Monthly Archives: August 2015

Medway L&T Festival – 25 September

You are invited to attend this year’s Medway L&T Festival – jointly presented by the Universities of Greenwich and Kent.

  • Unsure of the difference between group-work and team-based learning? Come along to listen to Rebecca McCarter discuss how TBL has transformed teaching delivery in the Pharmacy programme at Bradford. Rebecca has worked in several programmes using TBL in varying contexts and levels: find out how you can use TBL to support students in your modules.
  • Concerned about retention and progression of your students? Find out how peer mentoring supports students through stages of study. Listen to the different types of activities used to engage students in their learning.
  • Speakers include staff from the Kent, Greenwich and Bradford and there will be plenty of time for discussion.

9.00 Welcome

The student voice

  • Session A: Academic Peer Mentoring Louise Frith, Student Learning Adviser, Kent
  • Session B: Students as Monika Pazio, Lecturer Educational Development and Simon Walker, Principal Lecturer and Head of EDU, Greenwich

10.35-10.50 Break

Developing the dialogue

  • Session A: Lecture flipping, Zoe Swan, Senior Lecturer in Law, Greenwich; Gosia Iwaniec, Learning Technologist, Greenwich
  • Session B: TBL in Context Rebecca McCarter, L&T Developer, Bradford
  • Session C: Useful tools for feedback and dialogue John Matthews, Learning Technologist, Kent

12.30 Close

Information  on events and notes from previous events are available at www.kent.ac.uk/teaching/networks/ltn/.

Learn about Japanese culture and crafts

The Centre for English and World Languages (CEWL) invites you to “A Taste of Japan” in Darwin Conference Suites 2 and 3 on the Canterbury Campus on Weds 19 August from 17.00 – 18.30.

This free Japanese cultural event is linked to Kent Extra and is open to staff and students. Students who attend will be eligible for 10 Employability Points.

“A Taste of Japan” is hosted and performed by students from a number of Japanese universities who are doing English short summer courses at CEWL.

You will be able to take part in a Japanese tea ceremony, have a go at making a fan, origami and calligraphy, and watch song and dance performances by the students. There will also be a demonstration of the Japanese sword art of batto-do by martial arts experts Chris Barron from Engineering and Digital Arts and Carl Swaffer from Information Services.

If you would like to come, please sign up in advance via:
https://kent.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/tasteofjapan2015

If you have any questions, please email: kentextra@kent.ac.uk

£26K award to research implementation of social and economic inclusion policies in Brazil & EU

An award of more than £26K has been made to Kent Law Professor Toni Williams for a three-year research project to investigate how legal and regulatory techniques are used to implement social and economic inclusion policies in Latin America and the EU.

The award of £26,350 has been made by the British Academy’s International Partnership and Mobility Scheme and will help support development of a long-term collaborative research relationship with the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Brazil. Professor Williams is Principal Investigator for the project with Professor Fabricio Polido from UFMG as co-investigator.

Head of Kent Law School Professor Williams said: ‘This research programme will strengthen the developing research partnerships between the law schools at UFMG and Kent, allowing us to hold joint research events, publish collaboratively and co-deliver modules. We will also be able to develop our research networks, enabling two-way academic mobility for staff and postgraduate research students.

‘The project will also contribute to our joint and more general global objective of strengthening each School’s capacity to contribute to national and regional policy debates in Brazil and the EU, increasing the international exposure of the research conducted in both Schools and deepening understanding between EU and Latin American scholarly circles.’

The project, scheduled to begin in October, will explore the kinds of law and regulation used to implement inclusionary policies along with the differing implications for social justice, equalities and diversities and development.

Professor Williams said: ‘Brazil and the UK are excellent sites to study implementation of inclusion because each country has done innovative work in this field; the UK through institutions such as the Social Exclusion Unit and the Financial Inclusion Taskforce, Brazil though social justice rights, education, empowerment, digital and technological inclusion programmes and wealth transfers.’

Natalia Sobrevilla Perea organises workshop in Peru

Dr Natalia Sobrevilla Perea from the Department of Modern Languages is organising a workshop in Peru entitled ‘Live to tell the tale: testimony as a document of the time of violence in Peru (1980-2000)’, at the Lugar de la Memoria (LUM), Peru’s Museum of Memory on Monday 10 August 2015.

The LUM is a project of the Peruvian State that aims to create a dynamic and interactive space that addresses the history of the violence that occurred in Peru between 1980 and 2000. It aims to recognise and dignify the victims of that period through reflection, sharing and celebration. Natalia’s workshop, aimed at young people, will discuss to what degree the audio visual testimonies presented by the Truth and Reconciliation Committee serve as evidence to understand Peru’s recent past, and is a central part of her research for the next Research Excellence Framework (REF) Case study.

While in Peru, Natalia will also present her recently translated book The Caudillo of the Andes: Andrés de Santa Cruz (Cambridge University Press, 2011). The presentation, geared towards the academic community in Peru, will take place in the largest think tank in Peru, the Instituto de Estudios Peruanos which edited the book in collaboration with Universidad Católica, and two local historians will discuss the book.

For full details, please see the publisher’s webpage.

