Category Archives: Training

E-Learning webinar: ‘Pedagogy and Practice when teaching and learning Online’

The E-Learning Team are pleased to announce that the next event in our series of ‘Digitally Enhanced Education webinars’ will take place on Wednesday 16 February from 14:00 – 16:45 (GMT), with the theme ‘Pedagogy and Practice when teaching and learning Online’.

Agenda:

  • 14:00 – 14:05 – Dr Phil Anthony (University of Kent): Introduction
  • 14:05 – 14:20 – Professor Kathleen M Quinlan (University of Kent): Returning to the lecture hall? how to trigger students’ interest in large group settings
  • 14:20 – 14:35 – Jessica Moody (Advance HE): Building ‘belonging’ in online teaching
  • 14:35 – 14:50 –  John Moran, Professor Debbie Holley & Adam Bancroft (University of Bournemouth): ‘Martian Attack: the story so far…
  • 14:50 – 15:05 – Katalin Hanniker & Irina Niculescu (University of Surrey): Co-designing a module with students and staff from different universities, time zones and cultures
  • 15:05 – 15:20 – Amy Rattenbury (Wrexham Glyndwr University): Locking down the fundamentals for Scaling Up your teaching
  • 15:20 – 15:30 – Break
  • 15:30 – 15:45 – Chris Morrison (University of Kent) & Dr Jane Secker (University of London): Copyright and online learning at a time of transition
  • 15:45 – 16:00 – Dr Mark O Connor (University of Kent): Online and blended provision: What can we learn from MOOCs… and what else do we need?
  • 16:00 – 16:15 – Ben Watson (UCL) & George Rhodes (University of Westminster): What are the foundations for meaningful adoption of a digitally accessible culture in the education sector? Lessons from multiple organisations.
  • 16:15 – 16:30 – Dr Suzanna Klaf & Dr Amanda Irvin (Columbia University): Five Principles for Inclusive Teaching and Learning  
  • 16:30 – 16:45 – Dr Julie McGurk (Yale University) & Dr Jamiella Brooks (University of Pennsylvania)Rigor as Inclusive Practice

Please share

Colleagues from outside the University of Kent are very welcome to join this community and so feel free to circulate. Please ask anyone wishing to join to complete the Digitally Enhanced Education registration form if they haven’t already. We add them to the mailing list linked to the series. 

 If you would like to present at a future event, please submit a short synopsis and Phil Anthony will be in touch. 

Best wishes,

The E-Learning Team

Students taking part in Professional Practice MSc

Developing yourself with our Professional Practice MSc

The Professional Practice MSc, offers academic and professional service colleagues the opportunity to make your work your study and your study your work.

The course is a standard 180 Credit Master’s degree but spread over three years (two 30 credit modules a year-with a 60-credit dissertation module in the final year). Over the duration of the programme,  the focus of all the modules is your professional role within the University.  Modules are taught over two extended weekends (Friday-Sunday). There are no exams as all the modules have final assessment which involves a short presentation followed by a written work-based assignment.

As a member of staff doing a part time Kent course, you are entitled to 50% fee remission – this means you get a Master’s qualification for half the price. In addition, if you currently hold level 7 credits and/or experience, you may be able to gain accreditation for prior learning (APECL).

Delivery

After a couple of induction days, you will start the Evidence Based Practice module. This module explores the nature of information used to answer work-based/practice-led questions and develops critical thinking.

The second module is the Learning and Development module. Here, you will explore the way we learn as professionals,  which as you know is totally different from learning at school or college.

Successfully passing the first year means you have a PgCert in Professional Practice and then commence on the 2nd year, which starts with an optional module and continues with a module to develop skills and prepare your research proposal for the final year.

You can find out more about the Professional Practice MSc on our Postgraduate course pages.

If you would like to find out more about this programme, please drop-in to our informal Teams meeting on Tuesday 5 April from 12 – 2pm.  Sign-up now via this link.

Launch of Prevent e-learning module for staff

As part of our statutory requirements to the Prevent Duty, Higher Education institutions are required to provide staff with Prevent awareness training.

