Author Archives: Allie Burnett

Neurodiversity Celebration Week

It’s Neurodiversity Celebration Week

Neurodiversity Celebration Week (18-24 March) is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences.  

What is Neurodiversity? 

Neurodiversity is about recognising that everyone’s brain works differently. 

Neurodiversity is based on the concept that neurological variances should be recognised and respected just like any other human variation, such as gender, race or sexual orientation.

Some of the different ways of thinking, learning, interacting and perceiving the world have been given labels, such as: 

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) 
  • Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) 
  • Dyslexia 
  • Dyspraxia 
  • Dyscalculia 
  • Tourette’s Syndrome

Neurological differences in the way that our brains are wired means that you may find some things challenging that others find easy. You may also find things easy that other people find challenging. 

Around 15-20% of all the people in the world are thought to have a neurodivergence. No two people will experience this in the same way. 

There are lots of famous and successful people who are neurodivergent, including Will.i.am, Ryan Gosling, Greta Thunberg, Daniel Radcliffe, Bill Gates and Billie Eilish.

Neurodiversity support and resources at Kent:  

Upcoming events: 

Careers Fair

Events roundup: 18 – 24 March

Find out what’s on this week including the Spring Careers Fair, Life After Uni Week, exam support events and fun trips.  

Online Module Registration (OMR) for UG students opens at 9:00 on Monday. Choose the modules you want to study for 2024/25. You will receive an email when OMR is open. OMR is not first come first served.  

Monday 18 March: Inspiring Women Exhibition, Life After Uni Week events and wellbeing walk (Medway) 

For Women’s History Month, the Women’s Network, Kent Union and Templeman Library have come together to create an Inspiring Women Exhibition. The exhibition is launching on Monday and will be open for a month.  

Life After Uni Week kicks off on Monday with a range of events including a drop-in advice session with Career Advisors in Templeman Library Café, how to get started with LinkedIn (online) and how the careers service can help you if you are graduating soon (online).  

On Monday lunchtime, take a break and go for a Wellbeing Walk at Medway around St Mary’s Island.  

Tuesday 19 March: Spring Careers Fair, Coffee with a Security Officer and LGBTQIA+ Student Voices Coffee Morning 

Meet employers at the Spring Careers Fair in the Concert Hall, Colyer-Fergusson between 9:00-15:00. Many of the employers are from the local region.  

All students welcome to come and chat with one of our friendly Campus Security Officers each Tuesday lunchtime in the Gulbenkian. Talk all things security at Kent and get a free cup of coffee or tea to enjoy while you chat.  

Join the LGBTQIA+ Student Voices Coffee Morning at Woody’s to join student researchers Ellie and Shagun, and other like-minded folks, to chat about your experiences, concerns and ideas over a nice hot drink and some sweet treats. The aim of the student-led projects is to find out how Kent can work to improve experiences for LGBTQIA+ students. 

Wednesday 20 March: Free LinkedIn photos, exam room experience and Year In introduction talks 

Do you want a more professional LinkedIn photo? On Wednesday, Matt Cook Photography is offering a LinkedIn Headshot drop in, free of charge.  

If the idea of an in-person exam makes you feel stressed, why not try out an exam room experience in Canterbury to help you know what to expect and ease your anxieties. This is an opportunity for you to experience what it is like to take an ‘exam’, explore your own stress response to exams and learn techniques in how to deal with them. See all exam support events 

Are you considering taking a “Year In”? It’s an opportunity for students to take a year in a different subject between stage 2 and stage 3 or after stage 3. On Wednesday afternoon you can attend Year In introduction talks in your preferred subject and find out if a Year In could be right for you.  

On 20 March, you have the chance to showcase your business at the ASPIRE Pop up Market in Sibson Atrium. To secure a free stall contact ASPIRE@kent.ac.uk

Thursday 21 March: Second-hand book tour, Postgraduate Study, effective revision and tote bag painting 

Love reading? Join ResLife Ambassador Lissy for a tour of Canterbury’s second-hand bookshops. Engage with Canterbury’s literary history and get a book for our Blind Date with a Book event, finishing up in a local café.  

As part of Life After Uni Week, you can meet with representatives from five Divisions and ask questions about postgraduate study at Kent. Each Division will be based in a different Grimond seminar room.  

