March 2011

Playing to a full house at the

Duke’s Theatre

Editor: Lynn ClarkFeatures: Communications teamDesign: Claire Andrews

This document may be viewed in electronic format on our website and can be made available in alternative formats (for example Braille). Please call 01228 616056 for further information. Non-standard font size used for environmental sustainability.

News

University appoints new Vice Chancellor 2

Stroke care certificates awarded/ 4 Energy research leads to PhD first

Students volunteer to help out during National 5Student Volunteering Week

PhD graduate secures prestigious 6 role at University of Sydney/Brambles staff gain qualifications Nursing student wins national competition 7

In an English forest garden... 8

Sir Chris Bonington advises on leadership Everest style 9

Falklands commendation for graduate 10

Learning the ropes at the Newton Rigg campus 11 climbing wall

Features

Playing to a full house at the Duke’s Theatre 12

The binocular clutch bag, which highlights the 14 audience perspective

Karen honours the past and insures the future 16

Hilary’s academic expertise in demand worldwide 17

Graduate expertise brings an online boost to 18 local companies

Students clue up in advance via social networking 19

SU elections at the university/Cumbria hosts 20 national Assessment in Higher Education Conference/ Research fellow appointment

Notices

Information noticeboard 21

01

When I wrote in the last edition of Connect about the Browne report and the Government’s comprehensive spending review, there was little detail to report. Three months later and we still await the final pronouncements about our funding for the years ahead.

What we do know is that from 2012/13, we will progressively lose 90 per cent of current state funding for HEFCE sponsored courses, but the fine tuning is still under wraps. As we endeavour to set our fees for the cohort of students beginning their courses in 2012, this situation makes decision-making extremely challenging, both for the university and indeed for our prospective students. Work is already underway on market research and modelling a number of different tuition fee scenarios to furnish the background information we need to make the final decision.

Reassuringly, however, this university is better equipped to deal with funding issues than many others in the sector, and that is largely down to the immense amount of hard work and effort, on everyone’s part, that has gone into turning it around and effectively relaunching as the “lean and mean” institution it deserves to be. And that is something we should all be very proud of— it proves that when necessary, staff at the University of Cumbria are prepared to dig in and make things happen. And as Professor Peter Strike prepares to take up the reins as Vice Chancellor later in the year, I believe he can have confidence that the foundations have now been laid for the University of Cumbria to reach effectively towards achieving its goals at every level.

Professor Graham Upton,Vice Chancellor

Contents

News

03

University appoints new Vice ChancellorThe University Board has now approved the appointment of Professor Peter Strike, currently Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research, Knowledge Exchange and Business Engagement) at the University of Sunderland, as the next Vice Chancellor of our university.

The appointment followed an extensive recruitment process which was overseen by a selection committee appointed by the University Board. This resulted in a strong and wide-ranging initial shortlist of eight candidates. These were considered as part of an initial selection process before Christmas with a shortlist of three taken forward for the final selection process in January 2011.

Stephen Henwood, Chairman of the Board says: “I am delighted to find such a strong candidate for Vice Chancellor to take the University of Cumbria through its next stage of development. Peter’s distinguished academic career and extensive experience in management and leadership positions make him particularly qualified for this role.

“I want to pay tribute to Graham Upton for the excellent job he has done in positioning the university so that it is able to look forward to the future with confidence and I am sure Peter will build on the successful foundation laid by Graham and his colleagues.”

Peter Strike is looking forward to joining the university. He says: “I am genuinely delighted to be returning to the region in which I grew up and to be given the opportunity to lead the University of Cumbria into the next phase of its development. Although the university itself is relatively new, many of its component parts have, for many years, played a major part in the cultural and economic life of the region. The challenge for me, and for my senior team, is to continue to build on this legacy, creating a vibrant institution of high academic merit that provides opportunities for all those who wish to benefit from the experience of higher education.

“I look forward with keen anticipation to working with the staff and students of the university, and with our partners and stakeholders within Cumbria and beyond, to deliver that outcome.”

Peter is expected to start his new role on 1 July 2011. Professor Graham Upton leaves us on 31 July 2011.

Profile of Professor Peter Strike Peter is currently Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research, Knowledge Exchange and Business Engagement) at the University of Sunderland, and Professor of Genetics. Before that he was formerly Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) at the University of Northumbria in Newcastle and Vice Principal (Research and Knowledge Transfer) at Napier University in Edinburgh. Peter was awarded a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry from the University of Sussex and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He has over 28 years’ teaching experience to a wide range of programmes at first and second year undergraduate, honours and masters levels in genetics, microbiology and biochemistry. He has held fellowships and awards from the Royal Society, Wellcome Trust, Nuffield Foundation, European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) as well as being co-author of 70 publications in refereed journals.

