Your City
Dec 2015
Students’ Association Magazine 1
Meet the Editors, Christopher Duffy
Natalie Miller
First of all, I would like to take the opportunity to welcome you all to the very first edition of the Students’ Association new online magazine.
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to have a read through your new SA online magazine. I came to the Students’ Association for work experience as part of my course, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I have gained more contacts and confidence when interviewing for the future, and the overall experience has been amazing to take part in.
HND Practical Journalism
HND Practical Journalism
As a second year HND Practical Journalism student here at City, it was very exciting to be given the opportunity to work on such a project with the Students’ Association. Over the past few weeks, me and my classmate Natalie Miller have been attending, and reporting on a number of Students’ Association events in order to let you guys know what’s been going on within the college and the Students’ Association, and to keep you up to date with important college news and information. It has been a great experience working with the fantastic Students’ Association and one that has given me the opportunity to develop my skills as a journalist.
I have enjoyed working with my classmate Christopher Duffy throughout this. Working in a team can be challenging, but also helpful. I would recommend present and future students to take part in this experience when offered, as it gives you an insight into how important deadlines are when putting a magazine together in a short period of time. I would definitely come back if offered an opportunity in the future. The SA team have been brilliant and really helpful, especially Lee Carlton who is the Student Engagement Officer that has supported us – thank you!
Over the coming months, this online magazine will be left in the very capable hands of the College’s very talented journalism students. Hopefully you all enjoy reading it, as much as we enjoyed putting it together – enjoy your Christmas Holidays and all the best for 2016!
Photo Credits, Jonathan Borland
Jacque Stewart
HND Photography
HND Photography
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Students’ Association team
Contents 4-6 7-9 10-11 12-15 16-17 18-19 20-21 22 23 24 25-26 27 28-29 30-37
Spotlight On...Student President Spotlight On...Equalities Officer Class Rep: Have you got what it takes? Inspire Teenage Cancer Trust Get Involved! Student Engagement First Impressions Feedback College Campus Survey You are the Expert You said, We Did Winter Welcome Dr. Bike World Skills Updates
citysa.co.uk twitter.com/city_sa facebook.com/cogcsa #yourcity 3
Get to know your SA Student President, Ian Gilmour Glasgow Colleges Regional Board
We interviewed Ian Gilmour about his role as Student President in the college.
Ian seemed very proud that he was the first City of Glasgow College Student President elected on to the Glasgow Colleges Regional Board.
Campaigning for Student President Ian started his campaign by going round all college sites to gain votes and support. For Ian it was a shock when he realised that certain students were not interested in being part of the campaign. He found that positivity helped, and enjoyed it when classes were cheering and showing an interest in why he wanted to become the SA Student President.
“I never thought that I could get paid to do this job. It is amazing working with the college and students. The college takes you very seriously and supports you in everything you try to achieve.” Challenges Ian was very honest about certain aspects that come with the job. He spoke about the many challenges, such as the fresher’s fair and managing the Students’ Association budget.
Ian said that he mailed friends on Facebook asking for support from their peers, and he also campaigned in the college canteen giving out flyers, and asking people to vote for him. Ian said,
He did however, point out the most rewarding satisfactions that come with his job saying,
“I got something like 70 more votes and I was so happy I got it. I had to be comfortable speaking in public, and I had to make sure my campaign messages were understood by the students.”
“Working with the students is fantastic. The demographic we have in this college is interesting, as all students come from a different walk in life. International and ESOL 4
which has helped to prepare me for the working world. I would definitely recommend that students should apply to be part of the Students’ Association, it is such an amazing experience. It has really helped me grow as a person, and it’s rewarding in so many ways. It has helped me to develop fantastic skills that you need for many jobs, and even if you don’t get elected, it is the taking part that counts.”
