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University Updates
Welcome to your regular update
Happy New Year!
We hope you were able to enjoy a good break. Please see updates below on the latest Registrar's emails, career zone and an online event for our Postgraduate students.
Registrar's email - important updates
You should have received an email from the Registrar over the holidays, detailing changes outlined by the UK government as to when students should return to the University this term. If you've not received it you can read it here. Please make sure you are aware of what that means for you personally because we have been asked to delay the start of in-person teaching for the majority of students until the week beginning 25 January at the earliest, in order to delay the movement of students across the country. You'll receive another update from the Registrar again tomorrow. It's really important to continue to check your inbox regularly at the moment to ensure you're up to date with the very latest information.
Good Luck with your Exams!
We would like to take this opportunity to wish those of you with examinations this week the best of luck. At the end of last term we sent an email detailing all of the information you need to know while completing your online examinations, you can find this information here.
If you experience IT issues during a live exam, or you have any queries on the content of your examination, you must contact the Assessment Helpdesk, so they can log that the issue has occurred and give you urgent assistance. Please don’t contact your module tutors during a live examination. The Assessment Helpdesk is run by a support team who are able to respond to queries on all examinations (options 1, 2 and 3) whilst they are taking place and open.
You can contact the Helpdesk on examshelp@exeter.ac.uk and from today, 4 January, by telephoning +44 (0) 1392 72 6800. The Helpdesk is open between 8am - 8pm GMT Monday to Saturday and 8am - 1:30pm GMT on Sunday.
For more examination information, please read the Student Handbook for Online examinations from this webpage, as well as the answers to frequently asked questions and useful guides.
Hand writing all or part of an examination
Some modules may require you to hand write parts of your exam, for example when completing graphs and formulae. If you need to hand write any or all of your assessment we recommend you scan or photograph your handwritten work using a mobile phone.
You can’t submit photos to BART, so you will need to insert the photos of your handwritten work on to one document (for example within MS Word), in the correct order for the marker, and then convert it to a pdf. If you have an iPhone you can scan documents directly into the Notes app and then copy them into your work. You may see information on ELE advising you to use MS Word for some papers that include graphs or formulae – as this isn’t possible, these can be handwritten and then photographed before being inserted into an MS word document.
In all cases, the format instructions on your examination rubric (the cover sheet to your examination paper) are the instructions you should follow for submitting your exam.
Find out more in the Student Handbook for Online Examinations.
Managing exam stress
We understand that the exam period is a stressful time for many of you. With this in mind, Wellbeing services have put together a webinar to help you manage exam stress. The session aims to give you tips on how you can deal with stress to better look after yourself and enable you to perform better as a result. If you need additional wellbeing resources, advice or support, check out the Student Services pages here.
Penryn Welfare team
The Penryn Welfare team is here to support students whose health or welfare may be impacting on their studies or whose studies may be impacting upon their health and welfare. They can fit around your needs and offer confidential online chats with students on Wednesday afternoons 2pm - 4pm. To find out more please see our webpage.
Mind Over Natter: Let's Get Physical
Kick away the January blues by signing up for Mind Over Natter on Wednesday 13 January for a talk on the perks of getting physical this winter. Led by Exeter Alumnus and director of Athletes Inspire, Martin Corck, the short talk and Q&A will be held on Microsoft Teams from 12.45 – 1.30. Register now for your free ticket.
Postgraduate students - book on to our special event
Please join us on Thursday 14 January for our special online event for the postgraduate community. Hosted by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Lisa Roberts, with senior colleagues from the University and your Students' Union, this online event is free, but please book your place here.
President elections - nominations open
Do you have what it takes to champion the student voice? Are you passionate about helping students during these unprecedented times? If so, why not consider putting yourself forward to be one of the next Students’ Union Presidents? Nominations for the posts are open now until Monday 18 January at 12 noon. You can find out more about the role and how to put yourself forward here.
Testing Penryn Campus phone lines
The phone lines at Penryn Campus are going to be switched over to a new infrastructure and testing is being carried out to ensure it is working. As we are using Teams and email much more at the moment, we are expecting this to have minimal impact. Internal calls will be unaffected.
Between 10am and 2pm on Monday 11 January, numbers including Exeter staff direct lines (213540 – 213899), Finance, Little Wonders Nursery, Falmouth Reception and the IT Service Desk will be ‘at risk’. For IT Service Desk support, please log a call via the online portal or email: servicedesk@fxplus.ac.uk
Please contact the Service Desk with any queries.
Using study spaces safely
If you're using a study space, please don't move the furniture, as that will have been set up to be COVID-19 compliant. Remember to use the available wipes to wipe down your work area before you start work and also when you finish, for the benefit of the next person to use it. Always wear your face covering, unless you have an exemption and make sure you keep two metres apart from others. Wash your hands regularly and/or take advantage of the many sanitiser stations on campus. Some spaces on campus have the windows open to ensure adequate ventilation, so please don't close these. Please also scan QR codes where you're asked to.
Meningitis: be aware of the symptoms
Meningitis is a life-threatening condition, so it’s important to make sure you’re vaccinated and know the signs and symptoms. Symptoms can appear in any order. Some may not appear at all. Early symptoms can include: fever with cold hands and feet, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pain and stomach cramps.
If you think you or someone you know has these symptoms, call NHS 111 or your doctor straight away. If you or the person concerned becomes seriously ill, then dial 999.
The MenACWY jab protects against four types of meningitis and it is free for students from your local medical centre - if you’re unsure about if you have already had the vaccine, call your doctor.
Last chance to exhibit your research and win prizes!
Only one week left until submissions close on Wednesday 13 January for research posters and abstracts to be displayed in an online exhibition later this month. You could win an invitation to present your research at the British Conference of Undergraduate Research in April 2021 or a host of other prizes. Participation counts towards the Exeter Award and is great to add to any CV or further study application. Please see our showcase website for more information.
Ready when you are
We know you’re busy with revision and exams right now, so we wanted to wish you good luck from all of us in the Career Zone. We also hope you had a restful break. We’re here to support you with your career goals for 2021 and beyond. You can Live Chat with us though our website, and we’ve got a great range of skills sessions, resources and support that covers everything from creating a brilliant CV, to setting up your own business and beyond. Let us know how we can help.
The following events will be held online:
Thursday 14 January, 3pm-4pm - Postgraduate welcome event, online with the Vice-Chancellor Professor Lisa Roberts and representatives from the Students' Union. Book your place here
Keep an eye on the Students’ Union Website to keep up to date with upcoming events.
Tell us what you think of this newsletter:
Get in touch with your feedback or news stories at: studentcomms@exeter.ac.uk
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