Tag: Edinburgh Napier University

James graduates with distinction – the hard way

MBA journey included two redundancies and serious illness in the family

Determined James Homan was awarded a degree with distinction after an extraordinary journey which saw him twice made redundant and his wife diagnosed with cancer.

The dedicated student and dad-of-two refused to give up on his Master of Business Administration dream despite having to juggle his academic work and family challenges with living in Edinburgh and having demanding jobs in Dubai and London.

James collected his MBA this week – one of hundreds of Edinburgh Napier students to graduate after completing their final year during a global pandemic. He is still searching for work and his wife is undergoing chemotherapy, but he spoke today of his pride in securing an impressive degree in difficult circumstances. 

Sales and marketing executive James, 44, from Currie, had no idea of the obstacles which lay in wait when he set out on his online MBA in January 2018. Even though he lived in Edinburgh, he opted for distance learning due to work and family commitments.

However, just one month later, James – who is married to Lindsey, 48, and has two daughters, Olivia, 14, and Ruby, 11 – had to rethink his plans after losing his job in the capital.

He found new employment within weeks in the shape of a contract role in Dubai. Leaving his family in Edinburgh, he jetted out to the Emirate, landing in Dubai at 7.30am and starting his new job two hours later.

It was an extremely demanding job – long hours, big budgets, more than 120 staff and on call seven days a week – and his MBA work and visits home had to be crammed into any spare time he could find.

James said: “The job also involved plenty of travel around the Middle East and over to Africa. I remember sitting in Lagos airport completing one of my module assessments.”

The contract ended in August last year and he was able to return to Edinburgh to family life and some study at Edinburgh Napier’s Craiglockhart campus, but by December he was on his travels again after being offered a job based in central London.

James settled into a life of London during the week and Edinburgh at weekends, the carriages of the Edinburgh-King’s Cross service becoming his new study area.  Then came Covid-19 and lockdown, followed three months later by James being placed on furlough.

The anxiety didn’t end there though.  James said: “In June this year, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, which knocked us all sideways.  It was time to take stock and focus on what was important in life, which perhaps meant putting the final part of my MBA – the research project – on hold.

“After liaising with my wife, my tutor and even my kids, and after very careful deliberation, we decided I should continue the project, push through and hit the August deadline. As long as I could provide my wife and family with the necessary emotional support and be able to focus there was no reason to put the project on hold.”

James did push on and hit his deadline – but not without the added stressful complication of again being made redundant.

He said: “The decision had been made though, and with continued academic support from my tutor and emotional reinforcement from my wife, despite her condition and regular visits to the hospital to begin chemotherapy, I completed the project in August.”

James concluded: “My 32-month MBA journey has had its twists and turns, but despite being placed on furlough, made redundant twice, moving abroad and moving back and my wife being diagnosed with cancer and starting her treatment, I managed to obtain a distinction as my final mark.

“I guess undertaking a tough academic programme such as an MBA and expecting a smooth passage throughout would be naïve. Maybe the elements of adversity that popped up throughout the course actually helped me focus more. Whatever the case, I feel proud to have achieved my final mark which I could not have done without my family’s love, tolerance and support throughout.”

His wife Lindsey added: “He always made me smile because mid-way through each module he would complain that it was the hardest unit he had done yet – no matter what the subject was – yet every time he would pull it out of the bag and he managed to achieve an overall distinction.

“Through sheer determination and hard work he did it, and we’re so proud of him.”

Anna MacVicar, James’s MBA dissertation supervisor at the University, said: “James was always a highly motivated, focussed dissertation student.  I would have completely understood if he had wanted to pause his efforts and told him so, but I also reassured him that I was sure he could pass.

“I was absolutely delighted when his work achieved distinction level.”

Pictures: Allan Shedlock

3FINERY technology makes objects magically come to life

Ground-breaking Augmented Reality Communications spin-out recruits as it prepares to go to market

A NEW Edinburgh Napier spin-out business is expanding as it seeks to market a product which brings real-world objects to life in mobile devices.

