Author Archives: Sophie Conner

KentVision Latest Features and Functionality

The KentVision Project has successfully delivered enhanced features and functionality. This will improve the student and staff experience when working on activities such as board of examiners, compliance and student finance.

These upgrades and new features will help improve a variety of processes – reducing administration burdens on staff, removing unnecessary communications, and delivering a better experience for students. It also includes improvements to existing technology released, following feedback from staff.

What has been delivered?

Improved usability of the right to study screen in enrolment ensuring that students are able to progress through enrolment and re-registration in a timely manner, helping us comply with Home Office rules.
Improvements to the results release process and result letters ensuring they are clear and meet the needs of our students for the re-sit period.
Enhanced functionality including changes to improve progression/award rules and exam board reporting particularly for the re-sit period. Post-exam board functionality will allow chairs actions to be recorded and CSAO will be automatically notified – removing administration burden and preventing unnecessary communications.
Full support for the clearing processes, ensuring permissions are allocated, known issues are resolved, and underlying processes for the new telephone offers initiatives are enabled.
A new process to roll forward scholarship fund reference data to the next academic year.
Improvements to the student financial registration processes – ensuring facilitation of student engagement and timely addition of payment information.

This release is the culmination of hard work, and we commend everyone involved for their work – including the KentVision Project Team, IS colleagues, and the users of the system dedicating time to ensure improvements are realised.

Next Steps

Technology and process improvements to continue over throughout October including Change of Circumstances and also the development of the integration between KentVision and the new CRM.
New automated communications for student immigration compliance will help us stay in touch with the relevant students and ensure we comply with government regulations.
We continue to make minor technology and process enhancements for the new admissions cycle – creating a better user experience for staff.
Technology and process improvements to the end-to-end UKVI reporting process to ensure they are fit for purpose and meet our compliance requirements.
Business readiness activities, including transition plans and training and communications.

Sign up to Medway Talks Open Lecture Series

Medway Talks is a free open lecture series run by the University of Greenwich, University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University.

About this event

What is Medway Talks?

Medway Talks is a new open lecture series run by our academic staff at the Universities at Medway – University of Greenwich, University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church at Medway. There will be 6 talks in total, running from October 2022 until May 2023.

Who can attend?

The talks are open to everyone in the local community, including students and staff at the Universities at Medway. Talks will be free of charge to attend, but registration is required.

What’s on offer?

Talks will run from 6pm until 7pm with refreshments available on arrival.

The schedule is as follows:

Wednesday 26 October 2022: Professor Alex Stevens (University of Kent) – Drugs: what are the problems and how can we solve them?

Professor Alex Stevens has worked on issues of drugs, crime and public health in the voluntary sector, as an academic researcher and as an adviser to the UK government. His talk will focus on the reduction of drug-related deaths and crime, reflecting on the possibilities opened up by the new drug strategy to make progress on these harms.

Wednesday 23 November 2022: Professor Gurprit Lall (University of Kent) – Sleep and our Biological Clock

Professor Gurprit Lall is a neuroscientist based at the University of Kent, Medway School of Pharmacy specialising in mammalian circadian rhythms. In this talk he will discuss how ageing effects the brain’s circadian clock and its impact on our day-to-day routines. We will look at how the clock synchronises our bodily functions, from hormonal fluctuations through to sleeping patterns and why disruption of such rhythms can have a significant impact on our health and wellbeing.

Wednesday 25 January 2023: Dr Noel-Ann Bradshaw (University of Greenwich)- An evening with Florence Nightingale: find out how she used data to save lives

DrNoel-Ann Bradshaw is the Deputy Dean for the Faculty of Engineering and Science at the University of Greenwich. In this talk, Nightingale herself will show how her understanding and management of data influenced policy makers, in the British Army and Government, during and after the Crimean war. Her methods resulted in improved conditions for both soldiers and the working classes, and are as relevant in today’s data-focussed society as they were in Victorian Britain.

Wednesday 22 February 2023: Dr Neil Saunders (University of Greenwich) – Mathematics, Memetics and Artificial Intelligence: An exploration through performance.

Dr Neil Saunders is a Senior Lecturer in Mathematical Sciences and works in the field of algebra, specifically group theory and geometric representation theory.

What the second round of the KEF means for you

Introducing KEF2: what the second round of the Knowledge Exchange Framework means for you

The second iteration of the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF2) was published last month, providing us, businesses and other users with a clearer understanding of how the University of Kent’s knowledge exchange activity compares to that of other higher education institutions in the UK.

Why is this important? Because knowledge exchange is the third pillar of University assessment, alongside the REF and TEF, and has long been at the heart of our research and innovation activities. Knowledge exchange is any process through which academic ideas and insights are shared beyond the university, and external perspectives and experiences brought into academia – which includes everything from business workshops and graduate start-ups to commercialisation and public engagement.

