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List of recognised activities

Below is a list of the activities that you can undertake at DMU which are recognised by the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR). By undertaking any of these activities, they will be included in section 6.1 of your HEAR which identifies your extra-curricular activities whilst you were a student at DMU. See our FAQs.

Placements, Internships and Unitemps Jobs

  • Frontrunners internships 
    The Frontrunners scheme provides high quality, paid placement experience within the university or a local business to develop and enhance graduate level employability skills. The scheme provides the opportunity for students to gain graduate track, ‘real world’ employment experience.

  • Taking a Part-time/Temporary job via Unitemps
    At Unitemps we help Graduates find temporary work while they search for that all-important Graduate job, as well as helping current students gain valuable work experience and earn at the same time. Unitemps place students/Graduates into temp assignments on Campus and also with Local businesses within the Leicestershire area. 

  • Unitemps Student Ambassador 
    An opportunity to be employed by DMU engaging directly with potential students at Open Days, Interview Days and Graduation. Student Ambassadors deliver campus tours, support set up and hosting of events, attend student recruitment exhibitions and undertake telemarketing campaigns Engaging face to face with potential students and members of the public on a daily basis this role develops communication skills, customer service skills, presentation skills and self-confidence.


Volunteering

  • DMULocal Volunteer
    De Montfort University is committed to the public good – and that’s one of the reasons students are encouraged to volunteer on more than 100 projects every year with DMU Local. But the university is also committed to helping enrich students’ experience, give them new skills and help them find work at the end of their course – and volunteering can help do that. Volunteering with DMU Local can help transform lives – not just those of others, but students themselves. DMU Local volunteers  work locally and globally to help those affected by poverty, lack of education, plus others who may have fled war or persecution in their homeland. The work has also transformed the lives of students, with 90% believing volunteering has increased their chances of finding a job, and 100% saying they would recommend the experience to a friend. 

  • De Montfort Students' Union Registered Volunteer, Gold, Silver or Bronze award
    Students complete 20+ hours voluntary work in the community through DSU

  • Member of Demon Media 
    Content production for media strand with management to produce, edit and publish the content for DSU and the University

  • Green Impact Volunteer
    Green Impact is an environmental behaviour change project run in conjunction with the Students Organising for Sustainability (SoS) and the DSU. Teams of staff compete to see who can complete the most number of environmental activities from an online workbook’ Staff teams are supported by Green Impact Volunteers. Green Impact Volunteer students also audit the work of the staff teams to check that the activities have been completed to the required standard.

  • Street Law
    DMU Street Law is a voluntary, extra-curricular activity. In Street Law, students work in teams to provide presentations and mock trials for schools, colleges and community groups. We take law into the community, inform people about their legal rights and responsibilities and raise funds for charities. Street Law enables students to develop team-work, problem-solving and communication skills and to improve their understanding of the practical effects of legal rules and principles.

  • Client Interviewing Theory and Practice
    Students complete online learning materials on aspects of client interviewing including  establishing an effective professional relationship;  obtaining information;  learning the client's goal; analysing the client’s problem and the law; developing a reasoned course of action; assisting the client to make an informed choice and effectively concluding the interview.   This knowledge is then built on by students attending two workshops which focus on questioning skills; active listening skills; demonstrating empathy; problem analysis and advising the client.

  • Mentoring Rep
    Mentoring reps support the five key mentoring schemes available to students at DMU. Reps liaise with scheme leaders and mentees to raise issues or concerns and gather student voice on the experience of mentoring. Reps are also responsible for advocating and promoting mentoring to increase engagement attending events such as Freshers’ Week and PAVE. 

  • Client Interviewing Competition
    Students work in a pairs and interview and advise a ‘client’. They are given brief details of the topic beforehand, however the students will need to use the questioning skills they have learnt in the online training and workshops to obtain the relevant information from the client and establish their goals and expectations. The students are then expected to analyse the client’s legal problem and offer advice which  meets their client’s needs. Throughout the interview the students will need to demonstrate their interpersonal skills and their ability to establish an effective professional relationship with the client. Students are scored according to a clearly described criteria and depending on numbers of participants the highest scoring teams progress to the final.

