fancy! Don’t worry if you can’t make it to the fairs as a complete list of the clubs and societies, together with contact details is available on our website: www.upsu.com

If you would like to be involved with the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Surfing Championships (Europes biggest student surfing event) at Fistral Beach taking place on 18th - 21st October 2012 then email deputypresident@upsu.com for more information about trials which take place first week of October.

Our snowriders team is also very popular with off campus students, the date for their annual holiday is already set ,14th 22nd December in Deux Alpes it normally sees 150+ students go and is well to be honest pretty epic! Trials for the teams will take place during October again please email deputypresident@upsu.com for more information.

UPSU STUDENT NEWSPAPER Partner college varsity 2012 13 sees the launch of the first ever Partner College sports varsity event. We are looking for teams of students to represent their campus or college, whilst competing against other Partner Collge students, and students from the main University campus. This will provide a great opportunity for Partner Collge students to form new friendships within your colleges, as well as other students within the Partner Collge faculty network.

We will be trialling the Varsity with team sports of netball, hockey, 5-a-side football and Rugby 7s. These sports will hopefully have the widest participation, and provide opportunities. If you are interested in signing up a team, or want to form a team within your college, please email: deputypresident@upsu.com up-to-date information is available from the Partner College tab on upsu.com

sports scholarships Plymouth University offers sports scholarships to students who represent their chosen recognised sport, nationally or internationally.

Further information can be found at www. plymouth.ac.uk/getactive or contact Sport and Active Leisure on 01752 588510

recreation facilites If you live near the Plymouth campus you could use the facilities at the Nancy Astor Sports Centre or take part in recreational sailing or powerboat sessions. For further information about the facilities, courses, classes and details about student membership to the Fitness Suite visit: www.plymouth.ac.uk/getactive or contact the Sport and Active Leisure reception desk, Tel: 01752 588510 or Email: recreation@plymouth.ac.uk. Also keep up to date on the Partner Collge sections on upsu.com as sporting opportunities/class such as zumba will be listed.

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make the most of ...

Plymouth University student portal The Plymouth University portal is your gateway to various e-resources to support your study.

You can access University information and library resources which enables you to locate a range of journals and electronic resources from the University Library.

All Partner Collge faculty students are issued with a Plymouth University login and password at the start of their course. You can access the portal at http://student.plymouth.ac.uk or via the Internal Students link at the top of the Plymouth University homepage: www. plymouth.ac.uk Once you’ve entered your username and password, click on ‘More information for Partner College Students’. Once you’ve logged in we recommend you change your password, this link can be found in the top right hand corner. You can then access the partnership student community. Here you’ll discover a range of e-resources, journals, databases, study guides, learning resources, academic information and regulations, etc.

You will automatically be given a University email account. You can follow the instructions to redirect your University emails to your preferred email address. Throughout the year you will recieve important emails, updates, news and information so it is vital that you forward your emails to an email address you access frequently. Guidance is available on the portal.

Computing Helpdesk - If you have any problems when you are creating your computer account or logging into the student portal or if you can’t access the information you need, please contact the University’s Computing Helpdesk by email: openaccess@plymouth.ac.uk or phone : 01752 588900

portal log on details User name: Password:

study skills support The University has produced study guides to help you settle into studying at university-level.

Topics include: Learning from lectures and seminars Reading effectively Note-taking Planning and writing essays Revision and examination techniques Giving presentations Reflection The guides contain numerous activities and tasks so you can assess your strengths and weaknesses then identify which techniques to use to develop and improve your study skills.

You will find these guides at www.learningdevelopment.plymouth.ac.uk The Higher Education Study Skills Toolbox has been designed to support students and lecturers with Key Study Skills resources.

Within the application there is a wealth of resources, in many forms such as word documents and web links, all of which will help support and develop your study skills. For more information go to the Partner College Student Community on the portal.

You can collate your professional development using the University’s e-portfolio tool available via http:\\e-portfolio.plymouth.ac.uk This also links to the University’s e-pdp guidance module.

On enrolment we will send you a complete online student study guide available at http://www.help-cetl.ac.uk/upc/

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The Plymouth university library and e-resources As well as all the resources in your college library you can use the books, journals and DVDs in the University library at Plymouth.

You can also use its computing and media facilities.

Your college library staff will be able to advise you on how to access the online e-books and how to borrow books from the Plymouth Library. There are also a range of e-tutorials available to assist you with using the library’s e-resources available at the Partner Colleges’ Library Guide. On this website you can watch a video tour of the Plymouth Library.

