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How is mentoring handled in the Aurora programme?
Mentoring is a collaborative effort between Advance HE and your institution. Institutions often use existing in-house mentoring schemes to pair participants with mentors. If your institution does not offer this support, we provide a Mentoring Handbook to help you navigate this process. Please note that Advance HE does not directly facilitate the matching of mentors for the programme.
What if I don’t have time to complete the pre-work before a session?
If you can’t complete the pre-work before a session, don’t worry—it won’t affect your ability to fully participate in the day’s activities. The pre-work is designed to enrich the session and provide those who like to prepare in advance an opportunity to familiarize themselves with some of the content. However, it is not mandatory, and you’ll still be able to engage fully with the session even if you haven’t completed it.
How can I provide feedback during the Aurora programme?
We highly value your feedback and have several ways for you to share your thoughts:
- Mini Feedback: After each session, you’ll have the opportunity to provide mini feedback, which is reviewed continuously by the faculty presenting that session.
- Final Programme Evaluation: After completing the final development day, Action Learning Set 2, you will receive a final programme evaluation to gather your overall impressions and suggestions.
- Six-Month Impact Survey: Six months after the programme ends, you’ll be invited to complete an impact survey to reflect on how the programme has influenced your professional development.
We encourage you to share your comments through these channels. However, if you have something urgent to share, please email the team at aurora@advance-he.ac.uk, and one of our team members will respond promptly.
Accessibility
What accessibility support is in place?
For All Sessions:
- Materials will be uploaded to the Delegate Resources folder two weeks before each development day (often earlier for later cohorts).
- Automated captions will be enabled in the Main Room on Zoom.
- There will be short breaks every hour.
- All venues for “Your Future in HE” are wheelchair accessible.
Need extra support?
We welcome and encourage any other requests for additional support, please complete this form and we will contact you to confirm if we can assist. Please notify us ASAP, minimum four weeks before the start date, so that we have time to source and book any additional required.
Here are some types of support we have provided before:
- Access to live transcription for the Main Room and Breakout Rooms online
- BSL and ISL sign language, both online and face-to-face
- Hearing loops for face-to-face.
- AV-assisted linking to Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids for face-to-face.
Aurora Community
What is the Aurora Community?
Our Aurora Community provides opportunities for Aurorans to connect with current and past participants from both the UK and internationally through our Advance HE Connect Platform. Aurorans will have access to the international Aurora Community for online networking. We also host our free virtual Aurora Community: Network and Exchange events each month, allowing participants to meet other Aurorans and discuss key topics and issues. This will include highly requested themes such as effective communication, influence, and life transitions, and will be supported by panel discussions and guest speakers.
How do I join the Aurora Community?
Complete this form or scan the QR Code and you will be added to the group manually by a member of the team and receive an invitation to join in due course.
Please check your spam/junk folders in case the emails are filtered into there.
Communications
What should I do if I haven’t received joining instructions?
If you haven’t received your joining instructions, please contact us immediately. We’ll ensure that you have all the necessary details to participate in your Aurora sessions. In the meantime, please whitelist (mark as a safe sender) aurora@advance-he.ac.uk and ask your IT team to make sure no emails are being blocked.
If you require details asap – all joining instructions and materials are saved in the Delegate Resources Folder, in the Aurora Shared Drive. You can access all copies of the joining instructions there.
Technical Issues
What should I do if I’m unable to access the Delegate Resources Aurora Shared Drive?
Please use the provided link to access. If that doesn’t work please try opening in a different browser
If you still face issues, it might be due to privacy settings on your SharePoint account. We recommend checking with your IT department to adjust your system’s permissions and privacy settings.
If the issue persists, please share a screenshot with us so we can investigate further and email to aurora@advance-he.ac.uk.
Managing your booking
What should I do if I missed the Welcome & Introduction session?
We have recorded our first Welcome & Introduction session, which is available in the Aurora Shared Drive. We recommend watching this recording to stay on track for the upcoming sessions. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Aurora team.
What should I do if I missed an online development day?
If you missed an online development day, please contact your Aurora Champion. They can request a transfer for you to attend the session with another cohort, ensuring you don’t miss out on important content.
I’m on the UK & ROI Midlands cohort – what happens if I need to transfer a session?
Unfortunately, as the UK & Republic of Ireland Midlands is the final Aurora cohort, there are no alternative sessions available. We recommend contacting your Aurora Champion, who may be able to support you in attending your scheduled session. If you are aware of any clashes you have coming up, we recommend you request the transfer as soon as you can.
What should I do if I missed Action Learning Set 1?
Unfortunately, if you miss ALS 1 you will not be able to attend ALS 2 with your cohort, as ALS group allocations are made live during the session, and you will work with the same people for both development days. If you still wish to attend the Action Learning Sets, you will need to select a different cohort for both ALS 1 and ALS 2. For example, if you are in the South of England cohort and miss your Action Learning Set, you could transfer to North of England for both ALS 1 and ALS 2. Please contact your Aurora Champion to arrange this.
Can I transfer to another ALS 2 session?
Since ALS 1 and ALS 2 are consecutive and involve group work, we cannot transfer delegates for ALS 2. ALS 2 is self-facilitated and organized by the groups formed during ALS 1. If necessary, please contact your group to arrange an alternative date that works for everyone.
Is it possible to transfer to Your Future in HE (face-to-face) session?
Unfortunately, we cannot offer a transfer to a face-to-face session due to venue capacity commitments. We encourage you to attend the face-to-face sessions as scheduled with your cohort to benefit from in-person networking and group activities.
What if I have multiple date clashes with the programme?
If you have several date clashes, we suggest discussing your availability with your Aurora Champion. They can approve transfer requests, although transferring too often might affect your overall experience. If necessary, consider moving to a different cohort to avoid conflicts.
What if I need a transfer but don’t have a Champion or Admin?
If you don’t have a Champion or Administrator involved, please contact the person who booked you on the programme to discuss your transfer. They will need to complete the transfer form available in the Champion shared drive. Please ensure you are available for both ALS 1 and ALS 2 if transferring action learning set sessions, as both must be attended with the same cohort.
How will I be notified of a transfer confirmation?
Once your transfer is confirmed, we will send you an email with the details and a reminder one week before the event. Please note that all Aurora sessions use the same Zoom link, except for Action Learning Set 2, which is self-hosted. More information about ALS 2 will be provided during ALS 1.
What if I need to defer my participation to the following year?
If you need to defer your participation to the following year, please contact your Aurora Champion first. We will then hold a place on next year’s programme for you. We will contact you and your Champion to confirm which cohort you want to attend when we have the next set of dates available. A cohort timetable will be provided to assist you in making your selection.
Can I continue the programme if I leave my institution?
Yes, delegates who leave their institution are still welcome to attend and will continue to have access to all materials. We recommend that the delegate provides a personal email address to stay updated with the Aurora programme.
Miscellaneous
What happens if there’s industrial action during my Aurora session?
Advance HE remains neutral regarding industrial action. Our events and programmes, including Aurora, will continue as planned to support staff from institutions not involved in the action. If industrial action affects your ability to attend a session, you may transfer to another Core Online session. Please speak to your Aurora Champion, who can assist with the transfer process.