  • Decolonising DMU Student Ambassador
    To gain the award students attend 4 Unapologetically BAME meetings and volunteer over 25 hrs work to the project.


Positions of Responsibility

  • Full-Time Elected Executive Officer Roles, DSU
    Elected Officers within De Montfort Students’ Union, act as Trustees of the organisation and are held accountable by members of student council to represent the student body for the student experience.

  • Part – Time Elected Liberation Officer Roles, DSU
    Elected Liberation Officer are activists that enhance the student experience for the underrepresented voices on campus.

  • DSU Volunteer Leader
    Elected and trained by DSU to  in order to run their societies. Roles for e.g. Chair, Secretary, Treasurer etc.

  •  Elected Committee Roles, DSU Societies
    An elected part time Representative by the student population to support a specific liberation group  Elected and trained by DSU to in order to run their societies. Roles for e.g. Treasurer etc.

  • Elected Committee Roles, DMUsport Clubs
    Elected by DSU then trained by DMUsport and DSU in order to run their sports club. Roles for e.g. Chair, Secretary, Treasurer etc.

  • Course Representative
    Elected by peers on their course to represent the academic interests of their cohort and direction of the programme.

  • Student Trustee
    DSU governed by a Trustee Board includes Officers, Student Trustees, External Trustees & Alumni Trustees. 

  • Sport Activator
    Sport Activators are recruited through an application and interview process and have responsibility to support the delivery of their sport across campus with an aim to increase participation and improve retention. They are responsible for marketing and promotion, planning and coordinating weekly sessions / leagues, and monitoring and evaluating attendances to review and improve the project. The activator requires effective time management, communication and organisational skills, alongside the ability to work independently, as part of a team and as a highly effective leader.

  • Student Learning & Teaching Consultant
    Student Learning and Teaching Consultants work closely with staff in their School/Department/Directorate, the Associate Professor Student Experience in their faculty, as well as staff in the office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic.  In so doing, they form part of a community of practice, undertaking work and research on such issues as the design and development of the academic curriculum. They must draft briefing papers and present ideas on agreed areas of investigation and provide a summary of the outcomes, actions and any impact made as a result of their research and co-creation activities.

  • Responsible Futures Auditor
    The Responsible Futures Auditor will audit the university's approach to teaching and learning for sustainability in both the formal and informal curriculum. Responsible Futures is a certification programme of a whole institution’s commitment and approach to teaching and learning on sustainability. The auditor roles is a key element in deciding whether the university has met the Responsible Futures standard. Full training is provided for the role

  • Student Action Committee
    The Student Action Committee reviews academic teaching, learning and assessment at DMU based on their experience and works with the Centre of Academic Innovation (CAI) and the Student Union to consider and support the implementation of creative solutions for improvement.

  • UBC Business Challenge
    In the University Business Challenge, students work in a team of up to 5 to manage a business in a simulated market environment. They have to make business decisions each week (e.g. how much to invest, what price to sell products at) for six weeks, and the team with the highest profit at the end is taken forward to a national final round. Exact time commitments can vary, but the UBC Business Challenge will likely involve at least 15-20 hours work. 

 

International opportunities

  • DMU Global Internship
    A period of short-term supervised work experience overseas

  • DMU Global Extra-Curricular Trip
    A short-term cultural visit to another country

  • DMU Global Summer School
    A short-term study programme during a holiday period based at an overseas university

  • DMU Global Volunteering
    A short-term visit to another country to undertake voluntary work to benefit the environment or local community

  • DMU Global On-Campus Experience
    An internationally themed cultural and language focused experience on campus

  • DMU Global Employability Trip
    A short-term visit to another country with a focus on employability and enterprise

  • DMU Global Language Course
    A short-term foreign language course for beginners

  • DMU Global Online Learning
    An online international learning experience with peer-to-peer collaboration and/or cooperation with overseas HEIs

  • International Placement
    A year abroad work placement 

  • Student Exchange 
    A year abroad studying at a partner university 

  • DMU Global Academic-Led Trip
    A short-term visit to another country organised by an academic and linked to an academic programme

  • A 10-week course in Mandarin with DMU Confucius Institute
    The course provides students with various levels of practical Mandarin and a gateway to China. Students are required to attend at least 8 out of 10 two-hour Mandarin sessions with DMU Confucius Institute, taking an HSK test or not. If they have attended 5 to 7 sessions, they need to pass an HSK test or end of term assessment in the same term to be eligible to gain HEAR recognition. At the completion of the course, they have a better understanding of Mandarin and Chinese culture.

