Newcastle University ranked top 10 in the UK for student experience

Newcastle University is ranked in the top 10 for student experience in the UK for the third year in a row, according to latest survey results.

March 24, 2017: Published yesterday (23 March), the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2017 places Newcastle University 8th overall in the UK, cementing it as one of the leading institutions in the country for the experience it offers to its students.

Newcastle University scored outstanding marks for the academic provision and its students placed it third overall in the recommendations category (students who would recommend it to a friend). It was also ranked third in the societal experience category, which encompasses social life, community atmosphere, extracurricular activities, societies and good environment around campus.

Student satisfaction results are high across a number of experience areas, including high quality of lecturers, helpful staff, good support and welfare, and high-quality facilities.

Professor Suzanne Cholerton, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching, Newcastle University, said: “We are delighted our students continue to rank their experience so highly. This consistently outstanding performance is credit to our staff whose excellent academic and personal support ensures our students get the most from their time studying and living here.

“The positive results are underpinned by our commitment to continue to deliver outstanding student experience and excellent environment for our students’ learning, teaching and research, as well as their personal and professional development.”

Jack Taylor, President of Newcastle University Students’ Union, said: “It is absolutely fantastic to see our students rate Newcastle University so highly. We are delighted that our students enjoy their time at Newcastle so much and we will continue to strive to provide a rounded and positive experience across all aspects of university life.”

Alex Holdsworth, Computing Science student at Newcastle University, said: “The teaching quality is outstanding on my course. Each lecturer will put time and effort into answering my questions efficiently and to a good level of detail. It is evident the lecturers are enthusiastic about the material they are teaching, which makes learning a very enjoyable experience.”


Biology undergraduate, Victoria Brobbey said: “It is very easy to join any clubs and societies you want and there are a wide variety of them so you can try things new things and most of them do not require you to have previous experience. These societies encourage people to take part in extra-curriculum activities which can aid them with their future careers for example becoming a committee member which helps them build on their leadership roles.”

The survey is based on the responses of more than 15,000 undergraduates rating their university across 21 measures based on a seven-point rating from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”. The survey covers a wide range of student experience areas, such as: academic experience, university facilities, societal experience, student welfare, accommodation, industry connections, and security.

The Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2017 is the latest in a long list of independent student guides reflecting the high level of student experience and satisfaction at Newcastle University.

The latest National Student Survey (NSS), shows that 90% of students are happy with their time in Newcastle – placing it joint 12th in the UK when compared against comparator institutions.

In the latest International Student Barometer (ISB) Survey 2016, the University scored a satisfaction rating of 94% amongst its international students. The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2016 place Newcastle University among the best the UK for student satisfaction with an 88.4% score.

Read More »

Newcastle University peaks in global subject ranking

Newcastle University is ranked among the world's elite institutions in a range of popular subject areas, according to an influential ranking.

A total of 27 subjects at Newcastle appear in the QS World University Rankings by Subject across the University’s three Faculties. Newcastle is ranked in the world’s top 100 universities in five different subject areas, and within the top 200 for a further 13.

Dentistry and Geography have been rated as the best performing subjects, standing at 32 and 50 in the world respectively.

Professor Richard Davies, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Engagement and Internationalisation, Newcastle University, said: “The latest QS World University Rankings by Subject results reflect the world-class teaching and research, across all of our three faculties. The ranking is a testament to the brilliant work done by everyone at the University and the outstanding support we offer to our students during their time at Newcastle. “The positive results highlight our commitment to delivering the best possible teaching, learning and research for our students through continuous investment in improving facilities on campus and teaching standards.”

Undergraduate Geography student, Hugh Vermont, said: “I really value the flexibility and the variety of the modules offered on my course as it allows me to study a broad range of academic material from different disciplines. My favourite module has been the Berlin Fieldtrip module for very obvious reasons! I got to spend a week in one of Europe’s most interesting cities, I made a load of new friends and the basis of the trip was one of the areas I am most fascinated.”

Anna Davies, a stage-four Dentistry student, said: “The teaching quality is excellent within the Dental School – you have leading world experts giving you lectures on their specialist subjects. There are also a lot of dentists that come in to supervise clinics this allows you to get advice and teaching from several different sources. “Every student has a personal tutor for their five years within the dental school. You can go to your personal tutor for advice and help throughout your time at the dental school in addition to meetings that are scheduled during the year. This allows you to get to know your tutor well and they can offer any advice you may need.”

Published annually since 2011, the rankings are based on academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact. To compile the rankings, QS evaluated 4,438 universities, qualified 3,098 and ranked 1117 institutions in total. Over 127 million citations attributions were analysed, and QS verified the provision of over 18,900 programmes.