He is currently Vice Chair of Modern Universities Research Group (MURG) and is a member of Universities for the North East Executive Committee, Universities for the North East Knowledge Transfer Committee and NetPark Advisory Group.

Peter was born and raised in Barrow in Furness and attended Barrow in Furness Grammar School for Boys. He is 62 years old. Peter’s interests include hill and mountain walking, long-distance walks and sailing. He is an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore and an RYA-approved teacher. He also served for 17 years with the Royal Naval Reserve as senior training officer with the Liverpool Universities’ Royal Navy Unit. He supports Newcastle United.

News

Stroke care certificates awarded

The Cumbria and Lancashire Stroke Network, which was recently awarded £250,000 to strengthen and enhance services in the area, is working to ensure medical staff have the specialist knowledge they require to meet the complex needs of patients who have suffered strokes, many of whom have to undergo lengthy rehabilitation and suffer long term effects.

As part of this initiative, staff from both the acute hospitals and community health teams in Cumbria and north Lancashire have been undergoing additional training at the university and have completed the University Certificate in Stroke Care after funding was provided through the network.

Twenty-three students worked towards the qualification via a part-time, work-based learning programme and they celebrated their success at a presentation afternoon shortly before Christmas.

Dr Paul Davies, one of the Cumberland Infirmary physicians at the forefront of improving stroke care in the county, and his colleague Dr Olu Orugun, from the West Cumberland Hospital, were among the special guests at the presentations and they were joined by Kathy Blackadder, stroke network lead, who formally handed over the certificates.

The university’s Dr Diane Cox also gave a short speech, citing it an excellent example of collaborative working between the university and local health trusts.

Jenny successfully won full funding from the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) for her research—one of only 35 studentships awarded since its formation in 2004.

After four and a half years living and studying in Cumbria, Jenny says: “My research was focused around renewable energy projects in rural Cumbria. As a result I have become really interested in how and why people use energy in their day-to-day lives—and what helps or prevents more sustainable energy use.

“I now want to find work in the sustainable energy sector, either in research or a more practical role.”

The university is committed to expanding its research activity in key areas. Dr Ian Convery, Jenny’s Director of Studies says:

“For Jenny to access research council funding in this very competitive area was a real achievement and she is the first PhD graduate from our National School of Forestry.

“We currently have three other UKERC-funded studentships, more than any other university outside London and Edinburgh.

“Over the last five years we have worked hard to grow our postgraduate research and we now have a total of 12 PhD students working on a range of forestry, energy and conservation issues. This is a significant resource of talented scientists for Cumbria and the North West and we want more of them.”

Student Jenny Rogers has won the distinction of becoming the first PhD graduate from the university’s National School of Forestry. Her valuable research into sustainable energy will be continued by other PhD students at the Newton Rigg campus.

Energy research leads to PhD first

Pictured are some of the students and staff at the Lancaster presentation

Jenny Rogers

05

Students volunteer to help out during National Student Volunteering Week

The university’s Students’ Union organised various events between 21 and 27 February to encourage students to get involved.

More than 15 volunteers from the Lancaster, Penrith and Carlisle campuses worked with service users at Heathlands on a painting, decorating, and outdoors project and ten students took part in a similar project at the Eden Foyer in Penrith.

Heathlands Farm day centre for adults with learning disabilities at Harker, Carlisle, provided an opportunity for students to form a befriending environment whilst working on a painting, decorating and outdoors project, allowing the members to develop confidence and relationships by offering practical assistance and support.

The Eden Foyer is the only facility in Cumbria which provides young people with support and opportunities into independent living. The Foyer offers a wide range of services for young people and the wider community.

Kind hearted students have given up their time to support local good causes during Volunteering England’s tenth annual Student Volunteering Week in February.

Kati Brown, the Students’ Union Volunteering Facilitator said of the week: “It has been a great success, it’s been a lot of fun and has made a big impact on the organisations we’ve been working with. Everyone who took part really enjoyed themselves and hopefully this will encourage more students to take part in volunteering opportunities throughout the year.

“As well as being a great way to develop skills, build experience, and get involved with the community, it is also good for potential employers to see on the CV of any student.”

