Lancaster University gives academic masterclasses on the Islands
More than 500 sixth form students on Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man have been given a series of master classes by Lancaster University academics.The lectures in subjects including Law, English Literature and Film, Education Research, Psychology, Mathematics, ICT, and Biomedicine were designed to give students the opportunity to engage with University-level study.
Organised by Lancaster UK Student Recruitment & Outreach office, the masterclasses are part of a larger partnership project between Lancaster and the Islands.
The Lancaster University Islands Partnership has been designed to help students make the best choices as they move on to Higher Education and to encourage more students to consider Lancaster University as an option. Activities include taster sessions, specialist Higher Education advice and free residential visits to Lancaster’s campus.
Fred Binley, Head of UK Student Recruitment & Outreach, said: “As there are no universities on the Islands, students do not have the same direct access to Higher Education as students on the mainland.
“We wanted to give young people on Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man a flavour of university-level study and show them what Lancaster, as a UK top ten University, has to offer.
“So far, Island students have been very positive about their experience and are increasingly choosing Lancaster as their preferred university.”
Kieran James, Head of Maths at Guernsey Grammar School, said his students had been inspired by a Lancaster University lecture given by Dr Alex Belton of Lancaster’s department of Mathematics and Statistics.
He said: “Many of our students were talking about the lecture and the real mathematicians amongst them –those who plan to study Maths at university - found it particularly illuminating and engaging.”
In June, 125 students will be visiting the Lancaster campus for 3 days from the Islands to get an insight into life at a top 10 UK university. Living on-campus, students will take part in mini-lectures, study skills sessions, research projects and meet current Lancaster undergraduates.