Author Archives: Miriam Sandiford

Timetables now available for returning students

If you are a returning student, tour personal timetable is now available on the Student Guide if you are fully registered on your modules.

This will show your main group classes, such as lectures, and your group allocations, such as seminars or labs, for level 5 and 6 modules.

If you are taking any level 4 modules your group allocations will be finalised by Friday 20 September 2019.

If you have recently changed module or programme of study, there may be a delay to your personal timetable being available.

Continue to go back and check your timetable regularly for updates including other events. If you have more questions, read the Timetabling FAQs.

One Hour Degree narrative based adventure game

The One Hour Degree is a narrative based adventure game that simulates all the key elements of gaining a degree at Kent condensed into as little as one hour.

Developed by the Student Success Project, the game is designed to specifically address issues affecting the transition into university, to highlight best practice, allow students to take risks and see what repercussions this has on their results. As such, it is primarily aimed at students who are about to join or who have recently begun their degree journey at Kent, even though the game is available for anyone to play anywhere.

There are five independent ‘quests’ focused on:

Welcome Week
the first term
the rest of the first year
year 2
year 3

The game introduces key facilities, support networks and social opportunities that are available at Kent as well as being able to view stunning imagery of our parkland campus.

Players will earn ‘knowledge’ and ‘wellbeing’ points along the way as well as a badge for each completed quest. Together they will dictate the classification of the ‘degree’ received at the end before you have the opportunity to be part of your very own graduation video!

With more than 100 million unique pathways through the game, players can easily choose a different story path each time to see how different decisions result in different outcomes.

There has been considerable input from around the University including the Library Services team, Student Learning Advisory Service, Careers and Employability Centre, Student Support & Wellbeing and several Academic Advisors.

The game does not require a login or user account and can be played by anyone who has access to a web browser, on any device. Find the link to the game on the Hello Kent and Student Success web pages. Play the One Hour Degree now.

Kent Sport student membership update

Kent Sport is excited to announce new student membership options for 2019/20 available to buy online or at the Sports Centre and The Pavilion receptions.

In December 2018, Kent Sport and Kent Union launched the #FitForPurpose survey. Students and staff were able to have their say on Kent Sport membership and what they wanted out of their membership options. We listened to what you said and have made changes to our membership options.

Whether you want an all-inclusive membership or to use the gym and classes or even just to try a new sport – we have options for everyone.

• Premium Plus £245 – For less than £1.50/day, our all-inclusive membership combines the benefits of Premium and Plus. Enjoy discounted physiotherapy and massage, exclusive offers at The Pavilion Café Bar, bike hire, seven-day advance booking, and UNIversal BUCS membership.

• Premium £190 – From just 90p/day, this option gives you unlimited gym access, entry to all fitness classes, free access to our Let’s Play activities, and five-day advance booking. Additional activities available (fees apply).

• Plus £175 – From just 84p/day, this option gives you free access to club training sessions*, intramural sports club entry, free recreational sports bookings, and five-day advance booking. Additional activities available (fees apply).

• Pay to Play £5 – Our low commitment option gives you the flexibility to play when you want, with a £4.50 fee per session.

Make sure you check the benefits table to see what is available for each membership option.
“Over 2,500 students and staff filled out the survey, so thank you so much for making your voices heard! We hope these changes will greatly enhance the student experience.” – Emily Window, Vice-President (Sports)

We have listened to your requests for a more varied membership offering, giving you the opportunity to get active the way you want. We hope you love the new membership options and look forward to seeing you at Kent Sport!

“I would absolutely encourage all new students to get involved in sport. Even if you’ve not really played sport before coming to campus, there are so many different ones available of varying levels of ability and seriousness. Engagement in sport has 100% been my fondest memory of being at University.” – Ieuan Gale, Scholar of the Year 2018/19

New options are also available to the University of Kent staff, alumni and the public. For more details about all membership options, benefits, and terms and conditions at Kent Sport, visit kent.ac.uk/sports/membership.

To stay up-to-date with the latest Kent Sport news, activities and special offers, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @UniKentSports.

Brush up your language skills or learn British Sign Language

Kent staff are eligible for reduced fees on the eight ‘Language Express’ world language courses run by the Centre for English and World Languages. You can choose from Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian or Spanish at Canterbury, or French and Japanese at Medway.

The fees for staff are £269 for 40 hours of classes during the autumn and spring terms. Courses start in October and most classes take place in the evening.

As a member of staff, you can apply for 50% funding towards the course fees, whether or not the language studied is relevant to your role at the University. You may be awarded 100% funding if the language studied is directly linked to your current role. Please apply for funding via Learning and Organisational Development

CEWL also offers Level One and Level Two British Sign Language courses. The fees are £458 and £680. Please note that the funding does not apply to these two courses.

Find out more and book your place on the CEWL website

Success at TUCO Awards for Kent Hospitality

Congratulations are in order for the catering team at Kent Hospitality as they were awarded the prestigious ‘Member of the Year’ Award at the 2019 TUCO (The University Caterers’ Organisation) Annual Conference earlier this month, held at the University of York.

The award recognises the institution that has made the most significant contribution to the work of TUCO with Kent praised for their support of framework agreements, attendance at events, training courses, tender working parties and other activities. The other two shortlisted Institutions were the University of Manchester and the University of St Andrews.

