Our official Employee Assistance Programme provider, Care first offers a numbers of services and provide useful advice and support, including weekly webinars.

This week’s (Monday 2 August –  Friday 6 August) webinars are as follows:

Monday 2 August 2021 – ‘How Care first can support you’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Tuesday 3 August 2021 – ‘Coping with uncertainty’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Wednesday 4 August 2021 -‘Anxiety of the clinically vulnerable as restrictions ease’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Thursday 5 August 2021 – ‘The benefits of cycling’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Friday 6 August 2021 -‘Information for MHFA’s, Mental Health Champions & Managers supporting teams as restrictions ease’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Social media is a huge influencer and driver of traffic for Clearing 2021. To work alongside our paid advertising campaigns, we have generated new digital content involving Kent staff, students and alumni. Working in partnership with KMTV, we have created a suite of material for use across social channels and external advertising, within websites and embedded in emails to showcase why Kent is a great place to study.

Content includes

• A series of student video testimonials from Kent students who applied via Clearing, their story, tips and advice.
• A series of alumni video testimonials who applied via Clearing sharing their Clearing story, advice and what they’ve gone on to do since graduating.
• Clearing Application advice videos recorded by MORA recruitment officers targeted to parents, teachers and prospective students.
• A brand new ‘Guide to Clearing’ animation produced by a Kent Digital Arts student.
• New video content across accommodation, wellbeing, scholarships and Kent Sport featuring Kent staff and students from these areas.
• Student testimonials from students talking about their courses, why they chose to study them and why they like studying them at Kent.
• A series of good luck, congratulations and Clearing reminder videos all recorded by Kent students.
• Promotion clips for our Clearing open event on 29 July.
• Content for platforms including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to drive awareness and engagement.

This content shows off the best of the University community and is a key part of our Clearing strategy for 2021. You’ll be able to see these posts across our social media channels and can take a look on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/UniversityofKent

Article from the Digital and Lifelong Learning team:

We would love to tell you about our Master’s course in Professional Practice, run within the Department of Digital and Lifelong Learning. Over the past decade we have had a fair number of colleagues who have decided to study with us. We currently have individuals investigating succession planning/change management and the management of exams within the University and it is a great way of recording and reflecting the momentous changes that we as a learning community are currently navigating.

The course is a standard 180 Credit Master’s degree but spread over three years (two 30 credit modules a year, with a 60 credit dissertation module in the final year). This allows participants to balance home, work and study. The course is unique in that you make your work your study and your study your work as the focus of all the modules is your professional role within the University.  Modules are taught over two extended weekends (Friday-Sunday). There are no exams as all the modules have final assessment which involves a short presentation followed by a written work-based assignment. As a member of staff doing a part time University of Kent course, you are entitled to 50% fee remission – this means you get a Masters qualification for half the price. In addition, if you currently hold level 7 credits and/or experience this can be APECL-able.

Delivery

After a couple of induction days, you will start the Evidence Based Practice module on 24-26 September, with the second weekend being held on the 5-7 November. This module explores the nature of information used to answer work-based/practice-led questions and develops critical thinking,

In January, you will move on to study the Learning and Development module. Here, you will explore the way we learn as professionals,  which as you know is totally different from learning at school or college. The module runs on 21-23 January and 11-13 March 2022.

Successfully passing the first year, you have a PgCert in Professional Practice. You then start on the 2nd year, which begins with an optional module and continues with a module to develop skills and prepare your research proposal in readiness for the final year.

Modules and Assessment

You can find out more about the programme content on our Professional Practice webpages. If you would like to arrange an informal chat, please email dall@kent.ac.uk and we will arrange a time to meet with you on a one-to-one basis.

You can also learn more about the course at a drop-in session run by Dr Anne-Maria Brennan  on Wednesday 28 July between 12.00 and 14.00. Please click here to join the session.

This year’s University Teaching Prizes received a record 34 applications from across the University. The Panel, chaired by Professor Richard Reece, was impressed by the range and quality of applications, and the overall commitment to education and the student experience.

The award winners demonstrated both strong evidence of engagement and impact across all 3 criteria:  1. Excellence in Teaching or Supporting Learning; 2. Dissemination and Influence and 3. Above and Beyond Expectations of their roles. A showcase and award event is being planned for the Autumn term.

Division of Arts and Humanities

Winner – Frances Kamm – School of Arts

For her decolonising the curriculum work that championed, embedded and influenced the arts-based curriculum here at the University.

Highly Commended – Christopher Burden-Strevens – School of History

For his above and beyond, influence and excellence in initiatives surrounding student mental health and assessment innovation.

Division of Natural Sciences

Winner – Jill Shepherd, Sashi Kommu, Tim Fenton and Michelle Garrett – School of Biosciences

For their collaborative work on the Patient Centred Engagement of Students clinical day (PaCES), which increased students’ clinical exposure, within the BSc Biomedical Science programme.

Highly Commended – Stefano Biagini, School of Physical Sciences 

For his sustained commitment to championing and influencing equality, diversity, and inclusivity considerations.

Division of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS)

Winners – James Bentham, Jack Cunliffe, Rachel McCrea and the wider Year in Data Analytics team – School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR), Division of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences and Careers and Employability Service

For their cross-divisional collaborative Year in Data Analytics initiative.

Division of Human and Social Sciences (HSS)

Winner – Amir-Homayoun Javadi – School of Psychology

For his innovative, captivating, and influential classroom-based teaching.

