Monthly Archives: April 2022

Our Response to the EHRC Equality Act Report

The recent media attention surrounding the Equality and Human Right Commission report “Separate and single-sex service providers: a guide on the Equality Act sex and gender reassignment provisions” has created some confusion, uncertainty and debate around the interpretation it brings when it comes to the use of facilities such as toilets and changing rooms.

At Kent we recognise that the responses of some institutions are placing our trans, nonbinary and intersex colleagues at an increased risk of harm. We affirm our commitment to members of these communities at Kent, and to our ongoing work to remove discriminatory practices and approaches that place them at risk of harm.

At the University we have our own EDI policy, Dignity at Work policy and Trans Student Support policy but given the press attention, we feel it necessary to clarify our position that we want to work towards an environment where individuals can feel safe and comfortable to use the facilities including toilets and changing rooms, that matches their gender, without fear of harassment or discrimination.

Context

This most recent media attention is situated in an ongoing context, where trans and non-binary people face discrimination and harassment:

At work, including from colleagues, managers, customers and clients;
In public, including verbal and physical abuse;
Online, particularly on social media where targeted harassment, bullying and abusive comments and even attempts to find and share trans people’s previous names and current address are increasingly common;
Trans people also face barriers to accessing healthcare, such as long waiting lists for treatment.

We at the University of Kent are committed to fostering a positive working environment where all employees are treated fairly, with dignity, courtesy, respect and consideration. All staff have a responsibility to create an environment that is free from harassment, bullying, unlawful discrimination and victimisation. We do not – and will not – tolerate discrimination and harassment within our institution. We have been pleased to see growing awareness of the diversity of the trans and non-binary community and increased understanding of the breadth of gender identities. Unfortunately, this visibility has come with a rise in hostility towards some members of the trans community.

Harassment reporting

We fully support and encourage all our students and staff to report incidents of harassment and discrimination using existing policies.

Toilet Facilities

We have maps of both our Canterbury and Medway campuses highlighting the location of gender neutral toilets. We want individuals to be comfortable using the facilities that match their gender, without fear of harassment or discrimination.

Join our communities

The LGBTQ+ Network aims to represent and act as the voice for, as well as promote, extend, and defend the rights of LGBTQ+ students to both the University and Kent Union.
LGBTQ+ Society is a social society with the aim of providing a safe space for those who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ umbrella. They welcome people of all sexualities and genders.
Medway LGBTQ Society at GKSU.
Trans, non-binary, intersex and questioning peer support group

Access resources

Using the resources available removes the burden of questions, explanations and discussions from members of the LGBTQIA+ community – the links below are an excellent starting point for people wanting to understand more.

Our LGBTQ+ network have a fantastic blog that covers ongoing news, events and challenges – stay up to date with the issues affecting the community.

Mermaids UK and Stonewall have easily accessible resources and Q&A that cover many of the relevant issues.

Rainbow Lanyard

The University of Kent Rainbow Lanyard celebrates and promotes our work around Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Wearing one shows your commitment to providing a safe and comfortable environment for all of our LGBTQ+ staff and students. It also shows LGBTQ+ people that they can ‘bring their whole selves’ to you without fear of judgement or an unsupportive reaction.

Revision tips from current students

Need a boost in your revision? Get some ideas for how to improve your revision with these tips from our current students:

“Look at past exam papers to identify patterns in questions. This will settle any nerves prior to the day.”

Tereza Koshi – 2nd year Law.

“Why not give ‘study-with-me’ videos a go. You can find these online, and they can help to focus on the task at hand, break the revision into manageable chunks, and provide a sense of completion!”

Antti Lattula, MSc Organisational and Business Psychology.

“Make sure that you have an adequate amount of breaks when revising. I like to study for half an hour and then half a ten minute break. Look back at the essays you’ve written throughout the year to see what you can improve on.”

Lucy Dixon – 2nd year International Business.

“I like making colourful flashcards and using Quizlet and Notion to test myself.”

Lily Colwell – 2nd year Forensic Psychology.

“Group study can help you focus and supplement your knowledge as it’s great to pick up things off of other people that you might not have thought of before.”

Emily Flint – 2nd year History.