Head of Trading, Keith Williams said on the win: ‘Our team are delighted to have won this award reflecting the efforts put in to bring a quality service to Kent. We have played an active role in TUCO over the last few decades, recognising it as the perfect platform to benchmark against competitors, train and develop our team and benefit from leading market research and trend data by remaining up to date on industry standards and contributing to the work of TUCO. To have this recognised is a great honour.’

TUCO is the leading professional membership body for in-house caterers operating in the higher, further education and public sector. They are committed to advancing the learning and development of catering and hospitality teams, and work to provide quality standards, advice and information to those working in in-house catering.

Hello Kent welcome campaign update

Every year we run our welcome campaign for new and returning students.

This year the welcome campaign is a joint University and Kent Union project and is part of the Hello Kent initiative, an outcome of the Welcome, Induction and Transition project commissioned by Student Experience Board.

The campaign will feature on buses and bus stops, buildings and poster sites, e-newsletters and digital screens as well as t-shirts worn by helpers and even a Hello Kent tent run by Kent Union.

The main welcome website, which includes advice blogs and events, is now live: www.kent.ac.uk/hello

Hello Kent branded images and templates for posters and plasma screens are now available to download from the branding website

Schools will receive printed Hello Kent marketing packs over the next few days.

If you have any questions or want to learn more, contact communications@kent.ac.uk

Reminder – book now for National Cycle to Work Day free breakfast

Don’t forget – registration closes for this event at 10.00 on Tuesday 6 August!

National Cycle to Work Day is Thursday 8 August. To celebrate this, and to encourage a greener campus, you are invited to breakfast at Jarman Plaza (opposite Blackwell’s Bookshop) 8.00-9.00.

All you need to do is cycle to campus on that day and come and enjoy a free breakfast and cuppa.

To help us get an idea of numbers for catering, please register on Eventbrite by Tuesday 10.00. Don’t worry about bringing a ticket to the event. Just turn up with your bike and join us.

Dr Bike will be in attendance. Dr Bike (Chris) provides bike repairs on campus each Wednesday at the Cycle Hub near the Sports Pavilion.

We look forward to seeing you on Thursday morning.

Sustainability celebrations at Kent Community Oasis Garden

Last week, sustainability champions from across the University celebrated the first year anniversary of the FutureProof project at a garden party held at the Kent Community Oasis Garden.

FutureProof is the University of Kent’s response to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and provides a framework, challenging and supporting each University department to review their impacts against the SDGs and working to create positive change.

FutureProof, which launched in June 2018, aims to inspire individuals, departments and the whole University community to take action in ensuring that our estate, our curriculum and our students are ready for the future.

The Sustainability Champions are key to the project’s success as they act as catalysts for change in their departments and conduits for sustainability information across the University. As part of their role as champions they lead on their own projects and the celebration event was the sustainability’s team way of saying thank you to them for all their hard work.

The event highlighted case studies from the year, which can be read in full in the Futureproof report

Projects have included a tripling of recycling rates in Biosciences, education for sustainable development projects at the Business School and a wellbeing project at the Medway campus.

To celebrate, the sun came out for a delicious vegan BBQ prepared by chef Ben Elsbury (from Kent Hospitality), games with prizes to be won, and a refreshing mocktail bar with fresh herbs from the garden.

In its first year FutureProof has held 6 workshops at both the Canterbury and Medway campuses with an overall attendance across them of 124, recruited 65 sustainability champions from 43 different departments, and supported 20 sustainability projects from across the University.

For more information about FutureProof please visit www.kent.ac.uk/sustainability or email sustainability@kent.ac.uk

Park Wood Co-op opening Thursday 25 July

The new Kent Union Co-op located in Park Wood is opening Thursday 25 July at 10.00.

Students, staff and visitors are welcome to attend the opening. There will be free samples given out, and you can search for the Golden Tickets across campus to win gift cards on the day!

Students with an NUS Totem card will receive 10% off Co-op branded products, plus another 5% off if they become a Co-op member (only £1 to join).

August exams 2019

My timetable

1 August – 15 August 2019

You can view your timetable by logging into your Student Data System (SDS)

What time should I arrive?

Morning exams begin at 9.30, you should arrive 15 minutes early.

Where is my exam venue?

Not sure where you need to go? – See our Venues

What should I bring?

KentOne Card. If you have lost this please contact us
Pens, pencils and writing equipment (in a clear pencil case)
Still water (ONLY) in a clear plastic bottle

What can I do with my mobile phone?

You are permitted to bring the following small items into the exam venue:

Mobile phones, smartwatches, headphones, keys and wallets.

You must place these under your desks and ensure all electronic items are switched off.

Electronic items that are concealed from invigilators or make any sound during your exam (ringing, text notifications, alarms etc) will be reported to your school.

NO Bag Room

There will be NO bag room available to students. Please avoid bringing a bag by leaving this at home or in your car.

NO bags are allowed in exam halls.

Resit fee payments

You will have already received an email explaining how to make payment for your resits via the online store.

The deadline to pay via the online store is Monday 29 July. After this date, any unpaid fees will be added to your student account.

Please note that students who are absent from a resit (without notifying us in writing prior to the start of the examination period at exams@kent.ac.uk) are still liable to pay fee.

Please note that all students taking exams are required to read the University Regulations for the conduct of examinations.

If you have, any questions please contact Canterbury: exams@kent.ac.uk or Medway: medwayexams@kent.ac.uk

See Exams webpage for more information.

Follow @UniKent_CSAO on twitter