Welcome to Newcastle University! If you’re joining us as a new first year or postgraduate student, you’ll have a lot of questions as you settle into your new academic community.
You’ll be curious about your new environment and community, and what university life will be like. How will I make friends and have fun? Where do I go shopping in Newcastle? How can I make sure any support I need will be in place? What will teaching look like? Where is the library? To help you find your feet, we’ve created Newcastle Beginnings, an online induction programme.
What should I expect during my induction?
The induction takes you through the key things you need to know about student life at Newcastle, from the key people you’ll meet during your degree and new approaches to learning and teaching to the support services and development opportunities available to help you make the most of your time here and the things you need to be aware of for a safe, successful beginning to your studies.
The online programme is hosted in Canvas, our Virtual Learning Environment, so you’ll be getting to know this key platform right from the start. There’s things you need to know, things that will be useful to know, and lots of hints and tips to make sure your first weeks go as smoothly as possible! That’s a lot to take in, so we’ve broken it down into three weeks to accompany you as you settle in, start to explore and get to know your new School.
Week One
Week One will help you orient yourself as you arrive and settle in, and tell you the things you need to know to make sure your university experience is safe and fulfilling. It covers they key figures in your school and university residences as well as support available centrally. We look at our Respect agenda and the expectations we all share to create an inclusive and safe environment for everyone. If you’re living independently for the first time, we’ll give you pointers for the essentials such as registering with a GP and opening a student bank account.
Week Two
In Week Two, we’ll take a look at all the opportunities available to you for fun, fitness, exploring new interests and engaging with student life in its fullest sense. University is a chance to develop yourself and broaden your horizons beyond just your subject, so we’ll cover things like the Careers Service, Language Resource Centre, Student Union Clubs and Societies as well as the central services that will help you develop your academic skills. We’ll also help you get to grips with Flexible Learning, the way that Newcastle University is approaching teaching this year, blending online with present in person modes.
Week Three
For Week Three, we’ll be gearing up for the start of term, when your course will kick off for real! As you get to know your own School better, we’ll be offering an overview of learning and teaching at University and the difference with school or college. We’ll look at the step up, as well as what happens in online teaching formats such as webinars or videos as well as the more traditional modes, as well as what you’re meant to be doing during independent study time and assessment!
There’s no need to do everything all at once, or even in order – focus on what’s important to you right now, and remember, the programme will still be there throughout the year so there’s no need to ‘learn’ all of it. Think of it as a central reference point you can keep returning to as needed during all the other activities going on in induction, and throughout the year once your studies begin for real!