Prevent is an aspect of the University’s Safeguarding and Duty of Care Policy, and we encourage all staff to complete this e-learning module, which can be found on Moodle. This new e-learning module will give staff an introduction to Prevent, our local risk context in Kent and Medway, and advice on what to do with a Prevent related concern. If you have any problems accessing this module, please contact ldev@kent.ac.uk .

Alongside this module, the University continues to provide Prevent Safeguarding Awareness training for student facing staff facilitated by the Centre for Child Protection using the simulation Behind Closed Doors. For more information on these training sessions, please contact Emma Soutar e.soutar@kent.ac.uk .

ACT (Action Counters Terrorism) e-learning training module

From Mark Ellis, Director of University Operations

The University takes the safety of our students, staff and visitors very seriously. Following the ACT (Action Counters Terrorism) Strategic and Operational training sessions with front line managers, supervisors and senior staff, the University has been provided with an ACT e-learning module that is now available for staff to complete.

Devised by counter terrorism officers and security experts, the ACT Awareness eLearning package provides nationally recognised guidance on how to spot the signs of suspicious behaviour and understand what to do in the event of a major incident. This guidance is not only useful while you are on campus, but is also relevant when going about your daily lives. It has been proven to save lives both in domestic (eg the London Bridge attack) and overseas (eg Tunisia beach attack) terror incidents.

To complete the module please select this link: Course: Action Counters Terrorism (ACT)(kent.ac.uk). The module should take around 45 minutes to complete. It is broken down into a number of sections that you can return to and resume if you can’t complete in the whole module one sitting.

Please do see if you can find the time to complete this module – it may just save your life or those of your family, friends or colleagues.

Mark Ellis | Director of University Operations

Webinar on Pedagogy and Practice when Teaching Online

The E-Learning Team are pleased to announce that the next event in our series of ‘Digitally Enhanced Education webinars’ will take place on Thursday 10 June, from 11:00-13:30, with the theme ‘Pedagogy and Practice when Teaching Online’.

Please find the agenda for the event below:

11:00 – 11:05 – Dr Phil Anthony (University of Kent): Introduction

11:05 – 11:20 – Dr Sam Lau (Hong Kong Baptist University): Engaging Quiet Students in Online Teaching

11:20 – 11:35 – Assistant Professor Phinu Jose (Christ University, Bangalore – India): Teaching Digital Natives-Privilege or Pain

11:35 – 11:50 – Dr Maren Deepwell (Chief Executive of the Association for Learning Technology): Key Insights from ALT’s Annual Survey for Teaching Online

11:50 – 12:05 – Kate Lister (Open University): Embedding mental wellbeing in technology enhanced learning

12:05 – 12:15 – Break

12:15 – 12:30 – Assistant Professor Alexandra Mihai (Maastricht University): Active learning online? Yes you can!

12:30 – 12:45 – Lara Bird (Office for Students): Gravity assist: Propelling higher education towards a brighter future – Where are we now?

12:45 – 13:00 – Dr David Martin (University of Dundee): Taking engagement in lectures to the next level – an experimental improved audience response system.

13:00 – 13:15 – Dr Lisa Quinn (University of Leicester): Integrating Multi-Source Inputs into Pre-recorded & Remote Live Lectures

13:15 – 13:30 – Professor Barbara Oakley (Oakland University, US): The magic of the brain’s hidden learning system

If you would like to join the webinar series, please express your interest here if you haven’t done so already. We will add you the Microsoft Team linked to the series. Colleagues from outside the University of Kent are very welcome to join –  so please feel free to circulate.

If you would like to present at a future event, please complete this form and I will be in touch.

We hope to see you on 10 June.

Phil Anthony and the E-Learning Team

Person using laptop

Learning opportunities available

The Talent and Organisational Development Team are happy to share a number of upcoming learning opportunities, that are bookable via your personal Staff Connect Dashboard.

In partnership with Canterbury Christ Church University, and facilitated by Planned Future, we will be offering two webinars as follow:

Pre-Retirement Financial planning: Wednesday 5 May 2021, 10.00 – 13.00.