In the last academic year, 49% of students across the UK took part in volunteering, giving more than three million hours to their communities and contributing an estimated £42 million to the economy.

Sukhvinder Kaur-Stubbs, chair of Volunteering England said: “Volunteering provides the opportunity for students from all backgrounds and cultures to engage with their community in diverse ways, helping challenge and overcome barriers between different groups. Volunteering England’s Student Volunteering Week enables a variety of organisations to make a real contribution to the future of students and the future of their communities. As Volunteering England’s Chair, I am proud to endorse the campaign.”

Student volunteers and service users at Heathlands Farm

News

University PhD graduate secures prestigious role at the University of Sydney

PhD graduate Mariusz Pietrzyk, who completed his doctoral studies with the Medical Image Perception Research Group, in Medical Imaging Sciences (MIS), Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at Cumbria in 2010, is now established as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sydney, Australia. In 2006 Mariusz joined Professor David Manning as a full-time PhD student funded through the Graduate School after successful completion of a medical physics MSc at Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. His PhD, entitled, ‘Physical properties of local and global image-based elements and the performance of human observers in radiological tasks’, was supervised by Professor Manning and Professor Alan Dix of the Department of Computing, Lancaster University.

Dr Pietrzyk is now Lecturer in Physics, Postdoctoral Research Associate and International Research Project Coordinator in Medical Radiation Sciences of the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney and is also a Research Fellow at the Brain and Mind Research Institute (BMRI), University of Sydney.

As well as working hard to ensure staff and students are well fed and watered, members of staff at the refectory on the Newton Rigg campus have also been working hard at gaining qualifications in their field. Helen Mounsey and Ann Wilson have both gained NVQ level 3 in Business and Administration, while Customer Service NVQ level 2 was awarded to Gaynor Bamber, Kerry Dinham, Andrea Faulder, Hazel Gray, Barbara Johnstone, Anne Pickering, Sara Rawlinson-Brown and Susan Scaife.

Congratulations to the team on these well-deserved achievements!

Brambles staff gain qualifications

Dr Mariusz Pietrzyk

Brambles staff with their awards

07

Graham Burrell is celebrating after winning a national competition run by the National Network of Learning Disability Nurses.

Graham is a learning disabilities nursing student based at the Lancaster campus. Students were asked to write a 500-word essay entitled ‘Inspiration, Aspiration and Perspiration’ about their time on the course and their hopes for the future. Five essays were short-listed from all the national entries and their authors invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Network’s two-day annual conference in York.

Graham’s entry came out on top after a final selection process by a group of people with learning disabilities. He was presented with a trophy and a cash prize of £250 by Dr Michael Brown, Chair of the National Network of Learning Disability Nurses.

Graham was made redundant at the age of 45 and remembers that time as the lowest point in his life. He was extremely worried about how he would continue to provide for his wife and children and it was with trepidation that he decided to enrol on the learning disabilities nursing course at his local university.

In his winning essay, Graham says: “Eight months into this programme, my inspiration is the smile of a person who faces challenges far greater than I can comprehend; my personal challenges are insignificant. My inspiration is a powerful emotion; it carries me forwards on my journey, as I travel. I hold it, and that smile, in my mind; it moves me and influences me in ways I never thought possible. There really are things of greater importance and more rewarding than a balanced spreadsheet and last week’s performance figures!”

One of Graham’s lecturers at the University of Cumbria, Tony Dennison, was at the conference and saw him collect his prize. He says: “We’re very proud of Graham and this achievement is richly deserved. He’s well on his way to becoming an excellent learning disabilities nurse.”

Nursing student wins national competition

Graham Burrell with his NNLDN prize

News

Students get ready for ‘Go Green Week’ at the Newton Rigg campus

In an English forest garden...

As part of People & Planet’s ‘Go Green Week’, the students organised a string of events to explore, among other things, how to grow a range of food within a forest setting.

Forest gardens have a long history, particularly in tropical countries, and are now of increasing interest in temperate regions of deciduous forest. A forest is the most productive of land ecosystems and the aim of a forest garden is to integrate woodland ecosystems and plant ecology with a touch of human ingenuity to create a highly productive way of growing food, medicine, herbs and other plants.

‘Go Green Week’ kicked off on Monday 7 February with an all-day open meeting of Cumbria Forest Food Network, featuring talks

and workshops by Andy Goldring, Head of the Permaculture Association (PA) and Tomas Remiarz, Research Leader for the PA.

