Welcoming new undergraduate students to BU

Your timetable will be released the week before your course start date, which for most students is Monday 22 January 2024. This will only be available once you have completed your online registration and enrolment as far as you can. Please check in Brightspace, your virtual learning environment, for details of when the timetables for your faculty will be available, as they will not all be released on the same day.

When available, you can access your timetable in a few different ways:

• Through your virtual learning environment, Brightspace, under 'useful links'
• Directly through online timetabling
• Our log-in services page.

Your timetable will show the dates and times of scheduled sessions you need to attend for the course you are studying, such as lectures, seminars and other learning sessions like lab work or workshops. In addition to timetabled lectures and classes, you are expected to spend time working independently, preparing for classes, researching, and working on assignments or taking part in group work. You’ll need to plan your study time and other commitments around any timetabled sessions. Finding a good balance between your studies, work and study time will really help you succeed.

You can check the programme specification for your course on our course webpages this will give you an outline of your contact hours and an idea of how much time you will need to spend attending classes. For a full-time undergraduate degree this could be over three to five days per week, timetabled anywhere between 9am and 7pm, Monday to Friday, during term time.

Syncing your timetable with other calendars

Once you have accessed your academic timetable online, you will be able to synchronise it with personal calendars you may use on your own devices. Look out for the Calendar Centre link when you access Brightspace or visit our IT information pages for more information about how to set this up.

Brightspace and your student email will be essential to your learning experience at BU and can be accessed once you have completed your online registration.

Brightspace

Brightspace, your virtual learning environment or VLE, will be where you access study materials, engage with your tutors, submit course work and assignments, and find resources including reading lists, online journals, and past exam papers. You can log in to Brightspace using the following hyperlink (https://brightspace.bournemouth.ac.uk/d2l/home).

Once you access Brightspace, you will find activities to complete before you arrive set by your faculty and course team. These tasks will help you get in the right mind set for your course and prepare you for your taught units. Please make sure to complete these tasks before your first session.

To help you get started with using our learning platform we recommend completing our 'Getting to know Brightspace' course which can be found on the Brightspace homepage after you log in.

Student email

Your student email address will be where we communicate with you during your studies. We recommend that you check this daily to stay up to date on news about your course or the wider BU community.

You can find out more about how to access the basics on our IT information webpages.

Please note: When you access Brightspace or your BU email account for the first time, you will be asked to register for Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). To do this, you will need to go to office.com and register with your new BU email address. You can find out more about MFA in the IT information section of our website.

Student Agreement

We've put information about the rules, policies and procedures in an agreement which was emailed to you with your offer letter. This student agreement includes important information about your time at BU - for example, what happens if we have to change something about your course, you're not able to submit an assignment, payment of tuition fees and more.

When you accept your offer from BU, you're agreeing to our student agreement. When you register for your course online, you'll be asked to review the current version and confirm that you agree to it and the rules, policies and procedures it refers to. We may have updated our student agreement since you first saw it, so make sure you check it when prompted.

Download your copy online from our important information webpages.

Student Charter

Studying at university is a mutual, active partnership and you're the most important part of that partnership. By working together professionally and respectfully we can all achieve our goals. We've created a Student Charter to help you understand how that works. Following the charter means you will get the best of our your experience at BU. Read it now on our website.

To help you prepare for your course, your faculty and course teams have set a range of pre-arrival activities for you to complete before your first session. These activities can be accessed when you first login to Brightspace and will vary by programme – some will relate to your course, whilst others, such as those included in the ME@BU section, will give you a chance to reflect on your skills and provide advice on how to develop them once you are here.

Our interactive skills4study package is also a good way of preparing for your course, which you can complete at any time to enhance your academic skills online.

We also recommend reading broadly about your subject area or chosen profession, this could include reading industry journals, staying up to date with news and trends, or following related topics on social media.

UK culture and education system

If this will be your first time living and studying in the UK, you may find the information on our website about living in the UK, adjusting to UK culture and opening a UK bank account useful. We also recommend checking the following two websites for specific support and guidance:

• Prepare for Success
• Prepare to Study & Live in the UK.

