Author Archives: Annabel Chislett

Thinking about Postgraduate Study?

The Graduate School are hosting a number of workshops during Enhancement Week for Undergraduate and Master’s students who are thinking about their future in academia.

Wednesday 7 November

Talk to our Postgraduates

14.00 – 16.00, Graduate School, CE329 Cornwallis East 3rd Floor

(Final Year UG and Master’s Students)

Current Master’s and PhD students have volunteered their time to talk to you about their time as a postgraduate student. You can ask them about their experiences and what life is like as a postgraduate at Kent. Hear about postgraduate facilities, intensity of workload and how they manage their finances.  Get to know what expectations are realistic and tips on establishing a work/life balance. Ask about support and what relationships/contacts they have developed during study and, find out what challenges there may be to overcome.

Let us know you are coming by registering here.

Thursday 8 November

Designing a Research Proposal or Master’s Application

13.00 – 16.00, Graduate School, CE329 Cornwallis East 3rd

(Final Year UG and Master’s Students)

This workshop is aimed at students who are putting together a Master’s application or research proposals for PhD projects.  We will consider what a good application/proposal needs, examine some examples of successful applications/proposals, and consider some tips and tricks from successful applicants. Participants should bring along their draft applications (if you have already started), as there will be an opportunity to work on these in the session. The workshop will provide a supportive, interactive work space for participants who are designing their own projects.

Facilitated by Dr Jo Collins, Postgraduate Development Advisor – Graduate School.

Undergraduate students register here.
Master’s students register through Bloom here.

Friday 9 November

Kent Scholarships – what’s on offer?

10.00 – 11.00, Graduate School Training Room, Cornwallis East 3rd Floor

(Final Year UG and Master’s Students)

This workshop is designed to give you an insight into applying for postgraduate scholarships at Kent. We will be covering what to look for when searching for a scholarship, both at Kent and from scholarship search engines and also what makes a good application. How are Scholarship decisions made? What can I expect out of a scholarship? The workshop will cover both Master’s and PhD scholarships. This will be a fully interactive session with a scholarship themed puzzles to solve.

Hosted by Stephen McLaughlin, Postgraduate Funding Officer and Louise Mann, Scholarships and Research Councils Assistant.

Let us know you are coming by registering here.

Postgraduate Funding: Considering the Alternatives

13.00 – 16.00, Graduate School Training Room, Cornwallis East 3rd Floor

(Final Year UG and Master’s Students)

Need extra funding? For fees, living expenses, research, travel, conferences.
If the answer is ‘Yes’ to any of these, then consider this workshop with Dr Luke Blaxill, Director of GradFunding. It explores the thousands of alternative grant-making bodies in Britain: principally charities, trusts, and foundations.
By the end of the workshop, participants will have gained the knowledge and skills needed to:

1. identify the appropriate and best alternative funding bodies for them
2. find these bodies via books and the internet
3. apply strongly and in the correct fashion.

Undergraduate students register here.
Master’s students register through Bloom here.

CEWL Individual writing tutorials

The Centre for English and World Languages (CEWL) is offering Individual Writing Tutorials to give you the opportunity to discuss your academic writing with a member of staff from CEWL. Advice will be given on your language as well as the structure, coherence and cohesion of your work. Individual sessions last 20-30 minutes each and are free of charge.

Tutorials are available all year. To make an appointment, please email us at cewl@kent.ac.uk

Please note that this is not a proof-reading service.

Staff Connect update – book training and record your appraisal

The new training and appraisal functions are now live on Staff Connect. You can already use Staff Connect to view your payslip and view and change your personal details but the additions of training requests and the recording of appraisals (RPDs) extends the benefit of the system significantly.

You can now request a reservation on a training activity run by the Learning & Organisational Development (L&OD) team, which will be automatically forwarded to your line manager to authorise.

