[This video features interviews with six people - two lecturers and four students]
Amina (Zoology student):
The first time I put on my laboratory coat, I felt like a very real scientist. So being able to do all these hands-on things has given me a lot of confidence in that I'm able to do this once I graduate.
[We see Amina putting on her University of Derby lab coat outside of the lab, and then confidently raising her hand in a seminar environment amongst classmates]
Ian Turner (Professor of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education):
The facilities really do replicate what we find in industry, down to the smallest detail. So the kind of equipment that's used, and the training manuals and protocols we adopt are all mapped into industry standards.
Jack Martin (Nursing student):
These mock wards are almost entirely the same as what we would find on the NHS, or any other hospital for that matter. By using the imitation patients, we can develop the tools we need to deal with real-life scenarios in a safe and efficient manner.
[We see Jack handling medication and health records in a ward environment]
Amina:
So whenever we're using these facilities, our teachers emphasise that these are going to be exactly the same as they will be in the real world. The skills we use in the microscopes and the microbiology labs that we use are going to be very similar when we go into the real world environment.
[We see Amina using a microscope in the lab]
Dr Nicola Lynch (Head of Derby Business School):
We are continually investing in our facilities at Derby to ensure that our students have the best learning environment where they can thrive and prosper in the subjects that they're studying, such as our new business school investment.
[We see a student learning from a lecturer using charts data in the Financial Markets Lab]
That is, to ensure that our students have state-of-the-art facilities, and that connection to industry is really vibrant within the school.
Rui (Photography student):
As a student, I get access to three studios, the darkroom, multiple and larges where I can work on black and white analogue photography, as well as colour analogue photography, and also the Media Loan Hub, where I can borrow professional equipment.
[We see Rui using photography equipment in the studio environment, and borrowing an equipment kit from the Media Loan Hub. Finally we see him using a Mac to edit photos on Adobe Photoshop]
Having access to industry-standard equipment allows me to hone my skills as a photographer and build my portfolio and experience for my future career, without the financial barrier of having to afford equipment myself.
Ian:
Real-world learning is really at the heart of what the University of Derby does, giving students the opportunity to not only learn the necessary skills and competencies, but also make a difference to employers. And a great example of how that's done is by using things like case studies and live briefs, which are directed and informed by the employers themselves.
Anisha Johal (English graduate):
One I worked with was with a local company who wanted to improve their marketing, and we offered a proposal to the company in the form of a presentation. So we analysed their current offerings, their current marketing, the good points to maintain; the areas of improvement.
[We see Anisha presenting to employers in a classroom setting]
We then offered our solutions, our creative ideas of things they could implement, and ways of reflecting on whether they were effective or not in the future.
Nicola:
We strongly encourage all of our students to gain work experience while they study with us. So they have options of doing short internship work experience opportunities or taking year-long placements between their second and third year of study.
[We see a student working in a logistics and supply chain location]
In terms of those placement examples, students have worked within small organisations to international organisations, both locally to internationally. Examples include: Pirelli, JCB, Disney, Mazars, and so on.
Jack:
Approximately two-thirds of our learning is placement. These placements can be anything from a surgical placement on a ward to a place out in the community, working with a community nurse. When I got onto the ward, the staff were very welcoming and made me feel like part of the team. At the end of my first placement, I was a lot less frightened if you would, to go on to my second one, as I knew what a placement would involve and I feel like that every placement after my first one is just getting better and as you gain knowledge, the job gets a lot easier.
Ian:
Career progression, employability prospects are really central to all of our programmes. So, almost from the very first day, we're preparing students for that exit and entry into the world of employment.
[We see shots of a student teacher working with young children, and of a group of students in a courtroom conducting a mock trial.]
Nicola:
We work with a number of external partners across all of our programmes in the Business School, and they work both in terms of informing the curriculum, helping when we're designing programmes, but also in terms of the delivery. So we have a number of external organisations that will come in and give guest lectures, talking about the industry that they're working in and offering advice to students in terms of how they progress into that potential career. But also we incorporate our relationship with those organisations in terms of the curriculum, and assessments.
Ian:
And I think the University of Derby does a great job with having a wide range of assessments. Yes - some of the standard things that you may expect, like essays, reports, and presentations - but a whole range of really creative and innovative assessment types: from comics to podcasts, designs, to game design, which are really relevant to the individual context with which students study.
[We see a student in the radio suite putting on headphones and controlling the recording desk, followed by a student in the XR Lab trialling a VR game headset as the game mirrors to large screens]
It's applied, it's authentic, and it gives the students a real strong sense of ownership. It means something to them and the employers that ultimately will employ them.
Amina:
This will be my second degree that I'm going for. I previously had another degree in another university and I felt this experience is a lot different. I really do feel that the teachers here genuinely care about my education and not even just my education, but my wellbeing, while studying.
Anisha:
The lecturers at the university are incredibly supportive. They offer support in a multitude of ways. So you have your, like, lectures where you learn about the content and the theory, and then you have seminars, which is the opportunity to discuss what you’ve just learned and to have a debate and discussion with your peers.
[We see Anisha working in a small group discussion, a poem showing on the screen, as they discuss ideas]
And it's okay if you don't agree with your lecturer or your peers. The purpose is that everyone gets to express their ideas and back it up with academic research. So it's great to kind of develop that skill, which you don't necessarily learn in previous education; university is much more about independent thinking, being critical and very self-aware.
Jack:
The lecturers help us with any query that we may have. If we are struggling with an exam, we can have a face-to-face tutorial one-to-one, where they will assist us with any queries that we may have about the exam.
[We see Jack in a ward setting getting instruction from the leading academic on how to resuscitate a patient]
As the vast majority of these lecturers are practicing nurses themselves, they know that all the material that they teach and provide us with in a simulated environment is of top quality and is of a standard that we can use for the real world.
Amina:
So the University of Derby assigns a Personal Academic Tutor for every student, which we call our PATs. And, you're able to go to them for any advice that you want and need,
Anisha:
They can discuss your personal development, professional development, academic development. So if there's anything you're struggling with academically, whether it's referencing or essay writing or presenting, you do have the opportunity to express these concerns with your lecturer, who will then give you advice and support and feedback on how to develop and improve.
[We see Anisha having a discussion with her Personal Academic Tutor]
They're basically there to help and support you as much as they can, so that you can achieve your full potential.
[We end on the University of Derby logo, and a link to the Study section of the website]
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