Study Skills and Access Unit access@rgu.ac.uk / 01224 263048
Happy New Year!
Welcome to the latest ACCESS RGU Newsletter. In this issue we’re delighted to report on two important milestones for the ACCESS RGU programme: our new partnership with Aberdeenshire Council, working with Fraserburgh and Peterhead Academies; and RGU’s retention of the Buttle UK Quality Mark, in recognition of the university’s work to support care leavers. The university looks forward to building on its initial work in these areas during 2015. We’re also pleased to bring you the latest update on our ‘Access To’ campus programmes. December was very busy for ‘Access To’ participants and RGU staff alike as the End of Course Celebration Events got underway, showcasing the young people’s achievements to parents, teachers and carers. Looking ahead, please take a moment to read about our pilot ‘Access to Law’ programme scheduled to run in February in partnership with Ledingham Chalmers. In this issue we also introduce the ‘Northern Lights’ project, an innovative partnership project with Northfield Academy enabling S1 pupils and their parents to find out more about university. The project, while in its infancy, has already received very positive feedback from both parents and pupils. For our regular ‘Meet the Team’ series, we highlight the important contribution made by the university’s student ambassadors. Student ambassadors are keen contributors to the ACCESS RGU programme of activities and are very much part of the team. As always, please make contact with the team if you have any enquiries about the ACCESS RGU programme. And finally, please keep an eye on our website and Facebook pages. We do our best to regularly upload information to showcase the university's wider access activities and participants getting hands-on!
Regards, Elaine Sinclair Senior Project Coordinator, Study Skills and Access Unit access@rgu.ac.uk, 01224 263048 www.rgu.ac.uk/access-rgu Facebook.com/accessrgu
Over the past few months, the ACCESS RGU team have been pleased to develop links with Peterhead and Fraserburgh Academies, bringing the benefits of the successful partnerships established with Aberdeen City partner schools to Aberdeenshire pupils. Following initial discussions with Aberdeenshire Council colleagues, the team made an early visit to Peterhead in the autumn term to participate in the annual UCAS information day. ACCESS RGU project officers were accompanied by student ambassadors and provided pupils with the inside track on applying to university, life on campus and tips on student finance. The student ambassadors brought the university experience to life for the audience, as they shared their real life challenges and what they did to overcome them, as well as highlighting the range of activities and societies on campus. The ACCESS RGU team were very impressed by the pupils and their plans to progress into higher education. Both Peterhead and Fraserburgh Academies have engaged with the ACCESS RGU workshop programme and the team have already started delivering workshops to S5 and S6 pupils. The team are also delighted to work with both schools to discuss opportunities for pupils to visit the campus and participate in the exciting range of ‘Access To’ subject focussed programmes in September. In the meantime, the team are looking forward to working with staff to develop further opportunities to support pupils in school and on campus, including participating in upcoming careers events.
‘Access To’ participants who either completed programmes with us in Semester 1 or participated as S5 pupils last year will soon have the opportunity to participate in a support programme for applicants to RGU. The five-week programme aims to support pupils who are currently applying to degrees at RGU. Pupils will benefit from further advice and guidance to manage the application process and gain a better understanding of what happens after they submit their UCAS applications. Advice on interviews, selection visits and portfolio requirements will be provided as well as mock interview practice to better prepare pupils for this stage of the selection process. Additionally the programme aims to build on the confidence pupils have developed during their initial experiences of ‘Access To’ and explore the motivation and resilience required to stay on track and achieve success.
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ACCESS RGU staff will deliver the core programme and be on hand to provide information and guidance to address individual needs and support participants to address and overcome any barriers. Having listened to feedback from previous ‘Access To’ participants who are now 1 st year students of the university, we are also offering a student shadowing experience where pupils will be given the opportunity to attend a lecture to gain a better understanding of what to expect. Pupils will be supported by student ambassadors and will learn more about how 1st year classes are taught. We are confident that this enhancement to our successful ‘Access To’ model will ‘top up’ the skills, experience and understanding that pupils have previously gained and ease the transition from school to university. The programme will run on Mondays, 4.30-6.30, from 23rd February to 23rd March 2015. Interested pupils can register by email to Rhona McComiskie r.mccomiskie@rgu.ac.uk or Kaisa Macdonald k.e.macdonald@rgu.ac.uk.
