Autumn teaching for Stage 2 and 3 returning students

Message for returning students

We hope you are keeping safe and well.

In these difficult and uncertain times we want to start by assuring you that we will be open in September, so you can continue your journey with us on our beautiful open campus and in our fantastic classrooms and other facilities; in a safe way. We will be combining seminars, meetings with academics and other social events, with online lecturing, seminars, and forums. We want you to enjoy a student experience that is more than virtual.

Of course, our commitment to the health, safety and wellbeing of our students and staff remains our top priority, as well as ensuring your teaching, learning and wider student experience is still the best it can be.

In the Autumn term, we intend to provide a blended learning experience which incorporates live, interactive, and online learning, alongside in-person education on campus for certain modules. All being well, we are hoping to provide a predominately on-campus teaching experience in the Spring, but we will have to assess that situation closer to the time.

In the SSPSSR, we are embracing the new opportunities (and new methods) that such a blended learning experience can deliver to enhance you participation and engagement with course material and interaction with both teaching staff and your fellow students. Our approach to blended learning this autumn can be summarised as follows:

  • In common with the sector (and to reduce health risks), we will be replacing lectures in a crowded lecture theatre with online lectures, delivered in an engaging and exciting way.
  • As usual, our lectures will be supplemented with live small group seminar sessions, so that you are provided the opportunity to interact and test your knowledge and understanding with your teachers and fellow students. These will be delivered both online and offline (in person) where possible, so that you are provided the opportunity to meet your teachers and fellow students face-to-face if you choose. However, due to limited space restrictions and number of rooms that have been allocated to us, there is less ‘in person’ teaching than we would like. We hope you understand the necessity for this and recognise that we are providing as much in-person contact as we can in these circumstances.
  • Lectures and seminars will be further supported by a variety of online activities, such as learning forums, office hours, online quizzes, directed learning activities, meetings with your academic advisers, and drop in sessions with your director of studies and your module convenors. The University has also provided a good Moodle page for successful learning online here which is a great resource for you.
  • Students who are unable to come to campus will be able to study the first term (Autumn 2020) entirely virtually – we will be providing online alternatives for in-person teaching, and will do our very best to foster community spirit for students in the online environment as well as on campus.
  • Subject to confirmation by the University’s timetabling office (who ensure that teaching delivery safely follows government guidance for social distancing) we expect to offer some in-person seminars or other events for those Stage 2 and 3 students able to attend. We have also had to make some changes to our programmes (but much less than other schools). Please see the attached document and look up your specific programme and modules for information on the amount of online/offline teaching being offered, and any changes in assessments (of course, subject to change with any new developments).

We are committed to giving you the best and safest experience possible, and ensure you continue to feel part of our community – even in the face of Covid-19. Therefore, we will keep you updated over the coming weeks about these plans, as well as sending you further resources and activities to engage with. You can keep updated with the latest guidance on our Welcome Back pages of the website and the Hello Kent app, and do let us know if you have any questions by emailing SSPSSRUndergraduateOffice@kent.ac.uk or through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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