The week of associated events was brought to a close on Saturday 12 February with a cob oven demonstration, green woodworking and further investigation of forest gardening.

If you would like to find out how you can get involved in creating and developing your own forest garden, please contact Naomi van der Velden for more information at naomi.vandervelden@cumbria.ac.uk

Students at the Newton Rigg campus spent time in February investigating innovative ways of combating major global issues such as carbon emissions, deforestation, food miles and chemical additives by exploring the creation of ‘forest gardens’.

Sir Chris Bonington advises on leadership Everest style

The session was part of the LEAD programme (Leading Enterprise and Development) and was the second such event to be held in Cumbria and delivered by Sir Chris.

He comments: “I’ve now given twelve lectures for the Lead programme in the North West and I’m immensely impressed. I believe the value of the programme lies in bringing together participants from business, the charitable sector and the service sector so that they can work together and share their own experiences, problems and successes.

“I use the ascent of the south west face of Everest as an illustration of active leadership and the issues that surround it. Not only the biggest climbing expedition ever launched by the UK, it also presented the greatest mountaineering challenge ever faced. With an interactive presentation, I involve the audience in the problems we encountered, using an experiential and narrative process that enables us to examine the issues of leadership that arose during the expedition, to a common end.

“The experiential learning method actively helps participants once back in their workplace, as they then apply what they’ve seen and discussed during the session to their own unique organisational problems as they arise.”

The LEAD course is aimed at micro-businesses with fewer than 20 members of staff. It has been designed in conjunction with small businesses and concentrates on the business itself and the personal development of owner-managers as part of a £9.5 million plan by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) to boost small businesses in the county and across the North West. The university’s LEAD team works closely with the Chamber of Commerce, Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA), West Cumbria Development Agency and Furness Enterprise to ensure its success across the county.

It aims to work with 125 owner-managers from throughout the county, taking them through a 10-month programme, which is hailed as a real watershed by businesses that have already taken part.

Sir Chris Bonington visited the Fusehill Street campus to deliver a leadership masterclass to 100 delegates from local businesses.

09

Sir Chris Bonington with Rachael Sterrett, LEAD project manager

News

Ryland checks a valve in the snow

Left: Ryland receives his award from Commodore Philip Thicknesse; Commander of British Forces South Atlantic Islands

Falklands commendation for graduate

Ryland Cairns has been honoured with a Commander British Forces Commendation for distinguished service in the field of water supply, working alongside troops in the Falkland Islands.

When Ryland graduated with BSc (Hons) in Outdoor Studies in 2005, he was keen to continue his studies with research that had real-life applications. He found an advanced postgraduate course in water processes at Cranfield University and the rest, as they say, is history.

His research into drinking water treatment prompted a string of accolades and led him to his current position as the process scientist responsible for ensuring a supply of clean water to MoD facilities in the South Atlantic.

In the depth of the 2010 winter, a critical plant break down at a large site on the Falkland Islands threatened the supply of potable water. Emergency conditions were put in place forcing Ryland and a team of engineers to work day and night in all conditions (freezing rain, snow, hail and gale force winds) for seven days to ensure the demand for drinking water was met.

The commendation was presented by Commodore Philip Thicknesse, Commander of British Forces South Atlantic Islands. He says: “Ryland’s dedication and determination to ensure that troops could function as normal, providing safe drinking water and allowing personal administration, is truly exceptional. The personal qualities shown towards efficiency and sense of duty are outstanding and Ryland thoroughly deserves the highest award I can bestow.”

Ryland (27), who originally hails from North Yorkshire, remembers his undergraduate studies fondly: “I chose to study in Cumbria mainly because of the course, but the location certainly helped in the decision process.

“I am very proud to receive this award and would not have been able to do it without a fantastic support team. The skills and knowledge I acquired on the BSc (Hons) in Outdoor Studies course were invaluable, allowing me to work outside safely in extremely harsh conditions.“

11

Right: climbing wall at the Newton Rigg campus

Learning the ropes at the Newton Rigg campus climbing wallLocal climbers had cause for celebration when the university re-opened its 10-metre climbing wall at the Newton Rigg campus. World-famous climber Simon Yates was on hand at the launch event to speak to enthusiasts and offer helpful advice.

The event was open to all and took place on Wednesday 19 January. It offered beginners the opportunity to ‘have-a-go’ as well as open climbing and a bouldering competition for those who fancied a challenge.

