Oxford Brookes has pioneered the introduction of undergraduate research to enrich the student experience and enhance student employability. Students in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences are encouraged to develop new research in their undergraduate degree and present their findings at an annual research conference, for which they receive funding. The conference provides undergraduates with a unique opportunity to showcase their research. Through participation at the conference undergraduates can disseminate their findings to peers and academic staff, as well as gaining invaluable presentation and communication skills.
Brookes has a real commitment to sustainability and having a net positive impact on society and our environment. Sustainable travel is a key part of this and we support students to help reduce the impact of getting to and from Brookes. We are currently trialling a bike doctor service for staff and students at the Ferndale Campus, which is in addition to the scheme currently running at our four Oxford sites. This is just one of a number of recent changes being made. For example, the annual sustainability report was recently launched by our Chancellor Shami Chakrabati at a student event.
We know Brookes students are a talented bunch and the Brookes Talent Bank is just one of the ways employers can get hold of you. It's an easy to use database that can put you in touch with organisations that are looking to fill graduate roles, placements, part-time opportunities or vacation work. Any Oxford Brookes student, graduate, post graduate or alumni can register and use it to find work. It's perhaps a tribute to your reputation that currently there around 1800 companies registered - 800 more than in 2010.
The University has created a new tool to track the academic performance of students. This allows staff to make better decisions about giving students the support they need. The new tool gives us better access to academic data in a consistent form for the first time - and is one of the most valuable ways of assessing student progress. Students will have a richer experience because of improved choices the University can now make when investing its resources, or taking into account a student's personal circumstances to support their academic progress.
For Ben Wilkins, taking on an allotment has been a life changing experience. As part of the Wheatley kitchen garden scheme he took up the offer of a plot provided by Chartwells the University caterers. Everyone was impressed with the students’ achievements on their 24 allotments, but it was Ben that won the competition. As a result he got the chance to share his expertise on a trip to Malawi, where he helped set up a similar scheme with the One Foundation for some of the world's most vulnerable people.
A number of changes have been introduced on the Sport, Coaching and Physical Education course in direct response to student feedback. Students now have an input into the teaching content of their modules and can request a subject of particular interest be incorporated into the curriculum. As well as this, new staff have been appointed to spend more time with those who may need some extra support. And when some students told us BrookesBuses weren't arriving in time some mornings? We made sure that extra buses were timetabled earlier. As well as changes to boost students' academic performance, there are now work experience opportunities with organisations such as Oxford United Football Club and local hospitals to boost student employability.
We are actively working to improve wi-fi across all campuses. Ninety-nine access points have already been fitted at Wheatley over the past eight months and over sixty points will be added at Harcourt Hill during April and May 2012. A further half a million pounds has been earmarked to make further improvements over the next two years and to ensure state-of-the-art and robust connectivity. We are also piloting the loan of Google Chromebooks, including smartcard enabled vending machines in the summer to provide further mobile device access to campus wi-fi.
We want students to have a great experience from the moment they arrive at Oxford Brookes and this includes making sure arrivals weekend is stress-free. Students arriving at Paul Kent Hall this year benefited from a variety of changes, some of which also improved community relations. These included additional parking for the weekend and extra staff to guide them to a space; a speedier check-in process to help students settle in more quickly; and the option to arrive early at no extra cost. Although many of these changes were unseen by students, their experience of arrivals weekend has undoubtedly improved.
It is a competitive job market (it always has been to tell the truth) but there are still great jobs out there. As long as you make an effort, do some research and use the range of support available to you, you should find the right role. At the Careers and Employment Centre, we're here to help. In the last two years careers staff saw 50% more people to support them individually and for students who are less local - they made it easier for them to get email support on applications.
It is a long tradition at Oxford Brookes that halls are mainly reserved for first years. Next year there will be a significant change and over 1000 more rooms are now available for those continuing their course. Any student can apply for a room from a range of halls. There are huge benefits - you will avoid what can be expensive deposit schemes, often have a more flexible contract length and the cost of utility bills is thrown in. Book as an individual or a group, it's your choice and you can find out more details here.
We want you to achieve your potential and we know the support we give students for assessment is essential. Of course there should always be a clear link with the brief for assessment you're given, the marking criteria and the learning outcomes we hope you will achieve. But we're also busy trying new things. In every faculty students are getting involved in peer assessment or marking dummy assignments. By applying the marking criteria and discussing the grades awarded they can build a strong understanding of how their own work will be marked.
We spend £1.7m a year on the BROOKESbus service but like most transport services we know it's not perfect and there is often room for improvement. That's why this semester we've made a simple alteration to the timetable in response to last autumn's Students' Union bus survey. We now run two extra U5X services from Wheatley after evening lectures have finished and to make sure we pick up issues like this more quickly we've set up a student bus user group.