Last year, Newcastle University became one of only 17 universities in the world, and only two in the UK, to achieve five plus QS Stars from QS Quacquarelli Symonds, the first international assessment of its kind. More than 150 universities in over 35 countries have now signed up to the QS Stars rating system, which evaluates institutions against over 50 indicators and awards universities between one and five stars

Read More »

Newcastle University ranked among the best for international student satisfaction

February 22nd, 2017: More than nine out of ten international students are satisfied with their experience at Newcastle University, according to an influential survey.

Latest results from the International Student Barometer (ISB) place Newcastle University 5th in the UK and 18th in the world with an overall satisfaction rating of 94% - a 1% rise on previous year.
Conducted by i-graduate, the ISB autumn 2016 is the biggest survey of its kind, reaching almost 160,000 students from 82 institutions in 17 countries. It covers a range of student experience aspects, including pre-arrival, arrival, learning, living and support.

International students placed Newcastle University among the best in the world for the learning environment on campus, giving a 96% satisfaction rate for expert lecturers and 93% for the quality of lectures.

The University also scored highly for student support (93%), living experience (92%), campus environment (96%) and campus safety (93%).

Satisfaction with Careers Service is ranked in the top 10 in the world with 93%. The digital library resources received 96%, putting it in the world’s top 5, while and physical library received a 95% satisfaction score.

Professor Richard Davies, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Engagement and Internationalisation, Newcastle University, said: “We believe that education and research transcend international boundaries andwe are proud to be a thriving global community, with approximately 6,000 international students from over 130 countries.

“The consistently high ISB scores are a great achievement. They reflect the commitment of everyone at Newcastle University who provides outstanding academic and personal support to our international students.”

Newcastle University Students’ Union received a 98% satisfaction rate, which is well ahead of the ISB average score.

Jack Taylor, President of Newcastle University Students’ Union, said: “We are extremely pleased with the results of the ISB as we have once again scored highly in terms of satisfaction levels with our international students.

“The Students’ Union works to encourage all students to engage in as many opportunities as possible throughout their time at University, so it’s great to see that we’re providing this to such a high satisfaction level for another year.”

Brynelle Myers, from India, enrolled on a Master’s degree in Oncology and Cancer Biology, after graduating with BSc Hons Biomedical Science at Newcastle University.

She said:  “Newcastle has earned its place in top ranking tables due to its excellent teaching quality. The lecturers are up to date with the latest research being conducted worldwide whilst keeping their lectures very engaging. They make it very interesting by linking videos, pictures and adding a bit of their own humour to liven up a lecture. The lecturers are very approachable and always willing to help at any point of time be it with regards to academics or a personal issue.”

Meenakshi Lachman, a postgraduate student from Malaysia, said: “The Master of Medical Education course seemed like a good addition to my undergraduate medical degree as medical professionals are expected to be involved in education more than ever.

“As students, we are able to interact with professionals working in the medical field and academics alike being able to share ideas with them and learn from their experiences. The University has great facilities which are very accessible throughout the course and help in the planning and executing of our research projects.

“Newcastle as a city is beautiful and student friendly, there’s never a lack of things to see and do. The university is in walking distance from most student accommodation sites making it incredibly easy to get around.”

Newcastle University also achieved high satisfaction score of 91% in the latest National Student Survey, placing it joint 12th in the UK against comparator institutions.



Name: Brynelle Myers
Nationality: Indian

Course: BSc Biomedical Science    
Stage: 3

Why did you choose to study at Newcastle University?

Newcastle University is part of the Russell group of Universities which also includes Oxford and Cambridge. Newcastle University has state of the art Research facilities which was the primary reason for my choice. It has been ranked highly in terms of student satisfaction, teaching facilities and student wellbeing.

What do you most enjoy about studying your course?What has been your favourite module?

My course is flexible in terms of choosing modules and we have the added advantage of being able to switch over to different modules. We also have practical and seminar sessions which gives us the chance to interact with our Professors and peers which is helpful in developing an excellent rapport with them. In our final year we are given the opportunity of working in a laboratory for 12 weeks which is such a huge bonus as it pushes us to think out of the box and experiment in order to understand and learn the science behind it. I am drawn towards Cancer and therefore my favourite module has been Cancer Therapy & Biology.

What do you think of the teaching quality on your course?

Newcastle has earned its place in top ranking tables due to its excellent teaching quality. The Professors and Doctors are up to date with the latest research being conducted worldwide whilst keeping their lectures very engaging. They make it very interesting by linking videos, pictures and adding a bit of their own humour to liven up a lecture. The lecturers are very approachable and always willing to help at any point of time be it with regards to academics or a personal issue.

If you had to recommend your course to a student trying to choose a university what would you say to them?

Without a shadow of a doubt, apply to Newcastle University and would be able to assure them that it is something they will forever be grateful for. Newcastle University has given be the best years of my life. Newcastle University has so much to offer from the social point of view and is such a lively University which makes studying a better experience.