Research England developed the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) as a tool to track this activity across English Higher Education Providers. The KEF groups similar universities into clusters, depending on size, research output, and specialism, and then examines knowledge exchange activities in relation to 7 aspects. Each aspects is measured in 5 quintiles, ranging from very low engagement to very high engagement. The KEF is a benchmarking exercise to measure knowledge exchange activities against peers in the cluster, but is not a ranking or league table.

The first iteration of the KEF (KEF1) was published in March 2021, and Kent was placed in Cluster X, which is defined as “large, high research intensive and broad-discipline universities undertaking a significant amount of excellent research”. Other universities in this cluster include Bath, Birkbeck, Brunel, Durham, East Anglia, Essex, Exeter, Hull, Keele, Lancaster, Leicester, Loughborough, LSE, Reading, Royal Holloway, SOAS, Surrey, Sussex, and York.

Our results for the second iteration of the KEF were published on Tuesday 27 September 2022. Overall, they reflect the amazing KE work being done across divisions at Kent and show that, while Kent has some areas that need development, there is excellent progress being made.

Now the Knowledge Exchange and External Engagement team – responsible for gathering the data which feeds into the KEF – would like to give you an opportunity to explore the KEF2 results in more detail. They will be hosting a webinar alongside the DVC of Research and Innovation, Shane Weller, and Director of Research and Innovation Services, Kerry Barber, to talk through Kent’s KEF2 results and what they mean for you.

Sign up to the staff webinar taking place at 2pm on Thursday 20 October

Following this webinar, you’ll have another opportunity to ask questions about the KEF2 at in-person drop-ins with Cat Tate (Knowledge Exchange and Engagement Manager) and Joe Jones (Knowledge Exchange Officer) on 10 and 11 November. Keep an eye out for more details about these closer to the time!

If you have any questions about the KEF or are wondering whether these sessions are relevant to you, please get in touch with the team at keinnovation@kent.ac.uk. You can also find out more about the University of Kent’s commitment to knowledge exchange on our website.

Staff mindfulness sessions starting on 13 October

Regular staff Mindfulness drop-ins

Occupational Health will be providing monthly online Mindfulness drop-ins for staff once a month from October to July this academic year. Sessions will take place on Teams from 8am to 8.50am on the second Thursday of each month (first Thursday in April).

Who will run the sessions?

These drop-in meditation and discussion sessions will be led by Lorraine Millard, an experienced psychotherapist and registered Mindfulness instructor who has spent many years working as a counsellor at the University. Lorraine has run Mindfulness sessions for staff on and off over the years, and you may have come across promotion of her regular Mindfulness sessions for students.

What will the sessions involve?

The sessions will involve an introduction to Mindfulness practice and theory, followed by a guided meditation (think Headspace in a group setting!) and an opportunity to discuss any observations and concerns which might arise from this. This will be a great way to learn more about Mindfulness and how to incorporate it into the working day, as well as a chance to connect with likeminded staff from across the University.

How do I join?

To receive a Teams invitation, please email Mindfulness@kent.ac.uk, specifying that you are a staff member.

Our new brand toolkit is coming!

At this year’s Staff Conference we introduced the new brand identity for Kent, centred around the theme of Ambition. Since then we’ve been working on rolling this out across the University, with our new website homepage live at the end of September, updated social media pages in place and recruitment campaigns being built in the new brand. If you’ve been walking round our campuses you may have also spotted changes to signage and some of our Open Day materials too!

The next stage of this is to support you, wherever you work, in how you can make use of the new brand too. It may be you just want to update your email signature or pull together a quick presentation, or you may be planning an event that needs wider promotion. Whatever level of support you need, we will be providing templates and guidance to help make your comms look right and sound right – making ambition count!

We’re aiming to have the new Brand Book available online next week, which will have comprehensive guidance on the new brand. This will be supported by key templates including:

PowerPoint template
Social Media templates
Email signature
Email headers, footers and templates
Poster template
Video start and end frames
Stationery

Alongside this will be tone of voice guidance, top tips on using images and advice on what to do yourself and when the Design team are there to help.

Watch our brand video and look out for more updates next week!

Vice-Chancellor’s start of term update

Colleagues – I hope the new academic year has started well for you all. There is so much going on across the University I thought it might be helpful to communicate directly and more regularly going forward, sharing especially external updates but also importantly, what we are discussing at Executive Group.

Higher Education in the external landscape

Externally, we now have Kit Malthouse as the new Secretary of State for Education and Andrea Jenkyns has been appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Skills, Further and Higher Education). We’ll have to see what this means in practice but it’s probably fair to say that Higher Education is not high on the agenda, so we are going to have to work hard as universities to ensure government is aware of the work we do and the importance of universities to their regions, economically and socially.

