{"id":12244,"date":"2020-06-04T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-04T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/ls\/?p=12244"},"modified":"2020-06-02T16:06:43","modified_gmt":"2020-06-02T15:06:43","slug":"a-big-virtual-hello-from-the-student-engagement-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/ls\/2020\/06\/04\/a-big-virtual-hello-from-the-student-engagement-team\/","title":{"rendered":"A big virtual hello from the Student Engagement team!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With so many of us now working – and studying – from home, we thought you might be missing our friendly faces. With that in mind, our team wanted to reintroduce ourselves and give you a little reminder about who we are and what we do…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Zoom
LS Student Engagement Team on Weekly ‘Coffee Break’ Meeting<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Student Engagement<\/strong> team is part of Learning Services and can normally be found in Catalyst. You may well have met some of us (prior to lockdown) at one of our UniSkills workshops<\/a> or 1-2-1 appointments<\/a>, but if you haven\u2019t, now might be the time to get to know us. Most of our team are Academic Skills Advisors<\/strong>, who meet with students to discuss any concerns they may have about their academic writing, referencing, searching for books and journals, making presentations etc. \u2013 the list goes on. This can be during a 1-2-1 appointment<\/a> where we can focus solely on your work, or during a UniSkills workshop<\/a> where we meet with you in small groups and tackle academic skills together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whilst we might not be able to meet with you face to face at the moment, we can still support you online via vi<\/strong><\/a>rtual appointments<\/a> <\/strong>and webinars<\/strong><\/a> – we are only a couple of mouse clicks away. Why not check out the full list of UniSkills webinars<\/a><\/strong> we currently run, to see if there is something we can help you with. Webinars are great, as you can sit back, take the information in and ask any questions through the chat function \u2013 no video\/audio is required. For 1-2-1 appointments<\/strong><\/a> we can use video\/audio, but if you prefer not to, we don\u2019t mind, as there is always the chat function available and you can type what you would like to say instead. All our support is self-bookable online through the links included above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We hope that your academic writing is going well, but if you are\nfinding it difficult, please do get in touch and don\u2019t struggle alone. Our team\nis here to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now over to\nmy colleagues, so you can see who makes up the team and find out a little bit\nmore about us all. I\u2019ll go first\u2026                                                                            <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire Olson \u2013 Academic Skills Advisor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Claire<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Hello, I\u2019m Claire, I\u2019ve worked at Edge Hill for over 3 years and have enjoyed every moment. I love that I get to meet so many students and hopefully help them when they are struggling with their writing or referencing. Sometimes it\u2019s just the opportunity to talk an essay through which helps and that to me is the best bit of my role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside of work, I\u2019m juggling homeschooling my 7-year-old daughter (like so many others) with completing my final Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education<\/a> assignment. Hats off to those of you writing essays whilst keeping little ones amused, I know it\u2019s not easy! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To try and relax I\u2019m enjoying lots of reading in the sun and playing too much online scrabble! More reasons why my assignment still isn\u2019t finished, now what do we say about procrastination\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maisie Prior \u2013 Academic Skills Advisor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Maisie<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I’m passionate about helping students navigate through the minefield of university assessment and reflect on their own learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s nothing like the lightbulb moment when criticality “clicks”, or seeing students support one another in our UniSkills workshops and learning communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the lockdown, I’ve been completing my own assignments as part of the Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education<\/a>, brushing up on my Italian, and playing with my two mischievous kittens Ayla and Rio.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Wright \u2013 Academic Skills Advisor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"John<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Originally from Anglesey, in beautiful North Wales, I’ve been a librarian for over 20 years and I still provide support in finding, evaluating and deploying information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, within my role here at Edge Hill, I get to support students in developing their academic writing practice too. It’s great to see students develop and improve as a result of your intervention, be that through one-to-one appointments, workshops or embedded sessions. During these challenging times, I’ve been trying to make the most of the lovely weather by getting out on my bike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andy Tomkins \u2013 Academic Skills Advisor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Andy<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I am a qualified librarian and have worked at Edge Hill for 13 years. My role involves helping students with referencing, finding academic information and developing their academic writing. This can involve one to one support, a UniSkills workshop or an embedded session arranged by your tutor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I find it very rewarding to help someone with something that they may have struggled with and to see their understanding develop. I\u2019ve been really impressed with the students I\u2019ve helped during the current pandemic, that so many people are working hard under very challenging circumstances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My main hobby is hillwalking and for much of the lockdown I wasn\u2019t able to do this, something that was very difficult for me. Instead, I\u2019ve been on lots of local walks and have noted the wildlife I\u2019ve seen. As a result, my appreciation and knowledge of the area I live in, has really increased. That has been a big positive for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helen Briscoe \u2013 Academic Skills Advisor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Helen<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

My name is Helen and I have worked in the Student Engagement Team for 18 months, but have been at Edge Hill University for almost 18 years! I love that my role enables me to meet so many students and support them with academic skills development, and couldn’t ask for a more friendly and encouraging team to work in ? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since starting in this post\u00a0I have really enjoyed being involved in developing new initiatives such as\u00a0UniSpeaks\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0Returning to Learning<\/a>\u00a0that enables students to come together in learning communities to support each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, I am working from home with two teenagers in the house, so I always try to carve out some time to relax when I can. I am an avid reader and love cryptic crosswords which are a great way to become totally absorbed in something other than work or study.\u00a0I also really enjoy jigsaws and am now onto my 3rd since the start of lockdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharon Pieroni \u2013 Academic Skills Advisor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n