In the coming weeks, staff and managers who are waiting to be onboarded will begin to see the ‘My Time’ feature within iTrent. This feature is being made visible in advance to help with a smoother transition, ahead of the next phase of onboarding for key faculties and directorates.

While the feature will be visible, staff will not be able to access any key functions until their faculty/department has been officially onboarded. The HR Systems team will contact your faculty/department with more information and guidance when it is time to be onboarded.

Next Steps

• Ahead of transitioning to the new system, staff and managers should check that their Line Manager details are correct. These details can be viewed on Microsoft Teams by all staff and will help ensure accuracy before the system goes fully live.
• Staff and managers should register for training within iTrent to learn how to effectively use the system in advance of their onboarding.
• Please refer to the FAQs for additional guidance and support available on SharePoint here.
• For any further queries or assistance, please contact: hrhub@qub.ac.uk.

Thank you to all colleagues who attended the first meeting, held as part of the University’s commitment to Athena Swan. From the meeting, valuable insights were gathered into the challenges faced by academic researchers returning from parental leave, and ways that they and their colleagues can work together to navigate this period were explored.

* This offer is available to all University employees on permanent or fixed-term contracts, paid monthly through the University payroll and subject to income tax and National Insurance (NIC), with the exception of Q-Work staff.

How to access the offer

To take advantage of the dental care discount, simply log in to your My Lifestyle account via qub.rewardgateway.co.uk. Once logged in, you'll find the discounted dental care under a separate tab at the top of the page, titled ‘Dental Insurance’.

1. Click on the enrollment page;
2. Enter the following details:
• Enrollment Code: C350F5/3400 (Please note: codes must be entered manually and cannot be copied and pasted)
• Your employee ID
• Your date of birth
3. Choose the level of cover from the available plans;
4. Complete the application and create your username and password to access the online claim portal.

* Staff can only join the dental scheme during the enrollment period (24 March to 21 April 2025) or within 30 days of your start date if you're a new member of staff. If you miss this period, you'll need to wait until the next enrollment window next year.

For additional queries on the new dental care discount offer, please visit the FAQs page or email: reward@qub.ac.uk.

Phase 1

The published semester dates and graduation schedule for 2025/26 will remain unchanged, but it is recommended that the following changes are implemented by Schools, where possible, in 2025/26:

• • • standardisation of dedicated independent study weeks
    • introduction of a consolidation week before winter (Christmas) break

Phase 2

Full implementation of the principles outlined in Cascade to Schools and Professional Services will take place in 2026/27.
 

Semester dates have been updated to align with the new structure.

Please refer to the below document for answers to common queries:

• New Academic Year Structure FAQs

Development work for implementation will be driven by an Implementation Group co-chaired by a Dean of Education and a Professional Services lead as well as a Student Officer.

International Calls

Please note that Moneypenny will not make international calls on behalf of staff. For staff who require international calling access for business purposes, a Microsoft Form must be completed, which will require approval from the relevant Director/School Manager or appointed approver.

• Access the form here for requesting international call access. This form can also be used to update extension numbers.

Updates to Office Location

If you need to update your office location, please use the ‘Change Details’ form available on the Planon homepage.

The Property and Space Information identifies the property and the area within the property where staff are located. This information is typically displayed on a red disc on the door when you enter an office, shared office, or workspace. Please see the example below:

To complete the Property and Space fields, staff can use the blue chevron buttons to search for the relevant property and space information on Planon.

Should staff have any questions in relation to this change, please contact: isdirectorate@qub.ac.uk.

This redesign was the result of a user experience (UX) exercise involving student input and was developed by the Library’s Digital Services team. Key new features include a live occupancy percentage and indicators showing whether current usage is higher or lower than usual. The app also highlights the quietest study area in the McClay Library at any given time, helping you quickly find available space. In addition, a seven-day usage trend view enables you to anticipate peak periods and plan around the busiest times.

This exhibition charts the development of Queen’s over the past 180 years. Included amongst the items is the original Charter from 1845 establishing Queen’s College Belfast, historic photographs of Queen’s people and Queen’s buildings, and copies of various student publications.

