17 November 2021

eNews 17 November

eNews: Industrial action, pay, USS pension sessions, Fairer Future for All recordings, new Deans appointed, Winter Festival, learning and development, events and more

The entrance to Clothworker's Court and the Great Hall in autum.

Industrial action 

Planned industrial action 

University and College Union (UCU) has announced strike action and action short of strike (ASOS) will take place at a number of universities, including Leeds. Three days of strike action are planned for Wednesday 1 to Friday 3 December. ASOS will take place from Wednesday 1 December continuously until no later than Tuesday 3 May 2022, and will consist of UCU members only working their contracted hours and duties, and not volunteering to do more. During this time, we will be guided by three underlying principles – protecting the interests of students, retaining the cohesion of our community and protecting the standard of Leeds awards. 

Pay 

Christmas period | Payroll information 

Due to the Christmas closure period, the deadline for submitting payroll changes to HR to be processed for December’s payroll is Wednesday 1 December. Pay day will be Friday 17 December, and there will be more than six weeks before the next pay day on Monday 31 January 2022. 

USS pension 

Book | USS information sessions  

The statutory consultation being conducted by employers about the future of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) is open until Monday 17 January 2022. To support you through this process, independent USS consultation information sessions are available to book for a range of dates up to Monday 6 December. If you’re unable to make any of the sessions, you can watch a recording of the latest event. 

Values 

Thank you | The Big Leeds Conversation 

More than 1,400 staff, students and postgraduate researchers have helped check and challenge our draft values framework in the final phase of The Big Leeds Conversation. The survey has now closed, and your feedback is being collected to help complete our new values and behaviours framework, which will be announced in the new year. Thank you for co-creating the values that will underpin our policies, community and culture. 

Recordings | Fairer Future for All events 

Don’t worry if you missed the live sessions, as you can now watch the Fairer Future for All event recordings. Colleagues who attended heard about the University strategy and the ambition to create a fairer future for all – our staff, our students and the wider global community.  

Strategy 

Watch | Video summaries  

Summary edits of the University’s Strategy overview, Research and Innovation and Education videos are now available. You can embed them in school and faculty websites, in presentations or in any other official University capacity. Please contact David Pickering if you require any of the videos for offline use. 

Appointments 

New Deans appointed 

Three new Deans have been appointed at Leeds. Dr Margaret Korosec and Dr K Holly Shiflett will jointly take up the position of Dean: Online Education and Professional Learning, while Professor Arunangsu Chatterjee has been appointed Dean: Digital Transformation. They will join the University in January 2022. 

Wellbeing and support 

Tackling harassment and sexual misconduct 

Read about our actions to date to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all at Leeds, together with the guidance and support available for staff and students. The University takes harassment of all kinds and sexual misconduct very seriously and will not tolerate these behaviours from anyone in our community. 

Digital developments 

Update | IT Service Desk requests 

To ensure you get the IT support you need as quickly as possible, from Monday 22 November you will need to log on to the IT website to contact the Service Desk. Simply click on ‘Something Broken’ or ‘Request Something’ to receive an immediate reference number, enabling you to add details and track the case. You will no longer be able to create a new incident or request via email after this date. 

Students 

Celebrations | Winter Festival 

Students are invited to enjoy some fantastic festive fun during our Winter Festival programme, which runs from Monday 22 November to Friday 17 December. As well as craft and food stalls, student performances, late-night markets and festive meals on campus, students will have the chance to take part in cookery demonstrations – making mince pies, chocolate truffles and biscuits – or grab a hot chocolate while they enjoy a holiday movie in the Refectory. Full details will appear on the For Students website next week. 

Results day 

Join us online tomorrow (Thursday 18 November) to offer congratulations to our students celebrating their superb successes on results day. 

Student newsletter 

Read the latest student newsletter, which outlines how international students can book festive day and overnight visits with a British family via our partnership with the charity HOST UK, and covers key resources for students looking to help tackle climate change – including paid opportunities as Student Sustainability Architects. 

Nightline Awareness Week 

Parkinson Building is being lit up blue on Friday 19 November, as part of Nightline Awareness Week (Monday 15 to Sunday 21 November). Leeds Nightline is a confidential listening and information service offering students a safe space to talk about their feelings, or whatever’s troubling them, without fear of being judged. 

Feedback 

Changing your identity | Do you have experience of this at the University? 