students are so impressive, seeing all their progression from being so shy and coming out their shell is brilliant.” Class Reps Ian gave credit to the Class Reps, “I was a Class Rep last year and I did not realise how important it was for the Students’ Association to have strong representation.” Ian highlighted that it was important to him that City of Glasgow College Students’ Association receive a positive review from Education Scotland in January. He hopes that the hard work that has been undertaken by the Presidential team, Student Exec, Faculty Reps and Class Reps is recognised. Reflection Ian talked about life after the presidential role, “Being the Student President really prepares you for work, I have been fully supported
Ian with the Student Association and Student Engagement team
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Star Wars Marathon Ahead of the Star Wars Sleepover on the 15th December and the release of Star Wars Episode VII on December 17th, we spoke to Ian about the Star Wars trilogy and his thoughts on the latest instalment of the franchise: What are your favourite and least favourite episodes? “The least favourite is (Episode) I (The Phantom Menace), there’s no debating that. I hate saying it, because that’s what everybody says, but episode V (The Empire Strikes Back) is easily the best film. I just love the fifth film… that’s the one I can sit and watch over and over. When I was in Birmingham for World Skills, on the bus home I watched episode five, three times. Every time I watch the Star Wars films, I always notice something I have never noticed before. The films don’t get boring to me at all, that’s why I love Star Wars.”
What were your thoughts when a seventh film was announced? “I was pretty excited! At first, I wasn’t excited, but when I saw that J.J. Abrams was directing it, then I was really looking forward to it. Especially when I saw that the ‘old-guard’ are back (Harrison Ford [Han Solo], Mark Hamill [Luke Skywalker], Carrie Fisher [Princess Leia], Peter Mayhew [Chewbacca], Anthony Daniels [C-3PO] and Kenny Baker [R2-D2]). They were bringing in a lot of talented actors such as Gwendoline Christie from Game of Thrones, Oscar Isaac, and I was thinking ‘surely this can’t go wrong?’
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Have you got a favourite Character? “Not Jar-Jar Binks (sorry, Jar-Jar)…I’ve never actually thought about this! Who would my favourite character be…Lando Calrissian…there you go!” Finally, what do you think of Kylo Ren’s lightsabre? “I like it! When you actually think about what those swords are for…I’ve done my reading on this…people were saying ‘how is he meant to do all the fancy tricks?’ but (the design) is like hand protection. I think it is pretty genius! I think it’s a clever idea and it looks really cool!”
Get to know your Equalities Officer, Andrew MacPherson We interviewed Andrew MacPherson about his role as an Equalities Officer within City of Glasgow College Students’ Association. Events at City of Glasgow College A big event that is coming in February for the Equalities Officers of the Students’ Association is ‘LGBT History Month’. Andrew is hoping to work alongside other Students’ Association officers to plan events, fundraise and develop workshops. He hopes to promote participation in Pride Glasgow and wants to represent the ‘T’ within LGBT. Andrew said, “I want to start a Trans awareness group, as Transgender individuals have rights and issues that must be heard. Caitlyn Jenner is
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such a huge inspiration to me and a quote she used in a Diane Sawyer interview about her transition saying it is a ‘rebirth’ for her really touched me.”
BE PART OF SOMETHING
SPECIAL
Workshops Andrew is hoping to offer a workshop in the college that will raise awareness of acceptable language, the use of pronouns and challenging discriminatory attitudes towards Trans people. Andrew hopes to raise awareness so that everyone at City of Glasgow college feels accepted.
STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION 2ND FLOOR
CITY CAMPUS TOWNHEAD /City.LGBT lgbt@cityofglacol.ac.uk
Support It is important that you can identify with yourself and be comfortable in your own skin. If you are not, and you don’t have anyone you can speak to about this, Andrew and Sharon (the two Equalities Officers) will put you at ease. Reflection Andrew told us about the many skills you can gain from being an elected officer, “You gain a lot of life skills from this job, you become a great listener. You develop the ability to empathise with the students who are suffering or just need that extra bit of help. Andrew goes on to say, “It is such a great experience being an elected officer.