Alice Walton is a new Sports Co-ordinator recruited specifically to help more of you get sporty. She introduced a new University programme that has seen more than 500 students take part in sports including football, netball, basketball, badminton and squash. She says 'It's aimed at those who do not take part in the University team competitions which may be due to time constraints, ability or numerous other reasons. In 2012 we're hoping to add softball, cycling and lacrosse to give even more opportunities for students'. Find out more at www.brookes.ac.uk/sport.
We know that your CV needs to be about more than your degree mark and subject. In a competitive marketplace, the more opportunities we give our students to gain practical experience and advice, the better. With this in mind, we have introduced a mentoring scheme with qualified accountants and finance professionals for our final year accounting students. With the inclusion of Oxfordshire County Council and the four big accountancy firms, this offers an excellent addition to students' CVs.
We are investing £150m in building new facilities, which makes it hard for our campuses to look their best. But last year we made more immediate changes to our sites to make improvements for our students now. Like the new shop and cash point in Wheatley. We've also refurbished Union Square in the Students' Union on Headington Hill. Fresh coffee and food, a place to relax and study - it's proved so successful we're hoping to open a similar space at Harcourt Hill.
Oxford Brookes can now boast one of the country's fastest growing university social media communities thanks to the work of Tim Gibson. He started our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube sites to "provide students with instant information and updates, answer queries and generally develop a point of contact for students. Our Facebook community now has over 30,000 fans, we have over 6,500 Twitter followers, our YouTube videos have had over 130,000 views and students have helped make these sites their own." Join Oxford Brookes at www.facebook.com/oxfordbrookes, on Twitter - @oxford_brookes and www.youtube.com/oxfordbrookes.
Dr Gareth Neighbour, Head of Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mathematical Sciences: "We are fortunate to have the luxury of a number of major motoring manufacturers being based close to Oxford. This includes BMW, with whom we have excellent links. Through this collaborative work, Brookes has recently been offered 40 work placements for our engineering, business and motor technology students. This will provide an invaluable opportunity for students to gain experience, contacts and that crucial step towards their first role when leaving Oxford Brookes."
Last year Oxford Brookes raised £1.3 million in charitable donations. For students already here it can provide small grants for field trips, community projects and our Student Hardship Fund. But it also supports a smaller number of people who otherwise would not be here. Like Rabecca from Sudan, who for 12 years lived in a refugee camp and came to our Development and Emergency Practice MA. She said her scholarship was paid for by those "making a sacrifice to give life to other people". It won't just change her life but the lives of many others she will go on to help following her degree. Find out more here.
The aim of the Students Union is to represent, support and inspire our students. With 78 clubs and societies and over 600 course reps it's an important part of university life, so now it visits the heart of student life. Every week you will find a team of student officers and staff working remotely from different parts of the University. You can speak to one of the on-hand advisers on more practical issues or perhaps mention something you think the University should address. It is after all your Union, so make use of it.
We believe that anyone with the right ability should be able to study here. One small way we can help is by providing child care facilities for students with young children. It's a service Ofsted have rated as outstanding and it provides a stimulating and happy environment. The childrens' learning is not limited to the classroom and this year the grounds team developed an outdoor 'forest school'. Those with spider phobias should watch out - as staff specially brought in the wood's own crawling insects. More information is at www.brookes.ac.uk/ student/services/nursery/
When you study in a city as great as Oxford you shouldn't limit your learning to the classroom. Laura Novo de Azevedo, in our Department of Planning created a series of podcasts including video that cover the design of parts of the city. Students in a first year module on Urban Design can now download and listen to these while walking around the sites. Laura explains 'the podcasts are complementary to lectures and the flexible learning approach helps give students first-hand experience the principles they're taught'.
At Oxford Brookes we not only work for our students but with them too. Students are represented on every important committee and are given a role in key decisions. In fact the President of the Students' Union sits on our governing board that among other things signs off our budget. To further improve things, we agreed a new Students' Charter with your Union last year. It sets out what the University commits to and what students need to do to get the best out of us. To avoid complacency - we won't leave it there - we'll review it annually to make sure it fulfils its promise.
Tom Williams, Grounds Manager: "In September 2011, two of Oxford Brookes' campuses were voted into the country's top ten most cherished green spaces in the annual People's Choice Award public poll. This followed July's announcement that our Headington Hill and Harcourt Hill campuses had been awarded a prestigious Green Flag Award. My grounds team work tirelessly to create the best campus environment for students - for example, last year planting over 5,000 spring bulbs across our campuses. We are delighted to have received national recognition for our grounds which help to make our university a better place in which to study, work and visit."