Highly Commended – Raluca Popp – School of Politics and International Relations

For her collaborative inclusive and student career focused work with the Q-step programme

Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice (LSSJ)

Winner – David Acheson – Centre for Journalism

For his innovative, imaginative, and inspiring online content which had a huge impact on both staff and students.

Highly Commended – Darren Weir – Kent Law School

For his extensive work in building communities of practice within Law

Highly Commended – Tracee Green and Sarah Brown – Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research

For their innovative and collaborative development of practitioner-based learning.

University Prize Learning Support

Winner – E-learning Team – Education Directorate

For their sustained excellence, innovation, influence, and impact internally and externally.

A collaboration involving Professor John Dickinson from the School of Sports and Exercise Sciences and a social enterprise called Breath Champs CIC helps children, families and communities to learn about breathing in fun ways. Their video gives asthma and exercise advise delivered by puppets!

The project started when Professor Dickinson met Ms Heather Henry at the Medway Asthma Self Help Charity AGM, where he is a trustee and she was a guest speaker. Heather is a Nurse Entrepreneur and founder of the BreathChamps CIC. Heather discovered that John’s research fitted into a lot of the support she was looking to offer the children she engages with through BreathChamps.

Heather’s goal is to make her town of Sale the UKs first child asthma friendly town. This means sharing asthma knowledge with local people and organisations so they look out for children and know some simple things that will help them – the same model as dementia friendly communities.

The idea for creating this video and using puppets came from Heather. Her social enterprise produces several videos like this providing information about breathing issues that are relevant to children experiencing them.

John provided five tips to encourage children to take exercise. The script for the video was produced and a local puppeteer from Hale Barnes called Jamie Marks was contacted and asked to perform it. Jamie makes all his own puppets and performs as well.

Heather said: ‘Is it easy? It’s a skill!’

When asking about the puppets used in this video John said: ‘Unfortunately I did not actually get to meet the puppets. I provided the information to Heather who then put it into a script for the puppeteers to use.

‘I would love to incorporate the puppets into lectures but I’m not sure my puppeteering is up to scratch!’

Prior to supporting the making of the video, John delivered a sport and asthma masterclass for Breath Champs. This was attended by coaches and physiotherapists with an interest in supporting athletes in overcoming breathing issues.

Children (and many adults) learn best through play, which is why BreathChamps uses puppets, games, craft, singing and stories. You can see more of this on the BreathChamps YouTube channel.

An annual increase in parking permit charges will apply from 1 August 2021. Charges will vary from 65p for a staff daily voucher to £4.24 upwards for a 12-month permit.

The staff parking permit allows you to park in a marked bay on campus from Monday to Friday from 08.00-17.00. You can register up to 5 vehicles so long as the vehicle parked on campus is ticked as the “active vehicle” on your permit the day it is parked.

Types of permits available

1. Full monthly permits

You have the option of a 12-month, 3-month or 1-month permit, which will cost from £4.24 to £10.57 per month, depending on your gross monthly salary. Payment will be taken directly via salary deduction each month.

2. Staff daily voucher

Currently only a free 12-month is option available, from 1 August 2021 there will be a charge for issuing the daily voucher permit, but you will now have the option to purchase a 3-month or 1-month permit as opposed to just a 12-month permit.

• 12-months = £2.50
• 3-months = £2.00
• 1-month = £1.00

Please remember with a daily voucher permit on the days you wish to park on campus you will need to purchase a virtual daily parking voucher by logging on to your permit account. From 1 August 2021, the cost of these daily vouchers will increase to 65p per day. These daily vouchers allow you to park in a marked bay in pink or blue zone car parks, the same as a full permit.

Which option is best for you?

If you are regularly on campus Monday to Friday and need a parking space, a full permit may be the best option.

Daily voucher permits are designed for those colleagues who either don’t park on campus every day or work a shift pattern that means they are not always parked at the times a permit is required, with the new 3-month and 1-month options giving you more flexibility than a 12-month permit.

As we start returning to campus this summer, and some of us move to hybrid working on and off campus, it is advisable to look at all the options available and work out which will be the most cost-effective for you.

If you no longer require your permit, don’t forget to complete the ‘Cancel your parking permit’ form at the bottom of this webpage.

Find out more

For more information on types of permits available and costs, see the Transport webpages.

From the Estates team:

This year, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) is celebrating 60 years of life saving research!

Since 2012 University of Kent students and staff have generated 15,636 bags of donations through the donation points on campus. That’s £218,904* raised to help support help life-saving research, driving breakthroughs for heart patients all across the UK.

These donations have allowed the BHF to be a part of breakthroughs like heart transplants and pacemakers, stents and clot busting drugs and their goals for the decades ahead are more ambitious than ever. Cures for inherited heart diseases, radically improved treatment for stroke, ways to stop vascular dementia in its tracks, and of course recovering from the brutal blow that is the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thank you and keep donating!

We would like to say a huge thank you to our staff and student who have donated books, bags, shoes, clothes, homeware and much more through our BHF donation points. Without you, we wouldn’t have been able to make such an impact.

Please continue to donate items that you don’t need any more through our donations points, which you can find on our map of locations.

For any waste, recycling or reuse guidance please look at our Estates website, follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and you can always email us on estatesfmcoordinator@kent.ac.uk.

*based on average value of £14/bag