It has helped me with my public speaking skills and I have gained confidence. Now I don’t sit back and say ‘I wish I done this and that’, I now do it. Often we are afraid to ask and don’t challenge ourselves enough and nobody should be discriminated because they are different.” Plans for the Future This month Andrew raised £180 as part of World Aids Day. He is currently working in partnership with college staff to achieve the LGBT Charter Award. Andrew says, “Get involved, even as a volunteer. The Students’ Association team are very supportive.” 8
‘ Mutant and Proud’ Equal and Loud Did you know Andrew is a huge Marvel fan? This is some fun stuff he told us during his interview. Captain America: Civil War
Captain America: Winter Soldier
Andrew said he was sitting in a coffee shop when he first watched the trailer for the new Captain America: Civil War film, and he got that excited he was shouting out loud and everyone was just staring at him, because he had his headphones in he had no idea how loud he was really being. That sort of excitement is why film fans are so passionate about some of the Marvel films. Andrew said, “Captain America: Winter Soldier is my favourite film, although it is really hard to pick overall as I am also a huge X-Men fan, and Storm is my favourite character.” He said that he likes how the films link in with the Agents of Shield TV series, with the thriller and crime based genre been placed into the live-action films. We chatted
Storm, X Men
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about the Hollywood star payment issue that has been getting more awareness over the past couple of years due to Scarlett Johansson not being paid the same amount as Robert Downey Jr or Chris Evans – which falls into woman’s rights. Andrew said, “Scarlett is nothing less than Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans, she is just as equal and should be getting paid the same. A quote I like from my favourite film franchise X-Men is ‘Mutant and proud’ – it really does fall into place within my work. I totally understand that quote as the mutants don’t feel like they can be accepted into the real world and are told that they can’t show any of their abilities and be true to who they are, and at this college and just in this city – I think that we should all be accepted and proud to be a part of such a huge community.”
Have you got what it takes? What is a Class Rep?
Class Rep System - Finger on the Pulse
To be a Class Representative you will be the voice of your class. You will be responsible for speaking on behalf of your classmates at meetings, and making sure student opinion is heard. You are also responsible for reporting back to the class after each Class Rep meeting.
Class Rep meetings take place during lunch hour slots. There is one meeting per block. The system used to gather student opinion is called ‘Finger on the pulse’. Class Reps enter data into the electronic system via My City. The responses are gathered and analysed, and Faculty Reps compile a summary report from the findings. The Faculty Reps take the summary report to a meeting with the Faculty = Director where they agree actions and = plan change. The Faculty Reps feedback to the Class Reps, who pass this on to their classmates.
Class Reps undertake Class Rep training which lasts 2.5 hours. The training highlights the responsibilities of the role, and is a great opportunity to ask questions. There are also workshops that take place throughout the year to boost confidence and develop new skills. To be a Class Rep you have to be confident, you have to speak out and represent your class. You need to address difficulties that students may experience regarding their learning.
If you would like more information on the role of a Class Rep contact the; Student Engagement: Email - studentengagement@ cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk Telephone - 0141 556 1552
Benefits of Being a Class Rep It’s an idea to highlight on your CV that you are a Class Rep, as the skills you develop will impress your future employer. You also meet new people, and experience new things!
Students’ Association: Email - citysa@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk Telephone - 0141 566 4140 Visit: Mon - Fri 9am-4:45pm at the Townhead or Riverside Students’ Associations.
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E S L U P E TH
N O R N E E T G S I L FIN E
W S W T O N H TUDE TO S
Class Reps speak to their classmates and enter their views through the ‘Finger on the Pulse’ electronic system
Class Reps tell their class about the changes that they’ve made!
All the responses are made in to a report for each Faculty
Faculty Reps have meetings with Faculty Directors to tell them what students think
The planned changes will be sent to Class Reps and discussed at class rep meetings
Faculty Directors will tell their staff what they’re doing well and help to make the changes students want to see
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Inspire Cineworld, 2015 Wednesday 2nd of December was an important day for Class Reps at City. It was the ‘Inspire’ event at Cineworld. An event ran by the Students’ Association to thank the reps for the work they have done throughout block one.
Christine’s business is family orientated as she works alongside her two son’s Ross and Fraser Penman. Christine introduced her son Fraser to the audience after her presentation and he went on to discuss how he overcame bullying from an early age to achieve his goals. Fraser said, “I wanted to make my gran proud especially” - ‘Always Believe in yourself, if you don’t nobody will.”
Shane Thomas, Student Vice President started the event by welcoming Class Reps and motivational speakers. Christine Penman, Founder and Director of Indomitable was first to speak at and gave a presentation about being a young leader.
