Tag: Study support

Introducing your Student Experience Coaches

Author Student Communications | Posted on

Support we offer you here at UWE comes in many different forms – this includes a team of Student Experience Coaches who are here to help you achieve your goals and make the most of university life.

Student Experience Coaches use coaching models and techniques that help you to define direction, overcome obstacles and achieve aims.  Student Experience Coaches can help you with your university experience outside of the classroom. They can coach you on many areas of your life and studies, including self- development, wellbeing and self-care and engagement with your course, including growing confidence in your exams and assignments.  

They can:

  • Encourage you to seek solutions to your issues
  • Empower you to take control 
  • Help you to explore what your aspirations and goals are 
  • Identify strategies and establish day-to-day habits that will have a positive impact on your life and studies. 

What students say:

“(Coaching) really helped me to understand how to motivate myself and prioritise my work in a way that worked well for me!”

“My coach was incredibly helpful and supportive. So helpful to sit with someone and process my thoughts.”

“Coaching made me feel like a superhero.”

“(My coach) was incredibly helpful and supportive. So helpful to sit with someone and process my thoughts.”

How to get in touch

The team are really warm and friendly, and easy to reach; during term time you can pop into one of their drop-in sessions at your campus:

Frenchay
• Monday to Friday 11:00 – 14:00 level 2 of the Library

Glenside
• Monday to Friday 11:00 – 14:00 level 1 of the Library

City Campus
• Bower Ashton Studios: Tuesday 10:00 – 12:00, Thursday 12:00 – 14:00 Student hub (Information Point)
• Spike Island Studios: Tuesday 12:00 – 14:00

There is also a virtual drop in on Tuesday 11:00 – 14:00, and Thursday: 11:00 – 14:00.

Final bits of info

Coaching is available to all undergraduate students, across all campuses. 

You can book appointments with a coach, five days a week, Monday – Friday, 9:00 – 18:00. The appointments will last around 45 minutes.

You can book an appointment with a Student Experience Coach via InfoHub or email us with an outline of your situation and we will get back to you. 

There is one coach assigned to each school, so although they cannot help with the specific content of your course, they will understand what your programme experience is. It might be that a listening ear is all you need – you may not feel dedicated support is necessary – but an informal chat with someone who is outside of the situation might just help you untangle your thoughts and gain some clarity on a way forward. 

It’s a safe space and they are part of the university package you’ve signed up for – so hopefully they can take some weight off things for you; make sure you make use of them. 

Navigating MS Teams

Author Student Communications | Posted on

Join the Team!

When it comes to online learning on your course, most of you will be using a mixture of MS Teams and Blackboard, and it will be up to your teaching staff to decide what works best for your particular programme. You’ll have programme and module pages on Blackboard, but you may be asked to use Teams either in class or in your own time for activities such as group work, discussion boards, presentations or quizzes. Teams will also be the platform for any virtual lectures or teaching sessions.

Don’t panic –there is plenty of support on how to use Teams and teaching staff can point you in the direction of appropriate support. But, if you want to do some prep work, then why not check out Using Microsoft Teams on the Study Skills section of our website. You don’t need to create a new account to use Teams, you just use your UWE username and password.

If, once term starts, you find out that Teams is not being used in your programme and you would like it to be, then contact the module’s teaching staff for more information.

Benefits of using MS Teams

So why are we going to be using Teams? Put simply, loads of reasons. Our Digital Learning Team has been researching the best ways of helping you learn, and we believe that Teams has so many advantages over other platforms.

  • It’s universal. Teams is used in so many workplaces across the world, so getting to grips with it now will allow you to gain useful experience for life after graduation.
  • It is designed for collaboration, and will help you work with your peers. You can share files, meet online and send chat messages.
  • It comes with a whole range of tools to help you manage your work, both individually and as a group, such as planners and notebooks.
  • You can also use whiteboards, surveys and quizzes, and other apps that integrate with Teams, so you can learn in a way that works for you.
  • It has a number of accessibility features, including Immersive Reader, which is great tool for students with additional needs.

One thing you might need to be aware of if you’re going to be heading out on placement, is how to manage two Teams accounts at the same time – one for UWE and one for your employer. This is pretty straightforward. You just need to log into one site via the desktop app and the other through a browser window. You can read up on this closer to the time, but just something to bear in mind.

Playing by the rules

As always, there are a few ground rules we need you to follow when using Teams, just so we can make sure everyone is safe and happy online.

  • Be respectful to each other.
  • Don’t share other people’s photos or personal data without their consent.
  • Don’t try to pass others’ work off as your own. Even in an informal setting, it is good practice to reference where you have used other people’s work. See UWE guides to referencing and avoiding plagiarism.
  • Always act in accordance with the Student Conduct Policy.

Final bits

If this all seems a bit overwhelming, don’t panic! If, once your modules start, you’re not really sure what you’re supposed to be doing, then ask your tutor or module leader.

Also, there’s sooo much out there to help you get trained up in getting the most out of Teams. You have access to the LinkedIn Learning library of video courses, and here are some suggestions that will help guide you through it all:

And, if you have any technical issues, you can contact IT Services, or if you have other questions such as how to download the Teams app, then you may find our Study Support pages useful.

Taking control of your inbox

Author Student Communications | Posted on

Ping!…. Ping!….. Ping, ping, ping!

