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Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR)

There are so many extra-curricular opportunities to help you make the most of your time at Sheffield - and now you can get formal recognition on your degree transcript for your wider involvement!

If you are a First or Second Year Undergraduate in 2013/14, you will receive a new and more comprehensive record of your university achievements when you graduate: the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR). Your HEAR not only includes details of your academic learning, but also records your extra-curricular achievements, in a Section of the HEAR called 6.1.

There is a wide range of extra-curricular achievements and awards which can be verified in Section 6.1 of your HEAR. Some are offered here at the Students' Union, others are organised by the University. To find out more about all of the extra-curricular activities which can be recognised on your HEAR, visit the Verifiable Activities Search on the University HEAR Website.

Wherever you see this badge: HEAR Counts Logo you'll know that the activity can be recognised on your HEAR.

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Contact Us

For questions or comments about the Students' Union achievements being recognised in HEAR Section 6.1, please email the HEAR Development Coordinator, Megan, at megan.howlett@sheffield.ac.uk, or visit her in The Activities and Sports Zone.

For questions about the HEAR as a whole, visit the University HEAR website www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssid/hear or email hear@sheffield.ac.uk.

helpHow can my HEAR help me? navigateright

Your HEAR is designed to be an employability tool; it is primarily a resource for you, but it can also serve as a resource for prospective employers.

It is a resource to help you to reflect upon the breadth of your achievements, so that you can better present yourself during the application process. You can see your HEAR as it grows throughout your degree (you can access your HEAR now through your University email account!). This will help you to:

  • Identify the skills and strengths you are developing,
  • Review your progress, and
  • Plan future activities.

Your HEAR also provides you with evidence of your university learning and experiences. When you come to apply for internships, further study or graduate employment, you will be able to provide remote access to your individual HEAR to prospective employers, graduate admissions tutors and other third parties. You will be able to showcase to them a richer picture of your strengths and achievements both before and after graduation, to support you during the application process.

The Students' Union is committed to supporting student employability. Please see the Strategic Plan web pages for more information.

The HEAR is designed to be a complementary document and an additional employability resource which evidences your achievements; it is not a replacement for your CV. For help putting together a CV, visit the Careers Service Website.

likeWhich Students' Union roles can be included in my HEAR and how do I gain recognition for my achievements? navigateright

Section 6.1 of the HEAR records your achievements in extra-curricular activities. You will be able to choose which of your extra-curricular achievements, that the Students' Union can verify, will appear in this section.

Each HEAR-able role at the Students' Union has been assigned its own set of 'completion criteria'. All students need to fulfil the completion criteria for their role(s) before that activity can be recognised on their HEAR.

Each HEAR-able role has an assigned activity verifier (usually the staff member which supports/coordinates the activity). Activity verifiers are responsible for monitoring the achievements of students in their activity area, and for keeping records of who has fulfilled the HEAR completion criteria. Once students have fulfilled the HEAR completion criteria, the activity verifier is responsible for ensuring that the correct activities are added to those students' HEARs.

You can use the Verifiable Activities Search on the University HEAR website to find:

  • A list of all of the extra-curricular roles and achievements being verified for the HEAR by both the University and Students' Union
  • The HEAR staff contact for each role, and
  • The completion criteria which has been assigned to each role

Click on the tabs below to:

  • See which Students' Union roles can be recognised on your HEAR, and
  • Find links to the HEAR completion criteria on the Verifiable Activities Search

The University and Students' Union are not able to verify absolutely everything that you do outside of your degree course for recognition in HEAR 6.1. However, employers are aware of this and will be equally interested in how you articulate your skills and attributes on your CV, personal statements, portfolio and interviews.

If you have any questions about the HEAR completion criteria for Students' Union roles and awards, please e-mail the HEAR Development Coordinator, Megan, at megan.howlett@sheffield.ac.uk.

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signpostFAQs navigateright

Q What does HEAR stand for?

A HEAR stands for Higher Education Achievement Report.

Q What is HEAR Section 6.1?

A 6.1 is the section of the report which contains information about your extra - curricular achievements. The University and Students' Union are committed to verifying a wide range of extra-curricular activities, to allow as many students as possible to evidence the breadth of their skills, experience and knowledge. To find out which achievements can be recognised in Section 6.1 of your HEAR, visit the Verifiable Activities Search.

Q I started my degree in 2011, can I get the HEAR?

A Unfortunately no, the HEAR is only available to undergraduate students who have started their degree from September 2012 onwards.

Q How is the HEAR different from the Sheffield Graduate Award?

