Frequently Asked Questions about Stellify

On this page you will find answers to questions you may have about Stellify. If you have any further questions, please contact us at: stellify@manchester.ac.uk

COVID-19

To ensure that students are not disadvantaged following the disruption of many activities due to COVID-19, we have reduced some of the activities required to complete the Stellify Award for students graduating in 2022. You need to complete 25 hours of volunteering, two leadership roles and only two of the three Ethical Grand Challenges.

Stellify Award - General FAQs

All undergraduate students who started in September 2016 or later are eligible for the Stellify Award. This includes Direct Entry students, but does not include Study Abroad or Exchange students. Find out what you need to do to complete the Stellify Award

All Stellify Award activities will be recorded on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR). You cannot currently check your own HEAR record, so you will need to contact the activity owner directly to check your progress. You can also send queries to stellify@manchester.ac.uk or attend a Stellify Digital Drop-in to ask questions.

Most HEAR uploads take place at the end of the academic year, so if an activity that you recently completed or are still completing is not showing on your HEAR report, that is normal. 

Closing dates for EGCs are as follows:

  • Sustainability Challenge – 23:59 Friday, 16 June 2023
  • Social Justice Challenge - 23:59 Friday, 16 June 2023
  • Workplace Ethics Challenge – 23:59 Wednesday, 31 May 2023

All volunteering activity should be recorded in the Volunteering Hub by Wednesday, 31 May 2023.

No. The Manchester Leadership Programme is a completely separate award. This involves completing a Leadership in Action course unit which is part of the University College for Interdisciplinary Learning (UCIL) and either 15, 25 or 40 hours of volunteering to gain a bronze, silver or gold award. 

If you feel you have specific extenuating circumstances that have prevented you from completing one element of the Award, you should contact stellify@manchester.ac.uk with details of your extenuating circumstances. Cases will be considered by the Stellify Award operations group on a case-by-case basis. Please note, queries may not be resolved in time to include the Stellify Award in the graduation ceremony. 

Stellify Award confirmation emails will be sent out. If you think you have completed the Stellify Award but do not receive an email, please contact stellify@manchester.ac.uk

Stellify Award certificates will be awarded at graduation. 

You can still achieve the Stellify Award even if you don't successfully pass your degree. Your Stellify Award certificate would be posted to your home address.

Your Stellify Award will be recorded on your HEAR but you won't receive your Stellify Award certificate until you graduate. 

Ethical Grand Challenges - Sustainability Challenge 

If you missed the Sustainability Challenge, you can still catch up by completing the challenge on Blackboard. Final year students need to self enrol. Year 1 & Year 2 students are automatically enrolled - you can find the challenge through the 'My Communities' section on Blackboard.

The Sustainability Challenge is an interactive online activity on Blackboard. It challenges you to think critically about sustainability in a real-world context and empowers you to take action on issues that matter most to you. The activity takes around an hour to complete.

The Sustainability Challenge is currently available to Year 1, Year 2 and final year undergraduate students on Blackboard.

Final year students need to self enrol to access the challenge. If you are in your first or second year of undergraduate study and can't see the Sustainability Challenge on the 'My Communities' section of Blackboard, please email egc@manchester.ac.uk

Students must self enrol and complete it by 23:59 on Friday, 16 June 2023.

Foundation year students should complete the Sustainability Challenge in year one of their undergraduate degree.

Direct entry students must complete the Sustainability Challenge in the first year that they are in Manchester, which could be year two or three of their undergraduate degree. 

Ethical Grand Challenges - Social Justice Challenge 

The Social Justice Challenge is an interactive online activity on Blackboard. It gives you an introduction to what social justice is and allows you to learn about a variety of themes including race, migration, higher education, homelessness, mental health and energy. It take around an hour to complete.

The Social Justice Challenge is currently available to Year 2 and final year undergraduates. You need to self enrol here to access the challenge. 

