On-campus events

Stop-motion animation and tour of facilities

• Max group size 16
• This session is available on Wednesdays.

Working in groups you'll learn about the techniques involved in stop-motion animation and get to use your new skills to produce a short film.

Option 1: Human remains in Archaeology

• Max group size: 25
• This session is available on Fridays

Students will learn all about the human skeleton, how we study human remains that we unearth, and what we can learn about past through the study of Physical Anthropology.

Option 2: Human Evolution

• Max group size: 25
• This session is available on Fridays

Students will get to handle casts of skulls from different phases of evolution and will learn how human bodies changed at different points in the evolutionary tree. They will also be introduced to some of the stone tools and artefacts that were used at different periods in the past, and what they can tell us about the cognitive abilities of past people!

Option 3: Exploring Archaeological artefacts

• Max group size: 25
• This session is available on Fridays

In this session students will get to handle real life archaeological objects and learn about the different methods that archaeologists use to study these artefacts. They will also have a go 3D imaging (photogrammetry) to create digital versions of artefacts.

We can offer a number of workshops across Business and Management to suit your students’ learning requirements. The workshops are informed by and designed to support the student’s development on their current Level 3 programme, as well as provide an insight into studying business in higher education. Each workshop is up to an hour long but can be adapted to meet your individual institution’s requirements. We hope to engage and inspire your students, equipping them with the skills and knowledge that will enable them to make well-informed decisions, whilst successfully navigating their way through their post-18 options. For all session information download our activity menu.

Option 1: Stocks and Shares

Students enhance their decision-making skills whilst playing The Stock Market game. Students will try to keep up with the most up-to-date business information and news to invest in shares of fictitious companies and commodities in a mini-stock market. This competitive session sees groups competing to try and make as much money as possible

Option 2: Bags of Fun

Soft skills are skills that help you to interact effectively with other people. They are especially important in the workplace and will help you be more resilient, to negotiate both short-term and long-term goals, and to deal with change. Come along to this workshop to explore what soft skills are, how they can be developed and how you can use them to your advantage.

Option 3: Alternative Histories – Storytelling and Tourism

This session looks at heritage through the lens of tourism/tourism design. It aims to develop the creative and storytelling skills, and confidence, of students as they interpret and discuss heritage tourism experiences or sites. What sites will be of interest and how will this be communicated? The difference is that the heritage in question is based on the history from an alternative reality – a place where major world events have taken a different course – the students must adapt to and work within this new reality. They will present their findings to others and are encouraged to use visual aids to do so.

Option 4: Secrets of Successful Communication

Understanding what gets in the way of great communication, learning techniques to help leave positive impressions of ourselves every time we communicate. This can help with university applications, job interviews and improving relationships.

Option 5: Managing Emotions, Letting Go and Mindfulness

We all get upset, angry and emotional from time to time. When we do, we often begin behaving in ways that can negatively impact our relationships and communication. Ultimately this can mean that our emotions may begin controlling us resulting in us not being able to achieve what we want to. In this session we learn tips to manage our emotions, ending the session with a short mindfulness activity.

Option 6: The Future of Digital Business

According to the Digital Market Outlook, by 2025, the e-commerce penetration in the United Kingdom is expected to grow to 89.6% of the population, and Statista (2023) estimates that there would be 678,100 jobs in the UK's Digital Sector. As Digital Commerce continues to thrive, this workshop gives you an overview of how businesses such as Netflix and Facebook have been so successful in continuously reshaping consumer behaviour online. With the boundary between the physical and digital world blurring more every day, we will explore how new technologies are shaping ‘The Future of Digital Business’.

Option 7: Consumer Psychology

With consumer psychology being used more by companies, this workshop looks specifically at the different processes that are being used in order to influence the customer experiences in order for them to select, purchase or use a particular product.

Option 8: Making Human Resource Decisions – Improving Motivation and Engagement

This workshop looks at ways in which companies motivate and engage employees and the benefits that arise from this. With theories of motivation being looked at, the workshop looks at specific well-known businesses and how they use financial and non-financial methods to enhance the employees’ approach to their work.

Option 9: Forensic Accounting and Fraud

This competitive, strategic workshop will test the integrity of future business leaders. Whether it is working together, or sabotaging your competitors, this workshop will test how ruthless participants are prepared to be to stash the cash! Will they get away with it, or will they get caught? Your students discover real cases along the way to highlight the risks, ethical conflicts and opportunities in the business world

Option 10: Business and Marketing Pitch

Business and Marketing: Marketing and Branding. Your students will collaborate to pitch their own business ideas (which relate to our Chartered Institute of Marketing accreditation). Your cohort of students will be set a real-life marketing challenge. In groups of two or three, they will apply the learning from their college courses to the problem set, with the top three groups presenting their ideas to the Business and Marketing staff.