We’re working on improvements to the way we handle requests to change identity in University systems and processes, and we want to consider your lived experiences as we do this. If you have experience of this at the University in the past two years, we’d love to hear from you. Share you experience of requesting a change to your title, name or gender before the questionnaire closes on Tuesday 23 November. 

Take part | World100 tracker survey 

Have your say in the World100 tracker – a survey measuring the reputation of leading universities among various audiences, from prospective students, teachers and parents, to UK and international academics, opinion formers, alumni and the general public. Views of university staff are being sought throughout November. The anonymous survey – which should only take about five minutes to complete – gives universities such as ours valuable insights into how we (and others) are seen by these different groups and tracks how our reputation may be changing over time. 

Staff networks 

Wanted | New Women at Leeds Network co-chair 

Do you have the energy, enthusiasm and ideas to help take the Women at Leeds Network (WaLN) forward? If you’re committed to the WaLN aims, and able to work collaboratively to advance them, then contact current co-chairs Rachel Muers or Gillian Neild to find out more. 

Research 

Register | Elsevier negotiations meetings  

If you read, cite or publish in Elsevier journals, book onto our latest online town hall-style meetings being held from 10-11am on Monday 22 November and 2-3pm on Wednesday 1 December. Hear about the Elsevier contract negotiations and discuss the implications of a deal – or no deal – for Leeds once our current contract expires on Friday 31 December. This includes alternative routes to access Elsevier content.  

Learning and development 

Sign up | PebblePad ePortfolio training   

You still have time to sign up for PebblePad training. These 45-minute sessions – running regularly until Friday 10 December – are designed to teach new users how to create innovative teaching materials and provide support for existing ones. Don’t forget you can also access your PebblePad account to take a quick tour of the homepage before you join the session. 

New guides | Writing for blogs and Medium 

Visit the communications website to access new resources, including handy guides to writing for blogs and social publishing platform Medium. Just follow the respective links on the menu, which also include the University’s approved style guide and details of how to source high-quality photos from the image library, among other advice and information. 

Apply | Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship  

Find out how applying for a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship will help develop your career. The programme provides the knowledge and skills to become a confident manager and will explore the functional, operational and strategic aspects of management across five themes: consultancy, leadership, skills, innovation and decision-making. Fees are paid by the University and the deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 6 December. 

Sign up | Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice 

Applications are open until Monday 22 November for the next Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) cohort. Starting in February 2022, the PGCAP is for colleagues involved in student education at Leeds, and aims to enhance your academic practice, connect you with peers and challenge your thinking. You can now watch the recording from the PGCAP information event recently hosted by OD&PL. The session explored why participants engage with the PGCAP and the impact it has on enhancing their student education practice, including how it’s one route to gain a Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy.  

Apply | Enhance Your Student Education Practice course  

Applications are now open for OD&PL’s Enhance your Student Education Practice course. Aimed at early and mid-career academic teaching colleagues, especially Teaching Fellows, the six online workshops are designed to provide you with the tools and skills to plan, evaluate and enhance your teaching and scholarship practice. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Wednesday 1 December.  

Sign up | Difficult Conversations workshops 

Book your place on a new series of OD&PL workshops focussing on how to have difficult conversations in the workplace. Available to all colleagues, the workshops will enable you to better understand how to have difficult conversations to get the outcomes that benefit yourself, the organisation and your colleagues. Virtual sessions are available to book on Monday 6 December and Thursday 20 January, with future sessions planned for later in 2022.   

Guide | LinkedIn Learning for researchers 

Read OD&PL’s guide introducing LinkedIn Learning support for researchers at Leeds. The article introduces specific collections designed for researchers and explains the ways it can benefit career development, including links to two courses exploring how a model for your learning and development can be supported by LinkedIn Learning. 

Webinars | Focus on Assessment and Feedback 

Register for the latest event in the Assessment and Feedback Matters webinar series, which takes places on Tuesday 23 November. The session will explore the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework for embedding more inclusive assessment design in teaching. The series aims to support the implementation of our Curriculum Redefined priorities for assessment and feedback and is chaired by Professor Alice O’Grady (Dean for Student Education: Quality and Standards) and run in association with OD&PL. Watch this space for details of future events. 

Register | Lifelong Learning Centre open house 

Sign-up for an open house event to find out more about the Lifelong Learning Centre, its work and areas of expertise, and how these may be useful in your role supporting students. Sessions are being held from 8.30-9.30am on Wednesday 24 November and 12.30-1.30pm on Thursday 25 November. 