“I like to condense all of the most important information into one document and go through and highlight key pieces of legislation and cases. This means that in an online exam I can quickly refer to this to find what I need. I also like to add in comments of critical thought from different readings that might be useful in my essays.”

Ellie House – 3rd year Law.

“Use active recall and make sure you plan out your time in advance depending on when your exams are so you can prioritise modules.”

Gemma Overy – 3rd year Psychology.

“Pick a topic and write out a mind map of everything you can remember from it — only when you’re totally stuck do you look at your notes. This always helps me figure where I actually need to focus my revision rather than going over things I already understand”

Tanya Iyer – 3rd year Law.

“It’s important to structure your days out so that you have a clear plan on what you need to get through that day. This will make things feel more achievable, and make you feel like you are progressing well through your day.”

Stephanie Colairo – 3rd year Law.

Follow us on Instagram @UniKentLive as we’ll be sharing more revision tips on Instagram stories in the lead up to and throughout the exams period.

Helpful exam webpages:

Marking and Assessment Boycott Ended

From Professor Richard Reece | DVC Education & Student Experience

I am pleased to be able to let you know that the local branch of the UCU has accepted the proposal we made on 23 March and that the local marking and assessment boycott has now been brought to an end. You can read our joint statement with UCU in full for more on the background to this.

This means that the marking and assessment of your work has been resumed as normal. Any marking that was not carried out due to the boycott will now be prioritised and we anticipate all of this will be completed by early May at the latest.

I would like to thank you all for your patience during what has been a really difficult time for you. You have faced significant disruption this term for which I am sincerely sorry – I hope this news will go some way to helping you focus on your studies and experience at Kent for the remainder of the year.

Ongoing national issues

As I said in my email last week, we are continuing our talks with the UCU on the national issues in the hope that together we can come to a resolution that avoids any further action at Kent.

Expenses claims – strike action

If you incurred any expenses because of the strikes by the UCU and you would like to claim these back, please would you make sure you do so by this Friday 8 April. You will find the claim form and guidance on the student webpages.

My thanks again to all of you for your continued hard work throughout this period of disruption. I would also like to wish you all a peaceful and restorative break. I know that the last term has been challenging, both due to industrial action and as we have adapted together to the return of face-to-face activities.

I wish you all the very best as we head into the exam term – look out for an email later this week with more information on the support available to you throughout this time.

With all good wishes,

Richard

Professor Richard Reece | DVC Education & Student Experience

Industrial Action: Local Dispute Ended

From Martin Atkinson | Director of HR & Organisational Development

I am pleased to be able to let you know that the local branch of the UCU has accepted the proposal we made on 23 March and that the local ASOS, including the marking and assessment boycott, has now been brought to an end. You can read our joint statement with UCU for more background on this.

This means that marking and assessment is now resumed as normal, although the national Action Short of a Strike (not including a marking and assessment boycott) remains in place.

Any work that was not assessed during the boycott will now be assessed alongside other work, with Divisions working with their staff to agree on areas to prioritise. We anticipate that all outstanding marking will be completed by Friday 6 May 2022.

We would like to thank our local UCU for their part in the negotiations which have brought the dispute to a close. We would also like to thank those of you who have been providing extra support to students throughout the periods of industrial action.

This year has been particularly difficult for our students, and I want to recognise their patience in the face of the uncertainty and stress caused to them by the ongoing disputes. I sincerely hope that they can now look forward to some stability and certainty as they enter the examination period.

Ongoing negotiations

I am also conscious of how challenging recent weeks have been for colleagues in Divisions which have been reviewing their activities and which face continued challenges due to national changes in where prospective students’ interests lie.

Whilst no compulsory redundancies have been proposed as part of these reviews and would only ever be considered as a very last resort, we understand that reviews can be unsettling for staff and I hope this agreement will take some of the pressure off while this work continues. I’d also like to thank colleagues for their continued involvement in working collectively on what a positive and sustainable way forward might look like. For the avoidance of any doubt, the commitment made in the joint statement to UCU members also applies to all other staff across the University.

We are also continuing our talks with UCU on the national issues in the hope that we can build on progress in the areas that we can influence at Kent – bearing in mind that many of the issues on the national ballot are out of our control. I will continue to keep you updated on progress with all these issues and hope we can now all concentrate on preparations for the summer term.