An overflowing inbox, with new emails coming in faster than you can delete the old ones, can feel like a lot. We get it. And we know you don’t want to be inundated with irrelevant information or unnecessary updates. Which is why we’re working hard to make sure that we are only sending you stuff that you need or want to know about.

However, email is still going to be one of your main communication channels as a student and it’s so important that you’re keeping on top of the different info that’s going to be sent your way. Life as a uni student means taking on new challenges, and one of those might be having to manage a busy inbox for the first time.

So, we’re here to help! The tips below will help you embrace good habits and become a pro at managing your emails:

  • Organisation – create folders within your inbox, so you can file emails into the appropriate place and easily find things at a later date. Specific modules. Society updates. Correspondence with your landlord. If everything has its place then your inbox will feel neat and tidy rather than overflowing and overwhelming.
  • Unsubscribe – you have the power to stop (some) unwanted emails reaching you. All corporate emails will have an unsubscribe option, so if you feel you’re being spammed then take two minutes to get yourself off that mailing list. Just don’t unsubscribe from Student Communications – our emails are useful and interesting, promise! Also, you’d miss out on really important information around term dates, health and wellbeing support, changes to academic regulations, IT shutdowns etc.
  • Don’t ignore – five unread emails can quickly become 50 if you just turn a blind eye and pretend they’re not there. So, the best thing to do is to deal with emails quickly. For every email that you open do one of the following: Delete, Take Action or File it. Don’t be afraid to delete stuff that you don’t need. Just don’t leave it sitting unread.
  • Set boundaries – accessing your emails on your phone is a great way to make sure you stay connected while on the go, and the point above highlights the benefit of regularly reading and actioning emails. But, 24/7 access to emails is not always a positive thing, so try to set your own boundaries to make sure you don’t start feeling overwhelmed. Perhaps limit inbox checks to certain times of the day, so you’re not constantly distracted by the notifications.
  • Consider other ways of communicating – not everything has to be said via email. You could try to keep your emails for academic purposes, and move personal or social conversations somewhere else, such as WhatsApp or Teams. Also, if you find yourself in a lengthy email exchange with your lecturer, perhaps its worth speaking to them in-person instead.
  • Get some training – there are some great resources out there to make sure you’re using your email system to its full potential. Unlock that knowledge by doing some research and finding tutorials for programmes such as Outlook and Gmail.
  • Ask for help – hopefully these tips will help you navigate your uni inbox, but remember, if you get stuck, make sure you check out our UWE Email webpage.

Using music to improve your student experience

Author Student Communications | Posted on

Did you know we have a team of Student Experience Coaches here at uni to support you?

They’re available to help you with a whole range of issues that you might be experiencing, including time and workload management, dealing with stress or anxiety, helping you set and achieve your goals and learning how to juggle home and university life.

There are coaches based within each of our schools, and Paul Mahon is the coach working within the School of Computing and Creative Technologies.

He hosts drop-in sessions at Frenchay Library (Level 2) Monday to Friday, 11:00 to 14:00. Alternatively, email at experiencecoach@uwe.ac.uk

He’s keen to help you draw on your hobbies and interests to help improve your university experience, and has written the below blog post about how he believes music can be a fantastic tool for learning and development.

Paul says: “Here at UWE we see the integration of music into coaching practices as a unique and useful approach to supporting you on your educational journey. Music, with its profound ability to evoke emotions, stimulate creativity, and enhance focus, serves as a valuable ally in the realm of student experience coaching.”

  • Setting the tone for success – Music possesses the remarkable ability to set the tone and atmosphere of a coaching session. By carefully selecting appropriate music, I can create an environment which helps encourage introspection, relaxation, or motivation, depending on what we’re trying to achieve.
  • Facilitating emotional expression and exploration – My work as a coach often involves delving into emotions, aspirations, and obstacles. Here, music serves as a powerful medium for emotional expression and exploration. Certain songs or genres resonate with people on a deeply personal level, allowing them to articulate their feelings and experiences more freely. Through guided listening exercises, I can encourage you to explore your emotions, gain insight into your thought patterns, and develop strategies for emotional regulation and resilience.
  • Boosting creativity and problem-solving – Creativity lies at the heart of both music and effective coaching. Incorporating music into my sessions can stimulate divergent thinking, spark imagination, and inspire innovative solutions to academic and personal challenges. Encouraging you to create a playlist that reflects your goals, aspirations, and moods can foster a sense of ownership and creativity. Additionally, collaborative music-making activities at the Centre for Music, such as singing, jamming, songwriting and improvisation, can cultivate teamwork, communication skills, and adaptability – essential qualities for success in the academic and professional spheres.
  • Enhancing focus and productivity – In an era marked by constant distractions and information overload, maintaining focus and productivity is a common challenge for many of you. Music, particularly instrumental tracks or ambient sounds, can act as a powerful tool for enhancing concentration and cognitive performance. Whether used as background music during study sessions or as a means of transitioning into a state of deep focus, carefully curated playlists can help overcome procrastination, reduce stress, and optimize your learning environment.
  • Fostering connection and community – Music has the innate ability to bring people together and foster a sense of belonging and connection. Joining music-related activities gives you the chance to connect with others, share interests, and build a supportive community.

All students are able to access support from their Student Experience Coach. They offer face-to-face or virtual appointments via MS Teams, so find out more and book your place.

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