Sign Up | Leadership Development Programmes  

Time is running out to register for OD&PL’s three new programmes designed to deliver support to leaders at different stages of their journey, ranging from aspiring and new leaders to those more established in their roles who are responsible for leading a change initiative. The first of the programmes starts tomorrow (Thursday 18 November). 

Register | Building Impact Momentum Programme  

There’s still time to register for the next Building Impact Momentum Programme to help develop ideas for impact that can be applied to research projects or grant applications. The programme, which runs from January to April 2022, is open to research, academic and professional support staff and consists of six webinars, additional reading, partner work and impact practice. The deadline for expressions of interest is 5pm on Friday 19 November.

Christmas 

Appeal | Food donations 

The University branch of UNISON is calling for donations of food items and toiletries – from members and non-members alike – in aid of the Trussell Trust (Leeds) and Richmond Hill Elderly Action. A full list of suggested items is available on its website. Donations can be made at the Ziff Café until Tuesday 7 December, with union reps on hand between 11am and 1.30pm on Tuesday 23 and Tuesday 30 November. 

Christmas crackers!  

Have you tried any of the fantastic festive favourites on offer in Great Food at Leeds (GFaL) outlets across campus? Don’t be left out in the cold – follow GFaL on Twitter for details of the 12 Days of Christmas promotion starting tomorrow (Thursday 18 November). Featuring a ho-ho-host of tasty treats and deals for each of the following 12 working days, it’s a real cracker. Yule be sorry if you mis-tletoe out! 

Events 

Inter Faith Week 2021 

See the Equality and Inclusion Unit website for further information about activities to mark Inter Faith Week 2021, together with information about faith groups and available resources at the University. Running until Sunday 21 November, the event provides an opportunity to strengthen relationships and understanding between people of different faiths and beliefs. 

Take part | UK Disability History Month 2021 

Join Disability Services to help mark UK Disability History Month 2021. ‘Supporting Disabled Students’ takes place from 10-11am tomorrow (Thursday 18 November) via Microsoft Teams. This is the first of a programme of events focusing on various aspects of disability support and inclusion at the University. Visit the Equality and Inclusion website for further information. 

LGBTQ+ STEM Day 2021 

Find out more about our LGBT+ Staff Network to help mark the International Day of LGBTQ+ STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) tomorrow (Thursday 18 November). The date has moved from July to coincide with the 60th anniversary of American astronomer and gay activist Frank Kameny’s fight against workplace discrimination in the US Supreme Court. 

Register | Winter Series of Be Curious LATES 

Sign up for the launch of the Winter Series of Be Curious LATES, taking place from 8-9pm on Tuesday 7 December. Hear how Leeds researchers are applying their expertise to investigate the impact of covid-19 and provide solutions to support society’s recovery. Tickets are free and sessions build on the success of this summer’s Be Curious programme of LATES events, designed exclusively for adult audiences.  

Book | Inside Yellow Sound  

Experience a multi-sensory installation on campus from Wednesday 15 to Friday 17 December at Stage@Leeds. Developed by Leeds researchers in collaboration with Extant, a UK-leading performing arts company of visually impaired people, the performance invites one audience member at a time to animate the world of the play. The installation is free but booking is essential. 

Exhibition | The Expressive Mark 

You can view a new exhibition at The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery from today (Wednesday 17 November). Curated by Anne Goodchild, The Expressive Mark traces the significant contribution to the development of British post-war art made by pioneering artists exploring the abstract. Entry to the gallery – open in the Parkinson Building from 11am to 2pm, Tuesdays to Fridays – is free. 

Register | 2021 Festival of Social Science  

You can still register to take part in the 2021 Festival of Social Science this month. As a partner organisation, we’ve scheduled a series of digital and face-to-face events as part of the programme. Open to all, this year’s festival focuses on environmental issues to mark the UK’s hosting of COP26. 

Meet the Researchers | Immersive Technology 

Join the Alumni and Development Team and the Centre for Immersive Technology for a series of webinars to meet some of the experts from across the University who are driving the use of immersive technologies to upskill the next generation and pushing the boundaries of possibilities in research. The series runs until Thursday 25 November, with each webinar including a 30-minute Q&A session.  

In case you missed it 

Forthcoming changes to Minerva 

Microsoft Teams Voice 

Have your say | Library survey 

Visit | Digital Education Systems Help Website 

Register | Research Culture Cafés 

Sign up | Menopause in the Workplace workshops 

Register | Welcome event for new staff 

Sign up | Podcasting for Teaching workshop 

Recording | Introduction to Agile 

Sign Up | Leadership Development Programmes 

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