Extra-Curricular Activities (HEAR Section 6.1)

'6.1' is the HEAR section that contains information about extra-curricular student achievements. The University of Sheffield is committed to verifying a wide range of extra-curricular activities, to allow as many students as possible to showcase and evidence the breadth of their skills, experience and knowledge.

2012-13 is the first year of HEAR roll out for the University. We will be able to verify extra-curricular engagement for all new undergraduate students who arrive to study at Sheffield in 2012-13, and all incoming undergraduate cohorts that follow.

What extra-curricular activities can be included in the HEAR?

A full list of all the activities the University is working towards verifying is available in the Downloads box. You can also search here for more details about the individual activities that can be verified, and the criteria you need to meet to gain recognition.

Look out for the 'Counts towards your HEAR' badge! Wherever you see this, you'll know an activity can be included in your HEAR.

What do I have to do to get one of these activities in my HEAR?

First and foremost - do the activity!
The person organising the activity will then tell you what criteria you need to fulfill, and whether there are any deadlines for doing this. You can also search here for more details about the individual activities that can be verified, and the criteria you need to meet to gain recognition.
Once you have met the required criteria, the person organising your activity will confirm to the University that you have completed the activity, and a statement about your achievement will be added to your HEAR. These statements are standardised statements written by the University, to ensure that the recognition given to students is consistent and fair. They are based on the HEAR recognition criteria but also include general contextual information and, where possible, an indication of the skills and experience the activity allows you to develop.

How does the University decide which activities can be included?

In order to be included, an activity must meet all the criteria in the Institutional Protocol for Section 6.1. This can be downloaded from the box on the right.
One of the criteria in the Institutional Protocol requires an activity to be verifiable. Not every extra-curricular student activity can be verified, but where it is feasible to do so, the University is committed to giving students recognition for their wider achievements.
Although the University cannot generally verify activities that take place outside the University (e.g. part-time work), programmes like the Sheffield Graduate Award and the Skills for Work Certificate (run by Careers) can verify external activities, and if you complete these, they will go in your HEAR.