Cost of living support for staff and students

The economic issues mean that there are impacts across the board on the cost of living. This is impacting our students, our staff and the University as a whole. Colleagues across Kent Union and the University have been working through these issues, and have pulled together information on support for students and staff to help with addressing what we can to help our community. We are also looking at what we can do to address our energy costs and to reduce the impact of very rapidly increasing costs in this area.

We have been discussing these issues at EG over the last couple of weeks and will continue to keep them on the agenda. Other items we have covered include KentVision performance issues, which I’m very aware continue to have a real impact on colleagues. The internal IS team is working directly with the supplier to address this, while we have also commissioned an external review of the system set up to make sure that we address these issues before we add in further functionality.

Actions from the NSS results and TEF performance

EG have reviewed the NSS results and the action plans that the University and divisions have developed to address the areas where we need to improve. Thank you to everyone involved in this work, improving our student experience is a key focus for us this academic year. Linked to NSS, the Office for Students on Friday 30 September published a large amount of data, relevant for a range of regulatory purposes, including the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). We are looking carefully at all this now and what it will mean for our performance at Kent in the TEF.

Ensuring the sustainability of Arts and Humanities

We also discussed Arts and Humanities at Kent. As you may know, there has been a national decline in the popularity of many Arts and Humanities subjects for students – and Kent has been very ‘squeezed’ by competition from the Russell Group as they have expanded numbers in these areas, our numbers almost halving since ‘16/17. This is especially disappointing given how well so many of our Arts and Humanities disciplines have done in the REF. We agreed that we need to improve the financial sustainability, and that doing nothing is not an option. The next steps are to engage colleagues in feasibility work to develop a streamlined divisional structure. This work will focus on the division considering viability of courses, having fewer organisational units (Schools/Departments), and a reduced cost base.

Once the feasibility work has been undertaken, this will be reconsidered by EG. This is expected for late November. Colleagues in the Division will have the opportunity to be engaged with all of this work to shape what we do next to ensure the sustainability of Arts and Humanities at Kent. I appreciate that this is further change, and we will do all we can to support colleagues through this period.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement

Finally, thank you for your involvement in the staff conference and staff barbeques at Medway and Canterbury, and during registration and the beginning of term, providing students such a warm welcome. Thank you also to those involved in supporting the Youth Summit, welcoming almost 700 young people from local schools and colleges to focus on their voice, engaging with learning opportunities and articulating what they want to see in the future to make a better world.

We are living in turbulent times, with a new sovereign, new Prime Minister and new economic paradigm. Alongside this the recent escalation of the war in Ukraine, particularly around Kherson, and the emerging situation in Iran, where protests are being heavily restricted, has prompted enormous concern. This is especially worrying for staff and students with loved ones in each area so do seek support from your manager if this is affecting you. This also reminds us of the importance of supporting each other in our community, taking the opportunities we can to come together following the difficult Covid period.

I look forward to working with you in the months ahead, and I hope to see many of you at upcoming events or around campus.

With my best wishes

Karen

The journey from Software Developer to VC and MBE

Wednesday 12 October from 14:00 – 15:00

Join a free online talk by Tech Founder and Early Stage Investor Ezechi Britton MBE.

The Division of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences in collaboration with Student Success, is delighted to welcome Inspirational Speaker Ezechi Britton, who will be recounting his ‘Journey from Software Developer to VC and MBE’.

After failing his A levels because he hadn’t studied hard enough, Ezechi faced a crossroads and had to make some tough decisions about his future. In his talk Ezechi will share his tips for success, and explain his transition from poor performing student to software developer, fintech founder and start up investor who received an MBE on the 2022 honours list.

This FREE to attend event is open to all students and staff, and will be taking place on Microsoft Teams.

Please click here to book your free place online and receive the event link.

Meet our Mental Health Allies

In aid of World Mental Health Day, we caught up with three of our Mental Health Allies to find out a bit more about them and why they decided to take up the role.

Tell us a bit about what you do as a Mental Health Ally

Rasa: It’s hard to say if people who have spoken to me to about mental health have done so because I am listed as an ally, or because they already knew me – but I hope being an ally helped! It has been great to be part of the ally network at Kent, too. I have learnt about mental health support available to staff and students, and sometimes – even if in very small ways – help shape it.

Colin: I have participated in impromptu meets with colleagues allowing for offloading of issues and concerns. I approach this role in a relaxed and informal way. Where necessary, I would signpost colleagues to the available resources.

Claire: I support the creation and promotion of Mental Health awareness training and resources across the organisation, trying to remove the stigma associated with mental health and provide ways where employees can recognise when they need support and where they can find it

What can someone expect when they reach out to you?