Summer membership offer at Kent Sport

There is still time to benefit from Kent Sport’s summer membership offer and enjoy all sorts of activities at 50% of the usual price, including fitness and dance classes, racket sports and the gym. The University of Kent Canterbury campus provides an attractive setting to workout or enjoy a class or a game with friends.

The summer membership is fantastic value and provides access for a month to modern facilities with helpful staff and an exciting range of sports and activities. A one-month pass for adults is £33.50 and £26 for those aged 16 to 18.

The University sports facilities have been very popular so far with summer students, University of Kent staff and residents of the local area taking advantage of the summer membership offer; and this is the ideal time to enjoy some activities here before the next academic year commences.

The summer membership is available for purchase up until 1 September. So if you fancy a game of badminton or tennis, want to try a Spinning class or lift some weights or many other activities, you can find out more on our website at www.kent.ac.uk/sports/membership, call 01227 823623 or enquire at the reception at the Sports Centre or the Pavilion.

Launch of new Department of Modern Languages

The School of European Culture and Languages (SECL) is pleased to announce, as of 1 August 2015, the departments of French, German, Hispanic Studies and Italian merged to form the Department of Modern Languages.

The new department, alongside continuing these separate subject areas, will encourage and enable cross-disciplinary research and teaching, with staff and students benefitting from the expertise gained in other cultures and languages. As well as the four subject areas offered by the previous departments, the European Studies programmes will also be based within Modern Languages.

The department will showcase the strengths of languages at Kent, following on from the recent success of the combined languages submission to Research Excellence Framework, which placed Kent 3rd in the UK last year (REF2014).

Dr Tom Baldwin, the new Head of the Department, said of the launch: ‘The combination of the five subject areas together will strengthen our skills, resources and interdisciplinary nature, consolidating Kent’s position as the UK’s European university.’

Full details of the department, its programmes and staff can be found at http://www.kent.ac.uk/secl/modern-languages/index.html.

Physiotherapy Clinic running workshop – 15 August

A free, informative morning on how to improve your running technique and reduce injury risks is being held by Kent Sport Physiotherapy Clinic on Saturday 15 August.

Runners will have the option to take part in the Canterbury parkrun which takes place outside  the Pavilion at 9am. This will be followed by a complementary breakfast and time to shower.

At 10.30am physiotherapist Vicky Annis will provide an injury prevention talk on how to get the most out of your running and answer any questions. Vicky works contractually with British Triathlon and has delivered drills sessions such as this to elite athletes through to youngsters enthusiastic to learn to run more efficiently.

Further details can be found on the University’s Events Calendar.

Gulbenkian Cafe Discussion: You are invited!

Following the recent staff survey, changes are being put in place at Gulbenkian Cafe and we want to share these with you.

Whether you are a regular user of the Gulbenkian Cafe, or have never set foot in here, this is your chance to meet the Cafe team, hear about the changes we have planned, and have your say.

Gulbenkian Cinema
Thursday 13 August
5-6pm

RSVP to d.yard@kent.ac.uk

Graduate passes Portuguese proficiency exam

Natalie Cafasso Forman, a Hispanic Studies BA (Hons) graduate, has just passed the Certificate of Proficiency in Portuguese for Foreigners (CELPE- Brás) after learning Portuguese as part of her degree.

The CELPE- Brás, set up by Brazil’s Ministry of Education, is the only one of its kind recognised by the Brazilian Government and is required by foreign students who wish to study in Brazil and may be required by foreign professionals who wish to work or register with professional bodies in Brazil.

Natalie, the first student from Kent to pass the exam, said of her achievement: ‘Having studied Portuguese as a wild module along with my degree I felt it was really worth taking the Celpe Brás exam, as it’s a nationally recognised certificate often required by Brazilian employers and can help me get a job in Brazil, which would be amazing. I’d love to live and work in Brazil in the future. I would quite like to acknowledge Dr Antônio Márcio da Silva as it’s all down to his great teaching and encouragement!’

Congratulations to Natalie and we wish her every success in the future.

Three BA (Hons) Fine Art graduates selected for 2015 Platform Graduate Award

The School of Music and Fine Art is delighted to announce that Ben Crawford, Evdokia Georgiou and Nadia Perrotta, three recently graduated BA (Hons) Fine Art students, have all been selected for the prestigious 2015 Platform Graduate Award. Their work will be exhibited at Turner Contemporary, Margate, in September, after which the final winner from the region will be chosen.

Now in its third year, the Platform Graduate Award aims to support graduate professional development and nurture emerging talent from universities and colleges in the South East region.

Last year’s winner, Sophie Dixon, was also from the BA (Hons) Fine Art in the School of Music and Fine Art, for which she received a  £2500 bursary from Platform and a year of mentoring from an experienced art professional.

The Platform programme is a coalition of visual arts organisations in the South East: Turner Contemporary, Margate; Aspex; Portsmouth; De La Warr Pavilion; Bexhill; MK Gallery; Milton Keynes and Modern Art Oxford, and has been initiated by CVAN (Contemporary Visual Art Network South East).

For details on the 2014 awards, and last year’s winner, Sophie Dixon, go to CVAN website.