Enhanced Learning and Self Development

  • Inside Edge Mentoring
    Inside Edge Mentoring aims to improve the career preparedness of our students using industry mentors. Students who engage in Inside Edge Mentoring do so solely on a voluntary basis as they have chosen to invest their time to learn about how to become more career ready. They see the value in connecting with professionals and learning about their past experience in industry. Students who successfully complete the process of Inside Edge Mentoring demonstrate their commitment to attending sessions, undertaking reflection, completing tasks between sessions and preparing for mentoring. In doing so they prepare questions in preparation to meet with mentors, they engage with mentors in group settings, and they apply learning from the mentors to their own lives to undertake practical actions. Following this they then make a commitment to meet with a mentor or mentors ongoing to forge relationships from which to further develop their knowledge and awareness of the world beyond university. Each student who fully participates in Inside Edge Mentoring takes something different from the experience and each one who successfully completes the scheme has demonstrated an ability to drive the relationship, learn from others and use wisdom to help them achieve.


  • Plan Ahead, Value Employability Conference (PAVE)
    The Health and Life Science Faculty's Plan Ahead, Value Employability (PAVE) Conference includes motivational talks by keynote speakers, a wide range of networking exhibition stands and short talks and workshops; giving you the chance to actively engage with prospective employers and a wide range of professionals to enhance your employability. HLS PAVE Aims to: Motivate HLS students to engage in early career planning; Increase the sector knowledge of Health and Life Science students; Inspire students to participate in relevant work experience including voluntary, summer and sandwich placements in order to develop their confidence and employability skills.

  • i-Buddies Scheme
    i-Buddies is a peer mentoring scheme that matches newly arrived international students with existing DMU students. The primary aims of the scheme are to encourage intercultural interaction and integration, both between Home and International students, and between International students of different nationalities. i-Buddies attend a training session before being matched with a new international arrival. The i-Buddy maintains regular contact for the first term and helps the new arrivals adapt to a new country and culture and settle in to life at university.

  • Worked as a MyUniPal Mentor

    The MyUniPal mentor role involves supporting new students as they transition into university life as either one to one or small group mentoring. The main skills that will have been developed in this role are: active listening, empathy, time management and confidence.

  • Successfully completing the Equality and Diversity course on Blackboard

  • Placements Plus
    Placement Plus Programme Award.  • Completing 10-12 hours of placement enhancements sessions during the programme, focusing on developing employability skills 

  • Blackbullion – Be Money Smart
    Online personal finance courses - with learning content that has been researched and crafted with students’ needs in mind.  Blackbullion provides a learning library of multimedia content, tools and assessments to help develop financial skills. Students are able to complete different learning pathways (courses), read articles and create budgets to help them manage their finances while at university.The platform also incorporates finance for business including literature and pathways on investing, saving, networking, start up business, taxes, inflation and pensions.This activity would fit into personal and professional learning. 

  • Launchpad
    Launchpad is a brand new extra-curricular module created by DMUworks Enterprise, specifically for undergraduate in their 3rd year or above students and alumni. It is designed to inspire, educate, and encourage students with a business idea to launch their own start-up.  All students who participate will have the opportunity to win special Launchpad financial prizes and awards as part of our forthcoming DMU-wide Enterprise Awards at the end of term.

Dare to be Mentoring

Dare to Be Mentoring is a one-to-one mentoring scheme supporting students to be successful in their studies. Students are matched with a trained mentor and meet regularly to work towards aims set by the student. Mentoring helps student to excel and achieve their full potential. The skills, knowledge and attributes each student gains will be dependent on the areas they select to work on but most commonly include: communication; self confidence, goal setting, self management and reflection.  For a student to be eligible to gain HEAR recognition for taking part in Dare to Be mentoring, they must:



  • Attend Dare to Be mentee training;
  • Attend a minimum of three meetings with their mentor
  • Complete the end of scheme evaluation.