You can visit the Plymouth Library for reference purposes at any time – the library is open 24/7. Simply inform reception staff that you are a Partner College student and show them your college ID. If you are able to visit Plymouth regularly and would like to borrow books in person, you should apply for a University student card. You can download an application form from the Partner College Student Community on the portal. (A University Student Card acts as a library card and printing/photocopying card at Plymouth University but does not replace any cards issues by your college.)’

The ILS (Information & Learning Services) pages on the portal provide links to the Library Catalogue, our electronic resources and information about the library opening hours and how to find us. Once logged on to the portal, hover over ‘University Information’ and select ‘Library, Media & IT (ILS)’.

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OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROGRESSION All Foundation Degree courses have built progression routes to Honours Degrees.

Many of these are to the final year of bachelor degrees or to special top-up degree courses at Plymouth University or other institutions.

At the start of your course you will be given or have access to the Student Handbook for your programme. This key document will tell you everything you need to know about your course including information about modules, lecturers and the progression routes available to you. During your course you will meet staff from the University and have the opportunity to visit Plymouth to help you decide whether to continue your studies to honours level.

Final year Foundation Degree students wishing to progress to Plymouth University must apply by 15th January. Places are subject to availability. So get your applications in early, if you can.

Students that progress to Plymouth University from foundation degrees may be eligble for means tested bursaries and care leavers bursaries etc. For more information visit www.plymouth.ac.uk/money

More information on all topics in this mini guide is available at:

www.studywithplymouth.ac.uk

find help UPSU advice service

DISABILITY ASSIST

If you have a problem during your time as a Partner College faculty student, your first source of help and advice should be someone within your college, however if you can’t get assistance locally, you should contact UPSU:Advice UPSU:Advice is a free, confidential and independent advice centre, to help students with any problems they may have. All their staff are professionally trained and can offer advice on a range of issues, including academic, housing, financial or personal. To get in touch with UPSU Advice, students can email: advice@su.plymouth.ac.uk or call 01752 588373. A drop in service operates from the Plymouth campus, and we can also arrange to call students back if they phone us.

More information, including opening hours, and helpful guidance are available online at www.upsu.com/advice

Disability Assist offers advice and guidance on disability to current and prospective students and staff. The word ‘disability’ covers a wide range of conditions including dyslexia, dyspraxia, mental health and other medical conditions. If you feel you need help it is best to speak to your course leader or the Disability Co-ordinator at your college first, but DAS are always happy to provide more information.

Disability assist Services is an accredited assessment centre. It provides assessments and advice for students applying for the Disabled Student Allowance and liaises with LEAs and other funding bodies and technology suppliers.

If you decide to progress to an honours degree at Plymouth University please contact Disability Assist as soon as possible so that appropriate support is available when you start your top-up course. The facilities and resources will not necessarily be the same and you need to know what will be available throughout your studies.

Email: nicola.ager@plymouth.ac.uk or visit www.plymouth.ac.uk/disability or phone 01752 587658

UPSU advice

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student finance All partner colleges will have at least one member of staff who deals with student financial issues. They will be able to give you advice on all aspects of student money issues such as budgeting, student loans, benefits, short term loans, Access to Learning Funds and bursaries. If you want to speak to someone outside your college contact UPSU:Advice.

international students If you are an international student, there is specialist help, support and advice available to you through the University International Students’ Advisory Service. The staff are authorised (OISC) immigration advisors and can assist and advise you in extending your visa, changing visa status etc. They can also provide support and advice about work regulations, cultural issues, financial matters, personal matters and transition and adaptation issues. Find lots of information and guidance sheets at: www.plymouth.ac.uk/isas

careers Plymouth University Career Gateway seeks to support partner college careers and advisory services through the Partner College Advisers Network. When planning your career and professional development you should talk to the person responsible for careers advice at your college. You can access extensive careers information on our website at www.plymouth.ac.uk/careers. Here you can also access further information about careers events, such as job fairs and links to other services such as HE Guidance – a free online advice service: www.gradsouthwest.com/heguidance

If you’re looking for a job, whether part-time or voluntary while studying, or a graduate job for when you leave, register with our vacancy site: www.gradsouthwest.com Registration is quick and easy and means we can then email you vacancies that match your interests.

careers The Plymouth Award is designed to recognise and celebrate student achievements outside the curriculum.

Many Plymouth University students already make significant contributions to the life of the University and the communities in which they live and work.

The Plymouth Award is one way of recognising these contributions and the learning and personal growth that students gain from these activities For more information see www1.plymouth.ac.uk/plymouthaward/Pages

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For more information, please visit: http://technologyenhancedlearning.net/mobile

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