Edinburgh Napier has been shortlisted in two categories in the prestigious Times Higher Education Awards 2019.

Projects at the university caught the eye of judges in the Outstanding Support for Students and Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community sections in the annual celebration of the UK sector.

We are one of nearly 80 institutions to be nominated across 23 categories in an event which is bigger than ever this year.

This year’s awards incorporate elements from the THE Leadership and Management Awards, meaning they will honour UK higher education institutions across a broader range of activity than ever before in one single event.

Could Information Services make exam time less stressful for our students?, was the question posed in our shortlisted entry in the Outstanding Support for Students category.

With 82 per cent of students suffering from stress and anxiety, universities clearly need to support their students, but it is also incumbent on us to avoid adding to any stress and anxiety.

Our Information Services team took action following negative feedback after our eStudent Records exam results portal failed.

The result was the introduction of a range of innovative initiatives to enhance support for students during exams, including:

• Welcoming and comfortable Relaxation Areas within our three libraries, with sofas, colourful cushions, jigsaws and games
• Shelf Help, an initiative providing students with access to a range of self-help materials
• An app-based solution, launched in 2017, to make delivery of exam results faster, easier and more reliable for students.

Our shortlisted entry in the Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community category, in collaboration with the Scottish Prison Service and Fife College, was titled On the Outside: changing perceptions of female offenders in the community.

On the Outside is a powerful short film that tells the stories of female offenders in their own voices. It’s the result of a long-running partnership between Edinburgh Napier and the SPS that has benefitted both offenders, students and ultimately society.

Funded through the University’s Widening Access Fund, it was led by Paul Gray, film-maker and programme leader for BA (Hons) Film.

The film involved and inspired both students and offenders, giving a voice to a marginalised part of society, and has already achieved exposure and acclaim with screenings across the UK, including at a major London Arts Festival.

It was a collaborative project with women at HMYOI Polmont which did not seek to sensationalise personal stories but rather create an environment where women could be authors of their own representation.

This year’s Times Higher Education awards ceremony will be held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on November 28.