Division of Corporate Affairs & Planning
Departmental content on Open and UCAS Visit Days
Following feedback from visitors attending either Open Days or UCAS Visit Days, this document is
intended to provide guidance to Departments and share details of activities and items already
included on such events across the University.
The recommendations below are a result of discussions with Departments as part of the Open Day
Celebration on Wednesday 27th October 2010.
Open Days and UCAS Visit Days
One of the concerns held by some members of staff was that information and activities provided on
each of these events overlapped, and that repetition would have a negative effect on visitors’
experience of the day.
It was generally agreed that the main differences between the two types of events were as follows:
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Open Days – generally aimed at students who have not yet applied and are narrowing down
their choices for the UCAS form. These students are normally looking to get a ‘feel’ for the
University and may not know a great deal about the courses on offer or our entry requirements.
UCAS Visit Days – by invitation only to those students already holding an offer (with the
exception of Interdisciplinary Science).
These attendees should already know entry
requirements and are looking to narrow down their original five choices to two. They are on
the whole, looking to learn more about their Department and gain an understanding of what
day-to-day life would be like for them if they accepted a place.
Activities on Open Days
One of the recurring comments received in feedback for the second year running was that visitors
would have liked to meet academic staff on a one-to-one basis, outside of the talk.
Where a Department does have a building, it is strongly recommended that visitors are given the
opportunity meet with tutors there at some point in the day. As an example, Dr. Corey Evans and
Debbie Cattermoul from Chemistry explained that visitors are offered the chance to mingle with
tutors over tea and coffee, as well as take part in activities such as ice-cream making and a quiz.
For those without a building i.e. Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Student Recruitment will be
happy to arrange a venue (most likely Queen’s Hall) where a number of departments can set up a
display area and have an academic tutor available to answer questions on a one-to-one basis. This
would not need to be for the whole Open Day but could take place for a set period, clearly
advertised in the event timetable.
A similar set-up (on a much smaller scale) was trialled by Sociology this year. A display area with
research published by other members of the Department and related texts was set up, and light
refreshments offered for visitors after the talk. Students were also present to mingle with visitors,
all resulting in strong feedback. Economics had also offered a chance to meet tutors in an informal
setting (in the Charles Wilson Building) which had also been well received by visitors.
Key elements to include in Departmental talks
As a result of varying feedback regarding Departmental talks, those present at the Celebration were
asked to consider what they believed to be the key areas to include in such sessions on both Open
and Visit Days. Most content was applicable to both types of event, although there were
exceptions, bearing in mind the nature of the Days (mentioned earlier). Items to cover were as
follows:
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Entry requirements (generally, Open Days only)
Why study this particular subject at Leicester? Students will generally already have an
interest in the course – this is the ideal opportunity to distinguish Leicester.
Course content – how this is linked to research carried out in the Department, as well as
covering joint honours programmes (this is delivered with more detail on UCAS Visit days)
How work is assessed
Teaching modes in the Department
Contact hours, including pastoral care and support offered. Some Departments on Visit Days
have a slide detailing a ‘Day in the Life of a Student’ and others ask current students to
give a short talk on what their timetable is like.
Student input – this is a key area very much appreciated by visitors and can be offered as
mentioned above, where students give a short talk on their timetable; other Departments
use students to guide visitors; current undergraduates are also asked to mingle with visitors
during informal refreshments.
Opportunities for personal development – field trips, study abroad / Erasmus, placements.
Employability – examples of the different careers our graduates go into and / or case
studies. Some Departments are able to incorporate a short talk from alumni on Visit Days.
Some topics are already covered elsewhere on the day by Student Recruitment and other central
divisions. These can be omitted from Departmental sessions, giving more time to focus on the
subject related information.
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Welcome talk covers (please also see presentation attached):
o Profile of the University
o Social life in Leicester
o Accommodation
Student Life talk covers:
o Central support and welfare
o Societies and Students’ Union
Student Finance talk
Please see below for a visual summary of what is ideal to include and when.
If you would like to discuss this further and incorporate any of these elements into your events,
please contact Monica Kulkarni on [email protected] regarding Open Days or Lucy Wade on
[email protected] .
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Items to include in Departmental talks
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