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Radzi: Hello and welcome to "Derby Presents: Open Day Live" and just look at this gorgeous studio that we have. Coming to you live, as the title would suggest, from the University of Derby.
Well today we've got an access all areas pass. Follow me!
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Now, though, to make sure that you get the most out of your time at university, look no further than to your Union of Students. So we're gonna try and head over live to Sile, who's at the heart of Derby's Union of Students, to find out more.
Sile: Thank you, Radzi. I am here at Blends, the Union of Students' coffee shop. So I'm joined by the Union of Student officers, Corey, who is the Union President, and George, who is the Vice President of Activities.
So we're gonna start with Corey first. So, Corey, what is the Union of Students and why do universities have one?
Corey: Thank you, Sile. So, as you can see, we're involved in a lot of different things across the university, but I suppose our main role is to be an independent, charitable organization. We receive and amplify student voice across every level of the institution. And that's just saying that students can really be co-creators in their educational journey. And, I suppose, as a union, we really pride ourselves in being part of that journey.
So students can make their experience, particularly at Derby, what they want it to be. And here's a video of a little taster of what the Union of Students is all about.
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- [Crowd] D-E-R-B-Y, it's Derby Union.
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Radzi: Derby has an outstanding track record for educating the next generation and that's in no small part down to its experienced teaching team and the fantastic facilities that allow students to actually learn in a real world setting.
So now we're gonna head over to Pete, who's with Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, Dr. Paula Holt, who's with the nursing team in the mock ward.
Pete: Thanks very much, Radzi. We're here in the Clinical Skills Suite at Kedleston Road, at this campus here. I'm with some fantastic members of the nursing team. They're wonderful. I'm surrounded by really, really cool equipment. Okay, we are with Dr. Paula Holt. Thank you for having us here, Paula, it's fantastic. The facilities are absolutely wonderful. Tell me about you.
Tell me about your background and what you're doing here.
Paula: So I'm Co-Vice Chancellor and Dean of the College of Health, Psychology and Social Care.
But my background is that I'm an adult and mental health nurse. I've been in my career now for 36 years, 18 years of that in clinical practice, which was amazing, in the NHS and in the armed forces, as a mental health nurse in the army.
But I've also worked with mental disorder offenders, with drugs and alcohol. And I think that my career just gives you a a good insight into the variety. You know, come into nursing and it's never dull, never boring.
My name is Joseph Kubanda. I'm doing adult nursing and I'm in my third year at the moment.
And I've been here for three years. It's a three year course.
Excellent, okay. So how you finding it?
Joseph: Well, I must say it's been a fantastic moment. Learning in Derby. It's been wonderful!
I've had an opportunity to rub shoulders with the right people, the proper experts. And I've been very lucky to share an environment with some of the best gadgets, learning gadgets that have really made it quite easy for me.
I know, our mock student, Hannah Wright, she keeps blinking.
Well, yes, Hannah can blink, Hannah can breathe,
I know!
Hannah can do everything!
And, I must say, it is a very good environment.Here is a simulation of a human being.
Yeah!
And you're in class and you could probably think you're in a ward. And that is fantastic when you're a student, you're learning.
Hmm!
So how often do students get to use equipment like this equipment?
Equipment like the Immersive Suite.
Anytime!
Anytime you wish.
That's how great it can get.
Simply world-class!
And, by the way, Joe Kubanda officially needs his own television show.
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Radzi: I think it's safe to say that, when it comes to Derby, it is a place for everyone.
Now the fact that you're here watching this probably means that you're thinking about taking
that big and exciting step to move away from home. And, if so, the University of Derby's
award winning accommodation is the place for you.
There is a wide range of choice in the form of accommodation in Derby. So whatever you're looking for, you can be sure to find something that suits you.
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Ah, yes, the university's Halls of Residence kitchen, the hub, as we basically used to call it.
It's where you start the day, it's where you finish after a night out. But, for me, what made it so special was the fact that my flatmates, they weren't on my course, they didn't play for my sports teams and that's why they became friends for life. Because we shared an experience that I will never forget, right here!
