How many PAL sessions are delivered throughout the year?
Up to 10 sessions per seminar group - weekly or fortnightly PAL sessions throughout the academic year as required by your programme/department/faculty, intended to be front-loaded in semester 1 with fewer sessions in semester 2. PAL Leaders should not hold any additional sessions as these will not be paid.
What is the support that PAL Leaders are offered (general issues, content issues)?
General support is provided by the Central PAL Team who will be offering bookable appointments to support PAL Leaders and answer queries throughout the year.
Contact the PAL Central by emailing pal@bournemouth.ac.uk.
Online guidance is provided 24/7 via our detailed PAL Central Guide.
For Programme-related queries, the most suitable person to ask for support is the PAL Academic Course contact. See the list here to find yours.
Do I need to register the attendance of PAL Groups?
PAL Leaders must register attendance of PAL Groups at the beginning of each session. The Central PAL Team distribute registers at the start of the term when timetabling has been confirmed with instruction on how to fill them. It is important that PAL Leaders register attendance regularly to be paid at the end of each month.
What’s the best communication tool to use with my PAL group?
The Central PAL Team encourages PAL Leaders to use MS Teams private channels as the central point of communication for a variety of reasons such as student experience, GDPR, and the benefit of continuity and file sharing. If you wish to use an additional engagement tool, such as a WhatsApp group, please be mindful of boundaries (sharing phone numbers), accessibility for all students, and etiquette.
How do I choose the topic of sessions?
Under the PAL Guide there is a section Session Ideas, which PAL Leaders can use to take inspiration to plan their sessions.
This is particularly useful for the first few months of the academic year, when students are still settling in at the University.
Once students gain a better understanding of BU, PAL Leaders should ask students at the end of the sessions what topic they would like to cover at the following session.
My group has asked to change the time of our PAL sessions mid-way through the semester as it isn’t convenient for them – is this possible?
The student group and the PAL Leader should review and discuss scheduled PAL sessions for the year ahead at their first session in semester one.
If further adjustments are necessary due to changes to the PAL Leader or student group timetable, the PAL Leader should liaise with the Timetabler regarding an alternative mutually convenient session – maintaining a consistent day and time throughout the year.
You must copy in PAL@bournemouth.ac.uk to all correspondence with your Timetabling team.
I don’t have any teaching on the day of my PAL sessions, can I request a change?
To help maximise engagement, Timetablers will work to schedule sessions on days where both the student group and the PAL Leader have other timetabled activity. Where this isn’t possible, a day will be chosen where the student group have timetabled activity, which may mean the PAL leader has to travel in especially to undertake their role.
Something unexpected has come up and I can’t run today’s PAL session – what should I do?
It is your responsibility to let your group know as soon as possible via email, MS Teams and/or WhatsApp. Please also inform the PAL coordinator (PAL@bournemouth.ac.uk) who will liaise with the Timetabling team on your behalf to advise when the session should be rearranged.
How can I submit a Pay Claim?
Firstly, your online register must be completed. Once completed, you can download and complete the Pay Claim form. You then need to send it to paltimesheets@bournemouth.ac.uk in Excel format by the 1st of each month.
See details about Pay Claims here