Monthly Archives: March 2019

Calendar

You can now record TOIL in Staff Connect

Following feedback from staff groups, new functionality has been added to Staff Connect and you are now able to record time off in lieu (TOIL) earned and taken in the system. This replaces individual TOIL management systems such as e-Days, spreadsheets or Outlook and provides as consistent way of recording absence across the University.

TOIL balances in Staff Connect are kept separate from annual leave entitlements. For Staff in grades 1-6 TOIL can be earned by the hour. For Staff in grades 7 and above, TOIL should be earned in half day or full day blocks. For all staff TOIL should be taken in half day or full day blocks. More guidance on the use of TOIL can be found in the Overview for Managers and there are employee and manager user guides available.

The introduction of the recording of TOIL in Staff Connect fits with the project’s aim to streamline our HR processes and provide employees and managers with a one-stop-shop for most HR-related activity. It supports the principles of Simplifying Kent in reducing duplication of systems with their associated costs and effort.

Autism Arts Festival

The School of Arts and Gulbenkian are hosting the second biennial Autism Arts Festival to be held on campus from Friday 26 April to Sunday 28 April 2019.

This year’s festival features a mix of performances, screenings and events. The festival will start on the Friday with a comedy double bill featuring Robert White, a Britain’s Got Talent 2018 finalist, and Kate Fox, star of BBC Radio 4’s The Price of Happiness.

Then, on the Saturday and Sunday, the festival will include a range of performances, screenings and events, including Sensory Circus by FEEL Theatre, #BinariesBeGone by Emma Selwyn as well as The Derek Paravicini Quartet and an all-night Avengers movie marathon.

The festival will also include an exhibition in the Studio 3 Gallery, curated by the WEBworks collective, and a programme of literature events with speakers including Katherine May, author of The Whitstable High Tide Swimming Club and The Electricity of Every Living Thing.

Dr Shaun May, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Drama and Theatre, who said: ‘The festival aims to be both a celebration of autistic creativity and an attempt to develop the idea of a relaxed performance more fully to create an entire festival that’s as accessible to neurodivergent people as possible.’

For more information and links to events bookings, please see the Festival’s webpage here: https://autismartsfestival.org/

School of Psychology Annual Lecture 2019

‘Rehearsal and the development of verbal short-term memory’ – Professor Chris Jarrold

University of Kent staff and students and the general public are invited to attend our Annual Lecture, which is to be held on Wednesday, 22 May 2019.   The talk will begin at 3pm in Keynes Lecture Theatre 4 (KLT4) and be followed by a drinks reception in Keynes Atrium Foyer at 4pm.  If you would like to attend this event please email psychannuallecture@kent.ac.uk by 15 May 2019.

The title of the talk is “Rehearsal and the development of verbal short-term memory” and it will be given by Chris Jarrold, Professor in Cognitive Development, School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol.

Abstract

Verbal short-term memory (VSTM) undoubtedly improves across childhood and is thought to support children’s acquisition of vocabulary and other academic abilities. Understanding the causes of VSTM development is therefore of both theoretical and practical importance. An influential view is that apparent changes in VSTM capacity reflect change in the use of rehearsal to support performance. However, in this talk I critique that position, before putting forward a radical reassessment of the status of rehearsal. I focus in particular on the claim that children undergo a qualitative change in their use of rehearsal around the age of 7. Here I show that key evidence to support this view can instead be explained by general improvements in memory capacity, review data showing gradual improvements in the strategic use of rehearsal in children, and develop the implications of my account for neuropsychological cases where VSTM is compromised.

Brief biography

Chris Jarrold is Professor in Cognitive Development and Head of the School of Psychological Science at the University of Bristol (http://www.bristol.ac.uk/expsych/people/christopher-r-jarrold/index.html).  He is a world-leading expert on cognitive development, especially on the processes that support goal-directed behaviour and the maintenance of information in immediate memory, among both typically and atypically developing children.  His work has been funded through numerous research grants, and has had a significant influence on both theory development and educational practice, leading to him receiving prestigious early- and mid-career awards from the British Psychological Society and Experimental Psychology Society.

The talk is being hosted by David Williams, Professor of Developmental Psychology, University of Kent.  We would be delighted if you are able to join us for the talk.

