Monthly Archives: May 2019

Kaitlyn Regeher hosts podcast series on the benefits of research

Dr Kaitlyn Regehr, Lecturer in Media Studies, will be hosting a new podcast series entitled How Researchers Change the World, launching today, 7 May 2019.

The series, which is supported by the publisher Taylor & Francis, will release a new episode every two weeks, and will cover topics as diverse as new technology, the impact of social media, virtual reality, climate change, artificial intelligence, and gender studies.

Every episode will follow the story of one passionate researcher and their journey from the initial spark of an idea through to world-changing findings.

The first instalment tells the story of Dr Orii McDermott, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham, whose work as a music therapist gave her an awareness of the research needed to enhance her own practice and to improve the lives of her patients, people living with dementia.

Speaking of the series, Kaitlyn said: ‘I am thrilled to be working on this innovative project with the amazing team at Monchu and WBBC as well as with Taylor & Francis, a publisher dedicated to supporting researchers  at all stages of their careers.’

The podcasts will be available on SpotifyApple Podcasts and Sticher. To read more, please see the dedicated site here: www.howresearchers.com

Organising for Success updates

Our Organising for Success webpages are being updated regularly.

Click on the webpages to find out the latest news and information, including new/amended Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on:

  • Impact on promotion, additional salary awards and job grade reviews
  • Engagement and feedback opportunities for our students.

From this week (7 May), there is also a new section on our Student Guide to ensure our students are kept up to date on the University restructure.

Reception team

Summer reception staff vacancies

Would you or someone you know like to join Kent Hospitality’s Reception team from June to October 2019?

Applicants will be required to work 15 to 35 hours per week including evenings and weekends. Hours will vary from week to week and are not guaranteed.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate exceptional levels of customer service, computing and cash handling skills, and the ability to work calmly and accurately under pressure, both alone and as part of a team.

The rates of pay are:

  • £8.82 p/hr 18 – 24 years old
  • £9.41 p/hr 25 years and over (Living Wage)

If you think this summer vacancy is for you, please apply by emailing your CV and a cover letter to Laura Maclean by emailing l.maclean@kent.ac.uk.

Closing date for applications: 17 May 2019. This may close early if we receive a large number of applications.

Medway campus

Medway Festival of Learning and Teaching 2019

Booking is now open for The Universities at Medway fifth annual Festival of Learning, Teaching and Assessment which will take place on Thursday 12th September 2019, 9.30-14.30 in Pilkington Building Room 008, Medway Campus.

The Festival aims to share, celebrate and promote our practice to benefit all students studying on our Medway campus.

Our focus this year is on student engagement.  It is a consistently strong theme that runs through the sector and is a priority for all three universities and their partner colleges.

Our keynote speaker will be Professor Colin Bryson of Newcastle University, who will be presenting with a student on ‘Where are we and where are we going with student engagement?’. Please see here for abstract and biography

We are currently inviting contributions in a variety of formats from practitioners, professional services staff, researchers and students. Please see call for papers.

To book a place at the Festival please complete the online booking form.

Computing Common Room

A new social space for Computing students

A new common room has opened in time for students to relax and collaborate in during the exam term. The room, for the exclusive use of Computing undergraduates, will be open from 8.00-19.00 Monday to Friday.

The common room on the ground floor of the Cornwallis building in Canterbury is the latest change in a series of updates to the building to make it more modern and welcoming. The common room is deliberately close to the placements team, employability and marketing team, KITC and The Shed, helping to create a real student hub at the heart of the building and making it easier for students to find help in any of these areas.

Head of School, Professor Richard Jones, said: “This new space is good way of welcoming back the undergraduate students and giving them their own relaxing space at a very busy time in the academic year. We hope that they will enjoy their own area with room to chat, eat and even study if they wish. And of course we wish all of our students the very best of luck with their upcoming exams.”

The next update will see the School student administration team move downstairs to be nearer to the other student services.

Glasses on notepad

Learning & Teaching Network session – Intelligibility support for international staff

Colleagues are invited to attend the Learning & Teaching Network session taking place on Wednesday 22 May, from 13:15-14:30 in Rutherford Lecture Theatre 2.

Presented by Rebecca Coleman, EAP Tutor, Centre for English and World Language, the workshop looks at intelligibility support for international staff and support staff at the University of Kent.  We aim to highlight the importance of these staff members being clearly understood and present common issues that they may face. There will be the opportunity to discuss intelligibly issues that you have encountered and individually and in groups look at ways of improving them. Further support offered by the Centre of English and World Languages (CEWL) in this domain will be mentioned at the end of the session.

To confirm your attendance please complete the online booking form.