As well as booking on to training courses, you will be able to securely record your Appraisal (RPD) within the system.  All staff will have a record made when their Appraisal (RPD) discussion has taken place.  Having a clear and agreed organisational record that these discussions have taken place is a significant step forward and will enable managers and leaders to monitor and ensure that high quality appraisal discussions are taking place in line with the University’s commitment to staff.  Having the option to save appraisal paperwork within the system will also provide a strong safeguard for this important personal data. More information is available on the RPD website.

Line managers will also be able to set up “delegations” in Staff Connect, enabling other members of staff to approve requests on their behalf.  They can nominate different delegates for different people management processes, e.g. their PA for training course requests, and another manager for appraisals (if this reflects what happens in practice). User guides for both managers and staff regarding delegation set up and management are available on the Staff Connect Delegation page. Managers will be able to delegate other people management responsibilities as they become live in the system (eg authorising annual leave from early 2019).

Line managers will now have the ability to view reports on training and appraisals. In addition managers will have access to reports on the organisational hierarchy and post reporting structure, as appropriate to their position. This will help managers to identify any discrepancies in the structure which they should then notify to hrsysplan@kent.ac.uk for correction.

If you have any questions about Staff Connect and the launch of this new module, there is guidance, including a frequently asked questions section, on the Staff Connect website.

To find out more about using Staff Connect to book on to L&OD training courses and to record Appraisals (RPDs), please come to one of the demo and drop-in sessions available for all staff and line managers. Please go to L&OD Staff Connect information to find out more.

This is the latest update in the Staff Connect Phase 2 project. The new staff absence and the recruitment modules will go live in early 2019. If you have any questions about the project, please contact staffconnect@kent.ac.uk

Go Abroad Fortnight 16-31 Oct 2018

Thinking about going abroad but not sure where to start?
Come along to Go Abroad Fortnight! With events, workshops and activities over two weeks – there is a something for everyone!

Over the two weeks there will be a series of events to help you find out about the opportunities available to you. Whether you are considering adding a term or year abroad to your degree, working abroad or would like to know about summer schools available, there is an opportunity that is right for you.

Going abroad is not only for students, we also have an information session for staff to learn about the opportunities available to them through the Erasmus+ programme.

PS: You can gain Employability Points by attending sessions!

The Medway Student Support Bursary 2018/19

The Universities at Medway have been awarded a further significant donation to The Medway Student Support Bursary. This donation will provide bursaries to home (UK/EU) students from Canterbury Christ Church University, University of Greenwich and the University of Kent each year. This is an excellent opportunity to apply for additional funding and the selected recipients will receive a bursary of either £2,500 (Autumn applications) or £1,250 (Spring applications).
Applying for this bursary is easy. Check the eligibility criteria below, if you meet the requirements, all you need to do is complete the application form and return it along with the required evidence by the deadline. The Selection Criteria and Important Notes below will provide guidance on this.

The deadline to apply by is 12 noon on the 9 November 2018 (Autumn term applications) and 12 noon on 8 February 2019 (Spring Term applications)

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA OF THE MEDWAY STUDENT SUPPORT BURSARY
In order to be eligible to apply for The Medway Student Support Bursary you must:

  •  be a home student (UK/EU)
  • be currently registered full or part-time on an undergraduate degree programme based at the Medway Campus
  • demonstrate a household income of £42,875 or less

SELECTION CRITERIA OF THE MEDWAY STUDENT SUPPORT BURSARY

  • Your application will be considered on the basis of your fulfilment of the eligibility criteria and the 350-500 word statement sections demonstrating:
  • why you are in need of financial support and what has changed in your financial circumstances since embarking on the programme
  • what the award will be used for (See important note below)
  • information about you and your aims and aspirations for the future
  • You may want to include additional information relating to volunteering or ambassadorial work that you have done or are planning to do within the local community e.g. voluntary work, paid work, sports contributions, community activity organisations such as the Scouts etc.)