Rasa: Time, attention and genuine interest. I may not always find the words that can help, but I will listen and I will care.

Colin: Someone who will allow them to tell their story, or just have a chat over a tea or coffee if that is what is needed. Someone who will not seek to cure them but will listen and engage with them in a meaningful and real way.

Claire: Someone who will listen, give you time and help you find the support you need.

What do you love about being a Mental Health Ally?

Rasa: I love a chance to talk to people about mental health – including being open about my own. The ally role has meant I have more chances to bring up and normalise not feeling mentally well or needing support. From kitchen conversations to staff meetings, being part of the allies feels like a ‘license’ of sorts to talk about mental health more.

Colin: I do this because having suffered from a severe bout of mental illness previously, I have some insight into the issues and a perspective on what it feels like to encounter mental health challenges. I bring to the role these factors to improve the experience of others.

Claire: That by taking even a small amount of time you can make someone else’s day better.

What are the qualities you think make you a good Mental Health Ally?

Rasa: I’m not sure I’m the best person to answer this! I hope that both living with recurrent depression and having worked in mental health services in the past has given me an ability to have sensitive conversations about feeling unwell or distressed.

Colin: Patience, an ability to listen, and perhaps most importantly an ability to walk alongside someone else and offer them time.

Claire: Someone who is empathic, a good listener and cares for others.

What is one way you de-stress and relax?

Rasa: Bake! Then test out my baking on colleagues! The frozen pea cake got eaten surprisingly quickly!

Colin: I have to say I struggle with this still. I have an exercise bike in my study at home that I use to de-stress, I also still take medication to help keep my mood stable. As an autistic person, I have used mindfulness approaches over the years to maintain a status quo.

Claire: I like to go out into my garden and potter around, take cuttings of plants and grow things, or walk with just one of my 5 dogs!

With one in four of us experiencing a mental health problem each year, our Mental Health Allies are here when it’s hard to find the right words to start a conversation. If you are struggling, they will listen without judgement and can signpost you to available support and resources.

If you’d like to reach out to one of our Mental Health Allies, you can contact them via email or Teams. Find out who our allies are and get more information about the role.

World Mental Health Day 2022

To mark World Mental Health Day on Monday 10 October 2022, all members of the University of Kent community are invited to gather together and find out more about support available.

To recognise the importance of community and belonging in maintaining good mental health, we are hosting World Mental Health activities in both Canterbury and Medway for students and staff. Come on your own or bring your colleagues and find out lots of ways you can boost your mental health and wellbeing at Kent.

See the full details of what’s on at each location.

Canterbury wellbeing highlights

Staff and students on the Canterbury campus are invited to come and get a free hot drink and biscuit from the Templeman Library Terrace from 11.00-14.00 on Monday 10 October. Bring your own reusable cup if you can to help the health of the planet, and the first 180 people to come along can also take a free new Kent mug! You can also get creative with some colouring activities to do, and find out more about wellbeing initiatives coming up such as the Climate Cafe and Wellbeing Cafe.

Medway wellbeing highlights

Fancy winning some Amazon vouchers? The World Mental Health Day photo challenge is a free photography competition open to all Medway campus students and staff – share an image or moment that made you smile.

On campus on Monday? Come along to Pilkington building to meet with different support teams from the Universities at Medway as well as local mental health charities, who will be giving out some freebies and explaining what support is on offer. Head to the Drill Hall Library for Pets as Therapy (cute dogs) and some books on wellbeing. Medway World Mental Health Day events.

See what mental health and wellbeing support is available to you

Written by Joshua Stevens and Natalia Crisanti, Student Services

World Mental Health Day at Medway

Monday 10 October is World Mental Health Day! It’s an opportunity to reflect upon your mental health and find new ways to support your wellbeing. Find out what’s planned at our Medway campus:

Pets as Therapy, 10 October

Do you love dogs? The Pets as Therapy dogs will be in the Drill Hall Library between 12.00-14.00. Take a break from work and go and have a cuddle!

Wellbeing Fair, 10 October

Come along to Pilkington building 11.00-15.00 to meet with different support teams from the Universities at Medway as well as local mental health charities. Pick up some freebies and find out what support is on offer.

Create a wellbeing collage, 11 October

Join Medway Chaplain Lynne and other staff to create a wellbeing collage on Tuesday 11 October 10.00-14.00 in the Drill Hall Library.

Wellbeing book display

You can also check out the wellbeing book display in the Drill Hall Library. Have a browse and see if there are some books which might help you find some calm.

Wellbeing photo competition – what makes you smile?

To celebrate the World Mental Health Day, this photo challenge is an opportunity for you to share an image or moment that made you smile. Enter this free photography competition to win great prizes including Amazon vouchers. Open to all Medway campus students and staff.