New parking permit charges

Some of the University parking permit prices are increasing from 1 August 2019; this is the first increase since they were introduced in 2000.

Over the past 19 years, we have made a number of improvements to our parking facilities, including resurfacing and relining car parks, upgrading lighting and CCTV. The planned increase to permit charges will help offset some of our ongoing costs and enable us to work towards the objectives set out in the University Travel Plan

It is anticipated that permit prices will increase on 1 August each year in line with the RPI, and permit holders will be given three months’ notice of any increase.

View the parking permit charges webpage for more details.

KTV celebrated at the NaSTA awards

KTV, Kent Union’s television station, was recently celebrated at the National Student Television Association (NaSTA) awards.

NaSTA comprises over forty affiliated student TV stations from all over the UK. Each year, the organisation runs an awards ceremony in which stations submit examples of their programming for appraisal by judges drawn from the wider broadcast industry. This year there were 465 award entries, and the awards were hosted at the University of Nottingham on 26 April.

KTV won the Jisc Special Recognition Award for their innovative training schemes, and Madeleine Bolton won the Best Dramatic Performance award for the KTV produced film, Sweet Child of Mine.

Sweet Child of Mine was written and directed by student Tyler Hamblin, who is completing his BA (Hons) in Film in the Department of Film. The drama was produced as part of the KTV Film Festival, and was also Highly Commended in Best Drama category, and shortlisted for Best Writing and Best Cinematography.

The station was also shortlisted in the Highly Commended in Light Entertainment category, shortlisted for the Mars El Brogy Multimedia Award (for working with Inquire and CSR), and also won Best Sports Coverage.

To see a segment of Sweet Child of Mine, please see KTV’s YouTube channel here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQAbDwGEiY0

Olly Double on BBC South East Today

Dr Olly Double, Reader in Drama in the School of Arts, appeared on BBC South East Today on Thursday 2 May 201, interviewed along with comedian Alexei Sayle regarding the Alternative Comedy Now Festival,which is currently ongoing at Kent.

‘Alternative comedy completely changed British stand-up comedy,’ explains Olly in the interview. ‘Before that there were a few people doing interesting things on the folk circuit, like Billy Connolly, but most stand-up comedy at that point was taking place in working men’s clubs and was based on unoriginal packaged jokes.’

Olly’s interview is followed in an interview with Alexei Sayle, which was recorded in the Gulbenkian Theatre on campus, prior to a show last week.

Staff 3

Leadership Networking Event – Thursday 16 May

Managers across the University are invited to join in a Leaders’ Networking Event on Thursday 16 May in the Pavilion Café Bar from 10:00-15:00 .

The session will cover a workshop on ‘EDI @ Kent’ and a talk from external speaker Zac Ashkanasy on ‘Maintaining Resilience and Wellbeing while Leading through Change’.

The event is open to anyone who manages other colleagues or major projects at Kent. Participants will be encouraged to network and share their thoughts on EDI and their change experiences.

Refreshments will be available upon arrival and a buffet will be provided as part of a networking lunch from 12:00-12.45. Therefore, if you have any dietary requirements or other adjustments to enable you to participate effectively in the session, please let us know.

Agenda

  • 10.00-10.30 – Networking Coffee and chat
  • 10.30-10.45 – Open of session April McMahon
  • 10.45-12.00 – EDI @ Kent workshop
  • 12.00-12.45 – Networking lunch
  • 12.45-14.00 – Speaker Zac Ashkanasy ( profile below)
  • 14.00-14.15 – Close of session
  • 14.15-15.00 – Networking coffee and chat

Throughout this week (13-17 May), Learning & Organisational Development in conjunction with Kent Sport, external providers and members of staff and students are hosting a ‘Belong and Grow’ weekm which has been organised to enhance wellbeing and raise awareness of diversity and inclusion across the University.  Activities and events are  open to staff and students and a schedule of all sessions is available here.

This week in May has been chosen as it encompasses the following national events:

  • Learning at Work Week – Shaping the Future
  • Staff Networks Day – Leading for Change
  • IDAHOT (International Day against Homophobia Transphobia and Biphobia)
  • Mental Health Awareness Week

If you would like to attend, please email LDev@kent.ac.uk We look forward to hearing from you.

About Nous

Nous is a world-leading higher education advisory business. We were born in Australia where we are the one of the main advisers to the sector; a sector which has exploded with international student growth over the last decade. We have also been in the UK for the past four years and have worked closely with a growing number of institutions to more effectively target and attract local and domestic students. Clients tell us that we employ pretty savvy analytical techniques and are generally considered a ‘breath of fresh air’ when it comes to engaging stakeholders.

You can view Zac’s profile on the Nous Group webpages.