Total: 10 hours

  • Healthy DMU Masterclass
    Students will have attended 4 out of 6 available different Masterclasses. These are achievable goal setting: (Personal Productivity; performance under pressure;  resilience and bounce back; Assertive and confident communication; Being the best version of yourself (motivation, self-esteem and self-care) and positive mindsets.  Masterclasses are a series of group wellbeing learning opportunities and events which are focussed on the development of life skills and employability. Masterclasses will be 1 hour long each and link clearly to the overall ethos of Healthy DMU which is to ‘achieve your full potential’.

  • Frontiers for Future Careers Conference
    Employability conference for all students keen to explore a range of Criminology/Criminal Justice-related career options

  • DMU Heartwize Collaboration
    Qualified trainers for the public and school children in resuscitation
     
  • Sustainability Advocate
    Students have learnt about; volunteered for; and demonstrated leadership in relation to sustainability whilst at DMU.

 

Business Start-up and Enterprise

 

  • Graduate Champions Start-up Catapult
    The Graduate Champions: Start-up Catapult Enterprise Scheme scheme lets graduates participate in a 3 day business start-up bootcamp and gain £100 funding for their business idea. Help and support is provided during the intense 3 days of workshops and 1-1 sessions.

  • Pitch2Win
    Careers Team Entrepreneurship hosts an annual competition where students literally pitch their business idea to win awards and prize money. Students get mentored prior to the grand final, where students pitch in front of a live audience for the top prize.

 

Professional skills and network

  • Association of the Fashion Business Association Finalist
    An award for the student whose work is best in practice in the subject of fashion buying, fashion management or fashion business

  • Association of the Fashion Business Award Winner
    An award for the student whose work is best in practice in the subject of fashion buying, fashion management or fashion business

  • Final Year, Future You
    Completion of the ‘Final Year, Future You’ programme:  The programme runs each February and is led jointly by the Careers Team and the Alumni Team. It aims to support students and provide guidance on life after university through sessions delivered by employers, alumni and staff. To complete the programme, students must have completed at least 5 out of the 7 2-hour sessions throughout February which are led by employers, staff and alumni.

  • CEM Recruitment Insight Event
    At De Montfort University we are continuously striving to improve how we prepare our students for their future careers and the evolving needs of industry. Providing opportunities to actively engage with employers is key to this aim. DMU Works CEM Careers team hosts an annual conference called CEM Recruitment Insight Event, where students are able to engage in early career planning, network with employers and improve their knowledge of current recruitment needs.

  • Careers Team Graduate Recruitment & Placements Fair

  • Frontiers for Future Careers Conference
    Employability conference for all students keen to explore a range of Criminology/Criminal Justice-related career options

 

Position of responsibility

  • TaLEnt Student Ambassador
    Students work as partners with Academic and Professional Services staff to develop our teaching and learning approaches to enhance the student experience. A TaLEnt Ambassador will attend Faculty committee meetings, coordinate feedback and views from students, present findings to the committee and other academic staff.

  • UNPRME Student Ambassador
    Students work as partners with Academic and Professional Services staff to develop our report on progress towards the UNPRME six key principles. A PMRE Student Ambassador will attend PRME committee meetings, promote events and activities to students and become co-creators of the Faculty sustainability plans.

  • Student Council Representative
    DSU Student Council meetings - providing a democratic platform for students to represent their peers who have elected them and discuss, debate and shape Union policy.

  • Ramadan Volunteers
    In the month Ramadan (fasting), Student volunteers to serve hot meals to fellow students who are fasting during Iftar (evenings) when opening their fast. Also, to keep the general preservation of the spaces before and after the Iftar activities.

Digital Skills

  • Digital Capabilities certificate
    Students taking this certificate will develop the capabilities and understanding needed to enable them to become safe, active and engaged learners and workers living in our digital world. The certificate is expected to take approximately 10 hours to complete and includes Blackboard online tests (40% pass mark)