With all good wishes,

Martin

Martin Atkinson | Director of HR & Organisational Development

How to prepare for online exams

*You can also listen to the new Kent Voices Exam Calm podcast to hear from Kent students and staff about how to get the most from your revision*

Current student Ellie shares her top tips for how to prepare for exam season:

1. Make the most of the Easter break

Just because exams are online, don’t think this means you won’t need to revise and prepare. Make the most of the Easter break by using this time to go over all of the content you’ve studied throughout the year, and to practise how you will answer exam questions. Of course, also use the break to relax, but don’t forget that it is also a great time to catch up or get ahead on work.

2. Be aware of how you’re going to be examined

Exams run differently in different subjects and modules, so don’t assume that every exam will be the same. They also often differ from coursework in style, length and criteria, so it’s important to be aware of how this might change the way you revise. Make sure you’re adapting your revision techniques to this, and that you read through different example questions to get an understanding of how the exam will look on the day. Also, if you do any wild modules, it’s important to consider how different schools mark and examine as this could be very different from what you’re used to! See the Guidance for Online Exams 2022.

3. It’s never too late to start

The run up to exams can often feel overwhelming for students, and it can be tempting to keep putting off your revision. However, it’s important to start as soon as possible, as any extra time you can put towards exam preparation will help you! If you’ve found yourself in a position where you feel it’s too late to start, DON’T GIVE UP! Start now as it’s never too late to get some extra practice in, and it really will help you when you’re under the pressure of an exam. Check out the Planning, Revision and Preparation for Online Exams webpage for lots of advice to help you get prepared.

4. Make efficient use of your resources

As most exams are online, this often means that you are allowed to use your notes and textbooks (but please check for each individual exam before assuming this). However, don’t let this become a safety blanket to ignore working hard. Go through your resources before the exam and make note of important quotes, pages and articles that may be relevant later so that you can access them efficiently under timed conditions. This will help you in the actual exam as you won’t be rifling through hundreds of online articles whilst trying to get your answers completed in a short space of time. There are plenty of online resources including time planner templates so you can make your own revision timetable.

5. Try to keep a positive mindset

This is easier said than done, but keeping a positive mindset about exams can really help you to remain confident and do well. Try to remember that exams are simply a way to show what you can do, and that as long as you’re prepared and you try your hardest, there’s nothing more you can do. By keeping a positive mindset, you can really focus on what needs to be done to achieve the grades you want. The Exam Calm website also has tips, resources and events to help you prepare, connect and be calm during the exam period.

We hope these tips help you feel a little more prepared, and that you can use them to impact the way you revise and prepare. Good luck in your exams!

The Shape of our Academic Year

From Richard Reece| Deputy Vice-Chancellor | Education and Student Experience

At Kent, it is important we continually reflect on our provision and the experience we offer our students. Back in 2016/17, the University began a consultation with staff and students concerning the shape of our academic year. This was delayed by other organisational priorities and, of course, the covid pandemic. However, we are now in a position to continue this important work.

Kent is unusual in the HE sector in not holding a Winter assessment period after Autumn modules. This means our students can have a long period of time between teaching and being assessed on what they have learnt. We have received feedback from both students and Kent Union that this causing significant levels of anxiety. Many staff have also highlighted the challenge of the six-week turnaround of exams in the Summer, which is becoming increasingly difficult to manage with the complexity of our portfolio.

During the last consultation, we received significant feedback from staff and students. This insight has been used to shape the proposals presented to you. We are now asking for staff input in shaping these proposals, to ensure the one we choose provides the best structure for our whole University community.

Please get involved and share your views. Information about the proposed changes can be found on this dedicated SharePoint site. Here you will find further context to the changes as well as the three potential academic year structures. You will find a feedback form online, so you may leave comments and ask questions.

I will be holding a series of webinars, one for each division, during early April. These will be an opportunity for you to find out more about the proposed changes and ask questions relevant to your division and role.

Each Division has already been invited separately to their own dedicated webinar. To attend the Professional Services webinar on Thursday 7 April 13.00 – 14.00, please use this Teams link.