What do you enjoy most about life in Newcastle? If you had to recommend it to a friend what would you say?

Newcastle is one of the friendliest cities I have been to. It has such a lively and brilliant atmosphere year round. It is very student friendly and it is very convenient for one to navigate through the city. It has plenty of restaurants, pubs, iconic structures, beaches and of course the famous Quayside which never ceases to bring a smile to anyone's face.

What do you think about the clubs and societies that you can join? If you have been a member of one, what sort of activities has it involved?

Newcastle University has over 250 clubs and societies for students to be a part of. I have joined various different societies over these 3 years and I have made friends from different countries, different degree programmes and different age groups and that is the best part of being involved in societies and clubs.

I am part of the Biomedical Science society which is my course society and its brilliant because they have plenty of socials, pub nights, charity events, bowling nights, cinema trips and lots of fun activities that keeps everyone on their toes. There are alot more fun and engaging societies like the Cocktail society, 20 minute society, International Society etc.

Where do you live? Was it easy to sort out accommodation?

I currently live in an apartment above Grainger market. This is such a convenient location as it is right in the centre of town. In my first year I stayed at Central Link (Liberty Plaza) and it is such a fabulous and modern student accommodation as it is centrally located and very convenient.
There are plenty of agencies that offer apartments/houses for students to rent at various locations in Newcastle to suit every student's whims and fancies. The University also provides support and guidance to students looking for student houses.

   

Do you have any tips on budgeting, student finance or funding your studies?

Newcastle has the famous Grainger market where one can do their groceries at a really subsidised rate. When it comes to student finance, it is really easy to budget as Newcastle is relatively small which helps in cutting down travel cost, but still has the luxury of being a well equipped city with everything ranging from the train station to clubs to grocery stores all only a short distance from each other.

What are your career aspirations after you graduate? Explain how studying at Newcastle is helping you to achieve your career goals:

I did my summer internship at the Northern Institute of Cancer Research between my 2nd and 3rd year and I have been offered to do an MRes project with the same supervisor which is a huge boost and has given me so much more confidence to pursue my education. After completing my MRes degree, I wish to pursue a PhD.

Read More »

Newcastle University Vice Chancellor's International Scholarships

Newcastle University offers partial scholarship awards to encourage applicants assessed as international for fees purposes to undertake undergraduate and Master’s level study.   Each award is worth £3,000 for one year payable to the student’s tuition fee account.  The University will consider each individual application and allocate scholarships based on its strategic and diversity priorities.

Eligibility
Applicants can only apply and be considered for a Vice-Chancellor’s International scholarship after they have been offered a place to study on their chosen degree course and have been assessed as international for fees purposes. They must also be:

• Registered at Newcastle University for the 2017/18 academic year.
• Registered for one of the following eligible courses:
• Undergraduate -  All undergraduate degrees including integrated Masters 
• Masters - MA; MArch; MBA; MClinDent; MClinRes; MEd; MFA; MMedEd; LLM; LLM (by research); MLitt; MMus; MPH; MRes; MSc
• wholly or partially self-financing
• defined as ‘international’ for fee purposes
• registered to study at Newcastle University city centre campus
• students new to the University and not those transferring or repeating courses

Number of awards : 255 international students

Application Deadline
There are three closing dates, 28 February 2017, 5 May 2017 and 31 July 2017.  The University will allocate a proportion of available scholarships to the highest scoring valid applicants following these dates.  Unsuccessful candidates will be carried-forward from the first and second award cycles and may receive scholarships in the following award cycle.

Application form
Academic offer holders on an eligible course who have been assessed as international for fees purposes will be invited to apply for the Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship.  Details of how to apply will be emailed within 10 working days of an academic offer being made.

Contact
Student Financial Support | scholarship.applications@newcastle.ac.uk
Tel: +44 191 208 5537/8107

Read More »

Creative Writing MA: Newcastle University, UK

New Delhi, 19th January, 2017: Creative Writing MA course allow the Students to advance their creative ability through practice, discussion and revision. This course helps one by making them aware of writing processes, professional writing and publishing. The staff has received national and international recognition for their work. The students work with them to prepare creative work for submission and publication.

The course provides a unique opportunity to develop and hone the creative writing skills. Newcastle University teaches creative writing in four strands:

•prose writing

•poetry

•scriptwriting, with a unique emphasis on writing for radio

•creative non-fiction, with a unique emphasis on memoir writing, essay writing and biography

The courses will introduce the students to a wide range of subjects and areas in which writers are working professionally. The students will build their awareness and broaden the knowledge of writing opportunities. They will also consider ways of matching their skills to jobs. Also the students get to explore the many ways in which writing is produced, distributed and promoted to audiences. The guest speakers are practitioners and/or associated with the world of publishing and performance. Working with them, the students will explore the roles and importance of:

•agents

•editors

•reviewers

•social media

•new technology in contemporary publishing

REQUIRMENT: To study this course the students need to meet the Band 10 English Language requirements:

Direct Entry: IELTS 7.0 overall (with 6.5 in writing and a minimum of 6.0 in all other sub-skills)

Our typical English Language requirements are listed as IELTS scores but we also accept a wide range of English Language tests.  The students can also send their queries to india@ncl.ac.uk.

