Dear Postgraduate Researchers,

I would like to pass on some advice and information in relation to impacts resulting from Coronavirus. Whilst we might all feel alone in the face of this pandemic, please remember that we can and should work together to overcome it. If the Graduate School specifically can help with anything that your supervisor or School/Centre cannot, please do ask. We might not be in the office but we are still very much at work.

You will find general advice and information from the university here as well as on the government’s webpages. Do follow these regularly as they are frequently updated. Below are some specific reflections on possible issues which you might be facing.

1. If the nature of your research methods or process is being severely affected by the current situation (eg unable to meet specific groups, visit an archive, unable to travel etc) please discuss this with your supervisor in the first instance. They will be able to help you adjust/rethink your approach and make appropriate changes. If it is too late in the progress of your research to make significant alterations, then be honest and open about any such limitations in your thesis. Examiners will be understanding, but they can only be so if you make this explicit in your writing. Give serious thought to moving away from using person-to person evidence in the short and possibly longer-term towards other safer modes of data collection where feasible. Your health and that of others is paramount!
2. If you are abroad or not currently working at home or on campus for your research, speak to your supervisor/s and school about either curtailing your visit or exploring other options. Every case will need to be assessed on an individual basis with regard to concomitant risks and possibilities. But you should not feel you need to make such decisions on your own. Your supervisors and schools are here to help.
3. Please check with schools, supervisors and your Director of Graduate Studies about access to facilities such as work spaces and labs. This might well change in the coming days, so it is best to start planning bearing this in mind.
4. Keep in touch with your supervisory team members by skype, phone calls or by email. These can be used for your monthly or other reviews.
5. You should no longer do any group work or other social activities related to your research. We all need to follow the government’s social distancing guidelines.
6. The Graduate School will be setting up some informal ‘virtual drop in sessions’ where you can have an informal chat with myself or a member of staff. We will send out more details soon.

If you need to take a break from your research, please do so. Everything will probably take more time than usual at the moment, and it will be hard to focus – we will all need to learn to adjust. In recognition of this, at the point of PhD submission, students will be able to seek a short extension to their PhD. We will look favorably on all such requests.

We have also made it straightforward for vivas to happen by skype/zoom without the need for an independent observer. There may well be other changes to processes that need to be made as the pandemic unfolds. We will let you know of any that affect you.

Above all, please stay safe and look after yourself and those close to you.

Best wishes

Professor Paul Allain
Dean of the Graduate School

The annual Graduate School Prizes recognises the excellence of Kent’s researchers and the outstanding work carried out by academic and administrative staff members in support of postgraduate research and education.

Nominations are now open for 2020! 

Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

Postgraduate Research Prize

Research Degree Supervisor Prize

School Director of Graduate Studies Prize

Postgraduate Administrator Prize

Postgraduate Teacher Prize

Early Career Research Staff Prize

Apply or nominate a candidate now via the Graduate School website where you will find the criteria for each prize and a nomination form.

Deadline for nominations is Thursday 9 April at 23.59.

Read about last year’s winners.

Kent is one of 57 higher education institutions where members of the University and College Union (UCU) voted in support of taking strike action, or action short of a strike, over HE sector pay and conditions.

On 5 November, UCU released the dates for the planned strike action, which are:

• Monday 25 November – Friday 29 November (5 consecutive days)
• Monday 2 December – Wednesday 4 December (3 consecutive days)

The Graduate School is working closely with colleagues across the university to mitigate any affects from the current industrial action. Please liaise with Schools and your Directors of Graduate Studies or Postgraduate Administrators in the first instance, unless there is something specific with which the Graduate School can help you. We are exploring ways to make sure any Researcher Development training sessions are rescheduled or occur again at another time to enable your participation.

Graduate School
University of Kent
Cornwallis East, 3rd Floor

T: (0)1227 824089
E: graduateschool@kent.ac.uk 

If you have a query regarding a Global Skills Award or Researcher Development training session, please direct your queries to skills@kent.ac.uk. 

Kent has set up a student website containing information about the industrial action, FAQs and the support available to you should you require it. Please visit the Student Guide.

