Your Student Charter

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Contents

Page

Newman Values 3

The Newman Community 3

Your Course at Newman 4

A High Quality Education 4

Your Assessments and Feedback 5

Feeding Back and Making Changes 5

Your Personal Development 6

Support for You and Your Well Being 6

The Newman Environment 7

The Whole Experience 7

Message from the Vice Chancellor and Principle of the University

We warmly welcome you to Newman and want you to become an active member of our learning community. I hope that this charter can act as a compass so that you will be able to find your place in the community and that you understand where to turn to whenever you have issues and questions to ask.

Message from the President of the Students’ UnionThe Students’ Union Executive Committee are here to make sure that you have a voice and have as much opportunity to make your time here at Newman as successful and fulfilling as it can be. I and the rest of the Executive Committee will always try to answer any questions about the University or the Students’ Union should you have any, or at least point you in the right direction. Newman is a close-knit community of learners, and everyone here is friendly and eager to help. This charter is here to help support that message, and looks at the basic principles of communication and thoughtfulness that underpin the good relationships and positive atmosphere of Newman.

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The Newman Community

Newman is a student-centred University with a vibrant, safe and friendly environment where everyone is polite, respectful and considerate of one another.

Students can expect this environment to also be professional, enriching and challenging so that talents and creativity are encouraged and can flourish.

All students are treated fairly at Newman; the institution recognises that learners are individuals and allows for different ways of learning.

Students can expect Newman to be an honest, open institution that is clear on its expectations and happy to answer questions.

Members of the Newman community can expect to engage in and contribute towards timely and effective communication.

The life of the Newman Community is enriched by the active participation of its members.

Newman Values

Newman University is a values-based learning community, informed by its Catholic Ethos. This community prizes the power of education to transform the lives of the individual and society. All its members, staff and students, value and promote:

* Respectful dialogue, as a means of living and learning together, seeking to ensure all members have a voice in our community;

* Individual integrity, honesty and professionalism;

* Inclusivity and the diversity of our community;

* Social justice and equality;

* Reflection and contemplation as a means of personal growth;

* Active participation in developing and transforming our learning community;

A mission of service through which the University seeks to benefit the wider community.

Where you see this symbol, further information is available (see page 8)

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A High Quality Education

Students at Newman are well prepared for their studies, completing preparatory tasks and familiarising themselves with module data sets.

Lecturers at Newman are committed professionals who are specialist within the fields they teach.

Learning at Newman is supported by:

* A well-resourced library which provides a wide range of good quality services and up-to-date materials;

* Appropriate resources made available on the Virtual Learning Environment in time to allow students to review what they have learnt;

* An appropriate IT infrastructure providing access to well maintained, networked workstations and campus wide WiFi.

Students recognise the value of educational resources, appreciate they are used by a number of people, and treat them with respect.

Students at Newman are encouraged to engage with I.T. communication tools and mechanisms.

Your Course at Newman

Newman recognises the importance of taught sessions and endeavours to make the time spent in them as positive as possible; all sessions are held in a suitable environment free from interruptions with suitable time given to breaks.

Students are expected to:

* Regard their course as a top priority alongside their personal life. They are expected to be committed to their learning, including purchasing some learning materials of their own;

* Manage workloads effectively and be aware and considerate of the workloads of others;

* Attend taught sessions and engage fully with the learning activities.

Students can expect to:

* Be able to access an up-to-date timetable easily and, where possible, are given fair notice of lecture rearrangements or cancellations;

* Receive both guidance in developing the skills needed to secure a placement and support whilst on their placement.

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Feeding Back and Making Changes

Newman aspires to work in partnership with students in order to proactively enhance their learning experience.

Newman actively seeks the thoughts and opinions of students through the course rep. system and through the Students’ Union and takes these opinions on board when making decisions.

Newman provides opportunities for students to respectfully ask questions and voice their opinions, and encourages students to do so.

Newman students are expected to actively contribute to the development and enhancement of their course, as well as providing feedback through recognised systems including module evaluations, validation panels, and course representatives. All changes to courses are considered in the long term and not just in the short term.

Newman provides formal complaints procedures through which students can raise serious concerns.

Newman Students’ Union will work to represent student interests in the wider sphere of Higher Education.

