Q.1 How has this decision been made?
The decision has been made in line with ‘course delivery plans for September 2021’ as part of BU’s commitment to providing our students with the best experience
Q.2 How many PAL sessions are delivered throughout the year?
Up to 13 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.
Q.3 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 here: https://libguides.bournemouth.ac.uk/palcentral/home
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: https://libguides.bournemouth.ac.uk/palcentral/keycontacts/palacc)
Q.4 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 in order to be paid at the end of each month.
Q.5 What’s the best communication tool to use with my PAL group?
The Central PAL Team encourage PAL Leaders to use MS Team 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 or Facebook group, please be mindful of boundaries (sharing phone numbers), accessibility for all students, and netiquette.
Q.6 How do I choose the topic of sessions?
Under the PAL Guide there is a section called “session ideas” which PAL Leaders can use to take inspiration to plan their sessions. Find it here: https://libguides.bournemouth.ac.uk/palcentral/sessionideas
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.
Q.7 Can I change the date and time of PAL sessions?
At the start of the term PAL Leaders are assigned a weekly session according to timetables’ needs. If the date and time assigned to you is causing a valid problem (e.g. affecting attendance), we suggest to email your Faculty Timetablers and cc your ACC in the email for awareness. Faculty timetabling teams will accommodate where possible, but please consider that room availability and format may also present timetabling challenges.
Faculty timetablers contacts: https://libguides.bournemouth.ac.uk/palcentral/timetabling
Q.8 Can I rearrange a session if I am not able to deliver it due to exceptional circumstances e.g., an exam/being off sick/university-related events etc.?
PAL Leaders can reschedule sessions for exceptional reasons by communicating with their PAL Groups first to find another suitable time and emailing Faculty timetablers at the earliest to avoid any time issues. PAL Leaders should also make sure that the register of attendance and related pay claim is updated with the changes of that particular session.
Q.9 How can I submit a Pay Claim?
Firstly, your online register must be completed. Once completed, you can fill the PayClaim form. You then need to send it to paltimesheets@bournemouth.ac.uk in Excel format before the 1st of each month.
See details about Pay Claims here: https://libguides.bournemouth.ac.uk/palcentral/palpay
For more detailed information please visit our guide here: https://libguides.bournemouth.ac.uk/palcentral/home
To keep you posted we suggest following us to our social platforms:
Instagram: @BournemouthUniPAL
Twitter: @Bournemouth_PAL
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