Monthly Archives: October 2017

Using creative and imaginative forms of assessment

On Tuesday 10 October 2017, 12.55-14.00 in the UELT Seminar Room, Professor Charlotte Sleigh from the School of History will present this session as part of the ‘New Approaches to Teaching for Experienced Staff at Kent’.

This session aims to stimulate participants to think of new and creative ways to assess students in their learning. It will consider authentic ways to re-connect assessment both with liberal values of learning and instrumental skills for employability. It will also address some of the difficulties and pitfalls (institutional and student-based) in going off-piste in this manner.

Please email to book a place.

Student Projects Grant Scheme now open for applications

Need to fund an idea or project?

The Kent Opportunity Fund offers bursaries of up to £5,000 from the Student Project Grants Scheme! Applications open on the 16 October.

What is the Kent Opportunity Fund?
The Kent Opportunity Fund has been established to support a broad range of scholarships, student projects to enhance extra-curricular activities at Kent, and bursaries to support students experiencing financial hardship. Committees of Kent staff, alumni and donors allocate the funds raised and ensure that they go to the students most in need.

To find out more and apply please follow the link: https://www.kent.ac.uk/giving/opportunityfund/projects/

World Mental Health Day 2017

It’s World Mental Health Day on 10 October and to show support, GKUnions are hosting a range of events promoting ways that YOU can look after number one!

Come and join GK Unions for #WorldMentalHealthDay and you can benefit from:

A Scream Room to let out your frustration healthily!
A Good Mood Board: How do you look after your wellbeing? Share a tip on the board and you could brighten up someone else’s day!
Adult Colouring: Let your inner child free!
Information on Mental Health services locally and within the University
Resources to help you look out for number 1 this year!

Mental health problems can affect anyone, any day of the year, but 10 October is a great day to show your support for better mental health and start looking after your own wellbeing.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1437755879636193

World Mental Health Day 2017

It’s World Mental Health Day on 10 October and to show support, Student Minds and UKC Mental Health Group will be out on the plaza between 12.00 and 14.00 promoting ways that YOU can look after number one!

Between 12.00 and 14.00, the University’s Support and Wellbeing Team will also be there, promoting their services.

You can make your own Wellbeing Box, which you can decorate and take home to fill with things you love and that lift you up when you’re feeling down. You can also brighten someone else’s day by writing on our Upliftment Wall!

PLUS we want to see you all in purple to raise awareness for Mental Health and we’ll be collecting donations for Student Minds!

Mental health problems can affect anyone, any day of the year, but 10 October is a great day to show your support for better mental health and start looking after your own wellbeing.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1946322675622709

Support at Kent

Now the Welcome Week madness is over, it’s probably a good time to start exploring Kent and the support services on offer. Watch our support, health and wellbeing video.

You can also read our short pdf guide to support at Kent.

Support with your studies

Studying for a degree is very different to studying at school. You have a lot more control over your learning and greater independence.

You will also be asked to do things you’ve never had to do before (eg referencing in a certain way, dissertations, vivas…) this is where the Student Learning and Advisory Service (SLAS for short) steps in.

SLAS can help you with everything from perfecting your essay writing to learning how to reference properly. You can learn in your own time using our online guides or attend one of SLAS’ many workshops.

Don’t forget your school is also there to help you with your studies and offer a range of study support.

Have you registered with Student Support and Wellbeing?

If you have a disability you should contact Student Support. They can provide not only academic support but can help with funding applications.

If you’re going through a difficult time or just don’t feel happy – staff in our Wellbeing Team are always available to listen.

Advice Centre

From money worries to getting on with your housemates, Kent Union’s Advice Centre is available to help. All advice is free to Kent students – so make the most of it!

Medical advice

Kent has its own NHS general practice on campus. There’s also an independent pharmacy next door, so you don’t have to go far when you’re feeling under the weather.

If you need any medical advice, treatment of a minor illness/injury or contraceptive advice, you can visit the ‘drop-in’ nursing service in Keynes College.

Master’s Office

When you arrived at Kent you automatically joined a college. Your Master’s Office is there to give advice and can be used as a first port of call for any questions you may have.

Chaplaincy

University Chaplains run a wide range of religious and social events (including a very festive carol service in the Cathedral). They are also a good contact for advice and support.

International students

As well as all the other support services available to students, international students can visit International Team in the Registry Building. They can help with any international related queries and run a series of cultural events.

Bloggers/Vloggers wanted

The University’s digital communications team run the ‘Kent Students’ blog for the benefit of prospective students.