Comedian, Children’s Author and Inspirational Keynote Speaker Gavin Oattes came on next with a speech about his business, Tree of Knowledge which is a motivational and engaging organisation. He gave a bit of background about his life saying he was a primary teacher for four years and how it was a very rewarding profession.
Christine talked about being the best class rep you can be and talked about visualising your goals. She used the quote, “See it + Believe it = Achieve it.” Christine also talked about the importance of communication in order to achieve, and suggested “A leader has to have the vision”.
He then went onto say what we can do to make a difference. He spoke about having a positive mind set when coming into the workplace, 12
college and school. He said, “Eating, Sleeping and Breathing this way of life is what I do.”
he credited the mix of leaders in the group, making a great point to all class reps that there are many forms a leader can take.
Gavin also spoke about the difference of children under the age of five to adults saying, “They have more passion when they are talking about things and what they say often comes from the heart.”
He made a key point of talking about not giving up on your dreams. Don said, “Finding something you are passionate about and something you love doing is important, so that you find the leader in you.”
He gave a comedic performance throughout his speech making the audience go into laughter with his many stories. He made a relevant point by saying, “High Schools and College focus a lot on exam results, as opposed to the learning experience itself. We should be having fun and learning.” He highlighted that everyone is different when trying to feel motivated in life but we should make the effort to always try.
Christine then came back on to introduce her other son Ross who presented a video about his life story and talked about “having a role, to achieve a goal.” He talked about fun, togetherness, building a relationship, unity and making a difference. He then went on to talk about how he founded I-Kick and how motivational that was for him and inspiring to his brother.
Gavin said, “We let that bit of magic go.” in relation to a story he was telling about his son bursting through his bedroom door at 5am to just tell him he discovered “why they are called eyeballs”. He said that “We should be growing down, not up; Society has clouded the ideals of growing up.”
After this the two brothers put on a short martial arts performance with members of the audience participating in it. It was fantastic! Student Association President, Ian Gilmour rounded up the event by thanking all that came and giving huge credit to the amount of work class reps put in. He thanked the motivational speakers for coming along and mentioned that there was a competition on Twitter using the hashtag ‘#Inspire2015’ to win tickets to see the new Star Wars film coming to Cineworld this month.
Shane then introduced a former City of Glasgow College student Don Lennox. Don played for Burnley Football Club when he was 18, however, after an accident he had a dislocated knee, and could not play football. He said he struggled to find satisfaction in anything else as nothing could replicate the feeling of being on the pitch.
Inspire 2015 was Shane Thomas’s first project as Student Vice President and after the event he spoke to us about thinking positively in order to make things happen.
Don suffered depression for 3 years, but then turned his life around to Row the Atlantic. Don and his friends have 3 world records and 13
I-Kick Martial Arts
Christine Penman, Indomitable
Don Lennox, CoGC Alumni
Winner of Cineworld vouchers
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We chatted with Gavin Oattes about his business Tree of Knowledge and working as a primary teacher. “It is important to remember your inner child, there is an importance of having fun and being around that mind-set regularly. My business is about motivation, humour and learning development. I gained a lot of experience from being a primary teacher, I was working with children under the age of 10 and I can truly say I have learned more from them than any other adult I have worked with. All of the kids embrace life as it is, in contrast to grown-ups who struggle with everyday life. I have worked with business schools as well and you must encourage students to give everything they have. Today at the Inspire Event I want to show the Class Reps how important being a leader is and the communication to go about certain situations they may face. It is so important to want to become a Class Rep as it is not just about putting it on a CV, it is much more than that – you have to be committed to the job and make sure you are enjoying the whole experience ..............you will gain from it. I have worked with this college in the past and you can see the positive impact the lecturers give to their students and the support is fantastic. I want to make sure that Scotland is known for having one of the best education systems as it is often down-played.� Gavin received a lot of positive feedback, from students and staff. Gavin Oattes, Tree of Knowledge
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Students’ help raise £305.90 in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust Vanessa Todd of Teenage Cancer Trust came into the City of Glasgow College to be presented a cheque of £305.90 towards the charity at an event held by the Student’s Association.
