Adapting to online & blended learning, awards and more of what makes us #ProudToBeGre

Delivering teaching, undertaking research and studying and working remotely have brought challenges, but we're really proud of how our whole community has worked together to deliver innovative solutions throughout the pandemic:

• Across the university we've welcomed students with new online inductions and group Q&As sessions with their peers and tutors, listening and acting on your concerns and the issues brought about by online learning. There's been many opportunities for students to voice their thoughts whether that's been at the Programme Town Hall meetings in the Faculty of Business, or the 'afternoon tea' sessions for our new Health Sciences students, which helped students build friendships outside of the classroom environment and helped them get to know their peers.
• In the Faculty of Business we launched the International Business (IB) Club online, giving our students access to videos and resources from the top thinkers from the International Academy of Business (UK & Ireland).
• We're supporting our final year science students, in the Faculty of Engineering & Science with ‘virtual lab projects’, where we have a member of staff in the laboratory performing the experiments and acting as the hands for students who instruct 'their virtual hands' using Teams.
• We've adapted our Physical Education teaching practicals in the Faculty of Education, Health and Human Sciences so students can take part in  a Covid-Safe way.  This meant conducting small-group practicals on campus and recording these, along with pre-recorded theory sessions and a range of activities for students to do at home, allowing students to participate in new activities such as dance and gymnastics, even though they couldn’t be on campus.
• The Design School in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences built an online virtual reception to support students, and to set-up remote access to specialist workstations on campus so that students could continue to access design software.

We've also won awards

For the second year in a row our students have won an award in the Student Reading for Pleasure awards, congratulations to:

• Claire Tullis, Isabelle Marler and Megan Carmichael on their Bronze Reading for Pleasure Award for Reading is where the magic happens.
• Megan Doughty who was Highly Commended for Check Your Shelf Before You Wreck Yourself.
• Kelsey Gale & Hollie Davy who were also Highly Commended for Reading between the Wines.

We also want to congratulate

• Dr Khosru Rahman in the School of Engineering who was awarded the British Empire Medal in the New Year Honours list for services to Education.
• The 19 students and graduates who have started the Santander UK Universities Student Online Self-Development Programme, delivered with Sporting Edge Digital. They will learn about a variety of performance themes including personal drive, learning mindset, confidence and more.

Brilliant! Congratulations Kerry!������ #ProudToBeGre https://t.co/BQFUuU0uvu

— Uni of Greenwich (@UniofGreenwich) January 29, 2021

• PhD Candidate Stephen Jones who has been appointed as Professional Lead for Mental Health at the Royal College of Nursing, and how he wants to help the RCN be a voice for nurses and members and also to recognise the incredible support of his PhD supervisors, Dr John Crowley, Prof Karen Cleaver and Dr John Foster. 
• The whole research team, including our two Greenwich co-authors Prof Michael Bradley and Prof John Colvin, whose research on facemasks has been included in the 2020 Altmetric Top 100.
• Colleagues in our Estates and Facilities directorate who have retained the Environmental Management System (EMS) certification for ISO14001 which confirms we comply with environmental best practice, and sets us up well to achieve our goals for sustainability.

We're also really proud of

• Our new Climate Change course delivered by the Natural Resources Institute, and the only one of its kind in the South East of England, which will help future generations protect the planet.
• Signing up to QAA's Academic Integrity Charter which intends to provide a baseline position upon which UK providers, as autonomous institutions, can build their own policies and practices to ensure that every student’s qualification is genuine, verifiable and respected.
• Dr Louise Hewitt and Dr Louise Owusu-Kwarteng who contributed to  the Together Book Project in the first lockdown, which earlier this year was celebrated by the Prime Minister.
• Dr John Foster who appeared on BBC Radio Kent's breakfast show in a segment on dry January.
• Dr Nazanin Zand who featured on the Channel 5 consumer rights show Secrets of your Supermarkets Food discussing the risks of handling fruit and veg in the supermarket.
• Prof Ozlem Onaran who was invited to give evidence to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee on 9 February.