The idea is that current Kent students write about aspects of student, extra-curricular or academic life to really give prospective students an insight into life here at the University. The blog is a fantastic way to hone your writings skills, write about your experiences of being a student at Kent and offer invaluable insights for the benefit of others thinking of studying here.

If you are interested in becoming a student blogger, please submit an example of your writing. This should take the form of a 250 word example blog post on an aspect of Kent life you think would be interesting to a prospective student, perhaps an event you attended on campus, what you particularly like about your degree, a club or society event or trip you made with friends, but the choice is yours.

Please note you must be a student at the University beginning the 2017/18 academic year, undergraduate and postgraduates are all welcome.

The blog will be linked to from every course page on the Kent website – giving it large exposure.
Bloggers will earn ‘Employability Points’ for blogging.
The commitment would be a minimum of two blog posts per month, though more are encouraged!
An ideal way to improve your writing skills and boost your CV.

Celebrating regional impact

The University will be celebrating its positive engagement across the South East, from student volunteering to economic impact, with a major poster campaign at bus stops and billboards across Canterbury and Medway from 9 to 22 October.

Some of the areas of success and impact the posters promote include volunteering by students, such as that by Sarah-Louise Brock, who regularly gives her time to work for blood delivery service charity Service by Emergency Response Volunteers (SERV).

Another poster highlights the fact £250m is spent off-campus by University of Kent students, supporting some 2,500 jobs in the region, while a third notes since 2010 a staggering 140 businesses have been formed in the South East by students from the University, boosting the local economy and providing new employment opportunities.

A fourth highlights the fact that 23 tonnes of clothes, books and other items were donated to the British Heart Foundation by students.

Finally, as well as the economic and charitable benefits students bring, the posters also celebrate the social and cultural impact international students bring to both Canterbury and Medway campuses and the wider Kent area.

Record number of free music ensembles on offer at Medway

A record number of music ensembles are open this year to students, staff and the general public within access of the University’s Medway campus.

All groups are free and take place at venues on the Historic Dockyard (Chatham). The Dockyard campus benefits from easy transport access from London, enabling recruitment of top name musicians to lead ensembles – from vocalist and X Factor coach, Kelly Fraser to Stephen Hiscock, founder member of iconic percussion group Ensemble Bash.

Groups include Pop, Rock & Soul Choir (Fridays), World Percussion Group (Mondays), Chamber Orchestra (Wednesdays), Uni Choir & Band (Wednesdays), Sax ensemble (Wednesdays), Impro group (Wednesdays), Little Big Band (Thursdays), Chamber Music Forum (Wednesdays), The Zorn Project (Wednesdays) and Guitar ensemble (tbc).

Students and staff are welcome to attend all groups for a taster session before committing.

To find out more, see the SMFA webpages and/or contact the School of Music and Fine Art Reception by email MFAReception@kent.ac.uk or phone 01634 888980.

Mungo’s Massive Halloween House of Horrors 2017

Following on from the hugely successful Fresher’s Week school disco, Mungo’s Massive will yet again be returning to Eliot dining hall for a Halloween Horror Night on Saturday 28 October.

Come dressed as your favourite ghoulish character for this lively yet morbidly themed event, and dance the night away to all manner of contemporary chart hits and old-school club classics.

Saturday 28 October, Eliot College Dining Hall, 20.00 until 02.00, plus free entry all night!

Prepare for a lot of mass dancefloor zombie action.

Find out more at https://goo.gl/VX8dCW

bOing! Family Festival bounces back bigger than ever

bOing! International Family Festival is fast becoming a must-do event of the summer for families, and we’ve got the stats to prove it.

The festival in facts and figures:

Over 6,000 tickets sold, the festival saw an increase of sales by 20% on 2016
Over 11,500 people interacted with the festival
Over 100 performances and events
Over 3,000 people entered the Pentalum Luminarium
246 workshop participants
Over 200 staff and volunteers helped to make the festival happen
1,037 ice-creams eaten

Following a brilliant weekend of celebration and creativity, Liz Moran, Director of Gulbenkian said: “bOing! 2017 has been even more successful than we could ever have hoped for engaging nearly 11,500 people! More families than ever before attended performances at the festival. Thank you to all our wonderful international and local artists, staff, volunteers and audiences who made bOing! 2017 so special. Planning is already underway for bOing! 2018.”

Created by Gulbenkian, bOing! took place on Saturday 26 August and Sunday 27 August on the Canterbury campus. The festival showcased work by leading UK and international companies, artists and performers creating work that appeals to all ages. Families were drawn to the festival from across the South East, as well as a few international visitors.

Find out more about the festival.