Option 11: Enterprise and Business Planning

Using authentic examples, this workshop looks to explain what the characteristics of an entrepreneur are, how they identify business opportunities and how they develop a successful business plan. The workshop uses a variety of case studies to highlight the successes of various entrepreneurs.

Option 12: Making Marketing Decisions – Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning

A workshop that brings to life the approaches of various international businesses and how they use segmentation (Geographics, Demographics, Psychographics and Behavioural) to target their potential markets and how they position themselves in comparison with their competitors. As well as traditional marketing (the marketing mix), we look at digital marketing, technological developments and brand awareness.

More information to follow. We are developing some enrichment activities that will be delivered in the spring term.

For more information, please contact the Schools and College Liaison Team.

Build the Da Vinci Bridge

• Group size: 6-12
• This session is suitable for students with an interest in Civil Engineering and Construction.

Do you fancy building a large-scale self-supporting bridge? Leonardo Da Vinci showed that it was possible to build a bridge just from timber logs with simple notches in them. This exercise allows a team of 10 or so students to build a large scale – 3m long bridge – simply using poles and no ties. Build it and then test it to see how much weight it will carry – you’ll be surprised.

Tower of Power

• Group size: 6-12
• This session is suitable for students with an interest in Civil Engineering Construction Management and Construction Project Management.

This teamwork activity requires participants to work together to build a tower from a set of building blocks, by using ropes alone. The team players have to coordinate their actions to be able to move the wooden blocks with the crane they have to form a tower. This can only be solved by precise planning, good communication and well-organised teamwork. Not as easy as it sounds, especially if you don’t have a full team.

Option 1: The dark side of Medical Tourism: Transplant Tourism

This session investigates the history of medical tourism and social science research into the consequences of this on the host country and the local population contemporarily. We carefully consider the issues raised in relation to what has been termed ‘transplant tourism’. Concerns relating to donors; exploitation and vulnerability. We explore strategies employed by the international community and nation states to address these concerns and evaluate if this is enough.

Option 2: Criminology and Sociology

Shattered Love; the dark side of the internet: Catfishing and Romance Scams

We investigate the online dating market contemporarily and consider the significant impact of the pandemic. We disentangle the disparate motivations of scammers and move on to explore the strategies they employ to manipulate their intended victim/s. The consequences of romance scams will be studied, drawing on important sociological research in this area. Points of discussion will include tactics that can be employed to discourage romance scammers.

Our annual Degree Shows event is taking place in June 2024.

Our shows highlight the achievement and talents of our final year students. They allow a real opportunity to investigate and question our students' creative processes. Workshops delivered by our creative hubs on-campus challenge students to find new perspectives. It will allow them to understand what happens in an Art and Media School and what role a creative graduate has in the workplace.

Workshops and Guided Tours

Experience interactive workshops in Fashion Promotion & Marketing and Textile Design. Students can choose two of the following three options:

Option 1: Fashion Promotion and Marketing

Promote your Product - in small groups you will be presented with a new product ready to launch and a brand selected at random, which you must promote on Instagram.

Option 2: Textile Design

Pick ‘n’ Mix Print - explore our print-making workshop, sampling varying print techniques that are fundamental in Textiles. With an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in embracing the creative process of taking a theme and translating into a design. You will explore both Collagraph and mono-printing techniques. 

Option 3: Guided Tour

Discover the extensive Fashion Promotion and Marketing, Fashion Design and Textile Design exhibitions created by our graduating students.

Fashion Design Catwalk Show

All students will then attend the final session, our annual Fashion Design Catwalk Show dress rehearsal. Students will get a sneak peek at the unique collections created by our final year Fashion Design students, modelled by Boss Models.

This event is suitable for students in Year 12 studying a Level 3 qualification.

If you would like to attend with your students, please email our external liaison team to arrange.

Option 1: Exploring Children’s Language Development

In this interactive session, we will explore some of the features of early child language. We'll do this by analysing speech data from the CHILDES corpus. This session complements curriculum on language acquisition.

Option 2: The Language of Shakespeare

In this interactive session, we will examine whether Shakespeare was a language innovator. We will look at features of Early Modern English and well as some of the colourful and inventive aspects for which Shakespeare is famous. This session relates to:

• Historical linguistic
• Language change
• Literary language
• Complements curriculum on language change

Option 3: Hidden Meaning of Language

In this interactive session, we will explore the less obvious ways in which language encodes meaning. We will consider word parts, place names, contextual meaning and idioms. We'll also consider the factors which cause such meanings to be/become hidden. This session relates to every part of the language system.