3FINERY uses ground-breaking Augmented Reality (AR) technology which can boost customer engagement with remote marketing campaigns by portraying goods, services and venues in innovative ways. It is expected to appeal strongly to businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The new twist on traditional AR methods was developed at the School of Computing over a three-year period by Professor Kenny Mitchell (above) and his former PhD student Dr Llogari Casas.

Intermediated Reality technology enables uniquely efficient communication via animation of real objects. It has been showcased at international conferences and trade shows, and the growth of 3FINERY has been supported with major cash injections from the ICURe programme and Innovate UK.

Now the start-up is looking for Graphics Software Engineer and Technical Artist talent with the intention to grow the team rapidly in readiness for the final push to get the product market-ready.

Co-founder Llogari (above) said: “The technology provides a novel way of interacting with products both around you and far away, and can be easily integrated with existing software, offering unique interactive experiences.

“It is very exciting to have got the project to this stage, with the backing of the University, and we are now looking to press on with commercialisation.”

Augmented Reality allows brands to create fun interactive experiences for their customers with a few taps on their mobile phone, but the 3FINERY technology goes a step further than competitors, who use AR to overlay content on the screen, and can bring any desired object to life remotely and realistically.

Intermediated Reality, the technology behind the company, is a framework for highly efficient distributed communication. It was developed by Llogari and Kenny through an EU Horizon 2020 project entitled ‘DISTRO’.  3FINERY enables play and collaboration via remote channeling of voice and motion through objects that come to life in mobile Augmented Reality.

The ICURe programme – Innovation to Commercialisation of University Research – made a grant of £45,000 to support six months of intensive market assessment and engagement with prospective customers, suppliers, partners and regulators to test the project’s commercial potential.

3FINERY raised a further £150,000 to develop the product for the market by winning a highly competitive Innovate UK funding competition.

Fiona Mason, Head of Business Engagement and IP Commercialisation at Edinburgh Napier, said: “3FINERY is a really exciting new technology emerging from our School of Computing.

“As a follow-on from the EU Horizon 2020 funding where the idea was developed, we were delighted to receive backing from ICURe to help us with our commercialisation journey – this is a highly competitive funding programme and well sought after, and the team found the support invaluable.

“The recent award from Innovate UK is further testament to the ingenuity of the idea, the expertise and skillset of the inventors, and the market readiness of the idea.

“Over the last 10 years, our School of Computing has achieved three successful cyber spin-outs – ZoneFox in 2010, Symphonic in 2013 and Cyan Forensics in 2017. We are delighted to be including 3FINERY in our venture portfolio and believe this magical technology will be a welcome disruptor in a fast-paced marketing landscape.”

New funding to equip neurodiverse learners with cybersecurity skills

Napier responds to fears tech employers are missing out on huge talent pool

EDINBURGH Napier has received funding to help people with a range of conditions boost their career prospects by developing their skills in cybersecurity.

National skills agency Skills Development Scotland has provided grants totalling £150,000 to the University, Inverness College UHI, West Lothian College and Perth Autism Support for new education programmes.

The MASCOTS project, which follows a successful pilot programme, will see Edinburgh Napier’s School of Computing support neurodiverse learners as part of a drive to combat the global surge in cybersecurity threats.

Neurodivergence, where the brain functions, learns and processes information in different ways, includes Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

By offering supportive learning environments and industry mentorship, the University programme aims to nurture talent and equip neurodiverse learners with the skills to help satisfy the mounting demand for people who can identify and thwart the next generation of cyber criminals.

MASCOTS, which stands for Mentoring; Articulation; Supporting; Careers; Opportunities; Taster; and Sustainment, will provide real industry skills for 16 people recruited to the course through the Into Work charity.

The eight-day programme over four weeks in November and December will combine online and classroom teaching, followed by a careers event in January which will introduce the learners to employers.

The core Edinburgh Napier team are Professor Bill Buchanan, from the School of Computing, Basil Manoussos (The Cyber Academy Manager) and Matt Burdge (Business Development Manager).

Professor Buchanan said: “A more diverse and inclusive world allows every single person to achieve their full potential. We are all different and all wonderful in our own ways.