“Having support from the college has been fantastic. The students’ from HND Fitness, Health and Exercise showed their support last year by doing a charity cycle from Glasgow to Loch Lomond. It is continuous and I am very thankful.”
Before Vanessa was given the cheque she gave a small brief on what the charity does and how the money is going towards helping sufferers of the disease.
The key to this is awareness for the charity. The charity was chosen as most students’ in the college are around the same age group as those who are treated by the charity.
The money raised came from the Students’ of the college. A learning questionnaire was posted on the college’s interactive website for and each student that participated donated 5p by just answering 25 questions. Over 6000 students took part in this and it is thanks to them that the donation was made.
Vanessa went on to say, “By 2020 we are hoping that 100% of young people get treated for cancer in the correct wards. Around 7 young people aged between 13-24 years old are diagnosed with cancer every day in the UK, 3 people a week are diagnosed with this disease in Scotland alone. Although this figure may seem small, it is still important to raise awareness as it still significant.”
Vanessa thanked the college by saying the following,
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Teenage Cancer Trust has been running for 25 years and their main goal is to diagnose the disease early to increase chances of beating the disease.
to the college and to thank the students’ the college will post on my city informing students’ of the certificate that was given and how much they raised.
The College decided to raise money for this charity by getting more students’ to participate in the College’s First Impressions questionnaire. The responses for the questionnaire has increased by 1000 participants since 2014. The students’ realised that when they took part, 5p was being donated to Teenage Cancer Trust.
Shane Thomas, Vice President Learning and Teaching rounded of the event by praising the students’ efforts in saying, “It is my pleasure to support this charity, the efforts the students’ show is amazing and their passion for raising awareness about the charity is as well. I hope we continue raising these kinds of funds for many other charities alongside Teenage Cancer Trust. I am in my second year at the college and I find the students’ very engaging and supportive, our voice is very loud and strong in supporting Teenage Cancer Trust.”
Students’ had been complaining as the questionnaires were getting far too long, so to prove in a way that the lecturers were listening they changed the number from 69 down to 25 questions. The college thought it would be much better to give to charity rather than making a competition for a student to win something like an iPad. Raising awareness for charities is important 17
Student Engagement team
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Get Involved! Student Engagement experience by completing the (shortened) Student Opinion Questionnaires on MyCity. Alternatively, you can also use The City Listens Service to give suggestions, compliments and complaints.
Imagine having the opportunity to work alongside staff at City of Glasgow College to influence and shape your learning experience, what would you do with it? Here at City, you have the opportunity to do exactly that and there are lots of different ways that you can get involved.
With so many ways to get involved, there are no excuses for you not to get your student voice heard. It’s your course and your future, so if you don’t like something, make sure to change it and you could be doing your fellow classmates a favour as well! Why wouldn’t you?
Student Engagement at City is about getting your voice heard. It is about sharing your thoughts and opinions and working with staff to improve your learning experience.
To find out more, contact the Student Engagement Team:
Don’t think your views matter? Of course they do..............All of the feedback received by your Class Reps goes into the ‘Finger on the Pulse’ Class Rep system, so you can rest assured that your opinions do count and are acted upon.
Email - studentengagement@ cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk Telephone - 0141 556 1552 Students Association: Email - citysa@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk Telephone - 0141 566 4140
If meetings are more your style, then get yourself along to the Course Action and Development Meeting. During these meetings, you can work directly with lecturers to highlight areas of improvement and also highlight things that are working well. Not spoken to your Student Rep or attended one of the You Are the Expert Focus Groups? Fear not, as you can still share your thoughts and reflections and transform your learning 19
First Impressions Feedback First Impressions are important, and City want to hear what your first impressions were as a new student of the college.
was organised. Over 50-per-cent of students who took the survey completely agreed that they were aware of the system for electing Student Reps, and the majority of students agreed that they were able to access Learning Support. Only 10-per-cent of students thought that Student Support didn’t provide useful support relevant to your circumstances.
In September City of Glasgow College Performance Department conducted the ‘First Impressions’ survey. The survey focused on getting feedback from students about how you have found your learning experience at City of Glasgow College since starting your course. More than 6,000 students completed the survey and answered questions about the enrolment process, Student Support, Student Reps and Equality.