The wall has 17 lines with over 50 different routes and is suitable for climbers of all abilities. It will be open to the public as well as students and staff from the university. Opening times are 12.00 - 2.00pm and 6.00 - 9.00pm, Monday to Friday with other times available for group bookings.

The wall will be manned by a qualified supervisor as well as a number of students who have attained their climbing instructor’s award.

Sports centre manager Gillian Batty says: “We are thrilled to be re-opening the climbing wall after an

eight-month closure. The wall is a wonderful resource for the local area as it provides a venue for all abilities, from complete beginners to the more elite climber.

“Climbing is a fantastic activity and we can offer people the opportunity to try out the sport, as well as provide a facility for local climbers to hone their skills.”

Since reopening, the climbing wall has attracted 230 members including students, staff and members of the public and is hosting national events, such as the British Mountaineering Council’s Youth Climbing Series 2011. A number of bouldering events have also been held and a great deal of work is taking place with local schools.

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13

Playing to a full house at the Duke’s TheatreFinal year drama students performed Ben Elton’s Silly Cow to near-capacity audiences over four nights in January at the Duke’s Theatre in Lancaster

For this, their second major production of the year following similar acclaim for The Accrington Pals, director Sammy Bretton and the two casts received rave reviews in the local press in which every aspect of the performance, from costumes to comic timing was highly praised.

Reviewer Michael Nunn recorded: “Over the last six years I have seen nearly twenty shows performed by Cumbria students here in Lancaster, and the standard they have all achieved has been superb. These shows, from Jacobean tragedy to Romantic drama, surrealism and contemporary realism, have continually enriched the cultural life of the city with their variety of plays, technical excellence and sheer professionalism.”

Tutor Jez Colclough said: “This year’s productions of The Accrington Pals and Silly Cow take us into our 16th consecutive year of working with and producing shows in the Duke’s studio theatre. For most of our students, the shows we produce at the Duke’s are the highlight of their time studying drama in Lancaster and the opportunity to take what they have learnt with us into the context of a professional producing environment, a key stage in their development as students of the subject.

“As staff we are consistently delighted by the quality of work produced by our students, the audience feedback we receive, and the manner in which the students mature during their time working on their production. When we ask our prospective students why they want to study with us invariably the opportunity to perform at the Duke’s features as one of the main reasons behind their decision to come to Lancaster.

“For staff and student alike, to get off campus and connect with an audience that is not always aware of the quality and nature of the work we do, is a fantastic opportunity. As much as we really do appreciate the support of the ‘regulars’ who come and see our productions every year, there is nothing quite as satisfying as hearing the positive comments we receive from school parties and members of the public who are seeing what we can do for the first time.”

Opposite and this page top: images from Silly Cow

Middle and bottom: The Accrington Pals

The Binocular clutch bag, which highlights the audience perspectiveBy Angie Boyer craft&design September/October 2010

Lizzie is certainly a girl of many skills, proficient in both machine sewing and hand embroidery, as well as being confident in pattern cutting and costume making. Her knowledge of set design and construction is enhanced by a wide knowledge of printing, including lino print and screen printing. And over the past three years she has gained confidence with ceramics and pottery skills as well!

“Whilst completing my degree I undertook a variety of activities,” she tells me, “from regularly selling my work at a local craft shop, to completing a month’s placement in Cyprus to learn traditional basket weaving and history from the local weavers. In addition, I have taken a three-day business course, I’ve been involved with many craft fairs and have worked as an employee of a small business promoting local goods, something I’m passionate about.”

Lizzie researched the history and future of the novelty handbag to create her degree collection, the highly original range of Theatrical Handbags that I saw at the Knitting & Stitching Show.

“I created these novelty handbags to display the fun and magical qualities of the theatre,” she explains. “They combine humour with innovative pattern cutting and surface design inspired by the colour and decoration of Victorian toy theatres.”

In order to make a co-ordinated collection it was important that the same pattern flowed between all the handbags. “My inspiration for the pattern came from the decoration of the toy theatres,” she says. “After screen printing the silks, the relevant pattern pieces were appliquéd and embroidered. Each bag was individually influenced, taking different elements from the theatrical theme.”

After exhibiting her degree collection at New Designers in London, Lizzie was asked to tour with the Embroiderers’ Guild. Together with Creative Exhibitions Ltd, the Embroiderers’ Guild selects the best creative talent emerging from all of the textile and applied arts degree courses, to exhibit with the Graduate Showcase in the Knitting and Stitching Show in London, Dublin and Harrogate. Lizzie says, “Since you saw me at Harrogate last year, I have created a new collection of evening clutch bags, which still carry on the humour and surprise from the original theatrical handbags, but I believe these bags are more suitable for retail.” So keep an eye out for Lizzie Searle, I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of her in the near future, she’s certainly my tip for One to Watch!

