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Got a question about the NSS?

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NeSSa_on_TCMany of you will have seen NeSSa the Camel about the campus, asking final year students to complete the National Student Survey (NSS).

Thanks very much to those of you who’ve filled it out already and we hope you’ve enjoyed spending your FREE £5 Amazon voucher that is available to everyone who completes the survey.

We’ve answered some of the common questions that have cropped up about the survey, Amazon vouchers and more below. Hopefully these will be useful for you…

1. Where do I fill out the NSS?

You can fill out the NSS online here.

2. What are the results used for?

Results are publicly available to prospective students, their families and advisors to help them make informed choices of where and what to study.

3. Who is NeSSa?

NeSSa the Camel is the NSS mascot. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter or come and see her in person on Talbot and Lansdowne campuses over the coming weeks. You can post your #SelfiesWithNeSSa – she’s a very photogenic camel!

4. How do I claim my £5 Amazon voucher?

To claim your NSS Amazon voucher you need to follow the instructions on the screen when you have completed the survey. Either take a screengrab of the completion screen and send it to NSSvoucher@bournemouth.ac.uk. Or tick the box to have the confirmation screen sent via email and forward the email to NSSvoucher@bournemouth.ac.uk. If you have already completed the survey but didn’t do this, don’t worry, you can still claim your voucher. You will have received a generic email thanking you for completing it so just forward this to NSSvoucher@bournemouth.ac.uk and we’ll do the rest.

You’ll receive your £5 Amazon voucher within five working days of doing this.

5. What about print credit?

Some students think they’ll get printer credit if they wait and complete the survey later. This is not the case. Last year, printer credit was offered as an incentive. This year it’s a £5 Amazon voucher.

6. Are there any other prizes?

As well as getting a £5 Amazon voucher, we’ll enter you into a prize draw. We have 5 x £200, 5 x VIP Graduation packages and 5 x pairs of SUBU Summer Ball tickets to be won. Terms and conditions apply.

7. I’ve tried to complete the survey, but it says I’m ineligible. Why is that?

If you find you can’t complete the NSS this may be because you are a ‘top up’ student or did an optional placement, in which case you would have been asked to complete the survey last year.

8. What is my student reference number?

You will be asked to enter your student reference number when completing the NSS. This is displayed on the bottom right of your student card. It begins with a 4 or occasionally a 9 and is the one you put on your exam papers.

9. Is the student reference number different from my iNumber?

Yes, the iNumber is the one you use to log on to BU computers. This is a different number.

10. I completed the NSS using my iNumber. Will my answers be valid?

Don’t worry. The survey company will still be able to use your responses, but they will need to match the data manually. It may take a little longer to send your confirmation email.

Hopefully this has answered any questions you may have. If not, please email the Student Communications Team.

Free Track Cycling Sessions

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Free track cycling sessions are available to students and staff as part of the on-going Free Your Fitness campaign.

Sessions are held every Wednesday, from 1.30pm to 3.30pm at Slades Farm, a 10 minute walk from BU at Talbot Campus.

Coached by Jason Falconer, all equipment is provided – participants just need to bring along suitable clothing and footwear.

track-cycling

BU are sponsoring the Rock Star Awards 2015

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Rock Awards BU-bannerLocal recruitment agency ‘Rock Recruitment Specialists’ are looking to celebrate the achievements of people aged 16-26 in the Dorset area, and show local businesses what young employable talent Dorset has to offer through a scheme called the ‘Rock Star Awards’.

Bournemouth University are sponsoring the Rock Star Awards this year and want to encourage as many students and graduates to apply for the awards as possible. In the past BU students have done well in these awards and won several categories, creating useful contacts and opportunities for their careers.

Details of the awards and how students and graduates can apply can be found on the Rock Recruitment website here. This is a fantastic opportunity for the winners of these awards to showcase their achievements to a network of 400 employers in the Dorset area at a special gala dinner event and not only make useful business contacts with influential business people, but such an opportunity could also lead to a future job offer!

The Fresher Writing Prize 2015

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fresher-writing-logoCreative writers are invited to enter the Fresher Writing Prize 2015 – The annual competition for new writers.

There are categories for fiction, poetry, scriptwriting and creative non-fiction, and fabulous prizes to be won – including a one-to-one with a literary agent, a personalised consultation from a renowned self-publishing expert – plus the opportunity to be published in the Fresher Writing 2015 anthology.

The shortlisted writers will be special guests at the Fresher Writing Awards, held in Bournemouth at the end of May. It costs just £5 per entry. Closing date 8 March 2015. Find out more and enter here>>

Keeping your Medical Centre appointments

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The Student Medical Centre is experiencing a high volume of missed appointments – here are our top tips to make sure you’re not one of them:

Ask to be sent reminders

The team can call or text you the day before your appointment,

Phone the team

If your plans change call to reschedule your appointment on 01202 965378.