When asked if their course met their early expectations, more than half of the students surveyed completely agreed, while roughly the same number were satisfied with the organisation of their courses. Did you disagree with any of these, how would you change things?
In regards to applying for courses, the majority of students strongly agreed that information was readily available about chosen courses before application and that you were treated fairly throughout the application process. Many of you thought that there wasn’t enough information about student finance though, with this being an aspect that needed to be improved on for future applicants. What information would you liked to have known finance wise while applying for your course? Was the information not clear enough? Let us know.
The College’s facilities are something that you will use every day when you are on campus, and many students felt that a number of these facilities could be improved upon. While the majority of students were satisfied with the College libraries and how easily accessible the College buildings and its facilities are, the same could not be said for the College’s catering facilities and toilets. Just under half of respondents completely agreed that the College’s teaching accommodation met their learning needs, and from the survey, many students have suggested that they would like to see more in the student Common Room areas. What would you like to see done with the Common Rooms?
While many of you were aware of the MyCity learning space, the online College Induction used by your lecturers received a lukewarm response. How would you improve the Induction process? The very same could be said of the enrolment process and how well it 20
You Said We Did • Students were invited to provide feedback on the newly created college app, students were asked to download the App and evaluate its design, content, layout and usefulness. The purpose was to ensure students led on the overall design and content of the App.
In relation to signage around the College’s various campuses, big signs and banners have already been added to the Student Association area at the new Riverside campus in order to make it far easier to find for students. So why not pop down to see what it has to offer? Finally, your responses to the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion part of the Impressions survey were very positive. More than 71-per-cent of students strongly agreed that the college were committed to advancing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and over 74-per-cent were confident in their responsibilities in regards to Diversity and Equality. Last, but certainly not least, more than 73-per-cent of students were said to be confident in expressing rights in relation to Diversity and Equality.
• The overall layout and design has been inspired by students. • The College are currently in discussions Apple to make the App available to their devices.
Did you disagree with anything on the Impressions Survey? Do you have any suggestions or ideas to help improve the less positive areas of feedback in regards to your Induction or maybe the College facilities? If so, then let the Students’ Association know or speak to one of your Class Reps so they can bring it up at one of their meetings!
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College Campus Survey In preparation for the ‘You are the Expert’ focus-groups students from each of the College sites took part in the College Campus Survey.
have visited the Students Association at the Townhead building. The same could be said for Riverside students, as 65-per-cent of students who attend the new campus still have not visited their Students Association.
The survey was carried out to gain student opinion on estate matters within the campus they attend. The questions ranged from signage, access to services and canteen facilities.
If you don’t know where your Students Association area is, or don’t know what is available within the space, speak to your Class Rep or a member of the Students Association to find out.
The feedback from this survey was then discussed at the two individual ‘You are the Expert’ meetings.
For those of you who have used the Student Association areas across Riverside and Townhead, many of you thought that the resources included could be improved in terms of furniture, IT equipment and gaming stations.
Campus Appearance Just under 50-per-cent of students who attend Townhead, Charles Oakley and North Hanover responded by saying that the visual impression they got from their campus was good. For Riverside meanwhile, over 44-per-cent said that visually, the new campus looked excellent.
On a more positive note, 73-per-cent of people know where Student Services are in City campus, and 76-per-cent of Riverside students also know where to find Student Services Student Services
Signage
When it comes to Student Services students highlighted a lack of private space to discuss support needs. The emphasised the lack of space to work in, and suggested access to IT equipment could be improved.
In terms of signage around campuses, 53-percent of students agreed that the signs used around their college were useful. At Riverside, the majority of students agreed that the signage in the atrium space was very useful.
Canteens
Students’ Association
Nearly all students knew where their campuses cafés and canteens where, but many thought that they didn’t represent enough value for money.
58-per-cent of students studying at City campus know where the Students’ Association space is located, while 62-per-cent of students studying at Riverside know where the SA is located. Although the majority know where their Students Associations where, only 35-percent of students studying at City campus 22
You are the Expert Riverside
On Wednesday 9th December, the Students’ Association held a ‘You Are the Expert’ focusgroup meeting at Riverside Campus. During the meeting, those in attendance reviewed and discussed the findings from the College’s Campus Survey in regards to Riverside.