Brush up on your revision techniques with this online session for effective revision 

At the Hub you can join their Crafternoon to chill out and paint a tote bag 

Friday 22 March: Kent Graduates Panel, fun badminton and Aquarium trip (Medway) 

In your final year? Join this Kent Graduates Panel to ask questions to recent graduates about what their situation was before they graduated, what ideas they had about what to do next and what activities and opportunities helped them secure a graduate role of postgraduate study place.  

Enjoy some free fun badminton on Friday afternoon at the Sports Centre. This is non-competitive and open to all.  

If you’re based at Medway, you can join this trip to Southend-on-Sea Aquarium and experience a wide variety of sea life.  

Sunday 24 March: Cat café trip 

If you live in on-campus accommodation, you can join the ResLife Ambassadors for a trip to the Canterbury Tails Cat Café. Sip your cup of tea in the company of cute cats.   

See more student events. 

Opportunities 

  • Help the University Accommodation team develop their next Living Black at Kent welcome booklet – join this Living Black at Kent focus group and help us work towards improving our Black students’ experience. 
  • 18-25 year-olds in Canterbury can apply for a mini group study exchange this summer in Germany. The exchange is organised by the Rotary Club of Canterbury. Find out more and apply.  

See more student opportunities. 

Student and security staff

Coffee time with a security officer

Come and chat with one of our friendly Campus Security Officers to talk all things security at Kent, from SafeZone app, Campus Security’s role, advice and more. A cup of coffee or tea is on us while we chat – supplied by the Gulbenkian Café team, free of charge!

See us every Tuesday during term-time in the Gulbenkian Café – you won’t be able to miss us with security and SafeZone banners up next to our table.

If you have any sensitive or private matters that need further discussion – these can be dealt with in a different location.

See all our safety services and information on the Student Guide.

Student and lecturer smiling while listening and watching work on desktop PC

Ever thought about studying a Year In?

The Year In programme can be taken between stage 2 and stage 3 or after stage 3 of an undergraduate programme, and will appear on your degree transcript and in the title of the degree awarded, letting employers know about the additional skills and knowledge you have gained.

There are a range of programmes and you can find out more at the introduction sessions on Wednesday 20 March. These will take place in Canterbury and online:

Medway Building

Moving teaching into the Medway Building next year

As some of you will know, we are working at the moment on plans to bring all University of Kent activity on the Pembroke Campus into the Medway Building. This follows discussions with our university partners on the campus on how we can make best use of the space and should hopefully help bring more activity to our area of the site.

The move is currently scheduled to start following the end of this term, with most work taking place outside of term time. Your exams will be programmed into the Medway building. However, Journalism exams will take place in the existing newsrooms on the first and second floor of the Gillingham Building.

The Gillingham Building’s third and fourth floors will not be available from the start of the Easter vacation, and staff based on these floors will move to join colleagues on the second floor.

For all students returning in September, your future timetables will confirm where your classes will take place and from this time all staff will be based in the Medway Building, with specialist equipment and facilities incorporated into the new space as required.

Help us shape the new Oasis Lounge

As part of this we will also be recreating the Oasis Lounge in the Medway Building over the Easter vacation so that you still have a dedicated social space. Initially this will be transferred over more or less as is – however, over the summer we want to work with you on how we can improve it.

We’ll share more details on this in a few months but in the meantime do let us know your thoughts on what we could do with the space in the future by emailing csespaceplanning@kent.ac.uk

Thanks all – and do get in touch with me or one of your tutors if you have any further questions on this.

Helen Holland
Assistant Director Estates Planning

 

Find your people with umii

Make friends with the Umii app

We have signed up with Umii to make it even easier for you to make new friends at Kent. Create a profile including what you’re studying and your interests and Umii will match you with other students who you might get on well with.

Over 1,000 Kent students have used Umii! So why not give it a try?

Only verified users can access the app, so you can be sure who you’re connecting with is a real student at your uni.

This means you will need to use your Kent email address to register with Umii.

Download Umii now for free

Campus shuttle Zeelo

Campus Shuttle timetable change from 11 March

From the 07:35 service on Monday 11 March 2024, there will be a slight timetable change to the Canterbury to Medway Campus Shuttle service.

The expected arrival times at the Pier Quays and Historic Dockyard stops on the Canterbury to Medway service will now be 5 minutes earlier. See the updated timetable. (Make sure you click the hyperlink ‘view new timetable’ in the black box at the top!)

Why is this change being made?

Based on tracking data and driver feedback, there is excessive time allocated between Canterbury Campus and Pier Quays, leading to the bus frequently waiting at the Piers Quay stop.