If you start to feel better or just want to cancel your appointment, phone or use the online appointment cancellation service .

Visit the Student Medical Centre

If you’re on campus, it’ll only take you a few minutes to walk to Talbot House and speak to the reception team – and with spring on the way, it’ll be a good opportunity to grab some fresh air!

Remember, each missed appointment means a delay for another patient, so take a few minutes out of your busy day to do the right thing.

SUBU Full Time Officer Nominations now open!

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subu-elections-2015Are you interested in becoming a Full Time Officer at your Students’ Union, working hard to ensure that all students are represented the best they can be?

Nominations for SUBU’s 2015/16 Full Time Officer team are now open, and you can nominate yourself to become the next SUBU President, VP Activities, VP Education or VP Welfare.

Nominations are now open and will close at 5pm on 27 February 2015.

Find out more about the role that you can apply for, as well as the answers to any questions or queries which you may have, on the SUBU website.

If you have any other questions feel free to email the SUBU Democracy and Campaigns Coordinator at sbradfield@bournemouth.ac.uk.

You and your BU experience

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The focus for BU over the next few weeks is firmly on asking all of our undergraduate students about their BU experience.

NESSA-LOW-RESNational Student Survey

If you’re a final year student, your lecturers have probably already told you about the National Student Survey (NSS). This is a great opportunity for you final year student to reflect upon your full experience at BU. It only takes a few minutes to complete and we’ll give you a FREE £5 Amazon voucher to say thanks for your time.

Your feedback given through the survey is used to compile year on year comparative data and results are publicly available to prospective students, their families and advisors to help them make informed choices of where and what to study.

Complete the survey here or by visiting NeSSa the Camel as she tours around the Talbot and Lansdowne Campus.

As well as getting a £5 Amazon voucher, we’ll enter you into a prize draw. We have 5 x £200, 5 x VIP Graduation Packages and 5 x pairs of SUBU Summer Ball Tickets to be won*

*Terms and conditions apply

UK Engagement Survey (UKES)UKES 2015 - dotmailer banner

If you’re in years 1 or 2 (level C & I) of an undergraduate BU course, then you should opt for the UK Engagement Survey.

With this survey you get to reflect on whether you’re making the most of your academic experience, while you still have the time and opportunity to explore options to see how you can engage in other ways.

Your feedback will help us to see what’s working, and what could be improved. As a thank you for completing the survey, you will be entered into a prize draw to win one of five SUBU Summer Ball tickets*.

Both surveys open on Monday 9 February and eligible students will be emailed later today – you can also find out more and access the surveys on iBU.

If you’re a postgraduate student, on a top-up course or an undergrad on placement you can still have your say by completing the Student Opinion Survey (SOS).

*Terms and conditions available upon survey completion.

Roadworks impact bus schedules

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BU Bus 3Roadworks in our area are continuing to impact on travel times for all road users. The holdups are having a knock-on effect on BU’s bus service, resulting in some buses not running to schedule. There have been a few incidences when the buses are full earlier on during the route and cannot pick up any more passengers.

BU’s travel have been working closely with our bus company – More Bus – to minimise the impact. In the meantime, bus users may wish to consider taking earlier buses to avoid being late for appointments.

Student Support Services Gains Matrix Accreditation

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Matrix-QM-RGBStudent Support Services, which includes Additional Learning Support, Art & Music, askBU & Frontline Services, Careers & Employability, Residential Services and sportBU has successfully gained the Matrix Accreditation after working for two years to ensure that all areas of their service met the Matrix Standard.

The Matrix Standard is a unique quality standard for organisations to assess and measure their advice and support services. Traditionally, Matrix assessment covered careers departments and frontline information, advice and guidance services – we believe that BU is the first HEI to gain accreditation for a service this diverse.

Preparation for the assessment provided the opportunity to reflect on how people worked across the different departments, identify areas of synergy and work on integrating the departments into one cohesive team

The assessment involved 75 interviews (49 staff, 19 students and 7 external partners – the largest our assessor had ever been involved in), and looked at four elements of the service; Leadership and management; Resources; Service delivery and continuous quality improvement.

Following the successful completion of the assessment a number of areas of good practice were identified including:

  • a very clear link from the overall organisational structure to individual objectives
  • regular departmental wide staff development events
  • good examples of innovative practice
  • opportunities for personal development
  • good use of shared resources and support across the service

In 2013, the library also achieved a successful Matrix accreditation and is currently the only standalone Library & Learning Support Service in a UK university to achieve this.

Employers on Campus

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careers-employability-logoCareers & Employability have organised a series of employer-led presentations running during February and March.

From sales and brand marketing, NHS, care sector, charitable education, teacher training, legal, freelancing, to internships in China & Hong Kong. These presentations are open to all students and can be booked via MyCareerHub.

Find the full list of workshops here.