But there's another room as important. And it is indeed the bedrooms. Let's take a look!
(door knocking)
Come on into my place. Now all Halls of Residence rooms are simple, but, you know what, they're your space. And that's exactly what I think you should do. Make them your own space.
So I had photos of my family. I had posters of my heroes. But, ultimately, this thing here, this got a lot of sleep. And this thing here, this is where an awful lot of work happened.
But when you're not in your room and you're not in the kitchen, there's another place you might have fun as well. The common room, they all have their own quirks and every one is slightly different. This one not only has a pool table but it also has a DVD player, consoles, a TV screen,
books for you to read, but actually my favorite thing is that throughout the year they have an extensive events program for you to get involved with as well. So no matter what you like doing there's always something for you.
Ah yeah, I almost forgot the laundry. I didn't always send my washing home to my mom to do.
I occasionally did it myself. Especially when my stuff really needed it. And this really needs it!
(washing machine bleeping)
I still don't know how it works.
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If you're anything like me and you love your sports then don't move a muscle because Derby's Football Journalism degree is one of the very few in the country.
Some of my mates have actually got on this, by the way, and it is off the charts.
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My name is Pete Lansley. I'm Senior Lecturer in Football Journalism at the University of Derby.
Football Journalism is one of the programs we have within the Journalism Department.
I study football journalism, and one of my aspirations before I came onto the course was to be a football commentator. But I think what the course has now, like, made me realize is that I've opened my eyes to other options, such as being a writer or a content producer.
I didn't really realize how many different options there were in the football journalism industry.
I was so set on being a commentator or a TV presenter, but now I've really fallen in love with writing, like, match reports, interviews with managers, writing up what they've said for websites, newspapers.
There's just so much to do on my course, and I really enjoy it.
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Did you know that the UK is actually a leading destination for international students around the world? In the studio, we're gonna chat to three people who are all about international student living. And let's kick things off with our first two, both international students,
both studying in Derby.
Bo Ling and Sam, welcome to Open Day Live. How are you both?
Good, thank you, and you?
Good thanks, Radzi.
How you doing?
Yeah, I'm very well.
Let's talk about your name.
You've got incredible names.
Bo Ling, what's your full name?
My full name is Bo Ling Shang in the English language way. And if it's in my country,
I would be named Shang Bo Ling.
It's a beautiful night and Sam?
Sam Ncube.
Sam, my dad was from Zimbabwe,so we've got similar surnames. But let's talk about you guys as international students.
Yeah.
What's it like, Sam?
Awesome. It's really good. I've had a lot of great experiences here, being an international student, meeting a lot of different people from different backgrounds.
You know, it's really a melting pot for international students. You know, I've had Chinese flatmates, I've had Indian flatmates. I've had people from Asia, Europe, you know, just a whole mix.
And, Bo Ling, you're from China.
Yeah!
How's your experience been?
I've been living in Derby for three years and I've met people from, like, around the world,
and I'm feeling I'm the most welcome here in the Derby, which is, like, so good.
And let's talk about the weather. In Zimbabwe, I imagine, it's slightly different to Derby.
I'll tell you a story. I was walking to the bus and I checked the temperature on my phone
and it was minus two. Up to that point, the only minus two I'd seen was on a fridge.
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This Radzi guy, he's doing a really good job as well. The way that he's able to walk and talk,
but also walk backwards and talk. I was watching his VTs, they were looking really impressive.
I'm gonna have to try and practice that, but I'll probably fall over.
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Now I've also had the opportunity to take a look around the world-class facilities that are available to the sport and exercise students at Derby, where I took on two wheels to answer the big question, if Bradley Wiggins had anything to worry about?
Tom, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've come kitted out in Derby attire. What have you got for me?
Okay, this afternoon we're gonna do a 3D motion capture. So using our Vicon Motion Capture System to analyze your peddling technique. So you're gonna do some cycling over there on the Wattbike, and we're gonna analyze the way in which your limbs move, and, hopefully, find out
that you've got a decent cycling technique.
