Project Selborne: The First Academic Year

August represented the end of the first year of the Selborne Contract for the University of Lincoln, as well as the end of the first academic year of delivery.

During this period, the University has worked as part of Team Fisher to deliver and/or accredit academic content to hundreds of Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel undertaking initial and career training.

The range of subject areas includes: Maritime Science and Technology; Environmental Science; Defence and Security Studies; Maritime Warfare; Leadership and Management; and Music.

Of the total number of personnel in education, there are currently 93 enrolled students undertaking In Service Degree Programmes from Foundation degrees to BSc Honours. This number is growing and will continue to do so in academic year 2022/23.

In parallel, the University has made a significant effort on quality improvement across a range of areas and underwent a successful Re-validation in June, which formally commended the progress made. There has also been a significant effort invested in preparing for future changes and opportunities arising from the contract. These include a range of potential new programmes and pathways as well as supporting the ongoing pilot with the Royal Navy on Micro-credentials.

The first academic year culminated on a high, with an Ensign ceremony for our first cohort of Level 5 students from the Royal Saudi Navy Forces (RSNF), after successfully passing their degree programme, a DipHE in Marine Studies. The Board of Examiners confirmed that all the Level 5 students (pictured below in the Ministry of Defence Main Building, BRNC Dartmouth) passed, with six achieving the classification of distinction. This thorough introduction to Higher Education and life in the RSNF prepares the students well for their continuation onto Level 6 programmes. The Selborne delivery team looks forward to celebrating the next cohort’s successes at the same time next year.