The E-learning team are excited to announce the launch of a suite of online training resources focusing on key learning technologies including Moodle, Turnitin, KentPlayer and Ombea!

These resources are based on the ‘Essentials’ training sessions and guidance that the team has previously delivered via both online pdf guides and bi-monthly training sessions held on campus. As such they cover basic functionality and are targeted at new colleagues and existing academic and professional services staff seeking a refresher.

Colleagues can self-enrol and, as the resources are self-paced, they can dip in and out as other commitments permit. Upon completion of all required activities, participants receive a notification that they have earned an electronic badge that they can download and a certificate to evidence their completion of the training.

Given the continued uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic (when we can return to campus), the e-learning team hope that these training resources will provide an increased level of support to colleagues who are working remotely and starting to turn a tentative eye to the production of modules for the 2020-21 academic year.

Please visit our Information for Staff webpage for more information and for links to the newly-launched online training resources. Interested colleagues can self-enrol however bulk enrolment of both academic and professional services staff can be done on a per request basis by contacting your Faculty Learning Technologist.

What’s your role at the University?

I work as an Access Control Adviser, mainly responsible for administering the University’s online security management systems (Pegasys and SALTO). I also design and project manage new installations of automatic and access-controlled doors.

How has your role changed as a result of Covid-19?

Normally, my working day involves adding new access control panels and doors but, because of Covid-19, I have spent many hours manually re-programming doors, ID cards and access fobs for students living on campus.

What specific additional tasks have you been asked to do?

So far, I have been asked to:

• Change the operation of all 50 access-controlled buildings on the Canterbury and Medway campuses so they can only be accessed using KentOne ID cards during lockdown.
• Prevent around 25,000 staff and student ID cards from working on doors/ buildings to which they would normally unlock.
• Remove access from 1300 accommodation fobs, which were taken off-campus by students who moved out of their halls.
• Provide all resident students with access to Rutherford College so they can use the catering facilities.
• Re-program ID cards for circa 700 staff, who appear on the approved list of key staff and are permitted access to work on campus; for example, Security, Maintenance, Estates Support Services, Kent Hospitality etc.

How have you been finding your “new” role?

Although these tasks have given me a huge amount of extra work, I’ve really enjoyed doing my bit.  I’ve been asked to carry out some very important tasks, allowing me to use my expertise in re-designing how we use our access systems. It shows my senior managers have real trust in my work – which is great!

Have there been any major hurdles along the way?

When I found out that no-one was going to be allowed to work on campus unless they had been authorised, this meant the work involved was going to be a lot more than I initially thought – I would need to find a way of preventing just some staff and students ID cards from working on the readers.

I tested a number of different software configurations before I identified the ones, which would not only enable the campus to operate when required, but would be easy enough to revert back once the campus returns to normal.

What’s been the feedback so far from colleagues?

My senior colleagues have been very appreciative of my work and how fast I’ve done it. Colleagues in Estates, including Security, Maintenance & Support Services, have been extremely helpful and carried out a number of tasks I would have done if I’d been working on campus. I’d like to say a big thank you to them!

Colleagues I’ve worked with outside of Estates and who’ve requested my help, have also been extremely helpful, friendly and very understanding of the work involved.

Love a spot of gardening? Ahead of National Gardening Week (from 27 April – 3 May 2020) and while many of us are at home more, we’ve got just the thing for green-fingered colleagues.

From perfect timings to pest control, here are our ten top tips for how to make the most of your outdoor oasis:

1. Sunflowers and marigolds are just some of the pretty annuals perfect for planting in spring. Easy to grow, these flowers almost guarantee an amazing colour show come summertime.

2. Avoid watering your plants during the hottest part of the day and aim for mornings or dusk instead.

3. Plants in a terracotta pot will dry out quicker than ones in a ceramic or plastic container. So, if you’re using a terracotta pot, line it with plastic or an empty compost bag with holes punched in the bottom before planting, to keep the soil moist for longer.

4. Be careful not to over mow your grass and never cut shorter than two inches, as this can weaken the grass and make it more susceptible to weeds.

5. Edge your flowerbeds with rocks to discourage grass and weeds from taking over.

6. Add a tiny bit of fertiliser to water for new plants to help improve health, growth, and productivity.

7. For planting fruit and veg – save space by sowing two different crops in a single row. Mix a slow growing crop such as parsnips or carrots with something faster like lettuces or radishes.

8. Holes for bulbs should be two to three times as deep as the bulb itself as they need room to grow.

9. Slugs hate caffeine – so spread a line of used coffee grounds around emerging seedlings and new plants to keep the slugs away.

10. Run your fingernails across a bar of soap as this will seal off dirt from accumulating under your nails.

Can you think of any more gardening top tips for us to share? Send your ideas to stories@kent.ac.uk

We are pleased to welcome Jordan Regan to the School of Computing as Student Success Project Officer.

The Student Success Project is a University of Kent initiative that commits to helping every student to achieve the best degree that they can. Jordan will be working as part of the professional services team and with Student Success Lecturer, Jacqui Chetty, to evaluate and improve the retention, attainment and progression of undergraduate students.

Jordan started work the day before the Covid-19 lockdown so has been working from home and meeting colleagues virtually.

Jordan graduated from Kent in 2017 with a BA Sociology degree. Since graduating she has worked in Higher Education at Kent Union, Canterbury Christ Church University, and most recently as the Democracy and Engagement Manager at the University of Essex Students’ Union. She is currently studying a part-time Masters in Business and Management.