“Being different is good, and brings forth new ideas and new viewpoints. We spend too much of our lives trying to be normal, but there’s really no such thing as normality.” 

Basil Manoussos added: “A core part of the work is the creation of a mentorship scheme.

“We aim to provide one-to-one support, and focus those with neurodiverse conditions on understanding how they can match themselves to the jobs market, and on developing their career, and we are keen for those in industry to come and help support our candidates.”

Matt highlighted the need for a strong industry network.

He said: “Edinburgh Napier is a leader in cybersecurity education with NCSC (National Cybersecurity Centre) certification for both its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and is developing a network throughout Scotland and beyond to ensure all learners have a suitable pathway to education and future careers in the industry.”

Claire Gillespie, Digital Technologies Skills Manager at Skills Development Scotland, concluded: “With more than 13,000 job opportunities waiting to be filled in the tech sector, we need to look at as many different ways as possible to plug that skills gap.

“By ensuring neurodivergent people are given all the support they can get in education, which this funding aims to achieve, we will be able to help them as individuals while also building cybersecurity capacity in the tech talent pipeline.”

Edinburgh Napier soars through the rankings

New guide names Napier University as top Scottish ‘modern‘

Edinburgh Napier has made a dramatic surge through UK university rankings in back-to-back assessments carried out for the national Press.

The University climbed 38 places in the rankings for The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021, published this weekend, and was the highest placed of the Scottish post-1992 modern universities.

The success follows hot on the heels of another significant leap, in the Guardian University Guide, which saw Edinburgh Napier move up 43 places in the overall table.

And just two months ago, the University was ranked number one in Edinburgh for student satisfaction, according to the National Student Survey (NSS) 2020.

The largest student feedback survey in the world revealed an overall satisfaction level of 86 per cent at the University – up seven per cent on last year.

Professor Andrea Nolan, Principal of Edinburgh Napier University, said: “Our climb through the rankings is a wonderful lift for everyone at Edinburgh Napier in what are, and will continue to be, extremely challenging times for Higher Education.

“These tables are based on varying sets of metrics so to perform so impressively in successive assessments of the university landscape is a tribute to the hard work which goes into ensuring studying here is a rewarding experience.

“It is particularly pleasing to be ranked the top modern university in Scotland, an accolade which will inspire us to keep setting high standards as we embark on a new academic year.”

The Times and Sunday Times Guide places Edinburgh Napier ninth in Scotland and 63rd in the UK, a significant leap from last year’s UK rank of 101st.

Fuller details of the analysis carried out for the guide will be published on Sunday, but it follows the jump of 43 places in the Guardian Guide earlier this month, the largest increase in rank of any Scottish institution, to joint 62nd out of 122 UK universities.

The earlier guide saw Edinburgh Napier named the top institution for Film Production & Photography in the UK, and number one for Music and Media & Film Studies among the modern universities.

The university had five subjects in the top 10 for UK institutions – Film Production & Photography (1), Media & Film Studies (5), Hospitality, Event Management & Tourism (6), Music (7) and Journalism, Publishing & Public Relations (10).

The National Student Survey which was published over the summer saw satisfaction levels among students rise in all six of the University’s Schools; Applied Sciences (84 to 86 per cent), Arts & Creative Industries (84 to 94), Computing (81 to 85), Engineering & the Built Environment (78 to 79), Health & Social Care (67 to 81) and the Business School (84 to 87). 

Every university in the UK participates in the survey.

Academy footballers sign on for University course

Young players can study to degree level while pursuing their professional careers

Edinburgh Napier is teaming up with Heart of Midlothian FC and Hibernian FC to support young Academy players on a dual career pathway – studying at the same time as training and playing with their clubs.

A new course has been specifically tailored towards players whose training commitments make traditional study options difficult. The programme was developed in response to a request from HMFC Head of Academy, Roger Arnott, who was looking for a way to help support the young players to remain in education while beginning their journey as a professional footballer.

