Author Archives: Miriam Sandiford

Four people with arms around each other facing away

Support available for you at Kent

Picture this: you’re struggling with something academic and you need some help. Probably sounds familiar doesn’t it? So you go to your friends and ask them about it, but they can’t help. Now what? Luckily Kent has a huge range of support mechanisms for just this kind of issue, like your Student Rep. Every course has a Student Rep who gets elected every year by students, for students. If it’s an academic issue a lot of people are having they’ll take it to Student Voice Committees, where they are discussed with other Student Reps and key staff within your school to try and fix them, or send them higher up to more senior meetings if needed.

If it’s an issue that no one else seems to be having, or maybe one you don’t feel comfortable discussing with your friends, your Academic Adviser is available to help you. Every non-PGR student at Kent has an Academic Adviser who is there to provide guidance with academic matters you’re struggling with, as well as pointing you in the right direction to other services like Student Support & Wellbeing or Student Advice, to name a few.

-Ethan Basso, Undergraduate Sciences Faculty Rep

Ethan Basso

Students in a lab

School of Biosciences excels with industry accreditation

The School of Biosciences has been formally accredited across its full portfolio of undergraduate programmes. These accreditations were awarded from both the Royal Society of Biology (RSB) and the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS).

The RSB, the leading professional body for biological sciences in the UK, re-accredited all of the School’s undergraduate courses1 for a further five-year period. Furthermore, the School  achieved Advanced Accreditation for its Sandwich year programmes from the RSB2. These awards were given after the assessment panel identified areas of good practice and evidence that Kent’s programmes are preparing students with the knowledge and skills sought by sector employers.

Graduates of accredited courses receive one year of free membership from the RSB at Associate level, creating opportunities to build networks when applying for jobs and gaining enhanced recognition for their skills and experience. Together with the School’s outstanding graduate employability record, this is a huge benefit to those entering the working world of biology and life sciences.

In addition to the RSB accreditations, all of the School’s Biomedical Science degree programmes3 also achieved re-accreditation by the IBMS, the leading professional body for biomedical scientists for a further five-year period. IBMS accreditation certifies that the degrees meet the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) standards of proficiency for biomedical scientists and allows Kent graduates to enter further training on the path towards registration. IBMS degree accreditation is also of value for students heading towards other careers, such as medicine, industry and academia. The curriculum review process involved in IBMS accreditation ensures that all Kent Biomedical Science graduates receive high quality, research focused scientific education and practical skills training.

Professor Dan Lloyd, Deputy Head of the School of Biosciences, said: ‘We are grateful to all staff, clinical colleagues and students who have contributed to this success. The professional oversight and scrutiny of accreditation is a measure of confidence that our degrees prepare our students for graduate-level opportunities. This undoubtedly underpins students’ future employability, and the ability for them to reach their full potential.’

Footnotes:

[1] Accredited courses by the Royal Society of Biology: BSc (Hons) Biochemistry, BSc (Hons) Biochemistry with a Professional Year, BSc (Hons) Biochemistry with a Year Abroad, BSc (Hons) Biology, BSc (Hons) Biology with a Professional Year, BSc (Hons) Biology with a Year Abroad, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science with a Professional Year, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science with a Year Abroad.

[2] Course with Advanced Accreditation from the Royal Society of Biology: BSc (Hons) Biochemistry with a Sandwich Year, BSc (Hons) Biology with a Sandwich Year, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science with a Sandwich Year.

[3] Accredited courses by the IBMS: BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science with a Professional Year, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science with a Year Abroad, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science with a Sandwich Year.

The Big Fair

The Big Fair- societies, sports, housing, jobs and more!

The Big Fair takes place Tuesday 21 January 2020 and offers students another chance to meet hundreds of clubs and societies.

There will also be a Housing Fair where you can get advice, find housemates and meet accredited landlords, all courtesy of Home Stamp.

If you are job-hunting then look no further than the Kent Union who offer part-time work in all their outlets such as Venue, Woody’s, Co-op, the Library Cafe and through Jobshop.

So if you were not able to sign up to a club or society of your choice then this is your chance to do so. Plus there will be freebies, including FREE pizza from Dominos.

The Big Fair takes place at the Main Hall Sports Centre at the Canterbury campus between 11.00 and 15.00.

For more information, please visit the Kent Union website and their Facebook page.

 

 

 

 

Nominations now open for student leadership elections

Could you be the next student leader? Nominations now open

Student Leadership Election nominations open Monday 6 January and close 3 February 2020. Register your interest or nominate yourself here.

As a student-led, membership organisation we’re looking for great students to shape the leadership of Kent Union and the way the University runs.

There are five full-time, roles open to all Kent Union members to stand as a candidate, as well as to vote to choose the next Leadership Team. (All students of the University of Kent are members of Kent Union, unless you have chosen to opt out.)