Here’s a schedule of each Divisional webinar:

5 April – 10.00 – 11.00 – Law, Society & Social Justice

5 April – 12.30 – 13.30 – Natural Science

5 April – 16.00 – 17.00 – KBS

6 April – 15.30 – 16.30 – Arts & Humanities

7 April – 9.00 – 10.00 – Computer, Engineering & Mathematical Sciences

7 April – 11.30 – 12.30 – Human & Social Sciences

7 April – 13.00 – 14.00 – Professional Services

It is important we also understand the views of our students and these help shape our decisions. Information on the potential changes will be provided to students through our Your Uni Your Say campaign, allowing them to find out more and ask questions.

Whether to change the structure of our academic year is an important decision that we must take together. I hope you will participate in this consultation and help shape our future at Kent.

Support our first-ever Kent Giving Week

From Hilary Edridge | Head of Campaigns and Philanthropy

Fundraising brings people together. By giving us a vision we can share, a common cause to inspire us and goals that we can aim for together, it can build networks and communities that really can help bring about positive change.

That’s been my experience of fundraising for many years now and why I’ve long wanted to launch a dedicated week of fundraising that the whole University can join in and enjoy.

The University’s plans for a new Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy gives us a perfect opportunity to launch an annual giving week that I hope will help us achieve something truly remarkable. The proposed centre will be the first of its kind in the UK and it promises to transform lives through innovative therapies and interventions for the many thousands of people who are diagnosed with this debilitating disease every year. More than 145,000 people live with Parkinson’s in the UK and it’s more than likely that each one of us knows someone personally who suffers from it.

So today we are launching our fundraising campaign that will build up over the coming days and weeks and culminate in Kent Giving Week, an exciting week of activities between the 9 – 13 May. I hope you’ll all want to take part in some way, big or small.

Each day will feature a theme that corresponds to a Parkinson’s disease symptom and the particular kind of therapy that the new centre will support and promote: Listen (neuro-stimulation); Sing (speech and language therapy, group singing); Move (group exercise and physiotherapy); Learn (nutritional, occupational and mental health advice) and Connect (massage therapy).

Activities will link to the themes so that you can do a 5k route around campus whilst wearing silent disco headphones (Listen); take part in our static bike ride (Move); come to a concert with the fantastic East Kent Rock Choir (Sing); come to some interesting and inspiring ‘TED’ Talks as well as hearing PhD students presenting their research at Bright Minds (Learn) and connect with others from around the globe from the comfort of your home in the Big Finale Livestream (Connect).

Alongside the week of activities we have The Moving Challenge where up until 13 May you can do a sponsored walk, run, swim or cycle to help us reach our collective goal of 5,000km. Whether you attend an event, take part in The Moving Challenge or support us in reaching our £25,000 goal, there really is something for everyone.

Students, local businesses, alumni and the local community are going to be joining in too. Learning about Parkinson’s is going to be a key objective of the campaign so that we both learn from our activities and understand better how the Centre will help those who need it most.

Do think about how you can sign up to support the activities, perhaps with your team and immediate colleagues, or support others in doing so. It’s going to be great fun!

For more information visit our about Kent Giving Week website.

Thank you.

Hilary Edridge

Events roundup: 4-10 April

It’s the last week of the Spring Term! Here’s a roundup of this week’s top student events:

Monday: Aromatherapy workshop and Community Litter Pick

Join an Aromatherapy Workshop at Medway in the Drill Hall Library, 12.00-14.00 on Monday. Relax with essential oils and try making your very own Aromatherapy reed diffuser, room spray or mini air freshener.

Get involved in our Community Litter Pick, meeting outside the Careers and Employability building at 12.30 on Monday. Give back and clean up our public spaces. It’s also a great opportunity to earn Employability Points while getting out in nature. Can’t make it on Monday? There’s also a Community Litter Pick on Wednesday.

Tuesday: Preparation for exams and Medway Social Spaces Celebration – Oasis Lounge

Starting to think about exams? Come to Templeman Library on Tuesday 13.00-15.00 to get some advice about library resources for revision and to pick up some free fruit and other healthy snacks.

At 15.00 you can join an online Bitesize session from the Student Learning Advisory Service (SLAS) about how to write essays in exams. SLAS provide a wealth of online resources to help you get prepared for your exams.

To celebrate our new social spaces at Medway, we’re holding a celebration event in the Oasis Lounge, Rochester building. Catch up with friends before term ends with free food, drink and music.