A Roman adventure for students in Classical and Archaeological Studies

Students in the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies at Kent were thrilled last month by a four-day trip to the Greek and Roman ruins of Campania and Rome. Undergraduates in Ancient History and Classical & Archaeological Studies, led by Dr Luke Lavan, and postgraduates on the MA in Ancient History and Archaeology at the University’s Rome School of Classical and Renaissance Studies, who are in Rome throughout the Spring term under the direction of Dr Christopher Burden-Strevens, were introduced to some of the best that Roman Italy has to offer.

Luke Lavan is an expert in the archaeology of Roman Italy and, as the Director of the Centre for Late Antique Archaeology, has run excavations at Ostia, the most important harbour city of ancient Rome, as well as other sites in Italy. Christopher Burden-Strevens is a specialist in the history and history-writing of the Roman Republic. Uniting these two approaches – archaeology and ancient history – students had an action-packed four days exploring sites both famous and unfamiliar, some of which are normally closed to the public.

The week started with Pompeii, an exceptionally well-preserved settlement whose origins go back to the Greek colonisation of the southern Italian coast in the Archaic Era, then travelled to Paestum. Students ended their rich and full week with an excursion to Ostia, Rome’s ancient port at the mouth of the Tiber, followed by a visit to the ancient heart of the Roman Empire itself: the Roman Forum. where Christopher Burden-Strevens met with MA students from Kent’s Paris School of Arts and Culture to talk them through the history of the Forum as a political space.

Christopher Burden-Strevens said: “four days of constant activity in Campania and Rome is only possible thanks to the enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge of Kent’s undergraduates in Ancient History and Classical & Archaeological Studies and our postgraduates in Ancient History and Archaeology in the city of Rome, and the dedication of the academics who teach them. To teach the history of Roman – and indeed pre-Roman – Italy in the lecture theatre is a pleasure. But to teach it on-site for days on end, in the company of students who have such passion for their subject that they give themselves over to Rome for almost a week—that’s really a privilege. It was an absolutely fantastic four days, and I can’t wait for next year”.

Kent goes to Italy: Pompeii and Paestum

Kent goes to Italy: Ostia and Rome

Canterbury campus

New Estates Cleaning Service Level Statement from 8 April 2019

From Monday 8 April 2019, the Estates Cleaning team will begin operating a revised Service Level Statement at the Canterbury campus.

The buildings cleaned by the Estates Department, and included in this change are:

Aphra Studio                           Careers Advisory Service                   Campus Security

Colyer Fergusson                    Cornwallis – all areas                         Chipperfield & Extension

East Oast House                      Estates                                                 Grimond

Grounds Maintenance           Gulbenkian                                         Hothe Court

Jarman                                      Jennison                                              Lumley

Lupino                                      Marlowe                                              Medical Centre

Nursing Services                     Oaks Study Hub                                Olive Cottages (part)

Park Wood PC Room             Pavilion                                                Registry

Rutherford Annex                  Senate                                                 Sibson

Sports Centre                          Templeman Library                          UELT

West Oast House                    Wigoder                                              Woodlands Annex

Woodlands

Residential buildings cleaned by Kent Hospitality staff, including the Colleges, are not affected by this change. This update to the cleaning service levels will alter the frequencies of cleaning in staff offices and kitchens.

A copy of the Estates Service Level Statement is available on the Estates Department’s website here.  This document provides an overview and clarity regarding services provided by the department.

Please contact Estates Customer Services on ext 16666, or by email estatescustomerservices@kent.ac.uk  if you have any questions regarding this.

What will you do for a year? Journalist or maybe a computer scientist?

While at Kent you can add a fourth year to your degree in something completely different in order to develop your skills and CV. Opportunities include:

 

Will Student Finance cover the extra year?

The ‘Year in…’ courses are in addition to your current degree and it should be possible to extend your student finances for an extra year. Check with your loan provider to see what financial support is available.

Winning KLS student mediators

Two awards for Kent student mediators in Athens

A team of Kent Law School student mediators has scooped two awards at an international mediation competition in Athens.