This article is reproduced by kind permission of craft&design and first appeared in their Sep/Oct 2010 issue.

Lizzie Searle is an exciting young textile designer and embroiderer who recently graduated from the University of Cumbria in Contemporary Applied Arts with a 1st Class BA (Hons). Her work caught my eye when I visited the Knitting & Stitching Show at Harrogate last autumn, so I stopped at her stand to find out more.

Feature

15

This page and opposite: examples of Lizzie’s work

Feature

Karen honours the past and insures the futureKaren Bassett took up her new post as Alumni & Development Manager in September 2010 following several years working in enterprise and business development and establishing graduate employability programmes.

The first three days in her new role were spent at the annual Council for Support and Advancement of Education (CASE Europe) conference. CASE is an international association serving educational institutions and the advancement professionals who work on their behalf in alumni relations, communications, development and marketing.

Karen applied for a scholarship onto CASE Europe’s Leadership in Development Management Programme and was selected to attend an eight-day conference and study tour to Boston, USA in December. “We visited a wide range of universities and colleges with well established alumni and development offices that have long embraced the culture of philanthropic giving. It was an excellent opportunity to gain an understanding on what had worked in institutions and to be able to identify how I can apply elements of some of the models to Cumbria. The academic element of the visit addressed personal effectiveness, situational leadership, team building, problem solving and goal setting, providing a fast-track toolkit to establish the alumni and development service”.

Karen aims to ensure that the graduate community enjoys a rewarding and enduring involvement with the university through social and educational activities, careers advice and professional networking, advocacy and philanthropic support or just keeping in touch with friends.

“Many of our graduates have gone on to have lives of consequence—they have made a difference to society. Their achievements can help to motivate and encourage current and prospective students. In these challenging times we will actively work with alumni and other individual supporters, charitable trusts and foundations and companies to raise vital funds that are essential for the continued development of the university and the wellbeing of our students.”

Left: Karen Bassett

Right: Karen with fellow delegates at the Boston conference

17

Right: Hilary with Portuguese hosts

Below: Professor Hilary Cooper

Hilary’s academic expertise in demand worldwideAs an expert on history education, Professor Hilary Cooper flies the world in response to the demand for her to share her knowledge and experience with fellow education professionals.

During 2010 she addressed conferences in Cyprus, Russia and Istanbul as well as closer to home in Belfast, organised a conference in New York and was invited to join a selection board to appoint a new professor at the University of Minho in Portugal. This year’s schedule takes her even further afield to three major events in Australia—in Melbourne, Sidney and Brisbane.

Hilary’s lectures are valued both for her wide-ranging experience in a variety of primary schools and for her academic research into the best way to actively engage children in the process of historical enquiry. “It’s hard to believe, but you can now train to teach in a primary school without having to have done any history at school or on your course and often it’s being taught in a way that cannot be described as exciting or inspiring,” she explains. Professor Cooper does have a suggestion however. “Where teachers have the freedom to combine subjects, for example maths and history, the richness and

value of both areas can be appreciated. Children might look at a Stone Age bow and arrow, for example: how far can you shoot it; does it make a difference if you shoot from a slope or with a wind? With interdisciplinary treatment such as this, the topics really come alive and the children are engaged.”

Although her hectic lecturing timetable inevitably leads to a lot of time spent in airport departure lounges, Hilary’s passion for her subject and eagerness to share her experience keep her sane. And as she prepares for her spring 2011 series of Australian lectures, starting in Brisbane in April, she’s philosophical: “Working together and exchanging ideas with like-minded professionals is what keeps education topical, relevant and dynamic,” she says, “and since it ultimately affects the future of children throughout the world, what could be more rewarding?”

Feature

Left to right: James Hearn, Nicky Forbes and Jorrit Jorrisma with some of the outdoor and travel bags produced by the company

Graduate expertise brings an online boost to local companiesThe university is at the forefront of a new initiative to inject up-to-the-minute technical expertise into local businesses.

Thanks to £3.8m of funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), a new scheme entitled ‘Unite with Business’ is offering small companies across the North West the opportunity to take on a graduate for 20 days at no cost to themselves. This funding is being matched by six universities across the region, bringing over £7m worth of support to assist businesses with a particular task or short project.