Students’ Union President

  • Chair of Board of Trustees
  • Union development
  • Medway representation

Vice-President Academic Experience

  • Undergraduate academic experience
  • Student Rep system (300+ volunteers)
  • Academic communities
  • Education strategy

Vice-President Welfare and Community

  • Student wellbeing
  • Liberation
  • Local community
  • Environment and sustainability
  • Housing

Vice-President Student Engagement

  • Represent and support student groups (ie. Sports clubs societies, volunteers)
  • Sports development
  • Employability
  • Alumni engagement
  • Volunteer reward and recognition

Vice-President (Postgraduate Experience)

  • Postgraduate accommodation, educational needs and wellbeing
  • European centres
  • Graduate Teaching Assistant concerns
  • Postgraduate Student Reps
  • Internationalisation
  • Liaison with KGSA

The Full-Time Officer roles are based in the Mandela Student Centre on Canterbury Campus, but spend much of their time out on the campuses talking and getting feedback from students. They also attend meetings to represent those student views to the University, the local community as well as to the wider world.

The Full-Time Officers receive a generous package during their year in office including extensive training and support to deliver the role; access to recognised management qualifications, an NUS TOTEM card, a phone, a laptop and a bursary £19,000 pa.

Find out more about the Kent Union Student Leadership Election.

Sabbatical officers jumping

Kent Union Leadership Elections – nominate a student

You know Kent students better than anyone. If you think you know someone who’d make a great leader then we’d love to know. Many Officers are first recommended to us by staff and we’re asking for your help to identify potential candidates. At this stage we would contact the student for an informal chat, so no pressure or commitment.

Each year five students are elected by their peers to shape the shape their students’ union and represent the student voice to the University. If you think you know a student who has what it takes, recommend a leader using the form below and we’ll do the rest.

 Recommend a leader by 3 February 2020

Close up of exam desks and chairs

2020 Exams – coming soon!

It’s time to start thinking about your exams.

Get prepared by looking at our exam webpages.

Please see below upcoming dates for your diary.

Religious observance requests

Deadline for submission Tuesday 4 February 2020 (17.00).  Contact exams@kent.ac.uk.

More information about religious observance requests.

Personal timetable release

The exam timetable is released to students approximately two weeks before the end of spring term.

Follow us on Twitter for the first timetable announcement – @UniKent_CSAO 

Inclusive Learning Plans

If you require adapted arrangements for your exams you must meet with Student Support and Wellbeing to discuss your learning plan. More information and deadlines (ILPs).

Examinations Period 2020

Monday 4 May – Friday 12 June 2020.

Note:  Saturdays are included in the examination timetable.

Contact the Exams Team

Canterbury: exams@kent.ac.uk

Medway: medwayexams@kent.ac.uk

Twitter:  @UniKent_CSAO

Group photo of students outside Eliot holding University of Kent sign

Volunteers needed for January Welcome Week 2020

Would you enjoy helping new students feel welcome? Fancy earning some Employability Points along the way?

International Partnerships are looking for student volunteers to assist with three key parts of welcoming our new international student arrivals in January 2020.

  1. Meet & Greet Volunteer, Tuesday 7 January: You will be based on campus ready to welcome new arrivals and assist them to their accommodation. Shifts will be allocated in advance of the day.
  2. Networking Volunteer, Wednesday 8 January 09.00 – 13.00: Meet and spend time welcoming our new International students to the UK over refreshments & activities.
  3. Walking Tour Guide, Thursday 9 January 13.30 – flexible end: Love Canterbury? Why not lead a ‘walking tour’ from Eliot into the city centre. Point out key locations & routes, as well as your top tips of where to eat, drink, and shop in town. A fun way to earn Employability points and show new International students that even a rainy day in January can be fun! #BritishWeather

If you are interested in any of the above opportunities, please email internationalevents@kent.ac.uk with your selected event, full name, student email address and mobile phone number.

Note: We will need your mobile phone number in case we need to contact you during the day regarding the event. This will not be shared with any other students without your permission.

We look forward to hearing from you.

International Partnerships

Medway Elf Day- over £200 raised for Alzheimer’s Society

Thank you so much to everyone that donated on Friday for Elf day.  A special thanks to those staff and students who got dressed up, it was great to see you get involved and support this worthy cause.  We raised just over £200 on Friday for Alzheimer’s Society!

Lee Mongtomery dressed up as Elf for Elf Day

The winner of the Elf cake was Jane Glew, it was cut up and shared with staff and students.

The winners of the sweepstake are as follows:

Guess the number of elves – answer was 359 elves – Debbie Worthington was the closest with her guess of 371.

Guess the name of the elf – Lucy Hale won with the name Elfie McElfie-face

Elf advent game – Graham Hartland

All 3 donated their winnings back to the pot.

Thank you once again for supporting this College event.