The University’s innovative part-time programme, for which young players from both Celtic and Rangers have also signed up, combines campus-based workshops and online learning which will develop the academy players’ knowledge of elite sport in a business context.

It will support the players’ integration into the world of professional football, while at the same time developing important academic and business-related skills. This approach is being used to allow the players to understand their environment, find their place within it, and connect more productively with professional sport and the world of employment.

The players will begin their studies this month at a level which offers six modules over two years to Certificate of Higher Education standard, with topics including psychology, the athlete in sport, and football in the digital age.

They can continue studying part-time for a further two to four years to complete a BA in Business and Enterprise in Sport degree, building their management, communication and leadership skills, financial acumen, and ability to identify entrepreneurial opportunities.

Students enrolling on the new pilot course must be registered as academy level footballers, but do not require Scottish Higher level school qualifications for entry; they will typically have chosen to pursue a professional football career before completing their Higher year at school.

Upon successful completion of this award, these players will be at the same or a higher education point as their peers who chose to remain at school. In this way, we hope to remove the disadvantage of leaving school for these players, while fully supporting that choice by using their new environment as a context for their learning.

The course offers the flexibility other study options have lacked for youngsters dedicated to football, and could be the key to a future career in sporting performance, administration, funding or marketing.

The only one of its kind in Scotland, this course is being piloted with a limited number of clubs initially and will be evaluated with input from dual career experts across Europe, with a view to potentially rolling out the model nationally and internationally.

Dr Tom Campbell, Programme Lead, BA Business & Enterprise in Sport, said: “One of the real strengths of the programme lies in the widespread application of theory to a familiar context, allowing students to draw upon their existing sporting experience while generating new knowledge and understanding.  

“This new development will see the same principles applied to the football academy environment, and having the academies’ input into the design of the course has been invaluable in creating a state-of-the-art programme.

“I have no doubt that the students will hit the ground running and find the course to be engaging and rewarding.”

News of the course follows the announcement in June of a collaboration between Edinburgh Napier and the Scottish FA to launch the BSc (Hons) Football Coaching, Performance & Development, a four-year undergraduate programme to develop coaching professionals for the modern game.

Dr Susan Brown, Edinburgh Napier lead for partnerships and enterprise in sport, said: “This programme, developed in collaboration with the clubs, is an important part of Edinburgh Napier’s commitment to supporting the dual career of athletes, not only those who have reached elite level performance, but also those who are committed to pursuing a career in performance sport but are still in the development stage.

“This approach will take advantage of the environment the players are in.

“There is mounting evidence that a dual career approach is beneficial to performance and not only a useful activity for the future. We believe we can help the clubs support their young players to succeed both on and off the pitch.”

She added: “It is in developing these productive partnerships that we as a University can support clubs, organisations and governing bodies in sport and ensure that our academic programmes are fit for purpose for the students we work with. This programme follows the new collaboration with the Scottish FA, and existing partnerships with Scottish Rugby, Scottish Gymnastics and Cricket Scotland in particular, where the University is a key partner in the development and delivery of education provision at multiple levels.”

Graeme Mathie, Sporting Director at Hibernian FC, said: “It is a fantastic position for us as a Club to be able to deliver not only a high quality football education, but now through this partnership with Edinburgh Napier, a high quality education programme to our players. It is very much aligned to our strategic aim of being a Learner’s Club, and I have no doubt the players will benefit from the programme.

“I would like to place on record my thanks to my colleagues Sean McPartlin and Steve Curnyn who have been in discussions with the university for some time in order to deliver this partnership, and also to confirm a list of learners of various ages and stages from within the Club.”  

Roger Arnott, Heart of Midlothian FC Academy Manager, said: “As a club, we place a strong emphasis on developing our young players both on and off the park.

“This partnership with Edinburgh Napier offers our talented youngsters the chance to enrol in a fantastic higher education programme. We have no doubt that this will stand them in good stead in the years to come.”

Edinburgh Napier start-ups flourishing in post Covid-19 life

Bright Red Triangle supporting more businesses than ever before

Bright Red Triangle – Edinburgh Napier University’s hub for innovation and enterprise – is supporting more businesses than ever before after an increase in the uptake of its services during lockdown.

