Want to try something new in your teaching? If so, why not apply for a TESSA – our Teaching Enhancement Small Support Awards?

TESSAs, introduced last year, are intended for Kent colleagues who are interested in encouraging and enabling teaching and learning innovation; or who have a great idea that would improve the quality of teaching, teaching-related activity, support for teaching, or the student learning experience at Kent.

We already have University Teaching Prizes, which reward colleagues on their achievements. But sometimes what’s needed is a bit of funding to try something new, or test out an idea or a different way of working – and now you can apply for a TESSA to do just that. We piloted this small grants scheme during 2017-18, and were delighted to be able to award a total of £28,000 to 21 successful projects – so we have been encouraged to continue for a second year!

You can apply for funding of between £500 and £3,000, with up to £5,000 on offer for large, high-impact, collaborative projects operating across Schools and ideally in more than one Faculty, or across Schools and PSDs. All colleagues who contribute to teaching, learning or teaching support are eligible to apply – you don’t have to be an academic, or based in a School.

There will be two rounds for applications in 2018-19. The first deadline, for projects to start during the Spring or Summer Terms 2018-19, is 12 noon on Tuesday 27 November 2018 (and you will hear the outcome by Tuesday 11 December). There is a second opportunity to apply by 12 noon on Tuesday 14 May 2019, this time for projects to start during the summer of 2019 or in the Autumn Term 2019-10 (and we will tell you the results by Tuesday 28 May).

Find out more, and download the short application form for a TESSA, on our Teaching webpages. You’ll see that previous applicants have been generous in allowing us to publish their forms, so you may be able to link up with someone doing a project similar to the one you are planning.

Please send us your applications and help improve the quality and enjoyment of education and the student learning experience here at Kent.

If you have questions, please get in touch with April McMahon or Jess Sutherland.

Following the positive feedback of the introductory LTN ‘Working with and Supporting International Students’ offered in the Spring Term 2018, we have organised sessions particularly aimed at professional services staff interacting with international students in a variety of settings.

Wednesday 17 October, 13.15-14.30, UELT Seminar Room, Canterbury Campus

Thursday 8 November, 13.30-14.45, Pilkington Building Room 127, Medway Campus

During the session we will explore some common scenarios and we will discuss possible communicative strategies to facilitate intercultural interaction and understanding.

The session will be hands-on and participants will have the chance to ask questions, share experiences and examples and develop a common frame to enhance students’ confidence and a smooth transition in our University system.

To confirm your attendance at one of the sessions please complete the online booking form.

After travelling through the attractive countryside in the Weald of Kent, we visit the ‘fairytale’ Bodiam Castle (built 1385) which is in an excellent state of preservation. We then proceed to the coast near Rye for a seaside walk. The day ends with free time in the attractive medieval town centre of Rye, with its historic buildings and unusual shops. This popular annual excursion, organised by the University Chaplaincy, departs from the Canterbury Campus at 09.00 on Sat 20 Oct. Students and staff welcome. We aim to have arrived back in Canterbury by about 18.00. Cost is £15, including travel, castle admission and picnic lunch.

Tickets and details available from the University of Kent’s Online Store.

The Centre for Professional Practice (CPP) hosted a training day for Kent’s Coroner Service Team on Saturday 29th September at the University of Kent Medway campus.

The workshop offered individuals the opportunity to consider how they may contribute to the strategic development of the Kent County Coroners Investigative Team by developing strategies to enhance professional expertise and team effectiveness.

A group of 22 people took part in the workshop, delivered by the CPP’s Lecturer Tania Hopper. As part of the workshop De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats Model was used. The Six Hats method allowed the participants to lay out all views side by side (in parallel) to separate out the different aspects of thinking. The concept of ‘parallel thinking’ enables co-operative, co-ordinated thinking leading to rounded considerations about how to move forward.

Debbie Large, Head of Coroner Service, was pleased with the outcomes of the day; one of which was to enable the participants to identify opportunities for personal and professional growth and it is hoped that the knowledge gained during the training day will lead to positive impacts and enhancements for both the individuals and the investigative team.

The Centre for Professional Practice offers part-time, flexible work-related programmes and short courses. MA/MSc in Professional Practice programme has been specifically designed to meet the needs of working professionals who wish to develop their academic ability while maintaining their professional role. To find out more visit: www.kent.ac.uk/cpp

This month, Gulbenkian hosts two brilliant, award-winning theatre shows that highlight the challenges and the joys of human migration.

Specially discounted tickets are available online and at the ticket desk for all university staff. Don’t forget that as staff members you already get £2 off all standard films and many theatre performances at Gulbenkian.

