The Graduate School Network has been updated!

The Graduate School Network contains useful forms, guidance and information, as well as aggregating links to a lot of the platforms you use as a PGR. It recently received a makeover and a few sections have shifted – a quick note of these below:

Home page:

• Notices are now in the central column (appearing first in mobile view) – look here for recently sent email or current opportunities
• A big ‘Contact us’ box in the left-hand navigation (following the Notices in mobile view) directs you to the ways of contacting the Research Degrees Team and other useful addresses.
• The ‘big buttons’ of the old GSN are replaced with an ‘External resources’ box in the left-hand navigation (following the Notices in mobile view) directing you to other OU platforms, i.e., the Research Skills site containing online modules, PGR Manager and the different MS Teams that support Training (the GSN Team) and Community (The PGR Community Team).

Forms and Guidance:

• If you can’t find what you want on Forms and Guidance, then it might be a process that is integrated into the PGR Manager workflow, e.g., Upgrade. Also worth checking the advice on processes in the Student Handbooks (see all Student Handbooks).
• These are still A-Z, with a search box at the top.

Services:

• These list the parts of the University designed to help you: Training, Student wellbeing, Career Guidance, Disability Support, IT support, Library and the Statistics Advisory Service.
• We’ve cut-down on a lot of the Training Information on the GSN as most people are looking at it in different places; namely:
  • Research skills (open.ac.uk) all online asynchronous modules, including videos and advice on Skills development
  • Training channel on the GSN Team (MS Teams) for events, slides and recordings
  • PGR Manager Calendar for event listings.

Advice:

Useful advice on: Getting started in the OU and UK; Fees, funding and the cost of living; Giving feedback (including GS-PGR Liaison Group and PRES); International student issues; PGR Manager; Research Integrity; Surveys; and Community (including PGR Community and the OU Student Association).

Opportunities:

List areas of opportunities: Communications and engagement, Competitions (including poster and bake your research), Teaching, and how to Get involved with the Graduate School and wider Committees.

Notices:

• Replaces the old Graduate School Network Forum.
• Flags recent emails and other items such as PGR Liaison Group actions, Library News and Internship opportunities.

Affiliated Research Centres:

Information for Student, Supervisors and Coordinators at our Affiliated Research Centres.