Below is the link to apply for this course - http://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/

About Newcastle University, UK:

Newcastle University is a major research-intensive university, located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north-east of England.  It strives for world-class academic excellence- but excellence with a purpose.

Newcastle University was ranked 88th out of 800 universities from all over the world for ‘international outlook’ by The Times Higher Education Survey, which measures the ability of a university to attract undergraduates, postgraduates and faculty from all over the world.

The same publication also placed Newcastle University 10th in the UK in its 2015 Student Experience Survey and third in the country for the quality of staff and lecturers.

The International Student Barometer (ISB) Survey 2015, conducted by i-graduate, gave Newcastle University an overall satisfaction rating of 93% amongst its international students with strong scores for teaching, student support, living experience and campus facilities.

96% of international students say they were satisfied with the physical and digital library resources. Support from IT services received a 97% satisfaction score.

Newcastle University also achieved an overall satisfaction score of 91% in the latest National Student Survey. The result means that nine out of 10 students are happy with their time in Newcastle – placing it joint 6th in the UK against our comparator institutions.

Read More »

Four Corners Project by Newcastle University

Every image tells a story

India 24 October 2016: Pioneering technology developed at Newcastle University tells us the story behind the picture

Technologies developed in Newcastle University that could transform photojournalism are being demonstrated at a symposium of industry leaders in New York.

Four Corners provides context to digital photographs and is being developed at Open Lab, part of Newcastle University’s world-leading School of Computing Science. The project is a collaboration between Open Lab, the World Press Photo Foundation, in Amsterdam, and the International Centre for Photography, New York.
Four Corners allows the photographer to display the photograph’s context. With it the reader can investigate the before and after frames, the backstory, technical and copyright information and links to even more. All of this is accessed by rolling over or swiping through the four corners of the picture.

Telling the story behind the image

The project, which has been described as the biggest step forward for photography since the caption, was initially presented at the World Press Photo Award Ceremony in Amsterdam in August. And last week, the technology was demonstrated at the International Centre of Photography in New York.
The technology allows publishers to include far more contextual information alongside their images and provide the reader with a much deeper and more engaged experience.
Jonathan Worth, a researcher at Open Lab, described Four Corners as “a great authoring tool.”
“It enables photographers to include much more contextual information with their pictures which readers can use to explore the story,” he explains.
“Part of our next steps are to enable the subject of that photograph to get involved and add their voice to the story too.”

Biggest step forward for photography since the caption

Tom Bartindale, also a researcher at Open Lab, added: “Giving journalists the chance to contextualise their images gives readers a richer understanding of the story. We want users to be able to contribute their own content and know where the information is coming from.”
“Four Corners is a major advance in visual journalism, giving photographers and editors a new way of easily providing context to important images," says Lars Boering, Managing Director of World Press Photo Foundation.

The next step, Four Corners Plus, allows readers and subjects to add their own perspectives, as well as audio and video footage. The reader can then filter the new material and – crucially – they are able to see how the photograph they are looking at has been altered from the photographer’s original.
This ability to verify authenticity and provenance of photographs has never been possible but by using distributed ledger technologies (such as those that BitCoin is built on) researchers at Open Lab have, for the first time in the history of photography, found a way.
"In a low-trust world it's more important than ever to know the source and provenance of information,” said Jeff Brazil, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. “This is a simple, elegant solution.”
Four Corners is available as a free and open source download now and Four Corners Plus is planned for release in early 2017.

Read More »

Prof Sugata Mitra is opening the smallest School in the Cloud research lab in India this week.

A small space for big ideas

Prof Sugata Mitra is opening the smallest School in the Cloud research lab in India this week.

SOLE comes into the playground

India 28 September 2016: Prof Sugata Mitra’s latest SOLE research lab is a discreet affair, tucked away in the corner of a school playground in West Bengal. At a mere 15ft wide it would actually fit rather snugly into his office at Newcastle University in the UK.

 Located in a rural Montessori middle school in Dasghara, West Bengal, about three hours from Kolkata, it is the ninth research SOLE (self-organised learning environment) he has completed since winning the $1m TED Prize in 2013. 

It is also the cheapest at £7,500 and part of an experiment to see just what was possible if he aimed small and employed local contractors, personally handling the project management from start to finish.