The Believers are But Brothers (£5) , Wed 16 & Thu 17 Oct, 7.30pm

• £5 tickets for University Staff (normally £12.80) – book here

The Believers are but Brothers delves deep into the misty waters of radicalization, religious fanaticism and the rise of resentment towards Western society. The show utilizes technology to draw the audience right into the heart of the story with a continuous WhatsApp group chat rolling throughout the show.

“an extraordinary, teched up show… the buzz of last year’s Edinburgh Fringe”, – New York Times

Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story (£7), Fri 19 & Sat 20 Oct, 7.30pm

• £7 tickets for University Staff (normally £16) – book here

A humorously dark folktale woven together with a high-energy concert – with a live band playing throughout.

★★★★★ “playful, mysterious, brave and astonishingly captivating” … “The music, the vocal performances and musicianship are all excellent here – emotionally engaging, visually stunning and at 80 minutes leaves us still wanting more.” – Musical Theatre Review

Colleagues are invited to book a place at the ‘Developing your voice workshop’ taking place on Thursday 18 October 2018, 11.00am-12.30pm in the UELT Seminar Room, Canterbury.

This workshop brings the skills of the stage to the workplace. We aim to allow you to overcome any nervousness of public speaking and become more engaging in the way that you may address a group of people. We will give you the means and confidence to be yourself when in front of any audience. It will feature warm-ups, games and techniques which you can apply to any situation, including the lecture.

Led by Matt Hoss, a Kent Stand-up Comedian (BBC Newcastle Comedy Writer, Co-Host of Miffs Podcast and Eric Barker Award Winner 2015), School of Arts.

If you would like to attend please complete the online booking form

Lily a third-year Sociology with Quantitative Research student at the University of Kent has been working with Kent Television (KTV), the student-run television and film station, to help them be more accessible, for hard of hearing audience members – as she is one.

Eddie Thomas, the Distributions Supervisor explained to Lily why he felt it necessary to do this: ‘KTV grows every day and so does our audience. We understand the importance of making our content accessible to all members of our audience, hence why we are now making closed captioning and subtitling a main policy with our releases.’

Following discussions with Eddie, the distributions supervisor, KTV have agreed to turn closed captions on all of their content, at the point of release, and they are also endeavouring to backlog all their content and ensure that following this, the new procedures include turning captions on at the point of release.

Lily says, ‘I’m thrilled that my concerns were listened to by a student society and would like this to continue and be a university-wide policy: all videos to be captioned all the time. I’ve found that often, procedures to improve accessibility are also beneficial to others. Captions benefit; the deaf and hard of hearing, students for whom English isn’t their first language, and a wide variety of learners. In fact, everyone benefits when access is made easy for the widest group of people because, as the Government Digital Service say, ‘accessible design is good design’.

To find out more about what Lily is doing to make the University more accessible please visit their web page or contact:opera@kent.ac.uk.

In the first of this term’s FilmBites talks Dr Tamar Jeffers McDonald, Head of Film in the School of Arts, talks about Doris Day, her film roles and performances and explores the source of the enduring virgin myth which persists to this day.

Doris Day Confidential: Hollywood Sex and Stardom (2013)

Dr Tamar Jeffers McDonald commented , ‘I’ve been fascinated by the clashes between the way Day is commonly remembered, her star persona, and her actual work in films. When I set out to write this book I wanted to work out why people always say “Doris Day always plays a virgin”. What does it mean to “play a virgin”? What is it in her roles or performances that makes the automatic response? In exploring these questions I found that very little the actor herself did accounted for this myth about her. I discovered instead that the movie magazines – cheap, colourful, numerous publications that swamped American news stands from 1911 to the early 1970s – were responsible for creating and eventually punishing Doris Day for the virgin myth.’

The FilmBites talks will showcase academic book publications by film lecturers at the University of Kent.

The talk will take place in the Templeman Library:

13:00 – 13:20 Thursday 11 October next to the DVD Collection in Block B, Ground Floor.

 Dr Antonio Lázaro-Reboll, Senior Lecturer in Hispanic Studies for the Department of Modern Languages, has won Leverhulme Trust funding for the visit of Professor Susana de la Sierra from Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (Toledo, Spain). During her Visiting Professorship in the Autumn Term, Professor de la Sierra will be delivering two Leverhulme Lectures and contributing guest talks to undergraduate modules in the School of European Culture and Languages and in the School of Law, amongst other research activities. Professor de la Sierra was Director-General of the Spanish Institute for Cinema and Audiovisual Arts; the independent body responsible for the promotion of Spanish film, between 2012 and 2014. She is also an internationally recognized expert on comparative law and media-policy making as a method of European integration. Her visit to the inter-school Centre for Film and Media Research would allow her to contribute first-hand knowledge and expertise in the field of film policy to both the School of Arts and the School of European Culture and Languages.

For more about Susana de la Sierra’s upcoming Leverhulme lecture, please see here.

 Find out more about the Leverhulme Research Fellowship.