A The HEAR is an achievement report, not an award. It will be issued to all completing undergraduates from September 2012 onwards; so students do not have to enrol on the HEAR or apply to get one. The HEAR will include information about students' academic learning as well as extra-curricular achievements. The Sheffield Graduate Award (SGA) is just one of the many extra-curricular achievements that can be recognised in the Sheffield HEAR.

The SGA requires a particularly high level of commitment from students, as award candidates are required to undertake a range of activities which fall under four (out of six) distinct activity areas. If students complete the award, it will appear in their HEAR; but if they do not complete or enrol for the award, they will still be able to receive recognition for other individual extra-curricular achievements.

The HEAR will enable more students to demonstrate their wider experience and engagement, since the SGA will no longer be the only means by which extra-curricular achievements can be recorded and verified. Find out more about the Sheffield Graduate Award.

Q Will the Sheffield Graduate Award still be available to new students?

A Yes, the Sheffield Graduate Award will still be available and this achievement in itself will be recognised in the extra-curricular section of the HEAR.

Q I'm starting my postgraduate degree at Sheffield in September 2013, will I be able to get the HEAR?

A No, the HEAR is currently only available to undergraduate students who started their degree from September 2012 onwards.

Q Will new students still need to write a CV if they have the HEAR?

A Yes! The HEAR is by no means a replacement of a CV, it is a complementary document which will provide verification of your extra-curricular achievements, which you will be able to expand upon in more detail on your CV or on application forms.

Q I'm starting my undergraduate degree in September 2013 at the University of Sheffield and plan to return home to continue volunteering at my local Oxfam shop in the summer. Could this be included in my HEAR 6.1?

A Unfortunately this could not be included in your HEAR 6.1 directly, because it is not an activity that is run or supported by University or Students' Union staff and so they cannot verify it. You could however use this valuable experience to count towards the Skills for Work Certificate or the Sheffield Graduate Award which can both be recognised on your HEAR 6.1. Find out more about the Skills for Work Certificate.

Q I am the President of a political society and I am worried that future students may not want to take on this position if it has to be disclosed on their HEAR. Can they choose for this not to be mentioned?

A Yes, students will have the option to not display any or all of their extra-curricular activities on their HEAR Section 6.1.

Most Students' Union activities being verified require an additional task to be completed for students to achieve recognition; so if a student doesn't want the activity being verified, they just wouldn't submit the additional task.

They can also inform the staff member supporting the activity to verify their achievement but to temporarily 'hide' the activity from their HEAR, if they are unsure whether they will or will not want the activity displayed on their final HEAR. The activity can then be 'unhidden' by the student at any time before the student completes their studies.

Q I started a four year course with a Master's combined in September 2012, will I still get the HEAR?

A Yes, all students on combined degree programmes will still receive the HEAR.

Q I am on a 2013/14 Society Committee and I would like HEAR recognition for my role. What do I have to do to make sure my achievement is recognised in the extra-curricular section of my HEAR?

A You can find the HEAR completion criteria for all 'HEAR-able' extra-curricular achievements by visiting the Verifiable Activities Search page on the University HEAR website.

Q I am on a 2013/14 Society Committee and I would like HEAR recognition for my role. How will the Students' Union know which information to add to my HEAR if I fulfil all of the HEAR completion criteria?

A Activities staff collect committee details forms from all active committees after AGM Fortnight each year. These forms tell us which students have which positions on which committees! This is why it's so important that you fill in your committee details forms correctly and by the deadline. Each society and committee position has its own description - and these descriptions will display on your HEAR if you fulfil the criteria. If you would like to see the description for your committee position, email the HEAR Development Coordinator, Megan, at megan.howlett@sheffield.ac.uk.

Q I know that I have to submit a reflective account in order to have my role recognised on my HEAR - how do I go about completing this?

A There is a guide to help you complete the reflective account task in the Document Guides section of the Students' Union HEAR Webpage. You should read this guide before you begin writing your reflective account. When you are ready to complete your reflective account, just head to the Document Submission section of the Students' Union HEAR Webpage and click on the link to the reflective account submission form.

Q Our committee has a First-Year Representative who is not elected until the end of September each year. Could they get recognition on their HEAR for their committee role, even though it's after AGM Fortnight and after the Committee Details form deadline?

A Yes, they can! Activities Staff are aware that many societies elect First-Year Committee Members in September, so these students have a separate deadline for submitting their committee details form. In order to be eligible for HEAR recognition at the end of the 2013/14 year, all First-Year Committee members must be elected and must submit their committee details form by Friday 25th October 2013. No students who join a 2013/14 committee after this date will be eligible for HEAR recognition in the 2013/14 year.

If your question is not answered here or on the University Frequently Asked Questions, please email hear@sheffield.ac.uk.

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