A review to simplify the processes for the approval of taught programmes and modules, is now complete. Changes will be implemented across the University in a year-long pilot in 2017/18, introducing a number of significant improvements into the approval process.

A Staff Guide has been developed and everyone involved in programme and module approval will be briefed in person and receive full training and support. Further details of the changes can be found online.

This is part of a wider review of administrative processes at the University, conducted as part of the Simplifying Kent (SK) Programme, based upon the results from the Kent Service Delivery Diagnostic (KSDD) Review. The SK Programme aims to streamline procedures in specific areas, to reduce the administrative burden on Schools, improving efficiency and freeing up more time for academic staff to engage in core University business.

Colleagues will be saddened to learn that Vic George died suddenly last Monday.

Vic will be remembered as a kindly, self-effacing and scholarly man who did much to shape the careers of his colleagues and contributed greatly to the discipline through his teaching and his many books. These include the seminal Ideology and Social Welfare and Globalization and Human Welfare and British Society and Social Welfare (with Paul Wilding), European Welfare Futures, Major Thinkers in Welfare​, Modern Thinkers on Welfare (with Robert Page) and many others.

Vic originally trained as a social worker and worked in London as a child care officer. He carried out research on social security at LSE. His first book, Social Security, was the subject of a Guardian editorial. He then moved to Nottingham and to Kent in 1973, where he was the founding Professor of Social Policy and Administration. He retired in 1998. He will be missed by many in the discipline.​

 The funeral will be at Barham Crematorium at 14.00 on Tuesday 10 October.

Chris Morrison, Copyright Support and Software Licensing Manager at Kent, is the originator of Copyright the Card Game.

The game is an an open educational resource created to teach those in educational and cultural institutions about the way copyright law impacts on teaching and research. The game has been downloaded over 2,500 times and is used widely throughout the UK and other countries to communicate messages about copyright and risk management.

Chris is running two sessions in October, which offer participants the opportunity to:

• Understand the subject matter that copyright protects (works)
• Explore the types of usage which copyright restricts
• Become familiar with the types of licences that allow use of copyright material in education
• Understand the key copyright ‘exceptions’ that allow teachers and researchers to use copyright works without permission
• Apply all of the above to a number of educational scenarios in groups

The two dates are as follows:

• Wednesday 4 October, 14.00-16.30
• Thursday 26 October, 10.00-12.30

Please email C.Morrison@kent.ac.uk  if you would like to attend one of these sessions and you will be sent an invite. As always, please get your line manager’s position before you do.

An advanced-level short course in Creative Writing, ‘Writing Life: How to draw inspiration from the world around you to craft great stories’, is being held at the University’s Tonbridge Centre over two Saturdays, 14 October and 11 November, from 10.00-16.00. The course is available to staff at a discounted fee of £99 instead of £170.

Whatever you draw inspiration from, the tutor Dr Alex Martin-Carey will encourage you to take control of your own work and write exciting, contemporary material, and to think more deeply about both your writing and reading. You will also have the opportunity to receive feedback on your own writing from the tutor and other participants.

The following texts underpin the course:
Week 1:

• Nature: William Fiennes, The Snow Geese
• Home: Nicholson Baker, A Box of Matches

  Week 2

• Self: Jeanette Winterson, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit
• History: Pat Barker, Regeneration

This course is part of the Postgraduate-level taster programme at the Tonbridge Centre. Full details can be found here and in the programme booklet.

It’s easy to reach the University’s Tonbridge Centre by train from Canterbury West; the journey is typically an hour with the Centre being just a few minutes’ walk from Tonbridge railway station.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the Tonbridge Centre by email tonbridgeadmin@kent.ac.uk or call ext 4990. External tel: 01732 352316.

The course is available to staff at a discounted fee of £99 instead of £170. If you would like to book a place, please call us as the discounted fee is not available through the Online Store.

Graduate students considering either a PhD in Law or an LLM by Research are encouraged to come to a Postgraduate Research Funding Open Day at Kent Law School on Friday 17 November.

The event, which runs from 11.00 to 15.30, will cover topics such as how to write a good proposal, how to find a supervisor, and how to apply for scholarships and funding. We’ll explain our own admissions system, introduce you to potential Law School supervisors, give you a free lunch, and give you feedback on your proposal.

Kent Law School is ranked 8th in the UK for Research Intensity in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) and is ranked as a top 20 UK law school in three of the major league tables for Law. It is also listed among the top 100 law schools in the world in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017.

Places for the Open Day are limited to 25; to apply for one of these places, please send an email to klspgfunding@kent.ac.uk including your name and address together with a draft research statement and your CV.

The draft research statement should not exceed 1000 words. Aim for clarity and be honest about what you don’t yet know (that’s the point of the Open Day). Your statement should be written in English and include a draft title together with a short explanation of why your research topic matters, how it advances current academic knowledge and how you plan to study it (your proposed methodology). Please also see our additional guidance notes on writing a good research proposal.

The deadline for receipt of applications is 16.00 on Friday 3 November 2017. Early submissions are encouraged from those who will need to make travel arrangements

Learning and Organisational Development are pleased to announce the launch of their new gateway webpage, which pulls together development opportunities available centrally and from across the organisation.

As part of this launch, the first phase of development activities for 2017-18 are also now live on our Learning & Organisational Development activities calendar and are open for bookings.

Current opportunities cover a selection of modular management workshops including topics such as; recruitment and selection, effective management skills, working with your team, absence management and managing performance. Other opportunities include RAM training, eligibility checking, RPD for reviewers and presentation skills.

Over the next few weeks, more activities will be added to this as dates are finalised, so please keep an eye on the calendar.

Bookings can be made for most of our activities via the online booking form but some programme-based activities are ‘by nomination only’, in these cases approach your manager to discuss being nominated for the next available programme.

If you have any feedback regarding the webpages please do not hesitate to contact ldev@kent.ac.uk.