A variety of on-campus events will take place throughout the week, offering staff opportunities to connect with colleagues and friends, and to engage in meaningful conversations and activities around mental health and wellbeing.

For any queries, please contact the Staff Wellbeing team: staffwellbeing@qub.ac.uk.

This social running group – organised by Queen's Sport's Active Campus team and QUBeWell – is open to staff, students, and the community. Whether you prefer to run or walk, you can choose from a 2K, 3K, or 5K route around the beautiful university campus, while having fun, getting active, and enjoying the great outdoors. 

'Find Your Movement', led by Queen’s Sport and QUBeWell, is a university-wide initiative to encourage both students and staff to incorporate more movement into their daily lives through whatever activity they enjoy. Colleagues are encouraged to get involved and support the 'Find Your Movement' initiative in a variety of ways.

How you can get involved 

To support this initiative, you can:

• talk about the campaign and spread the word among students and colleagues (eg by sharing Queen's Sport's social media posts);
• join an Active Campus programme;
• create and capture content: set up an activity, and Queen's Sport will aim to arrange for a broadcasting student to film it. (Note: Please give the team advance notice if you would like to do this.)
• get moving – the best way to create change is to lead by example!

More information

Launched on Thursday 13 March, this eight-week campaign will feature a new video each week, showcasing a variety of accessible and enjoyable movement activities, including gardening, yoga, and walking. Whether you're looking to try something new or simply stay active, there's something for everyone!

• Visit the Active Campus website for more information

To find out more, visit the Centre for Educational Development Assessment page where you can:

• watch our user demo to see what kinds of things you can ask;
• find out what resources the chatbot uses to provide information;
• try out the chatbot itself

* Please note, this Assessment Chatbot is a prototype in its pilot phase. It will respond differently based on the questions asked. If you encounter any issues, please use the feedback form provided in the chatbot.

At this event, Lucy Gault (Centre for Educational Development) will provide a live demonstration of the chatbot, showcasing how it can be used to enhance academic advising and student support. Lucy will also be available to answer any questions about the tool’s features and practical applications.

The team knows from student focus groups that academic staff play a crucial role in sharing this information. Students expect to hear about support from their lecturers and tutors, and staff recommendations can have a real impact on engagement.

To support this, the Assessment Support Hub has a range of resources available, including:

• On the Hub Project Site: a bank of promotional materials and staff testimonials on how they have embedded the Hub in their student support.
• Other resources:
  • Merchandise, such as QR code cards and laptop stickers, to help raise awareness.
  • A number of student ambassadors are available to run pop-up stands across campus to help raise awareness of the Hub and answer student questions. If your School or service would be interested in hosting a stand in your building, please get in touch with Michaeline at Michaeline.donnelly@qub.ac.uk. 

By encouraging students to engage with the Hub, we can help ensure they feel more informed, confident, and supported during what can be a stressful period.

The Student Surveys Team would like to see a response rate of 80% (current rate: 60%) to this survey from students. All eligible students will have received their emails, texts and phonecalls from Ipsos asking them to complete the survey.

Further information and marketing materials are available on the SharePoint site and response rate reports are shared weekly with relevant staff.

More information

Students can find more information about the surveys and student feedback on the My Queen's website

Student feedback given in the NSS is used by Queen's to enhance the quality of courses and improve the wider student experience.

The continued support of all staff is fundamental to the success of the surveys, so we welcome your help.

For any queries, please email the Student Surveys Team at surveys@qub.ac.uk.

• Policy Paper – Rethinking the Role of Good Character Evidence in Rape and Sexual Offence Trials, By Dr Eithne Dowds
• The End of “The World” as we’ve known it – Ukraine, the US and New Importance of Irish Neutrality in a Chastened European Union, by Dr Peter Doran

To contribute an article to Queen's Policy Engagement, please email Kevin at qpol@qub.ac.uk.