  • Final year undergraduate students must self enrol and complete it by 23:59 on Friday, 16 June 2023
  • Year 2 undergraduate students must self enrol and complete it by 23:59 on Friday, 16 June 2023.
  • Students who started their degree in September 2022 will take the Social Justice Challenge in their second year.
  • Direct entry students who come to the University in year three, must complete it in year three. 

Yes, if you are a Year 2 or final year undergraduate student, you can still self enrol to the Social Justice Challenge.

Students who started their degree in September 2022, should take the Social Justice Challenge in their second year.

If you are a Year 2 or final year undergraduate student and are struggling to self enrol, please email egc@manchester.ac.uk

  • Final year undergraduate students must self enrol and complete it by 23:59 on Friday, 16 June 2023.
  • Year 2 undergraduate students must self enrol and complete it by 23:59 on Friday, 16 June 2023.

Ethical Grand Challenges - Workplace Ethics Challenge 

The Workplace Ethics Challenge can be completed in two different ways. You can either attend a face-to-face workshop (which last around 1.5 hours) or you can complete it online through Blackboard (approx. one hour).

Face-to-face Workplace Ethics Challenge workshops take place in October/November 2022 and February/March 2023 - these are not yet confirmed but will be added here once details have been finalised. 

These workshops include training scenarios that encourage you to consider ethical dilemmas in real life work situations. You can choose a workshop based on your interests and career aspirations including:

The online Workplace Ethics Challenge is available to access on Blackboard until 23:59 on Wednesday, 31 May 2023. This online activity includes interactive scenarios which will challenge you to reflect on your own, and others’, ethical responsibilities and decision making in relation to issues such as harassment, bullying and discrimination, privacy and confidentiality.

You must complete the Workplace Ethics Challenge in either Year 3, 4 or 5 of your undergraduate degree. The online version of the challenge is available until Wednesday, 31 May 2023.

Volunteering and the Stellify Award

You must undertake 25 hours of community-facing voluntering to complete the 'Making a Difference' component of the Stellify Award.

You must undertake volunteering that benefits the wider community, not just the student population, for it to count towards the Stellify Award. Volunteering roles must benefit the wider community, outside the student population. Roles which benefit other students and have a university focus may count towards 'Step Up and Lead' activities e.g. Nightline. If you are in doubt contact: volunteers@manchester.ac.uk.

You can search for volunteering opportunities through Volunteer Hub. Alternatively, you can find your own opportunities and log your hours under the 'My additional volunteering' section on Volunteer Hub.

The 25 hours of volunteering can take place throughout the course of your undergraduate degree. You need to register all your volunteering on Volunteer Hub by 31 May in your graduating year.

Yes. All hours will be logged onto the Volunteer Hub and your Higher Education Achievement Report. However, they will not count for more with your Stellify Award.

All volunteering hours must be logged on Volunteer Hub, except for volunteering through the University Sports Volunteer Scheme, which will be logged separately. 

Hours logged on Volunteer Hub must be verified by a member of the charity or community organisation that you volunteer with. 

Yes, any hours you have logged on Volunteer Hub that you are using towards the Manchester Leadership Programme can also count towards the 'Make a Difference' section of the Stellify Award. 

Leadership and the Stellify Award

To complete the leadership component of the Stellify Award, you must complete two of the approved leadership roles or one role for two years. 

The following roles count towards approved leadership positions:

  • Peer Mentor, PASS Leader or Student Coordinator
  • Athletic Union Executive or Committee member, Sports Coach or Session Leader
  • Residents Association (RA) or Junior Common Room (JCR) Committee Member
  • Students Union Club or Society Committee Member
  • Student Representative
  • Volunteering Champion
  • Wellbeing Champion
  • Basic Life Support Instructor
  • Non-Sabbatical Officer (Part-time Elected Students Union Officer)
  • University of Manchester Physics Outreach Leader
  • Nightline Listening Volunteer 

To make sure your activity is recorded, you should email activities.su@manchester.ac.uk and copy in the Chair of the society.

Yes. All active committee roles will count towards the Step Up and Lead element of Stellify.The roles are not limited to Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.