Monthly Archives: April 2018

Jolly Sailor Pub in Canterbury

pubTALK – Monday 9 April – The social life of a teenage brain

After a brief break, pubTALK is back! Please join us next Monday at The Jolly Sailor, Canterbury where Dr Heather Ferguson will be discussing ‘The social life of a teenage brain’.

Understanding and predicting other people’s thoughts, feelings, intentions etc is a unique human ability that develops from early infancy, and is often referred to as ‘mindreading’. In fact, in every day life these mindreading abilities are engaged so readily that it’s easy to forget just how complex they are – we are constantly working out what other people do/do not know, to ensure successful interactions, and avoid misunderstandings or embarrassment!

For a long time, it has been assumed that children reach adult-like levels in these important social skills by around seven years old. In this talk, Heather Ferguson will explore the ‘black box’ of a teenager’s mind to discuss how social communication abilities continue to develop change across the teenage years, and what might influence these changes, both positively and negatively.

As usual, pubTALKs will be in the upstairs function room at The Jolly Sailor, Canterbury. Doors open at 19.00 for a 19.30 start and entry is free of charge. Everyone is encouraged to stay behind after the talks to continue the discussions for a drink or two!

You can find out more about pubTALKS via our website or by subscribing to our mailing list.

coffee with colleagues from image library

Coffee with colleagues: More vouchers now available

Due to the success of the Coffee with Colleagues scheme our sponsors have generously offered to make more coffee vouchers available for colleagues to invite someone they have never met in person, or do not know very well, to talk about their respective role or a work-related matter over a complimentary cup of coffee (or tea!).

This year, there is also a ‘mystery colleague’ option for more adventurous colleagues willing to be matched with a colleague at random.

Registration has been extended to Friday 13 April but don’t wait too long to register as numbers are still limited and vouchers allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

If you want to take advantage of this offer, all you will need to do is complete a short form giving details about yourself and your guest.

Coffee with Colleagues is part of the Kent Colleagues Connect programme, jointly funded by the Academic Division, Commercial Services and Learning & Organisational Development. This programme offers a number of opportunities throughout the year to meet colleagues across the University in an informal setting and learn more about their role.

Go Abroad

Go Abroad Photo and Video Competition – £200 worth of Amazon Vouchers to be won!

International Partnerships is reaching out to students who are currently on their term/year abroad 2017-18, either at Kent, or at one of our partner universities across the globe. Send your best photos and videos capturing those special moments for a chance to win an amazon voucher.

For more information see: https://www.kent.ac.uk/goabroad/photo-video-competition.html

one month sports membership

One month membership this spring

Our popular one month membership offer is back again this spring – from 1 April to 30 April 2018 inclusive, you and your friends and family can enjoy a wide range of activities for half the usual price of Gold public membership at Kent Sport.

Adults can get membership for just £35.50. Juniors (anyone in full-time education or 16 to 18 years old) pay just £28. Under 16’s pay £3.90 per activity.

The Spring membership offer provides unlimited access to modern sports facilities including the fitness suite, squash courts, all outdoor facilities and entry to all fitness and dance classes. If you’re looking to explore the campus, and maybe further, then Gold members can also hire a range of high-quality bikes for free through the Kent Sport Cycle Hub.

To purchase your membership, visit the Sports Centre or Pavilion receptions. Membership is available to purchase and use until 30 April only. For further details and terms and conditions, please visit our membership webpage. You can view the Kent Sport facility opening hours here.

*To apply for the junior rate please bring with you proof of full-time education (student card etc.)

To stay up to date with Kent Sport news, events and special offers, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @UniKentSports

William Rowlandson

William Rowlandson in Público newspaper

Dr William Rowlandson, Senior Lecturer in Hispanic Studies in the Department of Modern Languages, was interviewed for the Portuguese daily national newspaper Público concerning the ongoing industrial action in Higher Education in the UK.

Público is a daily newspaper published in Lisbon, with a circulation of around 28,000.

In the interview, published on 25 March 2018, William puts the industrial action into a wider context of changes to Higher Education sector.

To read the full article (in Portuguese), please see the page here.

APM ceremony - 28 March 2018

Celebrating students supporting other students – APM Awards ceremony

Students from 15 schools involved in the Academic Peer Mentoring (APM) scheme attended an awards ceremony on 28 March hosted by the Student Learning Advisory Service (SLAS) in UELT. Mentors and colleagues from participating Schools joined in the celebration of students’ engagement and achievements.

The awards were presented to the mentors by Professor April McMahon, Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Education and Dr Louise Naylor, Director of UELT. Mentors and colleagues from Architecture, CEWL and SLAS made presentations and showcased the impact this additional student-centred learning support has had on student achievement. The APM scheme is an important intervention in the University’s Student Success project.

The APM experience shows that mentors benefit greatly from the scheme as they deepen their understanding of the course content as well as enhance their employability skills.

Please visit the School of Architecture’s blog to hear mentors/mentees’ feedback regarding their experience of the APM scheme.

91% of previous Kent peer mentors, who are in touch with the alumni office, are now in graduate jobs, compared to 80.4% for Kent graduates in general.

“The University’s peer mentoring scheme is a fantastic way for students to develop valuable employability skills such as communication, planning and leadership” (Amy Wiggins Medway Careers Adviser)

95% of mentors would recommend the APM scheme to others.

”Among the most full academic experiences”

“One of my students wanted to drop out but she didn’t and said it was down to the academic peer sessions. She wouldn’t have a degree if we’d let her drop out”

If you would like to be involved in the APM scheme, please check/contact your School’s website/ School as Schools will be shortly recruiting Mentors.

To find out more about the APM, click here or email mailto:slasapm@kent.ac.uk