Important notes:

  • awards will not fund general (exceptional travel may be considered) programme travelling expenses or new equipment such as laptops or phones
  • awards are intended for the student‘s use only and not for family support
  • The first payment will only be made upon submission of a thank you letter to the donors outlining how the Bursary will be used to support the Bursary recipient.
  • The second payment will only be made upon submission of a report outlining how the Bursary has supported the Bursary recipient and how this support has impacted on their academic studies.
  • successful recipients will be able to hold other awards whilst in receipt of the Medway Student Support Bursary such as the NSP and may reapply for a further bursary in subsequent years
  • successful recipients will be required to sign a Bursary Agreement which sets out the conditions of the bursary award
  • payment of the bursary will be suspended immediately, and any payments may be required to be returned, if an awardee:
    (i) ceases to hold an offer of a place at any of the Universities,
    (ii) ceases to be a registered student at any of the Universities,
    (iii) becomes a debtor to any of the three Universities,
    (iv) is found to have made a misrepresentation or misleading or fraudulent statement in connection with his/her application
  • recipients are expected to remain in satisfactory academic standing
  • students out on a placement year are not eligible for that year, but may apply once academic studies are resumed
  • successful recipients will be required to write a report to the board detailing how the bursary has supported them and how this support has impacted on their academic studies. The deadline for submission of the report by the Medway Student Support Bursary recipients is 1 March 2019 (Autumn applications), and 24 May 2019 (Spring applications).
  • All applications confirmed as meeting the eligibility criteria will be taken forward. The bursary recipient(s) will be chosen by the Medway Student Support Bursary Board which will meet in early December (Autumn applications) and early March (Spring applications) and all applicants will be advised of the outcome shortly afterwards.

Your completed application along with all required evidence can be scanned and emailed to us at medwaymastersoffice@kent.ac.uk or a paper application can be submitted to M2-25 (Medway Building 2nd Floor).

We look forward to receiving your application and remember, the deadline is 12 noon on the 9 November 2018 (Autumn applications) and 8 February 2019 (Spring applications).

Jane Glew, Medway College Master.

Individual Writing Tutorials in CEWL

The Centre for English and World Languages (CEWL) is offering Individual Writing Tutorials to give you the opportunity to discuss your academic writing with a member of staff from CEWL. Advice will be given on the structure, coherence and cohesion of your work. Individual sessions last 30 minutes each and are free of charge.

Tutorials are available all year. To make an appointment, please email us at cewl@kent.ac.uk.

Erasmus Staff Mobility Talk – Go Abroad Fortnight 2018

Come along and learn about the opportunities available for staff to undertake training at our partner universities across Europe on Friday 19th October between 11.00 -12..00 in KS4. There will also be a session running in Medway on Tuesday 23rd October between 14.00-15.00 in M1-22.

The University of Kent’s participation in the EU’s flagship mobility programme, Erasmus+, offers great opportunities to take part in professional development activities and we will be discussing this in more detail at our session running during Go Abroad Fortnight 2018.

For more information about Go Abroad Fortnight or Erasmus+ opportunities, please visit our website.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

LTN Session – Working with and understanding international students, follow-up session for professional services staff

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.

New exhibition in Colyer-Fergusson explores a dark reimagining of ‘Hansel and Gretel’

The new exhibition in Colyer-Fergusson Gallery explores a new version of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ ahead of a performance of a new chamber work coming to the concert hall on Sunday 21 October.

The artwork by Clive Hicks-Jenkins and Phil Cooper reflects the visual imagery created for the performance in both developmental stages in the creation of the set and animation, as well as the figures of Hansel and Gretel themselves. Some of the work features in the performance itself, a unique blend of live music, animation, puppetry and narration, with words by the poet Simon Armitage and music by Matthew Kaner, former Embedded Composer with BBC Radio 3 and Professor of Composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. The touring performance comes to Colyer-Fergusson in partnership with this year’s Canterbury Festival, and the event on campus is the only instance of the formative artwork being exhibited.

The exhibition, on display until 26 October, is open during normal working hours including weekends, and there is disabled access; admission is free.

Visit Bodiam Castle and Rye: Day Trip by Coach Sat 20 Oct

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.