Prof. Sugata Mitra

Close family ties

Dasghara has a special place in Prof Mitra’s own family history, as it is located near his mother’s ancestral home and the lab is in a school that was originally funded by his grand uncle aunt.

“This was a chance to use all that we learned building the other labs,” explains Prof Mitra, who is director of SOLE Central at Newcastle University, the global hub for SOLE research and practice. “The fact that people knew who I was and my family was a huge advantage – I didn’t need to build up that trust with local people as I already had it, so they were happy to just leave me to it.”

The lab will be officially opened on 2nd October 2016 (Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday). It has been designed for use by 24 children between five computers. As is the case with George Stephenson and Newton Aycliffe SOLE labs in the UK, the children will be in charge of the running of the lab – a first for the Indian SOLE labs. 

As part of his TED Prize, Prof Mitra set up the School in the Cloud and eight SOLE research labs have been created: two in the UK, one in Harlem, New York, USA and five in India. Spanning from the hub near Calcutta to the remotest site five hours away in West Bengal, what these locations in India share is a lack of educational opportunities for the children living there coupled with a drive and determination from those communities to turn that around.

ABOUT THE SOLE PROJECT:

TED Prize 2013 winner Prof Mitra, Newcastle University set up Schools in the cloud facility in February, 2014. In recent years this idea has rapidly gathered pace, evolving into dozens of Self-Organised Learning Environments (SOLEs) where children search for answers to ‘big’ questions. It has also inspired Self Organised Mediation Environments (SOMEs) – better known as the Granny Cloud - where children interact with online ‘grannies’ to engage in a wide range of informal activities. SOLE project builds upon the successful Granny Cloud, which was set up in 2009 after a plea for retired teachers in the UK to come forward who were willing to interact with children in India via Skype. They are not all ‘grannies’ and in this context the term is actually becoming less tied to gender or age as it is seen by many as a ‘badge of honour’! 

What makes this work is the universal ‘grandmother’ approach, where children get to interact with a person who is encouraging and appreciates their efforts, and in doing so enables them to learn what they need and also find out more about interests them. The need for the Granny Cloud became apparent during the preliminary experiences in the SOLEs (self organised learning environments). The SOLEs were originally initiated to provide educational support for children in remote, disadvantaged settings in rural and urban areas in India.  

The SOLE approach appealed to many educators world-wide and is now used by many teachers and schools in their own classrooms. The School in the Cloud joins these two components together and brings in the Grannies who use the SOLE approach in these settings. This bigger project has been made possible with the help of the $1m TED Prize to build School in the Cloud ‘learning labs’ in some of the most remote and deprived areas of India. Children are able to drop in to use the Internet for learning, and also benefit from regular face-to-face online Skype sessions.

Spanning from the hub near Calcutta to the remotest site five hours away in West Bengal, what all the new SOLE locations share is a lack of educational opportunities for the children living there, coupled with a drive and determination from those communities to turn that around. The primary aim is to improve children’s reading comprehension and search skills and develop their confidence.

Prof.Sugata Mitra Prof of Educational Technology, Newcastle University

TED Prize winner SugataMitra is at the forefront of a new approach to education which challenges how we teach today’s children in a technological age.

He is Professor of Educational Technology at Newcastle University, UK and previously a Visiting Professor at MIT in the US.

Prof. Sugata is currently working on the School in the Cloud, which is the culmination of over a decade of research and observations from all over the world. The School in the Cloud is learning at the edge of chaos - a community, place and experience to discover and explore children’s learning as a self-organising system.

From his earliest experiments while working at NIIT in Delhi with the Hole in the Wall project, through to setting up SOLEs (self organised learning environments), Sugata discovered that children’s innate sense of learning is magnified when they are given the freedom to explore the internet in small groups.

Children in these environments, regardless of who they are or what language they speak, can competently search for answers to ‘big questions’, drawing rational, logical conclusions from their research. These are questions far ahead of what is expected of them in their school curriculum.

In 1999 Sugata and his colleagues at NIIT made a hole in a wall bordering an urban slum in Delhi, installed an internet-connected PC, and left to see what happened. Almost immediately, children from the slum began playing with the computer and in the process taught each other how to use it and get online. 

This experiment, which inspired the book ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ that went on to become the Oscar winning film of 2009, was replicated in other parts of India, both urban and rural, with similar results.

It challenged some of the key assumptions of formal education, demonstrating that, even in the absence of any direct input from a teacher, an environment that stimulates curiosity could result in learning through self-instruction and peer-shared knowledge.

However, his research has shown that it’s not simply a case of taking teachers out of the equation: children in remote areas often perform poorly at school because they do not have access to good teaching.

As a result of further research which showed the importance of an encouraging adult in these circumstances, the Granny Cloud was born, after Sugata put out a plea for retired teachers in the UK to come forward who were willing to interact with children in India via Skype.