To reduce waiting time and enhance service efficiency, 5 minutes will be deducted from the scheduled journey between Canterbury and Pier Quays.

How to get in touch

You can follow @CampusShuttle on X (formerly Twitter) for service updates. However, if you have any questions or feedback you will need to contact the 24/7 Customer Care Team 0330 808 3306 or email csteam@zeelo.co

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Are you a Masters student? Have your say

The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) is an opportunity for Postgraduate Taught (PGT) students to provide feedback on their academic experiences at Kent.

What is it?

PTES is a national survey coordinated by Advance HE, the national body for improving teaching and learning in universities.

It is an opportunity for Masters students to let us know about their experiences so far. PTES is the only national survey of Masters-level students, so it helps build an understanding of experiences across the country too.

When is it?

PTES 2024 will open from Monday 4 March 2024, and you will have until Tuesday 30 April 2024 to complete the survey.

Please check your University of Kent email for your own survey link.

The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete. However, we do recommend you take the time to consider your answers and reflect on your whole experience at Kent.

Why should I take part?

This is your chance to tell us your thoughts about your course and experience. The results from the PTES will help us make changes that will improve what we do in the future and to keep doing the things that are important to taught students. It will also help us compare how we are doing against other institutions and what themes are trending nationally.

Top tips to help you complete your survey 

  • Check your Kent email for your own survey link
  • Allow yourself plenty of time to complete the survey
  • You can save your survey and return to it at a later time. Make sure you complete the survey before 23:59 on Tuesday 30 April
  • If you are unsure about the meaning of a specific question, save your questionnaire and seek help
  • If a question does not apply to you, then please leave blank or mark as ‘Not applicable’
  • Where the term “course” or “programme” is used in the questionnaire, this refers to your whole programme of study at Kent
  • All answers are anonymous, therefore please do not identify yourself or other individuals (including staff)

 

More information about the PTES is available on the Advance HE website.

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KentVision unavailable the morning of 11 March

KentVision will be unavailable on Monday 11 March, from 08:00-12:00, due to planned maintenance.

If you need to view your timetable during these times, you can integrate your timetable with a personal calendar (e.g Outlook or Google calendar) on a mobile or computer through iCal. Please go to the my study webpage and click the cog in the top right-hand corner to see the subscribe to calendar options.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused while this essential work is carried out.

Should you have any concerns or queries please contact helpdesk@kent.ac.uk

Worldfest performance

WorldFest 4-15 March

Join this year’s WorldFest celebrations taking place from 4 – 15 March 2024.

WorldFest aims to showcase the cultural diversity, talents and knowledge of our students and staff and builds on from Cultural Celebration Week in the Autumn term.

There are a range of events, activities and classes across the university for you to get involved with, including:

  • Go along to Rutherford Dining Hall to try a different WorldFest dish each day, chosen by our student Global Officers.
  • Sign up for a cooking class to make pizzas or katsu curry. Places are limited.
  • Join a cultural food talk from our World Language Tutors to find out more about the traditions, history and relationship of Katsu, Noodles and Falafels to Japanese, Chinese and Arabic cultures.
  • Come along to our free language taster sessions in Japanese, ArabicGerman, Spanish, Italian and French. At the sessions you can also learn about adding a Year in Languages to your degree next year and other options available to you to develop your language skills.
  • Step into Ukrainian culture at our English Speaking Club with our Ukrainian twin, Kherson State University. These run online every Tuesday throughout term time.
  • Get your passport and travel around the world exploring various cultures at our Global Hangout on Monday 11 March, 14:00-17:00. Join in with various games and activities to earn ‘stamps’ in your passport for prizes.
  • Get a team together and join in with our World Quiz night which aims to be a fun evening to test your worldly knowledge.
  • ResLife are putting on some creative craft events including Origami and Chinese Scroll Painting.
  • If you are looking to find out how you could spend your summer break abroad, either through summer schools, internships or volunteering opportunities, come along to our Go Abroad Bitesize talk on Thursday 14 March to find out how you can apply for funding to support you.

If all the above has inspired you to put on your own event to share your culture or celebrate a multi-cultural event, then you can apply to our WorldFest Bitesize Fund.

As part of our WorldFest celebrations, we also asked Kent staff and students to share with us their recommended reads, either from their favourite international author, or a book which teaches us something about other cultures.

Share your photos from WorldFest and follow us #WorldFest24