Option 4: Introduction to Forensic Linguistics

As the title suggests, this is an introduction to discipline of Forensic Linguistics. Forensic Linguistics is the language of law and criminal investigation.

In this session, we will explore criminal cases which have relied on ‘linguistic evidence’ to secure conviction.

These sessions are suitable for students with an interest in:

• English Language
• Language and Linguistics
• Language and Creative Writing
• Language and Literature
• English and MOLA
• Education and English

Option 1. Fashion Design –  Fashion Illustration

• Max group size 20
• This session is available on the third Wednesday of each month.

You'll choose a famous fashion collection and illustrate using different collage techniques. Create the connection between inspiration and expression to develop a striking fashion line-up.

Option 2. Fashion Promotion – Brand Icon

• Max group size 20
• This session is available on the third Wednesday of each month.

Join this creative and focussed session uncovering the personality of brands. We will think about customers, learn about brand identity, and bring your favourite brands to life as fashion icons.

Option 3. Textile Design – Paper Floral Still Life

• Max group size 20
• This session is available on the third Wednesday of each month.

Make paper and card blooms to create a 3D floral still life, encouraging creative thinking, 3D modelling and awareness of materials.

TV Studio and Soundstage Activity 

Get hands on with an interactive session in our Soundstage and TV Studio. Take a tour of the specialist facilities in our Media Factory and discover all about studying Filmmaking or Media and TV Production.

• Group size up to 25
• The session will last for 3 hours.

Experimental Making

• Max group size 30
• This session is available on the first and third Wednesday afternoon of each month.

Learn about the different methods contemporary artists use to articulate their ideas and test some of their techniques.

Please note this session is suitable for students studying a science route of either A Level, BTEC or T Level or BTEC Criminology or Uniformed Public Services.

Forensic Investigation

• Max Group Size: 30

Throughout this workshop, students get to experience what it would be like to work in a forensics lab investigating a fictional murder. They will evaluate the crime scene and suspect DNA samples using modern molecular biological techniques including restriction digests and gel electrophoresis. Fibre analysis of samples from the crime scene is also carried out. This workshop is a great introduction to genetics and forensic analysis.

Throughout the day, students will receive a tour of the crime scene facilities (may be subject to availability).

Option 1: Creating Levels for Games

All the games we love are made of individual levels and there are many industry roles that require designers to create the challenges and adventures in those game levels. In this exercise, you will undertake an Industry-style design exercise, such as those used at companies like Ninja Theory and Naughty Dog. Students will be introduced to key concepts of game and level design and asked to produce their own level design concepts for a short pitch and discussion of their ideas.

• Group size: 10 – 20
• The session will last 90 minutes – 2 hours depending on the size of the group
• Delivered on Wednesday afternoons

Option 2: Creating Characters for Games – Lego Minifig

All the great characters in games, from Mario to Lara Croft have been designed by teams of character and 3D artists. In this exercise, you will be stretching your creative muscles and designing characters of your own. Students will be introduced to key concepts of character design and asked to create their own design concepts for a short pitch and discussion of their character ideas. Students will create a mood board of ideas and inspirations, write a brief character prompt, create designs and add elements to the character templates, develop ideas on new templates, finalise three characters and even have the option to provide their character with a companion animal. Design a player character based on your favourite media (books, TV etc.) for a fictitious Lego game. You must use the Lego minifig template as a base.

• Group size: 10 - 20
• The session will last 90 minutes – 2 hours depending on the size of the group
• Delivered on Wednesday afternoons

Option 3:  Creating Characters for Games – Hero Forge

All the great characters in games, from Mario to Lara Croft have been designed by teams of character and 3D artists. In this exercise, you will be stretching your creative muscles and designing characters of your own. Students will be introduced to key concepts of character design and asked to create their own design concepts for a short pitch and discussion of their character ideas. Students will create a mood board of ideas and inspirations, write a brief character prompt, create designs and add elements to the character templates, develop ideas on new templates, finalise three characters and even have the option to provide their character with a companion animal Design a player character based on your favourite media (books, TV etc.) for a fictitious game. You must use the Hero Forge platform to design and create your Player character.

• Group size: 10 - 20
• The session will last 90 minutes – 2 hours depending on the size of the group
• Delivered on Wednesday afternoons

Fun with Fonts

Join this workshop to explore the use and design of fonts, and how they can tell a story before a word is even written. Find out how graphic design utilises letterforms in creative and unexpected ways and what your choice of font says about you.