The Graduate School’s recent surveys for Graduate Teaching Assistants and Hourly Paid Lecturers showed that you value opportunities to meet each other.  Dr Jo Collins (Graduate School), Dr Jennifer Leigh (UELT) and Nicole Brown (SSPSSR) are working on a project funded by the Staff and Educational Development Association to support GTA development and to understand the needs of our international GTAs better.  As part of this we will be running the following sessions which are open to all postgraduates who teach:

• Tools for teaching: Becoming a “teacher”, 13 November 2019, 11-1pm
• Tools for teaching: Engaging students in discussions, 22 January 2020, 12.30-2.30
• Tools for teaching: Questioning techniques, 5 February 2020, 1-3pm
• Tools for teaching: Assessment and providing feedback, 4 March, 10-12pm

To book, or find out more please see http://bloom.kent.ac.uk

These sessions are supported by the Graduate School, UELT, and the Staff and Educational Development Association, who have sponsored this initiative (the project has also been aided by TESSA-funded research carried out by Jo Collins and Nicole Brown (2018-19)).

Please contact j.p.collins@kent.ac.uk if you have any queries.

The Graduate School invites you to apply for a Postgraduate Community Experience Award. If you have an idea to help enhance the postgraduate community experience through an interdisciplinary project or event, then you may be eligible to apply for funding through our Postgraduate Community Experience Awards.

The deadline for applications is Friday 22nd November 2019. You can download an application form from our website and take a look at some previous winners.

The Graduate School would like to thank the following departments for their help and support at this year’s Postgraduate Information Fair:

Student Learning Advisory Service (SLAS)

Centre for English and World Languages (CEWL)

Academic Liaison Services and IS

Scholarly Communications

Student Support and Wellbeing

Kent Union and Advice Centre

International Partnerships

Kent Graduate Student Association (KGSA)

Medical Centre

Careers and Employability Service

International Wellbeing Group

Employability Points and Hub for Innovation & Enterprise

We are delighted to announce that the winner of the Amazon Kindle went to LLM student, Natphakal Vangtan. Ten other postgraduate students who took part in the Information Fair Quiz were awarded an Amazon Voucher for their efforts.

The Graduate School would like to record thanks to the following members of staff for their valuable contributions to our programmes for research and taught postgraduates for the academic year 2018-2019:

Here are the finalist photographs from the ReCapture Competition.

This summer we want to hear the #GTA Voice!  The Graduate School has launched a survey for Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) from 1 July.

Following the review of GTA arrangements in the autumn term, we have taken steps to improve communication with GTAs, as well as to clarify contracts, standardize working hours and strengthen representation.  As part of our ongoing commitment to GTAs we are working to develop induction, support and training provided to Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) across the University.

Complete our survey and tell us about your experiences, and where our training and support can better meet your needs!

To complete the survey please go to this link:  https://kentplanning.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eR3SWGeUdjkXqtv

Any queries please contact j.p.collins@kent.ac.uk

The Postgraduate Community Experience Awards funded a project called ReCapture. The application was submitted by PhD student Vilius Savickas and Master’s by Research student Hal Dorrington.

ReCapture aimed to promote postgraduate research carried out across the University by providing a platform for students to capture and share their research in a public-friendly photographic format. The competition has been a celebration of student research and has been a great networking opportunity between the academic communities of the Canterbury and Medway campuses. It also provided a platform for students to share their research with non-specialist audiences and to the local public.

A total of 16 outstanding images were shortlisted by a panel back in April 2019. These were then presented at a Medway based exhibition throughout May and early June with a final showcase event hosted on Monday 17^th June.

Staff, students and members of the public were able to vote for the three best images based on the following criteria:

• Subject content and strength of message, in relation to research.
• Creativity of presentation, visual communication and general appeal of image.
• Image quality of photograph.

The winners, who were announced on Monday 17^th April were:

1^st Prize

We used to grow sugar cane

Bhokraj Gurung

2^nd Prize

Hope in time of crisis

Chara Theodoraki

3^rd Prize

The hidden world within

Jessica Dolding-Smith

Congratulations to all the entrants of the ReCapture competition and a special congratulations to the winners.

To see all images please visit www.kent.ac.uk/graduateschool/news/pgexperience.html.