One example of the value of the programme is Cumbrian-based graduate James Hearn, who was recently appointed to the role of online researcher for local firm Millican, a young travel and outdoor lifestyle company, based in Keswick, Cumbria.

Over the past eighteen months, Millican founders Jorritt Jorritsma and his wife Nicky Forbes have expanded the company and their products are now sold in UK stockists such as Selfridges and Farlows, London. However, they

had little time or resource available to develop a crucial online marketing and social media programme.

“We were delighted to have the technical input as well as the fresh focus James offered”, commented Jorrit. “He has completed a detailed programme of online activity for the brand that we’ll be able to implement over the coming 12–18 months.”

James says: “Working with Millican has been a brilliant and valuable experience. I have been able to make good effective use of my existing skills to help the company develop and initiate a social media programme to increase awareness of the brand. The project has raised my awareness of this type of work and I hope to be doing more of it in the future with other local businesses.”

Donna Edwards, Managing Director of Northwest Business Link says: “Initiatives such as ‘Unite with Business’ are more important than ever as they will help to speed up the region’s

economic recovery. It is a welcome addition to the region’s business support offer and creating jobs for talented graduates will be essential in developing the entrepreneurs and managers of the future.” Ewan Pullan, the university’s ‘Unite with Business’ project manager, explained: “This programme offers local companies free, fast, simple and straightforward access to specialist skills, with none of the risk and cost associated with employment or short-term recruitment.

“Popular areas for graduates to work in include IT, marketing and websites but there are no limits to particular areas of expertise.”

For more information on ‘Unite with Business’ please contact the university’s Business Placement Service on 01228 616315 or email jobsandplacements@cumbria.ac.uk

Similar developments that investigate the use of technology to support student transitions into HE suggest that nurturing realistic student expectations for their future study can improve first-year retention. In another project the university is applying experiences from the sector to pilot the use of an open social network site called Captcha. Simon Allan, Lecturer in Academic Development in CDEPP, explained:“Captcha is an opportunity for staff and students to use the power of social media to support learning and teaching. This is readily available technology and we need to think about how it can be harnessed along with other university technologies that we have at our disposal. So it is useful to have a platform from which people can innovate.”

If you would like to know more about these developments please contact Ruth Harrison-Palmer (ruth.harrison-palmer@cumbria.ac.uk) or Simon Allan (simon.allan@cumbria.ac.uk).

19

Students clue up in advance via social networkingRuth Harrison-Palmer and James Burch from the Faculty of Education have been using online technology to prepare students for their study before they arrive at university, an idea that originated from student Nick Gay.

The development has involved 2010/11 cohorts of the Primary and Secondary PGCE programmes. Future students have had access to resources and opportunities that help them to both frame their expectations for study, and to give them the chance to meet one another online prior to the start of their course.

A blend of technologies that includes Blackboard, the PebblePad ePortfolio system and a social network site have been used. Students have been able to view course information, read example assessments, complete subject knowledge self-audits and introduce one another online. Ruth described what the approach has enabled: “The pre-course information has helped students to know what they were coming in to. We have been able to share the philosophy of the programme, what assessments they would be doing and what the assignments would look like. All of those things have helped people prepare for their study on the course.”

Providing access to an online social space has proven to be beneficial to students who have used the environment to organise car shares, find student accommodation and arrange social events. And the online socialisation has transferred to the classroom: “The students had already met other people before they started. They weren’t as apprehensive or anxious about starting the programme because they weren’t coming without knowing anyone. They felt like they already knew people on the programme and I noticed that as a cohort they seemed settled very quickly. We are hopeful that the provision of this pre-course activity may help to promote retention in the long term.”

The project has revealed some interesting benefits around the use of social media to support learning, and there are further plans to use a similar approach to encourage communication between students out on work placements.

Feature

SU elections Student view by Andrew Hamilton

The UCSU elections for the year 2011/12 have been running throughout February and March. Nominations opened on 14 February and closed on the 18 February, and campaigning began on 21 February followed by the actual voting process, open to students studying at any campus across the university, from 4 – 9 March.

Current UCSU Representation Sabbatical Martin Dodd says “Elections have been good for a year that has had so much going on. Nominations have been good and interest is high, although as always I am sure hand-ins will be a mad dash in the last few days; it is just the way usually.”

The SU sits on all the major university committees and has access to the university’s senior management and faculty staff.