• Colombia's fragile peace process in danger as guerrilla violence rises, by Dale Pankhurst
• The anti-Andrew Tate: how youth workers can counteract the influence of masculinity influencers, by Dr Amanda Dylina Morse

• Queen’s celebrates generating £50m and over 500 jobs through major partnership scheme
• Queen’s Professor elected to The American Academy of Microbiology
• Lord Alderdice appointed Honorary Professor of Practice at the Mitchell Institute
• Queen’s research revenue approaches £60 million across US in past five years

Queen's Staff Forum was established in June 2018. Made up of representatives from each School, Directorate and GRI across Queen's, this group represents all of our people and provides an opportunity for staff to share their views on all aspects of working at Queen's, help shape the employee experience, and make a real difference for all who work here.

More information

This lecture will address a problem in Pierre Bourdieu's conception of "three forms of capital": material, cultural, and social. As scholars have noted, Bourdieu extensively discusses cultural capital, and has comparatively little to say about social capital. Through proposing a theory of social capital as a form of "knowing”, this talk will apply Bourdieu’s theory to an analysis of F Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby (1925), with the aim of establishing the relation between cultural capital and social capital as two forms of "knowing". This relation correlates Gatsby's desire for social capital, which he uses to pursue Daisy Buchanan, as part of Fitzgerald's bid for the text’s canonical status as a "great" American novel. 

Image credit: Arrow Collar Ad (1914), Joseph Christian Leyendecker (1874 - 1951).

• Research Workshop: Sexual Consent and Legal Reform: Towards a Communicative Responsibility Approach, Wednesday 30 April, 1.00pm to 2.30pm, Fellows' Room, Mitchell Institute, 18-19 University Square
• Panel Discussions: Ballyscullion Book Festival, Saturday 10 to Sunday 11 May, 9.30am to 5.30pm, Ballyscullion Park, Bellaghy
• Workshop: Creativity in Cultural Peace Work: Opportunities and Challenges, Thursday 15 May, 12.00pm to 4.00pm, Moot Court, School of Law
• Lecture: What Feminists Reveal When They Investigate Masculinities: The Case of Military ‘Manpower’, Tuesday 17 June, 6.00pm to 7.30pm, Canada Room and Council Chamber, Lanyon Building

For the duration of their Fellowship – up to one semester – each of the three successful applicants will: be provided with office space in the Institute; receive £4,000 to support research activities (as agreed with the Institute Director); present their research in a Mitchell Institute Lecture or Workshop during their period at the Institute.

About QUB ACE-CSE

The ACE-CSE is advancing Queen’s University’s cyber security strategy by fostering a culture of cyber awareness and enhancing cyber security knowledge across educational pathways, institutional operations, and the broader community. Staff interested in finding out more or joining the ACE-CSE team can contact Dr Sandra Scott-Hayward.

Both exhibitions form part of REACH ’25, the University’s award-winning Arts and Sustainability Festival.

• 'All That We Have Built'

  This exhibition examines the profound impact of environmental destruction and ecological changes on the collective experience of catastrophe and uninhabitability. Through their individual practices, both artists challenge us to reconsider our relationship to the environment, questioning how natural and human-made landscapes shape and disrupt our lives. Together, Hassanain and Koch offer a powerful reminder that the environmental crises we face are not distant or abstract – they are immediate, urgent realities. Their work challenges us to engage deeply with these pressing issues and reflect on the vulnerability of both our built and natural environments.

• 'Shallow Waters'

  Shallow Waters aims to investigate the way myth and tradition sit alongside heavy industry and how closely connected they are despite being at odds with each other. Through a photographic investigation of the landscape, its people, and traditions, Laverty charts a thread of connection between the two opposing engagements with the shallow waters of Lough Neagh as it negotiates the threats of pollution and regulatory negligence. This exhibition is a collaboration between The Naughton Gallery and Belfast Photo Festival.

• Preview: Fréwaka + Q&A
• Neil Young: Coastal
• Four Mothers
• Oh My Goodness!
• Flow
• Sins of Ireland
• Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
• Warfare

Staff tickets are priced at £7.50. Staff and students aged 26 and under can join LUMI to get tickets for £5.00 every day, all year round.