ACCESS RGU is working in collaboration with Northfield Academy to deliver an exciting new pilot initiative called Northern Lights. The pilot began in autumn 2014 and is supporting a group of 22 S1 pupils referred by the Academy, providing sessions that enable participants to explore a range of further and higher education opportunities and study pathways. Following successful launch sessions to introduce pupils and their parents and carers to the programme and the staff involved, pupils have already participated in two engagement sessions in school and on campus. The engagement activities are designed to maximise participants’ potential as well as develop their confidence. It is anticipated that students will progress through the programme into S2 and continue to benefit from a further year of activities. As a result of the positive feedback from parents, further parental engagement is planned. Neil Hendry, Head Teacher of Northfield Academy, commented:
"Northfield Academy is delighted to be working with RGU to raise the aspirations of a group of S1 pupils. Engaging with RGU will give families a greater understanding of what university can offer and allow them to begin to plan ahead. As a school, we are working to ensure that we increase opportunities for our young people, enabling them to make informed decisions and aspire to be outstanding beyond the school gate.”
This February will see the launch of our latest course in the suite of ‘Access To’ programmes. In addition to the successful ‘Access to Management’ and ‘Access to Communication & Media’ programmes we are pleased that Aberdeen Business School will now offer ‘Access to Law/Law & Management’ to senior pupils. The 'Access to Law/Law & Management' programme of study has been devised by staff from the Law School in conjunction with staff at Ledingham Chalmers, marking an exciting new partnership between RGU and the law firm. RGU has many and varied links with business and industry and a number of our undergraduate courses benefit from close collaborations. The partnership with Ledingham Chalmers is the result of ACCESS RGU's work to forge new links with the business community that will specifically benefit our wider access pupils and students. The programme will be co-delivered by RGU lecturers and trainees, lawyers and partners from the firm, and the exchange of knowledge and experience will ensure that pupils benefit from the expertise and talent of both academic staff and legal practitioners. Pupils will be given the opportunity over seven weeks to explore the many faces of the legal profession and develop their understanding of a wide range of corporate, business and private client services. Pupils will learn how to present cases in the university's dedicated moot court and through group work, presentations and case study research they will develop the skills and knowledge to help them consider a future career in the field of Law or Law & Management. The programme will run on Wednesdays, 4.30-6.30, from 18th February to 1st April 2015.
During the month of December pupils from our partner schools celebrated the completion of their ‘Access To’ programme. Pupils from St Machar, Kincorth, Northfield, Torry and Hazlehead Academies demonstrated their skills and learning outcomes to their parents, supported by lecturers and student ambassadors. The End of Course Celebrations included interactive tours and practical activities allowing pupils to showcase their learning and achievements. Parents were keen to learn about the skills pupils had gained during
the
programme
and
participated
enthusiastically in the activities the pupils had organised for them. In the ‘Access to Health Professions’ programme celebration parents had an opportunity to visit the university’s Clinical Skills facilities and engage in different activities, including reading x-rays and listening to heart sounds. Pupils from the ‘Access to Forensic & Analytical Science’ programme demonstrated their lab skills, running experiments to teach their parents about toxicology. Under pupils’ supervision parents were able to try their hand at pipetting and molecule In
Aberdeen
Management’
Business pupils
School, were
‘Access tasked
to with
developing a new product for the pet industry. Pupils pitched their final product in a Dragons’ Den style event and the following week organised a trade fair to showcase their innovative business plans. Neil Hendry, Head Teacher of Northfield Academy, congratulating his pupils on winning the Access to Management Dragons Den
continued...
Neil McLennan, Quality Improvement Officer from Aberdeen City Council, sat on the panel of friendly dragons and commented on the evening: “What a truly fantastic night. Well done
to all involved in supporting the students. I continue to be impressed with the brilliant work you are all doing with so many students in so many areas.” ‘Access
to
Communication
&
Media’
participants showcased short animation films they had created and parents were invited to see the radio and TV studio facilities and watch footage of the pupils presenting news bulletins. After the interactive tours the pupils were proud to receive their Certificates of Participation to mark the end of their ‘Access To’ journey. Feedback on the ‘Access To’ programmes was immensely positive. Hazlehead Academy pupil Niamh Munro participated in the ‘Access to Forensic & Analytical Science’ programme and sent her thanks to the staff after the End of Course Celebration:
“I just wanted to thank you for giving me the opportunity to take part in the course which I enjoyed very much. I loved learning about Toxicology, Microbiology and DNA and Genetics and found the workshops and lab work very beneficial. The course also helped me to decide that studying Biomedical Science at University is exactly what I want to do.”
Please visit our Facebook page Facebook.com/accessrgu for more pictures capturing the fantastic range of showcase activities at the End of Course Celebration events.
ACCESS RGU is pleased to announce that three lucky students have been awarded ACCESS RGU scholarships for the 2014/15 session. Thanks to generous business donations and the support of the RGU Foundation, scholarships have been awarded in the disciplines of Engineering, Business and Creative Arts, and are supported by Enermech, CNR and Baillie Gifford respectively. In addition to financial support, the scholarships make provision for each recipient to access academic support from a dedicated study skills adviser. Recipients have also met with their sponsoring companies and are looking forward to beginning their mentorship programme. Adebowale Odukoya, a first year Mechanical Engineering student, comments: “This scholarship has
benefited me financially and also acts as motivation to excel in my studies, without the financial assistance it would be harder to concentrate on my studies. Looking into the future I am confident that with the aid of the scholarship I will be able to reach my full potential as a Mechanical Engineer.“
We are also pleased to report that one of the ACCESS RGU scholarship recipients is a former Northfield Academy and ‘Access To’ alumnus! To find out more about the ACCESS RGU scholarships please visit www.rgu.ac.uk/access-rgu.