Read More »

Newcastle University ranked amongst the top 200 universities in the world

India September 26, 2016:  Newcastle University, UK has been ranked in the UK’s top 200 universities by The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2016-2017.

Published today (22nd September) by Times Higher Education, Newcastle University is placed at the 190th position in the World University Rankings, rising six places from last year. Newcastle University has achieved strong results across a number of categories, including international outlook, teaching, research, industry income, and citations.

Professor Chris Brink, Vice-Chancellor, Newcastle University, said: “We are pleased to have moved up in the table and to be ranked among the best universities in the world.

“It is particularly encouraging that this latest ranking recognises Newcastle’s strengths in research citations and also in our International Outlook which assesses the global nature of our staff and student community and the links we have with global partners.

“Of course, different league tables measure different things and they assign different weightings to the various measures. We always advise students to look at as many of the league tables as they can and check whether the table measures the topic that they are interested in. In relation to student satisfaction, this year’s National Student Survey showed that 90% of students are happy with their time here, placing us joint 12th in the UK, and the International Student Barometer Survey, which measures the opinion of international students, scored Newcastle University 93% for overall satisfaction  - one of the highest in the world.”           

                  

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings employ 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons available, which are trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry and governments. This year's ranking includes 990 universities from 79 different countries, compared with the 800 universities from 70 countries in last year's table.

Anubhi Khandelwal a student persuing her M.Sc Automation and Control at Newcastle University, said: “The teaching quality on my course has been excellent. All lecturers are very passionate about their research area, and therefore deliver this clearly and enthusiastically in lectures. They are also happy to help and are very approachable if you need them.

“There is a huge list of clubs and societies that you can join and there is something for everyone. They are a great opportunity to socialise and meet new people from different courses and backgrounds with similar interests to you, whilst being involved with something you’re passionate about.”

Newcastle University continues to perform well in independent student surveys. Last year, the University scored a satisfaction rating of 93% amongst its international students in the International Student Barometer (ISB) Survey 2015, placing Newcastle in the world’s top 10 of global universities.

In the International Outlook ranking, published by Times Higher Education earlier this year, Newcastle University was placed in the Top 100 for international universities. The ranking measures the ability of a university to attract undergraduates, postgraduates and faculty from all over the world, and Newcastle University was placed 88th out of 800 universities from all over the world.

Read More »

You can’t blame your genes if you don’t lose weight, study finds

You might be able to blame your genes for weighing more and increasing your risk of obesity, but you can no longer blame your genes for failing to lose weight, a comprehensive study has found.

India September 20, 2016: You might be able to blame your genes for weighing more and increasing your risk of obesity, but you can no longer blame your genes for failing to lose weight, a comprehensive study has found. Carriers of the FTO gene are known to be on average 3 kilos (6.6lbs) heavier and 70% more likely to be obese.

 However, researchers at Newcastle University, publishing in The BMJ today, report that in a review of eight studies involving over 9,000 people, carrying this gene did not prevent them losing weight. John Mathers, Professor of Human Nutrition at Newcastle University, who led the study, said: “You can no longer blame your genes. Our study shows that improving your diet and being more physically active will help you lose weight, regardless of your genetic makeup.”

Getting the weight off

Obesity is a major health problem and, in the UK, more than 25% of adults are obese. For some people, carrying the risk variant of the FTO gene can lead to them being heavier and increasing their risk of obesity. The FTO gene has been shown to have the biggest effect in this area.

In a major collaborative systematic review and meta-analysis, the international team used individual data from 9,563 adults who were enrolled in randomised controlled weight loss trials around the world to find out whether carrying the risk version of the FTO gene affects how much weight people lose. They found that carrying the risk version of the FTO gene had no effect on weight loss as Professor Mathers explains: “We were excited to find that people with the risk version of FTO respond just as well to weight loss interventions as everyone else. “This is important news for people trying to lose weight as it means that diet, physical activity or drug-based weight loss plans will work just as well in those who carry the risk version of FTO.

 “For public health professionals, it means that the adverse effects of the FTO genotype on weight gain are not an impediment to weight loss interventions.”

FTO gene carriers

Importantly, the team found that the response to weight loss interventions for people carrying the risk variant of the FTO gene was similar for men and women, younger and older and people of different ethnicities.  However, most people in the studies were Caucasians with smaller numbers of those from Black/ African American and Hispanic backgrounds. The team say future research should explore effects of FTO on weight loss in other ethnic groups. In addition, the effects of other obesity-related genes on weight loss remain to be investigated.


In a linked editorial in The BMJ, Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England, says the causes of the obesity epidemic are multiple and complex, but current evidence suggests they have little to do with gene profiles.

She argues that, if we are to turn back the tide of obesity, a focus on personalised interventions based on the genome “may not pay off, at least in the short term.” Instead, she says “a rebalancing of research towards whole systems approaches including environmental drivers may be of greater benefit to the population in the long term.”

