All academic and administrative staff are welcome at the E-Learning Forum taking place on Tuesday 29 November, 12.00 to 13.30 in the UELT Seminar Room, Canterbury Campus.

The session will be presented by Chris Morrison, Copyright and Licensing Compliance Officer who will explore the copyright and other intellectual property rights issues associated with lecture recording, as well as presenting recent research in the area which he has recently completed with colleagues at LSE.

He will discuss the legal principles (such as licences and fair dealing exceptions) which affect teaching practice and will consider the implications for use of KentPlayer with reference to the book he recently co-authored with Dr Jane Secker, Copyright and E-learning: A guide for practitioners (Facet, 2016). He will also share the community of practice approach to copyright support and institutional policy development as discussed on the Kent Copyright Literacy blog.

To book a place please email cpdbookings@kent.ac.uk

Tea/coffee will be provided.

STOP PRESS! 

A big thank you to everyone who donated to this cause. We raised over £105 at the Medway campus!

……………

Friday 23 September 2016  is Jeans for Genes Day.

The University of Kent  is taking part and in return for a donation of £2 (or more!) everyone can come to work in their jeans. If you normally wear jeans, you can still make a donation or do something a bit different (eg double denim).

1 in 25 children has a genetic disorder that makes their life very difficult. By wearing our jeans and donating, you will change the lives of these children.

There will be a donations bucket in the Medway Building Reception.

If you’d like to find out more about Jeans for Genes Day and how your support will help, please visit their website: www.jeansforgenesday.org

Thank you,
Micky
Jeans for Genes Day Co-ordinator

Dr Andrew Conio, Senior Lecturer in Fine Art was a member of the judging panel for the John Downton Awards for Young Artists, a county-wide school’s art prize sponsored by the University.

The Ceremony was held on 10 November at County Hall in Maidstone, where an exhibition of shortlisted work will be shown until 3 January 2017, with selected works on tour at the Turner Contemporary in Margate during January and February 2017.

The John Downton Award for Young Artists is an annual exhibition, which encourages and celebrates the creativity of Kent’s young artists. The exhibition commemorates the life and work of John Downton, the celebrated Kent artist, poet and philosopher.

Awards were given for Mixed Media, Painting, Drawing and Photography in 11-15 and 16-18 age groups and overall Gold, Silver, Bronze and Merit awards.

This is Dr Conio’s second year as judge. He commented: ‘The number and range of works submitted shows that art is extremely vibrant in Kent schools. The range of media, technical skills and willingness to address issues relevant to young people today to was exciting to see, and made judging very difficult.’

The judging panel, comprising the painter Charles Williams from Canterbury, Mike Addison printmaker and illustrator and Head of School of Further Education at the University of the Creative Arts, brought a range of experience and perspectives to the judging process but all they agreed that winning entries were excellent examples of art practice and indicated a promising future for the artists.

For more info go to http://www.kent.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/arts/john-downton-awards

This week marks Transgender Awareness Week, culminating in Transgender Day of Remembrance on Sunday 20 November, which memorialises those who have been killed as a result of transphobic violence.

With the atrocious attacks on the LGBT+ community at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in June 2016, it is ever-more important to remember those who have lost their lives or who face persecution and discrimination as a result of their gender identity or expression, or their sexual orientation.

On Wednesday 16 November we also celebrate the International Day for Tolerance, which recognises the Declarations of Principles on Tolerance adopted by the United Nations in 1995 to ensure that member states appreciate and protect the diversity of the global community.

What is ‘transgender’?

Transgender (or Trans*) is an umbrella term used to include all gender-variant people. It can mean someone feels like the opposite gender to which they were born, or that they classify themselves as non-binary, neither male nor female, or even a mix of the two.

How does Kent support transgender people?

The LGBT+ Staff Network is proud to work with and support members of Kent’s diverse and inclusive community, and to foster cultural and policy change to advocate for LGBT+ people and their supporters.

The University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) team work with Kent Union and other external agencies, and with colleagues and students across the University, to ensure that all staff, students and visitors are treated with dignity and respect. The team have created an e-module on Trans Awareness, are conducting a review on potential sites for gender-neutral toilets, and are working with Stonewall to provide resources and guidelines for being or supporting a trans* person in the workplace.

There is a free, confidential peer-support group run in partnership with TG Pals for all trans*, intersex and non-binary gender people at the University of Kent. The group is run by non-binary people for non-binary people. Further details, including meeting dates are here: www.kent.ac.uk/studentservices/equality.

Upcoming activities

Wednesday 16 November 18.00-19.00, Jennison Lecture Theatre, Canterbury Campus:

Dr Mark McBride-Wright talk – ‘Engineering a Winning Workforce by Creating an Inclusive Engineering Industry’.

Sunday 20 November 18.00, St. Peter’s Methodist Church, St. Peter’s Street, Canterbury:

A short multi-faith and secular event of remembrance for those who have died as a result of transphobia, hatred and violence. This is a public event and all are welcome. Please feel free to bring along and read your own short remembrance, be it a prayer, quote, poem or statement. The vigil will be followed by refreshments.

Monday 21 November 19.00, Keynes Seminar Room 12, Canterbury Campus:

Open talk, presentation and Q&A session with Kent Union’s Trans* Officer, Zeke Graubart.

Find out more

Details of resources and support available related to Transgender people or awareness can be found here: www.kent.ac.uk/hr-equalityanddiversity/protected-characteristics/transgender.