During your first week at BU, there are several key activities that you will need to take part in:

• Your faculty will run a course induction full of essential introductory lectures, workshops and informal opportunities to get to know others on your course. Your induction timetable will usually be shared with you at your first session, so it is important that you attend – details of your first session will be included in your registration email.
• You will need to collect your student ID card and get any international documents checked during your first few weeks. To do this you must drop-in during the designated time for your faculty. Visit our webpage for the full information about where you need to go, and what you need to bring to your session.
• Your BU Student Service Teams will also be hosting a variety of events and activities to welcome you to the BU community. You can find out more about what to expect in your first week by visiting our ‘Explore and things to do’ webpage, or downloading our arrival app.

If you are joining us on a nursing or midwifery course based at either Portsmouth or Yeovil campus, more information to support your arrival can be found on our Portsmouth and Yeovil arrivals page.

Whether you need help adjusting to university life, or just want to talk about how you are feeling, there's always support available. Our Achieve@BU team want to help you make the most of your time here so whether you just want a quick chat about something that's been getting you down, or you're struggling with a bigger issue, contact the team who will do their best to help you out and point you in the right direction. Find out more about the team on our website.

Personal Tutors

As a student on a taught programme, you will be allocated a named Personal Tutor throughout your course of study. Your Personal Tutor is here to provide individual support and advice to help you in your learning and achievement at BU. More information about your Personal Tutor will be shared with you once you start your course.

Learning Analytics

Learning Analytics will help you, your Personal Tutor and teaching staff to understand how you are progressing and how we can best support you to be successful in your studies. Information and guidance will be provided on how to use the system in the first few weeks of the year. Find out more about Learning Analytics on our website.

Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) sessions are a great way for you to learn collaboratively and discuss course-specific content with peers. These timetabled sessions are delivered by a second-year PAL Leader who is studying your course and aim to boost your confidence in academic skills and to ease you into university life. PAL Leaders are here to support you, answer questions and offer guidance on topics covered on your course. More information about your first PAL session will be sent to your BU student email and will be included in your timetable.

Find out more about the benefits of Peer Assisted Learning on our website.   

We want you to develop into self-motivated, independent, lifelong learners. To help you achieve this we offer a range of services.

Additional Learning Support (ALS) - If you have a learning difference, a medical or mental health condition, or a sensory or physical impairment, adjustments can be made to your learning and assessment. Contact our ALS team so they can so they can advise on the most appropriate support for you. They can help you apply for additional funding if you are eligible, access useful resources and learn strategies that will empower you to develop your skills and achieve your goals. The sooner you contact them the sooner they can help. Find out more about the service on our website.

English language support - We offer extensive free English language support for students for whom English is not your first language. Workshops on various aspects of English for academic practice and one-to-one sessions to help with grammar and punctuation are available. These workshops are bookable throughout the year, either face-to-face or virtually. Find out more when you get here. 

Library and Learning support - We provide a comprehensive library and learning support service to all our students. As well as our two libraries - The Sir Michael Cobham Library, Talbot Campus and Weston Library, Lansdowne Campus, which are open seven days a week - we offer a range of online resources that you can access off-campus, including e-books and e-journals. Find out more on our website.

Study support - To help you reach your potential we provide online study skills support. Interactive materials, workshops and individual sessions are available to help you improve your skills like notetaking, academic writing, time management, revision or exam techniques and referencing. Find out more about how to benefit from this support when you arrive. 

As a BU student you have access to a wide range of IT facilities, tools, services and support.  Below are a few quick links to things we think you might find useful: 

• How to contact the IT Service Desk - open 24 hours, 7 days a week.  
• IT information pages – everything you need to know about IT at BU 
• Password reset, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and the Authenticator App – help protect your BU account 
• WiFi access on campus - including how to connect and print from your personal device 
• Accessing BU computers and software – find the right solution for you 
• Working remotely and using your own device – access when and where you need it 
• Log-in services - including myHub, Brightspace, Office365 and your BU email 
• Laptop loan service - borrow a MacBook Air for up to 4 hours, for free 
• Calendar Centre - sync your BU timetable to your personal calendar
• Staying safe online – what to watch out for 
• LinkedIn Learning and the IT Learning Centre – free courses and skills development workshop
• Calendar Centre - sync your BU timetable to your personal calendar.