A half day webinar aiming to give participants knowledgeable advice in regards to all aspects of planning for retirement, looking at areas such as finance, health and lifestyle.

Mid-Career Financial planning: Wednesday 5 May 2021, 14.00 – 16.00.

This short webinar covers a range of issues relevant to planning your financial affairs, both now and for the future.

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2021, we will be running the following session:

Mental Health training for Line Managers: Monday 10 May, 10.00 – 13.00.

The aim of the workshop is to enable and encourage managers to develop a management style that strikes the right balance between the needs of the individual/team and the needs of the business.

You can book all these webinars via Staff Connect and you will receive a Zoom invite a day or so before the webinar takes place.

If you would like any further information, please get in touch with the team: ldev@kent.ac.uk

Addressing Misogyny in Higher Education

In light of recent national news events, as a University we are re-enforcing our commitment to fostering a positive working environment where all staff and students are treated fairly, with dignity, courtesy, respect and consideration.

Misogyny is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls that manifests in numerous ways, including social exclusion, sex discrimination, hostility, belittling of women, disenfranchisement of women, violence against women, and sexual objectification. All of us have a responsibility to create an environment, which is free from harassment, bullying, unlawful discrimination and victimisation.

A new series of Active Bystander training will help ensure that staff can play their part in preventing any inappropriate behaviour.

Georgina Randsley de Moura, Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Academic Strategy, Planning and Performance, comments: ‘As part of our commitment to our staff and student community, I am pleased to support the Active Bystander initiative. We value our community, and therefore it is our responsibility to create and nurture an environment, which is safe, supportive, and free from all forms of bullying and harassment. This initiative is an important step forward.’

About the training

The Active Bystander training sessions will take place on 28 April, 19 May and 23 June, from 14.00-15.30.

Each virtual session will include:
• A video demonstrating bystander apathy
• Specific references for the HE Sector
• High-profile examples of inappropriate/unacceptable behaviour
• Decision-making techniques to help people overcome fear and self-doubt when faced with a challenging situation
• Assertiveness techniques to give them the confidence and tools to speak out, whether they are dealing with the challenge directly or calling for help from others.

The session will include group discussion and interactivity and each delegate will receive a ‘Active Bystander’ toolkit booklet. 40 places are available at each session – book your place now via Staff Connect.

Find out more

Kent has a zero tolerance approach to any behaviour that violates an individual in person or online, and encourages the reporting of such instances. You can find out more on our EDI webpages.

Learn how colleagues are creating and delivering sessions online

The E-Learning Team are pleased to announce that the next event in our series of ‘Digitally Enhanced Education webinars’ will take place on Friday 5 March, from 10.00-12.10, with the theme ‘Pedagogy and Practice when Teaching Online’.

Please find the agenda for the event below:

10.00 – 10.05 – Dr Phil Anthony: Introduction

10.05 – 10.20 – Sideeq Mohammed (University of Kent): Lessons Learned from Teaching a 550-Student Blended Learning Module

10.20 – 10.35 – Pip McDonald (Royal Agricultural University): Indiana Jones and the Temple of Zoom. A Transnational Online Pivot Adventure

10.35 – 10.50 – Dominik Lukes (Oxford University): What should educators know about User Experience and User Interface Design: Lessons for learning and teaching

10.50 – 11.05 – Joseph Berry (University of Birmingham): Digital Fieldwork During Lockdown

11.05 – 11.20 – David Bedford (University of Kent): How academic departments and librarians can work together to help students develop important skills

11.20 – 11.35 – Terese Bird (University of Leicester): Learning Medicine Mobile, Online, Blended, and Hybrid

11.35 – 11.50 – Debbie Holley & John Moran (University of Bournemouth): Creating, supporting and sharing: moving value-based learning online

11.50 – 12.05 – Future Teacher project: Lilian Soon (University of York), Alistair McNaught & Ron Mitchell: Supporting skills in online delivery by modeling good practices

12.05 – 12.10 – Phil Anthony: Wrap-up

If you would like to join the webinar series, please express your interest by enrolling on the Digitally Enhanced Education Webinars Moodle module, or by requesting access to the Team ‘Digitally Enhanced Education webinars‘ linked to the webinar series.