Final-year law students Margo Sabbah, Nadia Mauro and India Hughes were one of 52 teams competing in the 18th International Law School Mediation Tournament, sponsored by the InterNational Academy of Dispute Resolution (INADR).

Together, the team won an award for 4th best International Client Team and individually, Margo won an award for being the 7th best International Mediator.

The team was accompanied to Greece by Kent Law School Lecturer in ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) Janie Clement-Walker.

Janie, an Accredited Mediator and Advanced Negotiator, convenes an extra-curricular module in Mediation. The module introduces mediation and the skills required to resolve legal disputes without recourse to litigation. It includes practical workshops to develop skills and participation in an internal mediation competition. Winners of the in-house competitions are invited to represent Kent at national and international levels.

Last year, a team of student mediators from Kent won the Lex Infinitum Negotiation/Mediation Competition in Goa. Students have competed regularly in the National Mediation Competition with teams travelling to Jersey, Glasgow and London. Student mediators from Kent have also competed at an international level in INADR competitions held in Ireland, France, Greece and America.

Mediation is one of three ADR options open to students at Kent Law School. The second is a module in Negotiation and the third is Client Interviewing. Students can also develop practical legal skills through participation in the work of Kent Law Clinic and the School’s active mooting programme.

Exam desks

Exam essentials

Your timetable

You can view your timetable now by logging into your Student Data System.  (SDS)

Where is my exam venue?

Not sure where you need to go?  – See our venues

Where do I sit?

You will be allocated a seat for each exam, please find the seating plan at your venue before the start of each session.

What to bring

  • KentOne Card. If you have lost this please contact us
  • Pens, pencils and writing equipment (in a clear pencil case)
  • Still water in a clear plastic bottle

What NOT to bring

  • Mobile phones / smart watches / headphones
  • Bags
  • Food (unless permission given prior)
  • Any drink other than water

Bag rooms

If you have a bag to drop off, please arrive 30 minutes before the start of your exam at the following locations:

Canterbury campus –             Keynes Seminar Room 7

Medway campus –                   Pilkington Building Room 014

Gillingham Building Room 2 – 03

Dockyard Church – Foyer Entrance

My ILP

If you have an Inclusive Learning Plan (ILP) please take a moment to check your exam adjustments are correct. On SDS select ‘Details and Study’ and ‘My Details’. You’ll see a button marked ‘My Inclusive Learning Plan’ if you have been in contact with the Student Support and Wellbeing team (SSW).

On-campus rooms for exam season
Do you commute to Canterbury and have exams you don’t want to be late for? You can book short stay campus accommodation. 

Contact us

We appreciate Exams season is a stressful time of year, we are here to support and help you throughout this period.

If you have, any questions please contact Canterbury: exams@kent.ac.uk  or Medway: medwayexams@kent.ac.uk

 

Bunny Easter Egg Hunt

Kent Bunny’s Epic Easter Egg Hunt is back this week!

Kent Bunny’s Epic Easter Egg Hunt is back this week and all staff, students, alumni and our neighbours have the chance to win a selection of great prizes and loads of chocolate by taking part.

It’s taking place across Canterbury, Medway, Tonbridge, Paris and Brussels all week. Follow all the fun on Facebook, Twitter @unikentbunny and Instagram @unikentlive and @unikentbunny.

Work out the clues to find the little magic eggs and return them to the warren in Rutherford Common Room to claim your prize!

Good luck! #KentBunny

New Statesman Editor ‘in conversation’ at Kent

The editor of the political magazine, the New Statesman, Jason Cowley appears at the University’s Canterbury campus on Wednesday 3 April.

Mr Cowley will take part in a conversation with Dr Adrian Pabst, Head of the School of Politics and International Relations (POLIR), as part of the POLIR Public Speaker Programme.

The event will take place in the Grimond Lecture Theatre 2 at 17.00. Admission is free and open to all. There is free parking on campus from 17.00 and the talk will be followed by a drinks reception.

Jason Cowley is a journalist, magazine editor and writer. He has worked for Granta, the Observer and the Times. As current editor of the New Statesman, he is credited with revitalising it, and re-establishing it as an influential weekly publication.

He has written books about politics and football. His next book will explore England and Englishness, expanding on his essay on England Rising.