News just in! In recognition of RGU’s commitment to supporting students with a background in care, the university is delighted to have been awarded the Buttle UK Quality Mark for a further two years. ACCESS RGU team member and university care leaver adviser Charley Buchan has worked with staff across the university over the past year to expand and promote RGU’s support package for applicants and existing students with a background in care. The university is keen to build on this work and establish partnerships with external organisations, including Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City Councils and North East Scotland College (NESCol), to provide support for talented young people in care, as they consider their next steps in further and higher education. On a practical level, we would be pleased to contribute to information events and forums for care professionals and foster carers, to highlight the support available at RGU. To get in touch, please contact Charley Buchan on 01224 263092 or email c.buchan2@rgu.ac.uk.
Of the range of measures the university has introduced to help realise its wider access commitments, ‘contextualised admissions’ is perhaps the least familiar to partner school colleagues. Contextualised admissions is based on the principle that an individual’s educational attainment should be considered in the context in which it was achieved. For example, pupils from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds or from schools with relatively low attainment rates may perform less well than pupils from high attainment schools, but still have the potential to succeed in higher education. By considering contextual information about applicants, universities can identify and provide support for these talented individuals. RGU’s contextualised admissions process adheres to this principle, ensuring that applicants' prior attainment is assessed in the context of the circumstances in which it was obtained. For the current cycle of applications, a range of contextual factors is considered including whether an applicant lives in an area of multiple deprivation, has a background in care, is from a low progression school or has attended an Access To programme (please note that, as the Access To Law/Law & Management pilot is scheduled to run after UCAS deadline, it is not included for 2015/16 entry). In practice, this means that an individual who narrowly misses the selection criteria for their chosen course but whose contextual data suggests they have the talent to succeed, may nonetheless be offered a place. It should be stressed that all such decisions are made on an individual basis and in light of the requirements of, and demand for, the course being applied to. Educational achievement remains central to the admissions process. Additionally, contextualised admissions is not a standalone process but an integral element of the university's wider access work as a whole. It is reinforced by a Degree Prep course and later by a series of study support sessions. ACCESS RGU is pleased to confirm that applicants from our local partner schools are eligible for consideration under the university’s contextualised admissions scheme. Applicants are automatically flagged through the university’s management information system but are encouraged to state their participation in any wider access activities – for example, the ‘Access To’ programmes – in their personal statement. For more information, please contact us at access@rgu.ac.uk.
Student ambassadors have an important role to play in supporting the delivery of ACCESS RGU activities. The ambassadors provide much valued support for staff and, more importantly, are inspirational mentors and role models for the young people on our programmes. During the autumn semester, 13 student ambassadors worked alongside university staff and helped deliver outreach workshops in schools and support the delivery of the ‘Access To’ programme on campus. Third year students Chris Terry and Lewis Eden have been helping out in the Access to Forensic & Analytical Science programme. They have both really enjoyed their experience teaching and supporting participants. An important part of the student ambassador role is to provide peer-to-peer support by sharing experiences in higher education with the pupils. Pupils feel that the current students provide them with an invaluable insight into student life and feel comfortable approaching them with questions about degree studies. Chris, who studies Biomedical Sciences, describes his reasons for becoming an ambassador and the importance of sharing his experiences with the pupils: “It is an opportunity
I wish I’d had when I was at school. I enjoy what I do at uni so I thought it would be a fun opportunity and good to help pupils. I learned that even the smallest bits of information/ experience can help someone decide if uni is the right thing for them.”
Former Hazlehead pupil and current Forensic and Analytical Science student Lewis started as a student ambassador by helping out in science classes at his former school as part of ACCESS RGU’s outreach activities. After this experience
he was keen to get involved in the Access to Forensic & Analytical Science programme. Chris and Lewis were surprised how well the pupils engaged with one another and the staff members and how well they got on with their experiments in the labs. Chris was impressed by the pupils’ willingness to learn and for Lewis the most enjoyable part of working with the pupils was to see how they developed new skills through the programme. Lewis also enjoyed the End of Course Celebration where the pupils demonstrated the skills they had gained during the programme to staff and parents: “It was really enjoyable to see
how far the pupils had come from week 1 to week 8.”
The university recognises the invaluable contribution made by student ambassadors. The ACCESS RGU team provide training and support to help ambassadors prepare for the role and provide continued mentorship throughout the programme.