We hope to see you there.

Dr Phil Anthony
Learning Technologist | Division of Natural Sciences & KBS

Learn how colleagues have been delivering sessions online

Due to popular demand, our E-Learning team have decided to run an additional webinar as part of the ‘Digitally Enhanced Education webinar series’ on Friday 15 January (the week before Spring term) so that people are able to share experiences of the previous term and also learn some tips and tricks before the start of the Spring term.

As our first webinar ‘Pedagogy and Practice when Teaching Online’ proved so popular, we will repeat this theme on the 15th.

Please find the agenda for the event below:

10.00-10.05 – Phil Anthony: Introduction

10.05-10.20 – Ruth Drysdale (Jisc): Why it’s important to listen to your students and staff voice about their experience of your digital environment?

10.20-10.35 – Emma Roberts (University of Chester): Designing a ‘Connected Experience’ with Blended Learning

10.35-10.50 – Nadia Koloteva-Levine (University of Kent): Providing students with virtual lab experience during Covid-19

10.50-11.05 – Coral Condeco-Dunachie (IntoUniversity): Fostering a Sense of Belonging: Building Communities in Online Classrooms

11.05-11.20 – Jonathan Fanning (University of York): Interactive teamwork, playing games online with your students

11.20-11.35 – Mathew Pullen (University of South Wales): Not just access but developing a deeper technology integration

11.35-11.50 – Agnieszka Kulacka (Birkbeck, University of London): Using Class Notebook and One Note in teaching

11.50-12.05 – Maria Limniou (University of Liverpool): Student digital capabilities and independent learning over the first COVID-19 pandemic period

12.05-12.10 – Phil Anthony: Session Wrap-up

If you would like to join the webinar series, please express your interest by enrolling on the Digitally Enhanced Education Webinars Moodle module, or by requesting access to the Team ‘Digitally Enhanced Education webinars‘ linked to the webinar series.

We hope to see you there.

The E-Learning team

Book your place on a New Year EDI training session

A number of EDI training sessions are available to University staff during January and February .

Sessions available to book include:

Domestic Violence Awareness (28 January 2021, 10.00-12.00 or 13.30-15.30)

People from all walks of life are affected by domestic abuse, so if you have the confidence and knowledge to talk about abuse and where someone can seek help, it will make all the difference! Rising Sun Domestic Violence and Abuse Service is offering Kent two free training sessions around domestic abuse, in partnership with Clarion Housing.

This two-hour training session covers:
• the definition and dynamics of domestic abuse
• how it impacts survivors’ lives
• the barriers to seeking help
• how to respond if a survivor discloses abuse
• how to seek ongoing support

To register to attend a session, please use the Eventbrite links below
Session A 10.00 – 12.00
Session B 13.30-15.30

Trans Awareness: The Basics (Thursday 11 February 2021, 14.00 – 15.45)

This session will:
• explain what ‘trans’ means and describe the diversity of those who might use the term
• introduce key concepts crucial to understanding trans people
• list the main legislation relating to trans identities
• outline ways an organisation can work towards being trans-inclusive
• provide links to further resources and help

Managing Mental Health (February 4 (pm) and 12 February (am) – times to be confirmed

To support ‘Time to Talk Day’ on 4 February, this online workshop is being offered for all managers, team leaders and supervisors

The aim of the workshop is to enable and encourage managers to develop a management style that strikes the right balance between the needs of the individual/team and the needs of the business.

Content will include:
• signs that might indicate that a staff member is struggling
• impact of the Covid-19 pandemic – issues to be aware of
• two golden rules for managing stress and mental health at work
• practical problems for managers
• a good practice framework for managing mental health at work
• clarifying the role of the organisation, individual staff and the manager
• guidelines for managing sensitive conversations about stress and mental health
• practical support – ‘reasonable adjustments’ during and after the Covid-19 pandemic
• sources of support for staff and managers

How to book

To arrange to attend any of these sessions, please contact Talent and Organisational Development by emailing Ldev@kent.ac.uk