• Group size: 30 max
• This session lasts for one hour

How humanities can save the world 

Our annual humanities event is taking place again on Wednesday 28 June 2023 9.45am – 2.30pm.

Pick and choose workshop sessions delivered by our expert team. Our sessions will challenge and help students to find a new perspective on their studies. Our workshops will help students to understand what happens in a Humanities, Languages and Global Studies School. They will also help identify what role the graduate has in the workplace.

This event is suitable for students in Year 12 studying a Level 3 qualification.

You can review the sessions and workshops taking place on our digital leaflet. 

If you would like to attend with your students, please complete the booking form.

Illustration Practical Workshop

A creative session working with illustration lecturers, which gives students an introduction to how illustrators use their ideas and making skills to resolve a variety of different design problems.

• Group size: 20-25
• This session is delivered on Wednesday afternoons

Nuclear crisis simulation

The simulation is based on the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and demonstrates how states may react in high-stakes crises. It provides students the experience of top-level decision-making under pressure. The Missile Crisis is particularly resonant today. With Russia and the NATO states at odds over the Ukraine and the potential danger of nuclear escalation. Real-life documents, and unexpected twists make the simulation a memorable learning experience.

These sessions are suitable for students with an interest in:

• International Relations
• Politics
• History and Politics
• History

Introduction to the interior design discipline

• Max group size 20
• This session is available on Wednesday afternoons.

Get involved with an interactive live student project and discussion. You’ll take part in a simple paper and pen activity to learn about the skills and processes used in Interior Design.

Students will have the opportunity to delve deeper into university life. This includes sessions on:

• Myth busting
• Which degree to choose
• Student life
• Personal statements
• Current student Q&A
• What Uni
• Campus Tour

Choose up to three sessions which suit you.

Option 1. Storytelling Basics

• Max group size 40
• This session is available on Mondays or Fridays.

Give your students an insight into being a journalist with this story telling session. In this session you will learn what journalism is, how to tell a good story and how to conduct an interview.

Option 2. TikTok Storytelling

• Max group size 40
• This session is available on Mondays or Fridays.

Learn how journalists are using TikTok to tell creative stories for younger audiences. In the session you will learn how to create engaging TikTok videos that have the ability to make it onto the For You page.

Option 1: Human rights abuses; the scales of justice

Students will learn about Human Rights by unlocking a mystery related to an imprisoned individual. Throughout the session students will piece together evidence to document specific human rights abuses in a fictional conspiracy story. They will develop an understanding of the important role that human rights legislation plays in supporting victims of human rights abuses and will consider whether justice is applied fairly and accurately.

Option 2: Mediation/Negotiation masterclass

In this Mediation/ Negotiation masterclass students get to negotiate on a dispute or items. Through this activity, students will improve their communication skills, understand conflicts better and the need to always consider others before making decisions. Both life hacks and professional skills.

Discover our Law on and off campus activity menu.

Option 1: Human life = human value? The cost of being human

This session brings together all our subjects within the School by exploring the issue from the vantage point of each discipline.

Students will investigate social science perspectives on the cost of living and the value or indeed lack of value attributed to human life. They will evaluate discourses around individual responsibility, structural injustice, the criminalisation of poor people and question why some lives are positioned more highly than others.

Option 2: Criminology, Law, Policing and Sociology

FGM; human rights, moral outrage and cultural imperialism

Max group size 24

This session brings together all our subjects within the School by exploring the issue from the vantage point of each discipline. We will discuss through the lens of the law and policing, why there have not been more convictions for FGM. This session will also introduce students to social science perspectives on the practice.

Discover our Law, Policing, Criminology and Sociology activity menu.

German

• Max group size: 20

A tailor-made session depending on your curriculum. The level can be adjusted to beginners, GCSE or A-level standard. Spoken language in German.

This session will be delivered on Wednesdays. The session is suitable for students with an interest in language and culture, history and politics

Musical Theatre Workshop

One of the main foci on the Music Theatre degree programme is Musical Theatre Skills. These include: Singing, Acting, Dance, Ensemble Singing and Yoga. As part of your bespoke Musical Theatre Workshop, you will have the opportunity to learn an ensemble piece from the musical theatre repertoire, perform a jazz style routine, choreographed by our dance tutor, and be offered one-to-one feedback and guidance on your prepared acting through song pieces for auditions. The sessions can be tailored to best support where your year 12 and 13s are in their semester, whilst getting an insight in to life on the Music Theatre degree programme, meeting and working with our professional staff team.

