Case studies

ChangeMakers

ChangeMakers brings students and staff together to make changes that enhance learning at UCL. A panel of staff and students award funding for projects that investigate an educational issue and make improvements, or that pilot and evaluate a change. These schemes include UCL ChangeMakers scholars: students helping to improve assessment and feedback practices.
_{UCL ChangeMakers →}

_{↑ Back to top}

Lloyds Scholars Programme

Jo-Anne Wilson is a student on the Lloyds Scholars Programme. As part of her scholarship Jo-Anne takes part in at least 100 hours of community volunteering. Every week she visits Alzheimer’s patient Tommy in his care-home. They go for walks in the local park, have a pint in the pub or simply listen to his old records.
_{Lloyds Scholars Programme →}

_{↑ Back to top}

Bespoke programmes: UCL Arts & Sciences BASc

UCL’s Arts & Sciences BASc allows students to create bespoke interdisciplinary programmes focussing on the subjects that interest them most. Core courses help students make new and interesting connections between disciplines and provide them with valuable research skills. Students study a language and are given dedicated support for sourcing internships.
_{Arts & Sciences BASc →}

_{↑ Back to top}

Houndly app: UCL Bright Ideas

Students can make the most of the hundreds of activities happening across UCL every week thanks to Houndly, an app that won the 2015 UCL Bright Ideas Award. Like a hound, the app collates events on campus along with their time and location, making everything easy to find.
_{Student entrepreneurs create Houndly →}

_{↑ Back to top}

Connected Curriculum

Connected Curriculum is a unique educational model developed to break down barriers between teaching and carrying out world-class research at UCL. The approach aims to better prepare our students for the workplace by making learning practical and authentic, with tasks that closely resemble real-life problems.
_{Teaching & Learning: Connected Curriculum →}

_{↑ Back to top}

Hydrogen-powered vehicles

Team Hydrone – one of UCL Mechanical Engineering’s racing teams – designs, builds and races hydrogen-powered vehicles in the Shell Eco Marathon Europe competition. The team of undergraduates develops vehicles optimised for maximum fuel efficiency, capable of travelling over one hundred times further than a normal car, with the equivalent amount of fuel.
_{Team Hydrone Mechanical Engineering students →}

_{↑ Back to top}

bio-bean: coffee grounds and green biofuels

UCL Architecture graduate Arthur Kay founded bio-bean, which turns waste coffee grounds into green biofuels. bio-bean won the Virgin Voom 2016 Grow Award, which recognises businesses with  good growth potential, and signed an agreement with Costa Coffee to recycle over 3,000 tonnes of coffee grounds per year into low-carbon fuel. Since 2017, UCL has been working with bio-bean to turn waste coffee grounds from coffee shops across campus into fuel.
_{UCL start-up bio-bean →}

_{↑ Back to top}

Exploding lithium-ion batteries

UCL Chemical Engineering PhD student Donal Finegan was part of a team of researchers that investigated what happens when lithium-ion batteries overheat and explode. The UCL-led study used sophisticated 3D imaging to understand how the batteries fail, with the aim of improving their design to make them safer to use and transport.
_{Exploding batteries, UCL Engineering →}

_{↑ Back to top}

UCL Careers

UCL Careers helps students through all stages of job-hunting, from talking through future options, to coaching in interview, as well as CV and assessment centre techniques. The team also offers one-on-one support, in addition to a variety of events and workshops, including programmes for Master’s students, researchers, international students and recent graduates.
_{UCL Careers →}

_{↑ Back to top}

Meeting employers

UCL Careers works closely with a diverse range of employers who in 2015 contributed 10,985 hours to educating and developing the skills of UCL students. Employers meet and work with students, giving them insights into specific career sectors, and offering advice and support during careers fairs, skills development workshops and one-on-one coaching.
_{UCL Careers →}

_{↑ Back to top}

Double Dutch Drinks: UCL Bright Ideas

Dutch twins and UCL School of Management alumnae Joyce and Raissa De Haas launched Double Dutch Drinks, their premium drinks business, while studying at UCL. They received funding from UCL’s Bright Ideas Awards scheme, as well as expert business advice and support. In 2015 they agreed a major distribution deal with US retail giant Target.
_{Sir Richard Branson awards Double Dutch Drinks start-up →}

_{↑ Back to top}