The hub – which provides a range of support that allows students and alumni to explore, test and develop business ideas – has reported a 30% increase in business sign-ups.

Bright Red Triangle has had 71 start-ups register with it during 2019/20 – with a number of these new sign-ups coming during lockdown as students and alumni prepare for life in a post Covid-19 economy. A total of 554 students and graduates are now part of the wider Bright Red Triangle community.

Nick Fannin, head of Bright Red Triangle, is delighted with the increase and believes that more and more people will be looking to start their own business as a result of an increasingly difficult economic climate.

He said: “With the economy contracting and competition for graduate jobs increasing, it is becoming more important to enable our graduates to make opportunities for themselves and to be prepared to build their own portfolio careers from a mix of employed, freelance and self-employed work.

“Employability skills, particularly enterprise skills, are going to be incredibly important as we look forward and Bright Red Triangle has a big role to play at Edinburgh Napier in helping our students and alumni to prepare for life living in the post Covid-19 economy.

“Starting a business or a side hustle can be a game changer for people struggling with employment in the current economic climate. Our students and graduates are already starting to recognise this and we are thrilled to have seen a spike in the numbers of new businesses registered with our incubators. We look forward to supporting these start-ups further in the months and years ahead.”

Despite the University’s campuses being forced to close to both students and staff as a result of the pandemic in March, the Bright Red Triangle team has continued to virtually support its members with a number of online initiatives throughout the last four months.

Most recently – thanks to generous support from Santander Universities – 22 entrepreneurs representing 16 businesses took part in Bright Red Triangle’s Summer Accelerator programme.

Over the course of four weeks, its team of experienced business advisers delivered practical online workshops to support these ambitious entrepreneurs to accelerate their ideas and reach their business goals.

The programme also included a suite of helpful business start-up resources, one-to-one coaching, peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, networking opportunities, and advice from experienced professionals and entrepreneurs within the entrepreneurial eco-system in Edinburgh and beyond.

The programme culminated in a pitching competition, where participants had the chance to win a share of £6,000 provided by Santander Universities. Lindsey McArthur of Santander Universities and Bruce Walker, CEO of FutureX, were part of the judging panel.

Taking home the top prize of £3,000 was Fine Piece, a Scottish design company that specialises in producing furniture and homewares made from reclaimed and recycled materials.

Also winning was Aaron Reid who was awarded £2,000 towards his fitness training business, Lifestyle, and career coaching start-up, pRESPECT, who was awarded £500.

Fine Piece, which was founded by Edinburgh Napier product design graduate, Kirsty McKain and her business partner, Rebecca Subido, was delighted to take home the top prize.

Kirsty and Becka said: “Covid-19 was the catalyst for us to apply for the summer accelerator programme at Bright Red Triangle. Having fallen through every gap in the government support schemes, we thought we might have to close up shop. 

“We saw an opportunity with a plan we had in the pipeline – the turning school. With the money given to us through the programme we can not only survive but we can turn this pipeline dream into a reality.

“We are really excited for the future and grateful to the Bright Red Triangle team and Santander for this opportunity.”

More information on Bright Red Triangle can be found here, with more on its Summer Accelerator Programme here.

Get on Board scheme honoured at national awards

Project aims to bring diversity to the boardroom

Edinburgh Napier’s ground-breaking Get on Board programme has been honoured with a prestigious Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE).

The programme – which places students with the boards of charities, voluntary organisations and public bodies, and gives them opportunities to network with professionals and help make decisions which impact their community – is one of 15 winning projects from universities across the UK.

The CATE awards, announced yesterday by Advance HE, the body dedicated to helping higher education shape its future, recognise collaborative work that has had a demonstrable impact on teaching and learning, highlighting the key role of teamwork.

Get on Board was established in 2015, with academics Miles Weaver and Jacqueline Brodie working with the University’s careers service to deliver an extra-curriculum programme to support employability of students and address the key Scottish national outcome of improving board diversity. The pilot project won a Herald HE Award for Enhancing Student Learning.