The Human Nutrition Research Centre at Newcastle University carries out research on links between nutrition and health with a focus on the major public health issues of obesity and ageing. Its world-leading research informs the teaching of three new degree programmes.

Read More »

Breakthrough in cancer cell screening advances personalised treatment

India 13 September 2016: Researchers at Newcastle University have been able to accurately predict how children whose cancer returns after treatment for leukaemia are likely to respond to further treatment.

The Findings, from the largest study of its kind, will allow doctors to analyse the genetic profile of cancer cells to personalise treatment and improve survival rates. The study was published in the journal, Blood.

How the study was carried out

Newcastle University scientists, funded by the blood cancer charity Bloodwise, analysed leukaemia cells from 427 children treated for relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia between 2003 and 2013. They used a variety of genetic tests including fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), where glowing tags are bound to sequences of DNA within the cancer cells, allowing scientists to view specific genetic changes under a microscope.

Currently, children with relapsed leukaemia are grouped by whether they were at a standard or high risk of a poor outcome, based on factors such as how long the child had been in remission and if leukaemia cells were present in the bone marrow at the time of relapse. Patients currently deemed to be high risk under these criteria will undergo a gruelling stem cell transplant, while standard risk patients are normally treated with further chemotherapy.

Patients whose leukaemia returns a long time after treatment has ended have, up until now, been thought to have a good chance of survival. These patients typically receive less intense chemotherapy than patients thought to be at higher risk.

The researchers also discovered abnormalities in a number of genes, which not only provided additional information about how and why these children responded poorly to current therapy, but also provided useful insights into how future children with similar gene defects might be more efficiently treated.
The team, led by Professor Anthony Moorman and Dr Julie Irving from the Northern Institute for Cancer Research at Newcastle University, found that children in the standard risk group who, at the time of relapse, had one or more ‘high risk’ genetic abnormalities responded poorly to chemotherapy.

Professor Moorman, an expert in Genetic Epidemiology, who co-leads the Leukaemia Research Cytogenetics Group at Newcastle University, said: “Current methods used to guide treatment for relapsed leukaemia are not accurate enough, with some children believed to have a good chance of survival are actually responding very poorly to chemotherapy. “Screening patients at relapse for key genetic abnormalities that influence outcome will ensure that treatment can be personalised, thereby improving their chances of survival.”


Most common childhood cancer

Up to nine in 10 children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, the most common form of childhood cancer, will now achieve a long-term cure. The prognosis is much poorer for those children whose disease relapses, however, with fewer than six in 10 children surviving longer than five years.
Genetic faults within developing white blood cells kick-start and drive leukaemia growth. The types and combinations of genetic errors are known to influence whether a child is likely to respond well to initial treatment, which in turn affects whether they have a good or poor chance of survival.

Genetic screening is already used to tailor treatment at diagnosis, ensuring children receive the most appropriate intensity of chemotherapy. Until now it has been less well understood how these ‘genetic markers’ can be used to guide treatment if the leukaemia comes back.

The researchers also identified a large group of children with ‘low risk’ genetic faults. When these children also had good clinical risk factors – just as a long first remission – their response to standard chemotherapy was very good and they could be spared a stem cell transplant.

Dr Irving, Reader in Experimental Haematology at Newcastle University, said: “This new study shows that the genetics of the leukaemia can be used to optimise therapy in children who relapse from their disease. It  offers hope of  improving cure rates and reducing the intensity of chemotherapy in some children.”

Dr Alasdair Rankin, Research Director at Bloodwise, added: “The outlook for children who relapse is generally poor and so more effective treatment approaches are desperately needed. These findings represent a significant step forward in the development of personalised treatment for these patients. Further research will be needed to test whether tailoring treatment for relapsed disease based on genetic factors does actually improve survival rates."

Read More »

Staying safe online and when making payments

India 6 September 2016: The digital world is evolving everyday and, as a result, staying safe online is becoming more and more of a relevant issue. From seemingly secure and quite big companies, to individual people, no one is safe from being hacked online.

What’s more, new research from Newcastle University’s School of Computing Science has found that malware designed as a fitness app, or even javascript embedded on a web page, can use the accelerometer data stored by the mobile phone to reveal PINs and passwords.

Browser vendors and the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) were informed of the problem and as a result, a new version of the W3C specification was released and patches were released for several common browsers.

Professor Aad van Moorsel, Head of School of Computing Science, Newcastle University, DrSteve Riddle andDr Charles Morisset, Computing Science lecturers at Newcastle University, and Martin Emms, Research Associate in Computing Science at Newcastle University, Lead Educators of the new, free, online course, Cyber Security, Safety at Home, Online, in Life have put together some simple and easy things youcan do to protect yourself online:

Staying safe when making online payments:

1.    Use an online wallet such as PayPal or Google Wallet to pay for your online purchases
This prevents your credit card details from being sent to online retailers.