Student’s thoughts and opinions were noted down for each of these areas, and the suggestions will be addressed by the Students’ Association and college staff. Suggestions included having cash machines on campus, making the Students’ Association area more ‘female friendly’, the addition of magazines to the Students’ Association Area and an improvement on the existing furniture.
Students from a range of different courses came together to talk about different aspects of the Riverside site, such as its appearance, canteen and layout, as well as how effectively the space in the new campus is being used.
The gender neutral toilets at the Riverside Campus were also discussed, and a decision has been made to allocate gender specific toilets on particular floors.
The students who were present were asked for their feedback on four key areas: how to raise awareness about the Students’ Association, the flexibility of their courses, social activities and how to promote health and wellbeing.
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You Said We Did
Wi-fi Riverside • After numerous complaints, you’ll be pleased to know that City of Glasgow College were able to arrange a better WiFi connection so hopefully your Netflix is running a lot smoother now!
• Students that are not using the SA space in Riverside said that they didn’t know it existed. • SA banners have been purchased and the Riverside campus has had new signs placed on the SA window.
• Connect to the wireless network eduroam • Enter the same username and password that you use for MyCity, followed by @ cogc.ac.uk at the end of your username
• There was also a SA launch on Friday 11th December. • SA officers have been promoting the SA in all college campuses, providing students with information of what is happening within the SA.
Username: (Student number) 12345678@cogc.ac.uk Password: Your My City password
• If prompted with a QuoVadis security certificate, you must accept or trust this certificate to proceed. • Once you have successfully connected to eduroam for the first time, the network will remember your username and password. You will be automatically connected within the College from now on • If you have any questions, or need any help, please contact the Operations Helpdesk on 0141 271 6600
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Winter Welcome
International Students were invited along to the Riverside Students’ Association space on Friday the 20th of November to welcome in the Scottish winter. The event music was provided by DJ Dylan who had the international students dancing all afternoon. There was free food and some fun activities, as well as guests who were invited to highlight all the services available while here at City of Glasgow College. The Police came along for a Community Safety chat with the students’ and shared some tips to keep them safe over the Christmas holidays. Students’ were able to ask about opportunities they wanted to pursue within the college and meet the Student Association and Student Engagement Team.
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On yer bike
On Wednesday 18th November, the college teamed up with “Uni-Cycle”, a government funded organisation to encourage and support those who cycle into college. From 10am to 2pm, students took the fantastic opportunity to give their bikes a new lease of life by getting them serviced for absolutely no charge courtesy of Uni-Cycle’s very own “Dr Bike”. Glasgow Bike Station is a charity that promotes cycling and recycling. Their volunteers recycle bikes for the community and their fully qualified instructors provide cycle training and maintenance skills. If you want to attend the next Dr Bike workshop contact: Student Engagement on 0141 566 4140 You can find The Bike Station at 65 Haugh Road, Glasgow, G3 8TX, call them on 0141 248 5409 or visit their website at http://www. thebikestation.org.uk/
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World Skills
Skills Show
World Skills UK is a portfolio of skills competition activity for both young people and adults. This includes national and international skills competitions as well as activity aimed at Schools and Colleges.
A high achievement that stood out at the World Skills event was the success of students from City of Glasgow College who received a total of nine medals. There were five gold, two silver and two bronze medals awarded.
National competitions are a portfolio of around 50 skills competitions run every year, regionally and nationally, to identify and celebrate the UK’s highest performing learners, apprentices and employees. Typically, participants would be working towards or have recently completed level 2, 3 and 4 qualifications in their related skill.
Principal and Chief Executive of City of Glasgow College, Paul Little said: “This was a worldclass achievement and I’m delighted that the tremendous hard work of our students and lecturers has paid off with such a significant show of medals. It really is fantastic for our world-class college to be recognised in this way. At City of Glasgow College our top priority is to equip each and every one of our students with the hard and soft skills that they will need from day one, as they enter the world of work.
World Skills UK is responsible for the UK’s selection, training and entry to international skills competitions. Members of the squad will now participate in a training and development programme before the final selection is made ahead of World Skills Abu Dhabi 2017.