• Group size: 35 max
• The session lasts up to 3 hours in length

Syrup/microbiology diagnosis workshop

• Max group size: 30

Explore the fascinating world of Pharmacy and Microbiology with our practical taster session. You’ll get to identify a microbe using microbiology techniques and use microscopes to understand how to diagnose an illness. Then you’ll have the chance to use real-life Pharmacy skills to create a standard paracetamol syrup, from prescription to final medicine.

Option 1: What is terrorism and why does it happen?

We will look at your understanding of what terrorism is, break it down into the different elements by touching on aspects of history, politics and current affairs. The workshop is interactive and driven by the students – guests are required to have access to the Vevox app on their mobile device so that anonymous answers can be collated to form the basis for the discussions.

Option 2: Mobile Phone Investigations

Students will become an investigator by using professional investigation software to look at the content of a mobile phone and to answer some questions about criminal activity that has taken place. Examining the phone data gives the investigator the opportunity to recreate and examine the digital crime scene.

Discover our Policing activity menu.

Students will experience a full actioned packed day of learning. This would include human memory, understanding aids recall, eyewitness testimony and evolving suspects’ faces with our EvoFIT software. There are lots of routes in Psychology - this activity supports students to discover all the opportunities open to them in Psychology. 

Option 1. Creating Characters

• Max group size 30
• This session runs on Wednesdays

Characters are the foundation of every story. Through a series of writing exercises students will learn how to create compelling characters. This session will provide an understanding of the key components in creating effective characters.

Option 2. Pitching

• Max group size 30
• This session runs on Wednesdays

This workshop will introduce students to the art of the ‘elevator pitch’ and ask them to devise a pitch for an existing TV series/film, with guidance/feedback. Effective pitching is an essential skill for any writer

Option 3. Creating Story

• Max group size 30
• This session runs on Tuesdays

Through exercises and interaction, students will find ways to discover and create stories in a range of genres. Working in a fun manner students learn about plot points, hooks, twists, payoffs and structure.

Option 1: Wellness Gurus; saviours or false idols?

Wellness gurus are championed as our saviours with their insightful advice into becoming ‘the best version of ourselves’ through exercising self-control and embarking on regimes that can incorporate anything from clean eating and correct exercise to biohacking and shock therapy workouts. We dissect the dark side to wellness gurus and investigate sociological research into the societal conditions that has opened the floodgates for wellness gurus and enabled them to thrive.

Option 2: Humans and other animals: a violent love?

In this session, we will consider the, often conflicted, sometimes violent, relationship between humans and other animals from a sociological perspective. We look at the relationship between violence towards animals and towards humans and will consider how culture marks the difference between a pet and a meal.

We can offer several workshops to suit your students’ learning requirements. The workshops are informed by and designed to support your students’ development on their current Level 3 programme. Alongside this, we will provide an insight into studying sport in higher education.

For further details on all available workshops read our activity booklet.

Option 1: Well done

Description: Learn the tips and tricks that good teachers use when marking an international student’s short essay.
In a small group, you’ll ‘try out teaching’ by marking a short essay using those tips and tricks.
Find out more about what a teacher of English to speakers of other languages does. Discover how you could become a teacher of English to speakers of other languages.

Option 2: How do you teach people to speak English?

Observe an experienced teacher teaching real international students how to speak. Identify the techniques that the teacher uses to teach speaking. If you’re feeling confident, you can try out your teaching skills with a small group of international students.
Find out more about what a teacher of English to speakers of other languages does. Discover how you could become a teacher of English to speakers of other languages.

Option 3: Work your way around the world - Teaching English

Find out what a teacher of English to speakers of other languages does. This is sometimes referred to as TESOL, TEFL, TESL, ESL, ESOL. Discover the qualifications you need, the jobs that English teachers do, and the places that teachers work. Teaching English is a flexible and rewarding career with many opportunities to travel and/or work with people from around the world.

These sessions are suitable for students with an interest in:

• Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) with a Modern Language (MOLA).

The languages include: Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Spanish. No prior teaching experience is required. Only French and German require A Levels in that language, the other languages start from beginner level.

What's trending in tourism?

In the world of tourism, things move fast. So, identifying drivers and trends is an important skill for those in this industry and for aspiring Visitor Economy managers.

This session considers trends and futures for the tourism, travel and hospitality industries as well as visitor motivations. The session will allow participants to consider what form these trends will take and develop their own future scenarios.

The session can be adapted to reflect the participants’ own aspirations, linking to wider developments in the industry.