We're looking at your left knee angle here. And what we'd expect it to be is somewhere at the bottom of the pedal stroke. So if I put the screen in the right place, we'd expect that to be somewhere between 25 and 40 degrees of knee flexion.
You're actually there at 39.2 degrees. So you've just squeaked into the ideal paddling technique. So Chris Hoy, he needs to watch out!
After watching the sports facility stuff, I'm gonna go and have a lie down now, and actually just sit and watch some more TV. I've got some biscuits here as well.
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So, for you, what is it that makes Derby such a destination for arts?
I think in our first year we place a big emphasis on experimentation and risk taking. And we encourage our students to try new things and try new technologies and work through different ways of working.
So there's a big push on, kind of, taking risks in your work. And we do that in a simple way.
So we take away the fear of failure. So in the first year we don't assess our students through percentage grades.
We only mark you on pass-fail. So if you've engaged, if you've worked hard, if you've tried new things, you've experimented, and even things have gone wrong, once, twice or three times, that's rich, that's really positive. And we encourage that.
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So what are your fondest memories from university? Please keep it clean.
(Radzi laughing)
I wish there were other stories to tell, but there really weren't. I suppose, for me, it was actually
where I kind of realized I wanted to do presenting. And we were speaking to Louise, who was talking about the fact that she liked maths at A-level, didn't necessarily like it at university.
That's a really important revelation.
Whether it was Emma talking about the fact it took nine years. It took me three years to get my break in TV. People don't see that bit. They don't see me walking around dressed as a big red lion athletics events, being a mascot. They don't see me as a big red bird called Busby the Bird.
So imagine me as a yellow sphere, with red leggings, and big bird like feet. And that was what I was doing, for free, hoping somebody might see me. Looking back, they weren't gonna see me,
in a very literal way. I thought, if I can do this and someone sees me,
I could get an opportunity. And TV, like life, I guess, is about right place, right time. I didn't know the place.I didn't know the time, but I put myself as many places as many times as I could.
And it took me three years of living in a hostel with mice running through the kitchen.
It took me three years of doing work experience, internships, but it kind of started at uni,
where the big thing I took away was, I did economics, and I kind of liked economics, but I thought I don't want to spend the rest of my life doing something I don't love.
And, actually, that something where you speak to your friends and your colleagues and you think, you know what, who am I, and what am I all about?
And at school I didn't have that. I was trying to fit in. Whereas at uni, I think you have a chance to be you. And whether it's you on "Boggle Gox",or a show which sounds like. The other one, can't say it now.That's you being authentic. But I think it takes that transition in your life
to kind of go from the show version of you, to actually this is who I am and I'm comfortable with that.
Fantastic! Really, really wise words.
Fantastic!
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So this is part of our main workshop facilities for our engineering students. So what you can see here, there are lots of race cars. There is race simulator, engines, engine dyno.
There are various types of measurement and optimization systems as well.
So these are really for our students to use for their teaching.
So, I'm studying Motor Sport Engineering. And, basically, in my first year I did a lot of practical stuff in here.So learning how to set up cars for a race weekend, or, say, taking apart a gearbox
and putting it back together, then tuning it, and having it ready for the race weekend.
Have you ever had a go at these cars, riding them around?
No, I've been in them, and we didn't get the chance to actually do it, but definitely if the opportunity arises.
What inspired you to do this course?
Well, I've always loved things like Formula One,and, ever since I was a child, I watched all the brilliant machines racing around the track,I just wanted to be a part of it. So do come and see what we are doing.
Enjoy your studies!
Do come and join us.
So all I really wanted to really say was a massive thank you to the University of Derby to let me sit here and observe every amazing thing that they do.
What a place, what a city, what a university! I hope you've had a fantastic day. I personally have learnt a colossal amount meeting all the staff, the students, and finding out about the myriad of courses, options, facilities, and, ultimately, opportunities that this incredible university has to offer.
So, in the meantime, stay safe, stay healthy, and thank you very much for watching.
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