The programme’s development was supported by a student steering group called Young Trustees in Scotland led by Elena Pershina, who was a fourth year undergraduate at the time and President of Young Trustees in Scotland.

The Get on Board team later joined forces with RSM and Santander, and further organisations and universities became involved as the competency pathway was developed as an opportunity to bolster trustee skills among students in Scotland, each partner bringing their own capabilities, training and networking opportunities.

Dr Brodie, Associate Professor, Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Edinburgh Napier’s Business School, said: “The Get on Board team are honoured to be awarded an Advance HE CATE. It has been a privilege to empower students to make a positive difference in their communities and support the development of their employability and enterprise skills in the process.”

Alison Johns, Advance HE CEO, said: “I am sure I am joined by the entire sector in congratulating the 2020 CATE awardees. All of the winners should be extremely proud of their achievement.

“Their work epitomises the outstanding commitment to teaching in the UK higher education sector, which this year has been more demanding than ever before.”

The Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence scheme was introduced in 2016, and is open to members of staff from all providers of higher education across the UK.

School street closures could improve level of active travel to school, study shows

Edinburgh Napier and Sustrans team up for project funded by Road Safety Trust

A new report has found that school street closures[1] can improve the number of children walking, cycling and wheeling to school without creating road safety problems.

An increase in school street closures would also not result in traffic displacement causing road safety issues in neighbouring streets, the findings show.

The new report – led by Dr Adrian Davis, professor of transport and health at Edinburgh Napier University – sets out the findings of a review of existing literature on the impact of school street closures designed to create safer spaces for walking, cycling or street play.

A total of 16 studies – including three from Scottish authorities in Edinburgh, Perth and Kinross and East Lothian – were used to evidence the report.

The findings of these 16 studies have been supplemented by semi-structured telephone interviews with relevant officers responsible for local authority school street closure schemes.

Alongside increasing active travel, the findings also suggest that in almost all cases, the total number of motor vehicles across school street closures and neighbouring streets reduced.

There is also consistent evidence that motor traffic displacement does not cause road safety issues of any significance and that mitigating measures, where needed, have been applied successfully by local authorities.

The report also suggests that school street closures are supported by the majority of parents and residents living on the closed and neighbouring streets and that their support increases after any trial period.

The literature review is the first to provide an assessment of the impacts of school street closures published in the English language.

The Road Safety Trust, a charity dedicated to making the UK’s roads the safest in the world, awarded funding to Sustrans to evaluate the impact of school streets on the safety of surrounding roads.

The literature review is part of this ongoing wider project to investigate the impact of school streets – streets that are open to pedestrians and people on cycles but closed to cars at drop-off and pick-up times – for children’s safety.

Dr Adrian Davis, professor of transport and health at Edinburgh Napier University, said: “It is noteworthy that such a simple intervention can have really positive impacts in terms of increasing children physical activity levels and with this the associated improvements in wellbeing.

“School street closures looks to be a win-win for residents, schools and children and their families.”

John Lauder, deputy CEO Sustrans, said: “With the growth in numbers of family groups discovering the joy of cycling, walking, and scootering during lockdown, and with many parents and guardians continuing to work at home, the return to school is a crucial moment.  We want it to be easy and sensible for as many children as possible to get to and from school actively.

“This research shows clearly how school street closures make the streets around schools safer, cleaner and healthier. It also shows that school streets help increase active travel to school, making it easier for children to start the school day awake and alert.  We call on local authorities to give this consideration.”

Sally Lines, chief executive of Road Safety Trust, said: “We want to make the roads safer for all users in particular vulnerable road users which includes children, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, and the results from the literature review are a welcome step towards this. 

“It’s great to see the funding we provided to Sustrans showing these early results in the form of the literature review and that the results can inform best practice across the UK.”

The City of Edinburgh Council has already trialled a number of school street closures within the city, including around Leith Primary, St Mary’s in Leith and Gilmerton Primary earlier this year.

A host of other measures, including street widening and traffic limits, have also been implemented across the city to help people socially distance while travelling and exercising.