Your Assessments and Feedback

Students at Newman are assessed in a variety of formats with clear deadlines, targets and objectives given at the start of each module.

Newman endeavours to monitor the impact of assessment deadlines on student learning, and to provide timely information to enable students to plan their workload.

Students should complete all assessments to the best of their ability and in a timely manner.

All assessed work is marked without bias, according to explicit criteria which are made available to students in advance. At level 4, in order to identify support needs, assessments may not be marked anonymously. At levels 5 and 6, anonymous marking is used where possible.

Feedback at Newman is provided in a variety of ways, from one-on-one time with markers and lecturers, to detailed, constructive feedback on all assessments.

Students are expected to act on their feedback to improve their academic work over their time at Newman.

Students are given clear guidance on their degree classification, detailed transcripts and early notice of their progress from year to year.

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Support for You and Your Well-Being

Students at Newman are expected to be honest about their skills and abilities and proactively seek out help and support when they need it.

Newman students can expect support and guidance on a wide range of areas such as writing assignments, careers advice, and correct referencing practice.

Newman supports all members of its community in a variety of ways from one-on-one support, to email communications and recognises that some students will need specialised services such as welfare support or financial guidance.

Students are encouraged to make use of careers support so they can create a plan for developing their employability.

Students are expected to take responsibility for their own learning and not to become reliant solely on support structures.

Newman recognises the financial position of students and will endeavour to show restraint on pricing of any kind such as tuition fees and the prices for food student accommodation.

Newman provides welfare, pastoral care and counselling services, as well as access to sporting facilities in order to support students’ health and well-being.

Your Personal Development

The attributes of the Newman Graduate will help prepare students for their chosen career and make a positive contribution wherever life takes them.

Students at Newman are encouraged:

* To be open minded about challenges and use them to improve as lifelong learners;

* To learn and actively participate with their learning, moving from consumers of knowledge to partners in learning;

* To engage with given projects and research topics throughout their education;

* To independently develop their knowledge and understanding within their studies alongside being given support in developing an understanding of their role in wider society;

* To engage with opportunities to help them develop as a person while at university such as volunteering, the Students’ Union, and Students as Partners Projects;

Students at Newman can expect to leave with lasting memories and good friendships.

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The Whole Experience

Newman is an environment where students can enjoy “student life”.

Newman works alongside Newman Students’ Union in providing various opportunities for students to get involved, to develop interests and to broaden their education.

Most courses at Newman offer students the opportunity to take part in educational trips.

We encourage students to actively participate within the local community.

Newman University and the Students’ Union will endeavour to have a diverse range of student activities and groups on offer that cater for different interests.

Students are encouraged to make use of the Students’ Union and the services they provide.

Students at Newman are encouraged to think of the environment and make use of public transport when possible. However, unlike other universities, students are able to park onsite free of charge, where space permits.

The Newman Environment

Newman University is committed to improving its environmental performance and to ethical stewardship of natural resources. Our objective is to grow and develop in a sustainable manner. We are delighted to have been awarded a Gold Award from EcoCampus in September 2014. Newman is dedicated to providing a high quality environment for students to learn in.

Students can expect:

* A comfortable, clean, tidy living and working environment;

* A range of catering facilities;

* Both communal and quiet places that are suitable for their learning and social spaces where they can meet friends;

* To have access to the limited onsite parking, which is free of charge. Please see Newman’s Environmental Policy for more details;

* Recycling facilities to be available throughout the University.

Newman is aware of its responsibilities to its neighbours. Members of the Newman Community are encouraged to park considerately at all times, and be respectful and considerate to the local community. Newman students and staff are expected to respect and appreciate the environment that they are in, keep it tidy and recycle wherever possible.

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“Newman University students are members, alongside our staff, of a diverse and inclusive learning community in which we respect

individuals and promote their growth into valuable members of society, able to make a positive contribution wherever they find themselves. We strongly encourage the full participation of our students in our

community; working in partnership with academics and professional staff in a spirit of mutual trust and respect.”

Taken from The Newman University Strategic Plan, 2014-2020 (p13)

Where can I find out more?

Contact the Students’ Union for information about this document and how to get involved at www.newmansu.org

Or go to www.newman.ac.uk/studentcharter for further information about specific sections within this document.