More information

• Write Night presents: An Evening with Jan Carson and Sam Thompson: Jan Carson and Sam Thompson will read from their work and share their influences.
• Reading Seamus Heaney is a new series of public talks and group discussions that will look at the 12 main poetry collections published by Seamus Heaney between 1966 and 2010.

The Seamus Heaney Centre Gallery will close on Friday 18 April, to re-open on Wednesday 23 April. The Gallery opening times are 10.00am to 4.00pm.

• SharePoint Admin Essential Training
• Intermediate SQL for Data Scientists
• API Development with TypeSpec

From Learning for all, LinkedIn Learning, Nature Masterclasses and Recruitment and Selection Training, the Learning and Development programme of events includes courses to suit everyone.

More information

Coaching is widely recognised as a development tool that helps staff enhance their personal and professional growth. Through structured conversations, it enables individuals to explore options and gain valuable insights into work-based challenges and opportunities.

The Coaching Service at Queen's is provided by a team of trained internal coaches, including a cohort currently completing their ILM Level 5 qualification. As part of their training, these coaches work with individuals on a one-to-one basis to offer support on challenges such as managing change and transitions, career development, and interpersonal relationships.

• Writing Retreat for Postdocs and Research Staff, Thursday 1 and Friday 2 May, 9.30am to 4.30pm, room OG/033, Elmwood Building (Geography, School of Natural and Built Environment), 3a Elmwood Avenue
• Applying for Fellowships: Networking with Successful Fellows (networking event including lunch): Thursday 15 May, 11.15am to 2.00pm, Canada Room/Council Chamber.
• Yoga Sessions for Postdocs and Research Staff, 7, 14, 19 and 26 May, 6.00pm to 7.00pm, Canada Room/Council Chamber, Lanyon Building
• Careers in the Public Sector, Tuesday 10 June, 9.30am to 1.30pm, Mandela Hall, One Elmwood

Through this rewarding voluntary role, successful applicants will:

• meet new people from their course and school;
• be eligible for Queen’s Future-Ready Award;
• gain leadership, teamwork, and communication skills;
• improve the experience for current and future students.

* This toolkit includes a PowerPoint slide that can be displayed at the beginning of a lecture, social media graphics, social media copy and text for an email that can be sent to students, as well as other useful assets.

At this event talented students will compete under the theme 'Dare to Change' for the chance to present their ideas at Northern Ireland's prestigious TEDx Black Mountain event on 26 June 2025.

Please feel free to contact the University Safety Service at safety@qub.ac.uk should you have any queries or training requirements.

This session is ideal for any colleague who is in the process of:

• considering/developing programmes for GIFT city or local January 2026 intake;
• reviewing current programmes for evaluation;
• re-designing or re-configuring programmes.

Also welcome are colleagues with an interest in programme design who would like to benefit from this pilot event.*

More information

In partnership with Jisc, who will be attending, CED is facilitating a 'nose-to-tail' curriculum and programme design session. In addition, CED, the VLE team, Learning design experts, assessment experts, Accessible Learning Support, Learner Development Service, Academic Services and more will be available to help you with your programme design.

* Please note places are limited by space, and priority will be given to those developing GIFT City and/or local January 2026 models.

• Beyond the Technology Podcast: Queen's progress in digital transformation has been featured in a Jisc podcast episode exploring how AI is transforming education: Beyond the Technology: AI, Innovation, and the Future of Learning at Queen’s University Belfast.
• Jisc Report: How to Approach Digital Transformation in Higher Education. Jisc’s newly published report highlights the key success factors for digital transformation, drawing on insights from universities, including Queen’s. The findings demonstrate how institutions can integrate digital technologies, such as AI, to enhance teaching, learning, and strategic planning. Queen's involvement in the project is highlighted in a video case study, which showcases the institutional co-creation of a new AI Strategy for Queen’s, supported by Jisc’s digital transformation toolkit.
• The AI Hub's AI Building Blocks training series explores the fundamentals of AI and its applications across higher education.