2.    Buy from online retailers that have a good reputation
Do some research before buying from an online retailer you haven’t used before.

3.    Never put your whole wallet on a contactless card reader
The contactless readers used for buses and trains can read your credit and debit cards, so you can end up with money leaving an account you weren’t expecting.

Staying safe online

1.    Be careful when you accept web cookies on a website

Web cookies are a mechanism that websites use to remember information (such as items added to your online shopping basket) or to monitor your movements around a web page. Controlling how you choose to accept ‘cookies’ in your web browser can prevent you being tracked as you visit different websites.

2.    Change your privacy settings.

You can control what information is held about you by downloading your personal data from Facebook or Twitter and changing your privacy settings, allowing friends (rather than the general public) to see your social profiles.

3.    Use different email addresses.

You can break up your online interactions by using different email addresses for social network, shopping, work and other activities. This makes it less likely that separate pieces of shared information can be accumulated together.

4.    Don’t use the same passwords for different accounts.

Although this seems incredibly obvious, it’s really important to use a different password for every account you create. Without doing so, you become vulnerable to being hacked on multiple accounts.

The free, online course, Cyber Security, Safety at Home, Online, in Life, hosted by Newcastle University and available on FutureLearn, starts on the 5th September 2016.

Read More »

Student satisfaction at Newcastle University among the highest in the UK

August 10th, 2016, India: Newcastle University is ranked among the best in the UK for student satisfaction, according to latest survey results.  The National Student Survey (NSS), published today (10 August), shows that 90% of students are happy with their time in Newcastle – placing it joint 12th in the UK when compared against comparator institutions.  Newcastle University scored highly in the teaching and academic support categories with 94% agreeing that staff  are good at explaining things and 92% saying that they were able to contact staff when they needed to. 

The results come a week before A-level results. With the University looking forward to welcoming next year’s students, Professor Suzanne Cholerton, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching, said the results reinforced the excellent experience students gain at Newcastle University.

“We are delighted that our students continue to rank their experience at the University so highly. The results are a testament to everyone who works so hard to deliver the best possible teaching and learning experience to our students”, Professor Cholerton said. 

The survey data show that 93% of students were satisfied with the library resources and services, while 92% said they have been able to access general IT resources when they needed to. Students also ranked their experience with the Students’ Union highly, with 80% saying they were satisfied - a considerably higher rate than the sector average of 69%. 

Professor Cholerton said: “We are committed to continue providing excellent opportunities and investing in quality facilities today’s students need and expect. These include a £30m investment in new state–of-the-art sports facilities and a £75.5m project, which will transform Newcastle University’s largest student accommodation at Richardson Road into six new student accommodation blocks. Our Library facilities are also expanding. This year we opened Newcastle University’s latest library building, the Marjorie Robinson Library Rooms, which features over 550 study spaces, 220 desktop PCs and areas for group study.”

Jack Taylor, President of Newcastle University Students’ Union, said: “It is great to see both the University and the Students’ Union scoring so highly in the latest NSS results. In each case, the results are tribute to the staff and volunteers who work so hard to make students’ time in Newcastle enjoyable. We look forward to working together over the coming year to ensure that Newcastle University continues to be one of the best places to study in the UK.”  

James Gibbs, a stage-one Surveying and Mapping Science student, said: “I chose Newcastle University primarily because of the course, which is unique has a varied range of modules and excellent job prospects. Newcastle also has a great reputation for student life and I can confirm that this is true, with a wide range of societies, a dynamic landscape and fantastic nights out it’s a brilliant place to be as a student. The teaching is excellent, the lectures are well planned and are excellently delivered often by staff who are well versed in that field. The small class size makes it possible to comfortably ask questions and the lecturers to know the students by name.”

Newcastle University has also scored highly in a number of other independent student surveys this year. The International Student Barometer (ISB) Survey 2015, conducted by i-graduate, gave Newcastle University an overall satisfaction rating of 93% amongst its international students with strong scores for teaching, student support, living experience and campus facilities. The Times Higher Education ranked Newcastle University 88th out of 800 universities from all over the world for ‘international outlook’, which measures the ability of a university to attract undergraduates, postgraduates and staff from all over the world. The same publication also placed Newcastle University 10th in the UK in its 2015 Student Experience Survey and third in the country for the quality of staff and lecturers.

The University will have Clearing places available for many courses for high-achieving applicants, particularly those who achieve ABB+ at A Levels or better. The Clearing hotline opens on Thursday 18 August at 7.30am. Students with good grades can visit the Clearing website - http://www.ncl.ac.uk/clearing/ 

Read More »