Wednesday: Inflatable assault course at Library Lawn and live music at The Hook Lounge (Medway)

Grab some friends and head to the Library Lawn for the inflatable assault course and games. It’s a great opportunity to have fun some fun with friends before the end of term.

Following Tuesday’s Medway social space celebration, we’ve got another one in store for you on Wednesday. This time at The Hook Lounge in the Clocktower building. Come along for free food, drinks and live music!

Thursday: Compassion meditation for postgrad students

Join a guided compassion meditation with other postgrads at 17.00 on Thursday in Cornwallis North West. The meditation has a focus on health, happiness and wellbeing. This is a safe and open space for postgraduate students to join and feel welcome, stay for the hour-long session and for refreshments afterwards.

Sunday: Deadline for Graham-Roger £1000 academic prize

How would you change the world? Sunday is the deadline to enter the Graham Roger Prize. Submissions can take the form of an essay, article, poem, speech or video. A Kent student will win £1000 prize and the runner up will receive a £100 gift voucher, so it’s worth entering!

Browse all student events.

BAME Staff Network – All Staff Survey Report 2022

From Georgina Randsley de Moura | Professor of Social & Organisational Psychology
Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Strategy, Planning, and Performance

I am delighted that this report is now available in full and would like to thank, both personally and on behalf of Kent, the authors for their exceptional work on this. This report would not have been possible without significant investment of time and emotional labour by the BAME staff network chairs, and the many survey respondents and I thank all of you who have played a part in this.

Understanding the lived experience of our colleagues and students is key to ensuring the continual change needed to address the structural marginalisation they encounter on a daily basis. I encourage all members of our community to read this report and reflect on the changes that can be made within each of our areas of influence to create a more inclusive culture at Kent.

Alongside the aims and recommendations of this report, our antiracism strategy and Race Equality Charter work, we will work together to challenge accepted thinking and ways of working and to bring change across Kent.

The BAME staff network all staff survey research sought to understand the culture of the University of Kent, in order to advance race equality and improve career progression and staff development. A key priority for the network was to launch an all-staff survey to learn about the experiences and views regarding the university’s EDI practices and policies. The survey was designed and launched by the Co-Chairs in 2020-21 and was entitled ‘BAME Staff Network All Staff Survey 2020’. This report documents the findings from the survey and the report can be found here.

Worktribe ‘Going Live’

What is Worktribe?

Worktribe, the leading platform for higher education research management, is a Cloud-based platform that enables the effective and efficient management of research and innovation (R&I) grant applications and award data.

Why?

Research and Innovation Services (RIS) and the academic Divisions jointly recognised the urgent need for a more efficient and effective research and innovation grant application management system to support researchers and research managers across the University. Investment in the Worktribe Pre-award and Reporting modules will provide a more transparent, robust, and efficient way of processing grant applications and awards, supporting Divisions to achieve their research and innovation income targets. Worktribe offers depth of functionality with an intuitive, user-friendly interface. Its modular nature means that it can be incrementally expanded to support other R&I activities and workflows in due course.

Benefits

The key message is that Worktribe will provide a unified platform to enable researchers and research administrators to collaborate on the development, costing and approval of research and innovation projects. It will thus help to:

Increase efficiency and transparency of information.
Allow more time to be devoted to research and innovation activity.
Enable Divisions to track and report on research and innovation data more effectively.

Specific benefits for academics will include:

Greater control and visibility of their projects.
Easily accessible information on how many applications they have been working on and how many projects have secured funding.

Professor Shane Weller, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, who approved the purchase of Worktribe for Kent on 2 September 2021, says: “I am absolutely delighted that we have been able to secure Worktribe for the University of Kent, since it will enable our researchers and research administrators and managers to benefit from an industry-leading tool to support research and innovation funding applications. Worktribe will play a major role in enabling us to support the world-class research being undertaken by our staff across the institution. The implementation of Worktribe is proceeding very well, and we are now progressing to the early adopter stage.”

Early adopters

We are delighted to be working with the Division of Natural Sciences (NATS) as early adopters of the Worktribe system. Academics and professional services staff within this Division will have the opportunity to benefit from the system from 1^st May 2022.

Timeline