Welcome Week - Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome Week is the week prior to the first week of teaching and is our opportunity to welcome you all to Swansea University and the College of Engineering and School of Sport and Exercise Science.

Welcome Week for the January intake will commence from Monday 18^th January.

We know some of you may not be able to join us straight away and may be worried that you are perhaps not as prepared as you would like to be, and we are working hard to ensure that there will be lots of opportunities and support available to you before you start your studies.

All of the induction activities that we are organising will provide you with essential information to get started, opportunities to meet other new students and current higher level students, and ask any questions that you may have before beginning your studies.

All online sessions will take place via Zoom (part of the Microsoft 365 package).

https://myuni.swansea.ac.uk/it-services/zoom/

Some sessions will be Webinar format. Zoom webinar is a view-only platform where the attendees cannot see each other, and the Host cannot see the attendees. There will be plenty of opportunity for engagement during these Webinar sessions via Chat, Polls and Q&A. 

Other sessions may be an open Zoom, where all attendees are visible and can have their video cameras and audio turned on. We ask that during these sessions, you remain on mute whilst the presenters deliver key information but again there will be plenty of time to engage during Q&A sessions. If it’s not possible to have your video camera on, you can keep it off, but please do try and engage with the session.

Other key Zoom terms to be aware of:

Host(s) – This is the main speaker/speakers of the session.

Waiting Rooms – This is a setting that lets the host allow users into the Zoom session. We’ll be using these for the drop-in question sessions at the end of the week to allow students the opportunity to ask questions on a one-to-one basis.

Breakout Rooms – Some of the open-zoom sessions will have small group activities so that you can meet and chat to other students on your course.

Please familiarise yourself with the Zoom software before Welcome Week begins: https://myuni.swansea.ac.uk/it-services/zoom/

We are also planning some on-campus in-person sessions but will be adhering to Government advice for these. Maximum capacities will be in place for each the venue and you will need to book onto these sessions in advance to ensure that we adhere to social distancing guidelines

Term dates can be found here:

https://www.swansea.ac.uk/study/semesterandtermdates/

Each semester consists of a programme of study which will normally have modules totalling 60 credits. Each academic year will then have modules totalling 120 credits. Most modules are worth 10 credits and so you would typically do 6 modules per semester, however, there are some 5, 20 and 30 credit modules and you should note that these can be spread across semesters. Please note some Sports Science modules are worth 15 credits.

Please go to https://collegeintranet.swan.ac.uk and view the course handbook for your discipline specific structure.

The handbooks detail the structure, rules and regulations for your course and it is very important that you read and understand them. Part One covers general rules and regulations. Part Two details the course structure and module specifications.  

You can find it online at https://collegeintranet.swan.ac.uk

For updates, please see both the College Next Academic Year webpage - https://myuni.swansea.ac.uk/college-of-engineering/engineering-coronavirus-guidance/next-year/ and the central university Coronavirus guidance webpages - https://www.swansea.ac.uk/about-us/coronavirus/

For updates, please see both the College Next Academic Year webpage - https://myuni.swansea.ac.uk/college-of-engineering/engineering-coronavirus-guidance/next-year/ and the central university Coronavirus guidance webpages - https://www.swansea.ac.uk/about-us/coronavirus/

Minimum Recommended PC Hardware Specifications

New/Incoming Students - Students studying our Engineering programmes will typically use a number of software packages throughout their degree. To enable best use of these and to optimise time studying online, most of our students choose to purchase a good quality laptop for their studies, and this will be particularly useful during the current pandemic situation to allow you to work remotely. 

There is no need to buy new equipment if you already have something in place to use for remote working.

However, if you are planning to buy a new laptop at any point, please see the College's minimum and recommended PC hardware specifications below:

• OS: Windows 10 (Windows 7; Mac OS will not be supported)
• CPU: Intel i5 4 core  (AMD r5)
• RAM: 16GB
• Hard drive: SD 512GB
• Resolution: 1080 x 1920 (1080p)
• For VR GPU: Nvidia 1070

Note: The majority of engineering software is not supported on Mac OS. Therefore, access via the Cloud-based solution is recommended if the primary device you use for your studies is a Mac.

Cloud-Based Solution (CBS) for Software Access

A Cloud-based solution (CBS) for software access is being developed which can be accessed by any internet-enabled device via a web browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari etc.). This is primarily to allow students to access engineering-related software such as:

• Autodesk software (AutoCAD, Moldflow, etc.)
• Solidworks
• Matlab
• Aspentech software (Aspen Plus, Aspen Hysys, etc.)
• Microsoft Visio
• Microsoft Teams

With the CBS, you can only work on files created/stored in your student OneDrive. More details will be released by the Unviersity IT Team as the development progresses.

A reading list is included in the handbook under each module, however the lecturer may vary these slightly as new editions are released each year.  Currently the 19-20 handbooks are available on the College Intranet, with plans to release the 20-21 version in mid-September.

You can also use the Library resources to look for the books that you may need, including ebooks:

https://libguides.swansea.ac.uk/Engineering/Books

https://libguides.swansea.ac.uk/sportsscience/books

There is no need to buy any books before your course starts. All recommended textbooks are available in the library and we would encourage you to look at these first to decide if they are suitable for you, before you purchase them for yourselves. The library have set up a click and collect service for 20-21. The library also provides recommended texts as eBooks where possible, so you will be able to access some of your textbooks online.

Check out the library webpage for the latest information on access to library buildings and physical stock https://www.swansea.ac.uk/library/.

In addition to the College of Engineering Handbooks already mentioned, there are a number of more general academic resources that may help you prepare to begin your studies.

Academic Support and Resources

This includes links to some online maths and study skills resources that students can access before they enrol.

The Centre for Academic Success

The CAS is in the process of developing a pre-arrival course to help prepare students to begin their studies. This will include a look at essential study skills, use of Zoom and Canvas, etc. While this is still in development, we are hoping to make this available to students the week before Welcome Week. More information will be available nearer to the date of the course.

Some of these webpages may help answer other questions that you have.

Enrolment -

https://myuni.swansea.ac.uk/enrolment/enrol-online/

College of Engineering My Uni Pages –

https://myuni.swansea.ac.uk/college-of-engineering/

College of Engineering Coronavirus updates –

https://myuni.swansea.ac.uk/college-of-engineering/engineering-coronavirus-guidance

Swansea University general FAQ database -

http://help.swan.ac.uk/faq

Swansea University dedicated Coronavirus updates –

https://www.swansea.ac.uk/about-us/coronavirus/

And if your question is still not answered email the Student Information Team via engoffice@swansea.ac.uk