Jordan said: “I was not expecting to start a new job in the middle of a global pandemic. Relocating back to Kent a few days before lockdown was an unexpected challenge, as is having to meet the majority of my colleagues online and work from home. However, both the Student Success Project and School of Computing teams have been incredibly welcoming and have really helped me to understand my role. Having studied at Kent, I am fortunately very familiar with the University and look forward to starting to work back on campus. I am excited to meet students and staff from the School of Computing in person, and to begin supporting the delivery of various interventions. “

We look forward to working with Jordan and meeting her in person as soon as we are back on campus.

I hope you managed to get something of a break over the Easter period.

Just a brief update from me before the start of term to let you know that Executive Group met on Monday and had an update from COVID-19 response group lead Professor Christina Hughes.

The update covered the work of colleagues associated with examinations and assessment, as well as updates on our infrastructure response and support for staff and student welfare. We are now moving from the immediate/crisis response mode to look at the next few months in terms of delivering examinations, exam boards, supporting completing students and enabling ongoing work related to the COVID-19 response and planning ahead for the autumn and the start of the 20/21 academic year.

In order to prepare for the autumn term, I have asked Professor Richard Reece, our new Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience, to work with colleagues across the University to bring together a team to begin to map out how we would do this.

We remain operational as a University and, while we are uncertain as to the exact conditions we will be working in over the next few months, we want to be clear with current, returning and prospective students, our partners and stakeholders that we remain ‘open’ and are planning our autumn activity. We will always of course keep health and safety issues front and centre and so we will need to prepare for a range of scenarios. Further updates and ways to get involved will be shared over the next few weeks. Division Directors will also be working with their Schools to progress this work with Richard.

In the meantime, thank you all for all that you are doing. I hope you, your families and friends are all well.

Karen

Karen Cox | Vice-Chancellor and President

These sessions are for staff and students at Kent, so if you need any further information or would like to join the Choir, email Susan Wanless. These are strange and stressful times and we must all keep safe, smiling….and singing!

International Partnerships would like to invite you to our virtual event as part of Kent’s International Visiting Academics Network (IVAN) via Zoom.

The meeting will be lead by the Dean for Internationalisation and will address the topic of ‘Adapting to new ways of working’. The network has been established to give you the opportunity to build on your existing connections at and beyond the University.

Date: Wednesday 29 April 2020

Time: 11.00 – 11.35 (BST)

Book your place via the Eventbrite website

The Zoom meeting ID and password will be sent to attendees in advance of the meeting.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Nicola Shaughnessy, Professor of Performance in the Department of Drama and Theatre, has been commended by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) for her outstanding contribution to the work of the council over the past year.

Nicola was nominated by AHRC staff in recognition for services to the for the AHRC Peer Review College (PRC) in 2019. The AHRC’s Peer Review College has around 1,150 members from higher education institutions and independent research organisations in the United Kingdom and overseas, and from outside academia. Nicola is one of a small number of individuals who are members of multiple colleges and is appointed to four of the PRC groups: Academic, International, Knowledge Transfer and Strategic Review.

The PRC is central to ensuring the robustness of the decision-making mechanisms of the AHRC. It is vital that it operates effectively and efficiently and that it holds the confidence of the academic community. College members play a critical role, not only in providing high quality reviews, but in informing and influencing the current work of the AHRC and its future direction.

Our congratulations to Nicola for this excellent achievement, undertaken alongside her many other duties with the university.

In response to Covid-19 and our new working arrangements, adjustments have been made to policies covering  annual leave and additional sick pay. FAQs on these changes are now available on our staff coronavirus webpages.

Annual leave

Our Executive Group and JSNCC have agreed some principles for interim annual leave arrangements during 2020.  These are aimed at ensuring staff continue to take annual leave wherever possible to promote wellbeing and to avoid staff losing untaken leave at the end of the year:

• Staff are encouraged to still take annual leave during the current period of disruption, even if they are at home.
• Staff wishing to cancel booked leave should immediately re-book it on confirmation that their request has been authorised.
• KVSS applications, where approved, will be conditional on all outstanding leave (pro-rata) being taken prior to the last day of service.
• For those staff with an additional work burden due to Covid-19 or maintaining essential operations on campus, we will increase the carry forward above 5 days, in line with the amended Working Time Directive.
• There will be no change to the current policy of not ‘buying out’ untaken leave at the end of the year, and that any untaken leave, over and above what can be carried forward will be lost. 

Additional sick pay

The NHS has advised hospitals to suspend all non-emergency elective procedures for an undetermined period, possibly for a number of months, because of the surge in coronavirus patients.

To ensure staff already in receipt of long-term sick pay are not disadvantaged by the NHS delay, the University plans to maintain the current level of sick pay (either full pay or half-pay) for an initial period of up to three months, pending receipt of a (new) treatment date.  These arrangements will be reviewed after three months if the NHS continues to defer treatments or if delays are experienced due to a high backlog of deferred treatments.

If you have any questions on these new arrangements, email the HR Operations Team hropsteam@kent.ac.uk.

Other new FAQs

Other new FAQs on our staff coronavirus webpages include the University’s approach to the Government’s Staff Retention Scheme.

Kent has a wide range of subjects, most of which are available full or part-time and some by distance and blended learning. Programmes, many with professional accreditation, are informed by the latest research from world-leading academics so you can develop career-focused skills and knowledge relevant to today’s issues.

What to expect from the event: 

• Learn about the multimillion-pound postgraduate scholarship fund
• Hear from specialist academics
• Attend live Q&A sessions with staff and current students
• Discover Kent’s inspirational locations: Canterbury, Medway, Paris and Brussels
• Take a look at Kent’s wonderful campuses and postgraduate centres
• Hear a welcome from Prof Paul Allain, Dean of the Graduate School

To find out more please visit the courses website.