Students can also find out more information on the Student Services webpages: www.kent.ac.uk/studentservices/equality.

About the LGBT+ Staff Network

The Network is open to all members of staff regardless of grade, function, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. We support HR in their work to make Kent an inclusive and safe environment to work in and we work closely with the Kent Union student LGBT+ Society to ensure that LGBT+ issues are represented and promoted. Our next meeting is on Thursday 12 January 2017, 12.00-14.00 (venue tbc).

Maximise Your Research Impact 2017
Inspirational impact, expert support, and new connections

Afternoon of Wednesday 17 May 2017

Our Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Innovation) Professor Philippe De Wilde will welcome us to the second ‘Maximise Your Research Impact’ event at the University. This follows the highly successful 2015 event and will again deliver a programme with value both to those early in their research career who are starting out on their impact journey, and those who are on the road to achieving and evidencing their impact.

Join us to:

• Hear a range of exceptional impact stories at Kent from across the Faculties
•  Learn about our expectations for the next REF and assessment of impact
• Take part in an impact poster exhibition and competition. More details to
  follow
• Hear from the experts and receive support and guidance on your impact
• Make new connections with individuals and organisations. If there is a person or organisation you’d like to meet – please get in touch

Please direct any questions or comments to Maddy Bell, Impact & Engagement Officer, Research Services at m.r.bell@kent.ac.uk

More information and a programme will be available soon.

Save the date now and don’t miss out!

The second Student Success (EDI) Staff Symposium was held Wednesday 26th October 2016. All the presentations can be found on the staff only section of the Student Success (EDI) website.

The Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, David Nightingale, gave an overview of the project’s origins. Jan Moriarty then updated delegates on how the project has developed since the June 2016 “Closing the Gap: Research and Practice on Black and Minority Ethnic Student Attainment in Higher Education” conference. Sharon Smith, Research and Evaluation Manager, delivered an update on institutional and national data, providing an insight into sector wide trends that may affect the university. Dr Alex Hensby, Project Researcher, presented preliminary qualitative data regarding the university’s Academic Advisor System.

Next delegates heard from four of the nine two-year pilot schools: Kent Law School, School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Sciences, Kent Business School, and the School of Engineering and Digital Arts. Delegates were impressed with the valuable insights the schools provided:

“Finding out about how different schools are using separate approaches was very useful. It was beneficial to find out which methods have been successful and which have been unsuccessful. I also gained a better understanding of the different issues faced by schools. It simply isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ scenario.”

Finally, Professor John Baldock, Pro Vice-Chancellor Learning and Teaching and Student Experience presented an outline of TEF2 (The Teaching Excellence Framework) setting out the purpose of TEF2, and how the university of Kent can use the Student Success (EDI) Project in its submission.

More information about the symposium, including videos and power points can be found on the staff only section of the Student Success (EDI) Project website.

To mark Interfaith Week 2016 (13-20 Nov) the Chaplaincy and a number of Religious Societies are hosting a one-hour symposium on the theme of ‘Faith and Food’ in Keynes LT6 at 19.00, followed by a buffet reception. Speakers from different faiths will each spend a short time talking about the place of food in their worship, celebrations and ordinances. All welcome.

A new University Pop, Rock & Soul Choir has been launched in the School of Music and Fine Art, led by choir director and vocal coach Kelly Fraser, Deputy Head of Vocals at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM), who is currently working on this year’s X Factor.

Kelly said ‘The choir will work together to create vibey, innovative arrangements of existing Popular Music repertoire. The sessions are open to all and guaranteed to be up-lifting!’

Singers are needed
This is a fantastic opportunity to work with one of the top names in the music business. Rehearsals are Fridays, 13.00 – 14.00, in the Galvanising Workshop, Historic Dockyard Chatham.

To find out more contact: email: mfareception@kent.ac.uk tel: 01634 888980

Info on Kelly Fraser:
http://www.bimm.co.uk/study/tutors/london/kelly-fraser/

To enable the Pay and Pensions Office staff to meet the demands of the implementation of the Staff Connect project and ensure a smooth transition to the new HR/Payroll system, the opening hours of these offices will change, with effect from Monday 14 November, to the following:

• Monday: open from 13.00 onwards
• Tuesday: open 09.00 – 17.00
• Wednesday: closed all day
• Thursday: open 10.30 – 12.30 and 13.30 – 16.30
• Friday: open until 13.30.

These opening hours are designed to allow employees on all working patterns an opportunity to contact the offices direct. Emergency matters will be dealt with as a priority where possible.

Sent in by: T.G.Craswell@kent.ac.uk

The Director of Music will be on stage in the Marlowe Theatre this Saturday in a different guise, as she hosts an ‘In Conversation’ with the conductor of the Philharmonia, Martin Lindstrom.

The Philharmonia Orchestra is back at the Marlowe Theatre on Saturday for its second concert of the season, in Mozart’s Overture to La Clemenza di Tito, Brahms’ Violin Concerto and the titanic drama of Sibelius’ Fifth Symphony. Susan has been asked to host the pre-concert event, which starts at 6.15 in the Theatre auditorium, when she will be in conversation with the conductor to talk about his life and passion for music he will be conducting that night.

To hear him talk about his career and thoughts on the programme with the Director of Music, and then go to what promises to be a fantastic concert, find out more here: http://www.marlowetheatre.com/page/3040/Philharmonia-Orchestra/1120