This unique competition plays a vital role in raising industry standards. To be at the top of that league table shows just how brilliantly our college is doing in preparing our students to be the best in their chosen career and making sure their talent and skills are recognised by employers as amongst the best in the world.”
(World Skills UK Facebook Page)
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We interviewed Gordon and Craig about their time at the World Skills event. There were around 700 people that attended the World Skills event at the NEC Arena in Birmingham. 75,000 people were in the audience watching intently. Among those who were attending the event to compete was Gordon Ross from City of Glasgow College, who was a National finalist. Gordon participated in the Games Development group competing in a Networking project. Craig Creelman was Gordon’s trainer at the event and is his lecturer for 3D Animation. Craig said,
Craig Creelman (World Skills Trainer) and Gordon Ross (National Finalist)
“It is the first time Games Development has been at the top and Gordon was at the top of the table for Scotland.”
with the industry their project is suited for, as they network with people with creative art backgrounds. Code Masters and Autodesk were two companies that partnered with the World Skills event. When Gordon was asked if he would recommend applying for World Skills he said,
It took Gordon two and a half days to make his model for the project. Gordon said, “It was very challenging, the brief was different from what I had trained for but the experience was amazing. I gained so much knowledge and I was so happy that I made it to the finals. I had support from both Craig and Andy Pollock who were my support coaches and were there at any time I needed them.”
“Yes, definitely! If not for the taking part just go down to gain some knowledge and build contacts for the future as it will really helpful. There is no downside from doing it as everyone is so supportive.”
The event is sponsored by many partners and it gets the students to make contacts 29
Updates
So, what is the role of a Student Team Member? The Student Team Members will meet with the Student President and other members of the Students’ Association during the review week. They will want to talk to learners during the review, and your Class Reps will be able to inform you about when they will be present. What will the reviewers want to know and what else will they do? Reviewers will be looking at how you are progressing as a student and what you are achieving, as well as looking at how effective the college’s learning and teaching processes are. How you as a student engage in your own learning is also of importance to Education Scotland. Education Scotland will go about achieving these goals by observing learning and teaching at the college. They will speak to students and college staff, and implement these discussions by looking at examples of learning and teaching material that is used by the college.
From the 11th January 2016 for four days, Education Scotland will be coming to City of Glasgow college to carry out an external review. So what do you need to know as a student of the college? Most importantly, it is the college, not the learners, which is being reviewed. These inspections are focused on the needs of those who use the college services and aim to be fair and open. The review team will be involved in discussions and classroom observations during the review. If you are invited to meet a reviewer, think in advance about what is good and not so good about your learning experience, and your overall experience here at the college.
So what will happen after the review? Representatives of the review team, including the Student Team Member, will discuss their findings with the college at the end of the review. After the review is complete, a report will then be published and placed on the Education Scotland website.
Class reps will be involved in this process, so if you’re invited to a discussion, try to get the views of other people in your class before you attend. These meetings will be organised by the college, and should take no longer than 45-minutes. So if your class rep is invited, make sure to give them your views!
The college will then produce a Learner Report to summarise the review findings for current students at the college, as well as for potential students. Just remember, Education Scotland won’t be reviewing you. So just sit back, and let the college do their thing!
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Edinburgh Castle trip, International Students
World Skills Team Building Event
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TIMETABLE TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
AVAILABLE TO ALL COGC STUDENTS THURSDAY
MEN’S FOOTBALL
RUGBY
BASKETBALL
5.00 - 7.00pm
5.00 - 6.00pm
5.00 - 7.00pm
BASKETBALL
BADMINTON
For the latest info visit:
5.00 - 7.00pm
5.00 - 7.00pm
Townhead Sports Hall
Charles Oakley Sports Hall
Townhead Sports Hall
Charles Oakley Sports Hall
Townhead Sports Hall
/cogcsportsclubs
For more information please contact Students’ Association: citysa@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS Designed by Rebecca Marno, NC Graphic Arts Portfolio
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Seasons Greetings
from your Students’ Association www.citysa.co.uk facebook.com/cogcsa twitter.com/city_sa #yourcity
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