The full literature review relating to school street closures can be found here.

Edinburgh Napier University is top in the capital for student satisfaction

  • Improved National Student Survey result at all six of the University’s Schools

Edinburgh Napier University is number one in the capital for student satisfaction, according to the National Student Survey (NSS) 2020.

The latest version of the largest student feedback survey in the world revealed an overall satisfaction level of 86 per cent at the University – up seven per cent on last year and well above the UK benchmark of 81 per cent.

Satisfaction levels among students rose in all six of the University’s Schools; Applied Sciences (84 to 86 per cent), Arts & Creative Industries (84 to 94), Computing (81 to 85), Engineering & the Built Environment (78 to 79), Health & Social Care (67 to 81) and the Business School (84 to 87).  

Professor Andrea Nolan, Principal of Edinburgh Napier University, said: “I am delighted with this year’s student survey results, a clean sweep of improvement, and one that makes us the top university in Edinburgh for overall student satisfaction.

“These results are thanks to all the commitment, hard work and efforts made by staff over the last twelve months and I want to thank all the teams from across the University for playing their part. To have their work recognised in this way by our students is heart-warming.”

The survey revealed high levels of satisfaction with the quality of their course among students studying at Scottish universities.

This year’s results show that overall satisfaction with courses in Scotland has improved by one per cent since 2019 and now stands at 85 per cent for full-time students. 86 per cent of part-time students in Scotland are satisfied with their course. The figure is above the UK average of 83 per cent, which is the down from 84 per cent last year.

The NSS is carried out by the Office for Students (OfS) on behalf of the UK funding bodies. As well as capturing student views on the overall quality of their undergraduate degree, the survey gathers students’ responses to a series of questions relating to academic support, learning resources, teaching, management and assessment.

Every university in the UK participates in the survey, including some colleges and alternative providers. This year, the response rate was 68.6 per cent and a total of 311,432 students across the UK took part.

Natalie secures business degree despite mystery blackouts

New graduate praises University support measures

A STUDENT who almost dropped out of university after a series of mystery collapses is today celebrating completing her Edinburgh Napier degree at the same time as her classmates.

Natalie Dunsmore’s health woes emerged when as a second year she blacked out while on a sunshine break in Cyprus.

Many more episodes followed, including periods when Natalie collapsed every two or three days, once in front of a class at a lecture.

On another occasion she blacked out on the day of an exam, but still managed to complete the paper after being checked over by an ambulance crew.

However, her ill health was taking its toll, leaving her wondering if she would ever complete her studies.

“I decided close to the end of third year that I was going to give up university,” said Natalie, 21, of Harthill, Lanarkshire.  “I felt as if I was a hassle to everyone, and decided it was easier to drop out.

“But the University pushed me on and told me I could do it. They had already put in place a buddy system for me, meaning someone from my year was with me at all times on campus.

They also gave me a medical pass with first aid instructions on a lanyard, and allowed me to use a separate exam room and have extra time if needed.

“The University couldn’t have done any more for me to ensure I felt safe on campus.

“Despite missing most of fourth year due to being unwell in hospital, I finally got diagnosed with epilepsy, and I managed to hand in my dissertation and complete fourth year normally alongside my peers.  Looking back I’m so glad I stuck with it and pushed on.”

Natalie is now the proud holder of a BA (Hons) in Business Management.

She said: “Whatever problems people come across, there are always routes you can take to what you want to achieve. I had many low times when I thought dropping out was my best option, but I have overcome this and now have a degree after suffering terribly for three years of my course.”

Natalie now hopes to go on and do a Professional Graduate Diploma in Business Education with a view to taking up a teaching role.

Dr Mike Sanderson, lecturer in Human Resource Management and Disability Contact for the Business School, said: “The staff at Edinburgh Napier University have been extremely impressed by Natalie’s determination to complete her studies in the face of many health difficulties.

“As an institution we are highly student-focused, and will leave no stone unturned to explore ways in which we can support students through their studies.

“We are delighted for Natalie and congratulate her on this great achievement.  She is an inspiration to us all.”