Union Official positions in the UCSU include full-time and paid, as well as part-time volunteer positions, including cross-campus Sabbatical roles and more localised non portfolio officers.

Volunteer positions include elected representatives for women, LGBT, part-time, postgraduate, ethnic minority, mature and international students, a representative for each of the faculties and a representative for the sites of Tower Hamlets, Energus, Whitehaven and Barrow.

On the Coalition plans to cut higher education and raise tuition fees, Martin Dodd said “On the rise in fees and funding cuts I think it’s obvious to say higher education is going to get increasingly volatile over the next few years, but contrary to recent history the University of Cumbria is actually well placed to improve student experience from these changes”.

Andrew Hamilton studies English with Creative Writing at the Lancaster campus.

Cumbria hosts national Assessment in Higher Education Conference

Research fellow appointment

The university will be hosting the third ‘Assessment in Higher Education’ conference on 6 July, 2011 in the Learning Gateway, Carlisle. The conference is a collaboration between the University of Cumbria Study of Higher Education Network, the Northumbria University Centre for Excellence in Assessment for Learning and the British Educational Research Association Higher Education SIG (special interest group). It is aimed at all those working in higher education with an interest in the practice and research of assessment, including lecturers, staff in learning support and those with responsibility for the management and quality assurance of assessment.

The conference themes are: assessment design, marking and academic standards, involving students in assessment & feedback, assessment for learning, and assessment technologies. It will be an opportunity to debate concerns and increase understanding of assessment practice. It will provide the opportunity to share innovations, reflections on practice, research and evaluative studies with a particular focus on the voice of the practitioner, working to improve assessment in their programmes and institutions. It will look to the future as well as critique the past, exploring potential in new forms of assessment and e-assessment. Overall, it will focus on the pragmatic, the possible, which balances the need for assessment that supports learning and student satisfaction whilst meeting demands for quality assurance and standards.

The conference will begin with a keynote lecture by Professor Sally Brown Emeritus Professor of Higher Education Diversity in Learning and Teaching at Leeds Metropolitan University, who will speak about her research on Innovative Assessment at Masters Level.

A number of delegate places with a reduced fee have been reserved for university staff. For further information and registration go to www.cumbria.ac.uk/Services/CDEPP/Events/CDEPPEvents.aspx or email CDEPP@Cumbria.ac.uk

Following her PhD viva, Susan Wakenshaw was offered a Research Fellow appointment at Exeter University School of Business and she started on 1 March. Dr Helen Woodruffe-Burton says: “It is a wonderful tribute to our Graduate School that she has secured such a prestigious appointment and an achievement for the Business Group here at Lancaster.”

Captcha!

The university is piloting the use of a free-to-use social network site.

The environment provides a flexible environment to create groups and have easy-to-access discussions about all things related to the University of Cumbria.• A space for the University of Cumbria community• Connect students from across courses and campuses• Enable online socialisation for students prior to enrolment• Signpost students to resources and communication toolsTo join Captcha! just visit: http://cumbriauni.ning.com and sign up!

For further information contact Simon Allan in CDEPP (simon.

allan@cumbria.ac.uk) 01228 616172

Healthwalks at Lancaster

Join us on a healthwalk on Mondays from 12.00-12.45pm until the summer, breaking for Easter and bank holidays.

Meet at the south entrance to the park opposite the sports centre car park on the Lancaster campus. Please wear supportive footwear. Unless the weather is atrocious the walk still goes on—so don wet weather gear if there is some light rain.

For more details, email Mark Christie on mark.christie@cumbria.ac.uk

Lunchtime fitness classes at Fusehill Street sports centre

12.15 – 12.45pm. £1.50 staff/student or £1 with a sports card (members of the public £2)

Wednesdays—‘Ab Attack’A 30-minute workout dedicated to tighten, tone and sculpt your way to fab abs while also developing core strength.

Thursdays —‘BLT’This class uses strengthening and toning exercises to target and sculpt the bum, legs and tummy area. Places are limited, so call into the sports centre or call Lucy, Liz or Joyce on 6006 to book a place.

If you would like to contribute to the next issue of Connect, please contact a member of the communications team:

lynn.clark@cumbria.ac.uk

julie.ratcliffe@cumbria.ac.uk

fiona.hughes@cumbria.ac.uk

tracy.calvert@cumbria.ac.uk

The copy deadline for the next issue of Connect is 20 May 2011.

Fusehill StreetCarlisleCA1 2HH

www.cumbria.ac.uk