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

As we move into the final term of this academic year, and on behalf of all our University staff, I would like to take a moment to thank you for the resilience you have shown throughout the pandemic. I know this has been a difficult time for many of you and I, along with the rest of the University, have been humbled by your tenacity and dedication to your studies.

After many months of uncertainty, I am pleased we can now look ahead to the next academic year at Kent and plan the experiences you will be able to look forward to.

The government’s roadmap out of lockdown gives us every reason to be optimistic though, whilst we anticipate that we will return fully to campus as usual from September and will be preparing for this, we are also planning for other possibilities should there be any delays to that roadmap.

Campus

We are getting ready to open our campuses from September 2021 and look forward to welcoming you back to Kent.

There will be plenty of opportunities to make the most of our beautiful spaces and meet with other students, with a range of creative events, activities and ways to get together. Our venues, bars and cafes will be open, following any safety guidance that is relevant at the time.

We will be providing a broad range of events at both Canterbury and Medway, allowing you to reconnect with other students and to make the most of your University experience. Our events will include both face-to-face and online opportunities, ensuring all Kent students can get involved no matter where they are in the world.

Teaching

We are determined to give you the highest quality education and having listened to both you and our staff, are planning our teaching around ways that will best enable your success.

Most lectures will continue to be delivered online in the Autumn term, so that we can timetable as many small-group teaching sessions (eg, seminars, lab classes and studio sessions) for face-to-face delivery as possible. These are the sessions in which you can most effectively share and discuss ideas directly with our staff and your fellow students.

For the whole of 2021/22, summative assessments and exams will remain online, with only a small number of exceptions.

Planning in this way means we will be able to adapt our plans quickly as and when government guidelines give us more flexibility.

Whilst we look forward to welcoming you all back in person, we know that might not be possible for some of you. For those of you unable to return, remote study will remain an option for most courses.

Later this term, as plans progress, your school/department will email you with more details on how your subject will be taught from September and will provide advice for those requiring remote study.

Support

In the past year, we recognise that your studies have been disrupted and you have had to adapt to different ways of learning during the pandemic. We will continue to offer a wide range of support for your academic studies and good mental health, through our academic advisory sessions and services including those from Student Support and Wellbeing and Student Learning and Advisory Service. We are keen to ensure you get the most out of your time at Kent, so we are here to support you throughout your journey.

Along with colleagues from across the University, I will be providing a general update for the Summer Term as part of our series of Kent Student WebChats on Friday 21 May, 13.00-14.00. Please do sign-up online and add and any questions you would like to have answered.

Further information about our plans for the 2021/22 academic year, as it becomes available, will be added to your Coronavirus Student Information pages.

If you have any questions, please email CovidSupport@kent.ac.uk.

With my best wishes,

Richard

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