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 the 19 October from 14:00 – 16:30 (BST), with the theme ‘How Best to Engage our Students in 2022/23’

Agenda:

• 14:00 – 14:05 – Dr Phil Anthony (University of Kent): Introduction
• 14:05 – 14:20 – Sue Beckingham (Sheffield Hallam University): Getting to know your students through storytelling
• 14:20 – 14:35 – Dr Blanka Hilton (University of Kent) & Dr Stephen Hilton (UCL) : Virtual Reality (VR) Remote Education and Training: A Limitless Platform to Engage with Students
• 14:35 – 14:50 – Rob Lindsay (University of Liverpool): Zoom gloom and Teams screams: Engaging students in alternative online spaces
• 14:50 – 15:05 – Susan Cox (University of York): Keeping discussion topics fresh
• 15:05 – 15:15 – Break
• 15:15 – 15:30 – Robert Green OBE (University of Kent): Promoting active engagement – Some ideas
• 15:30 – 15:45 – Dr Alex Borman (University of Lincoln): Learning through play
• 15:45 – 16:00 – Dr Abdullahi Arabo (UWE Bristol): Authenticity and inclusivity as tool for Student Engagement
• 16:00 – 16:15 – Professor Robyn Smith (Wilmington University): How to Engage Your Asynchronous Online Students
• 16:15 – 16:30 – Dr Patrick Gillett (Southern Cross University): Using VoiceThread to achieve student AND instructor engagement

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

Key updates:

Student Recruitment

Simone Davies attended the meeting to provide an encouraging update on the position for student recruitment, with undergraduate recruitment ahead of this year’s target by 23.5, helped by international recruitment. Post Graduate Taught recruitment is under-performing although this is somewhat offset by the recruitment of international PGT students. JSNCC recognised that there had been an incredible effort by colleagues across the university to support student recruitment and they particularly appreciated the work put in by the Marketing, Outreach, Recruitment and Admissions colleagues.

Redundancy Avoidance Agreement

Last year there was a local dispute raised by UCU over the perceived threat of compulsory redundancies and, as part of the joint statement that settled the dispute, the University agreed to develop a redundancy avoidance agreement that would be applied before invoking the organisational change procedure. The intent would be achieving required outcomes (cost saving, for example) with the aim of avoiding the need for compulsory redundancies. Over the summer, a working group of JSNCC members was convened to agree the principles and develop an agreement. This work has now concluded and the agreement is out for signature with all parties.

Voluntary Severance Scheme

The JSNCC discussed the results of the severance scheme that the University offered to staff in Grade 10 or above (later widened to include staff in Grade 9) in the summer, noting that the scheme had generated savings of over £1 million per year and saw 17 colleagues leaving from a number of divisions and departments across the university.

Workload and Wellbeing

This remains an area of great concern to the JSNCC and there was a vigorous discussion about a variety of factors affecting staff across the University. This included process changes, staff turnover, exit interviews, staff morale and burnout. The university will shortly be publishing the results of the workload and wellbeing survey completed earlier this year. As part of this strand, the JSNCC heard about work being undertaken to address the cost of living crisis faced by the country and some of the creative ways that the University could support staff facing difficulties. You can expect to hear more about this in the weeks ahead.

Celebrate the festive season in style with us this year.

We’re excited to announce that Christmas Parties on the Canterbury campus are now open and taking bookings.

We have packages to suit all tastes, from an organised Christmas Party Night on Thursday 15 December in Darwin Suite, with an indulgent 3-course meal and entertainment, or exclusive use of Darwin Suite for your own private festive event with seasonal menus, drinks and entertainment packages.

For something truly different, why not bring some festive wonder to your Christmas party and work with our events team to plan your bespoke event.

Our Conference and Events Team are on hand to take the stress out of the organisation for you.

So, whatever your plans, support Kent this season by keeping your spend on campus and count on us for fun-filled celebrations and a night to remember!

Find out more on the Conference and Events website.

Send your enquiries via this enquiry/contact form.

October can only mean one thing… we’re celebrating Black History Month at Kent. This year, the national theme is ‘Time for Change: Action, Not Words’ and this has never felt more pertinent. At Kent, we are committed to ensuring that all our students and staff, including our Black students and staff, have the best experience possible whilst they are with us.   

Celebrating Black History 

Black History Month is an opportunity for us as an organisation to celebrate and recognise the myriad of ways in which Black people have contributed to the arts, science, culture, history and technology of Britain and the wider world. It allows us to shine a spotlight on those achievements, and also provides a platform for staff and students to discuss and reflect on their own experiences. Our activities here are organised by a team of people that include the BAME Staff and Student Networks and representatives.   

Get involved – Black History Month events 

Events to look out for include art exhibitions, a book club, online theatre screenings, an open mic night, a coffee morning, 10,000 Black Interns project, Inspirational Speaker Ezechi Britton MBE, film screenings, a Black Owned Business Market and lots of online resources for you to enjoy and to deepen your own learning.  

Plus, don’t miss our BHM staff webinars – Introduction to Anti-Racism and Next steps to Allyship. 

Check out Kent Union’s Black History Month website for all events and resources. 

Continuing the celebrations #Black365 

We don’t just limit this celebration to one month a year. That is why we have #Black365; a series of events and activities that take place throughout the year that continue the legacy of Black History Month.  

Challenging racism also takes a university-wide approach and we know there is always more we can put in place to both be better and do better. We recently launched our Antiracism Strategy which outlined our commitment to taking action against all forms of racism at the University, and beyond. 

We also launched our work on the Race Equality Charter, the national framework which universities use to identify and self-reflect on institutional and cultural barriers that stand in the way of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff and students to help us grow and improve as an institution.  

We really hope you explore and enjoy all the different events and activities that have been organised by staff and students for staff and students. We are always seeking to improve though, so if you have any ideas for the future, or feedback, please do get in contact with us on StudentEDI@kent.ac.uk  

Happy Black History Month 22!  

#BHMKent22  

Our official Employee Assistance Programme provider, Care first offers a numbers of services and provide useful advice and support.

Here’s the schedule for two weeks:

Week commencing 10 October 2022

Monday 10 October – ‘Mental health awareness – In association with World mental health day’– Awareness and information on Mental health, how to recognise and support
those experiencing mental illness and changes to their mental health.
Time: 12.00-12.30 – click on this link to sign up

Wednesday 12 October – ‘How Care first can support you’– A webinar for awareness and how to access the EAP service provided by Care first.
Time: 12.00-12.30 – click on this link to sign up

Friday 14 October – ‘Your counselling‘ call to Care first’ – This webinar provides an overview of what you can expect when making a call to the counselling help line.
Time: 12.00-12.30 – click on this link to sign up

Week commencing 17 October 2022

Monday 17 October – ‘Menopause awareness’ – This session looks at the impact of Menopause on a woman’s mental and physical health. Offering ideas for ways that may help you cope when
going through this stage of your life, Supported by a menopause specialist.
Time: 12.00-12.30 – click on this link to sign up

Wednesday 19 October – ‘How Care first can support you’ – A webinar for awareness and how to access the EAP service provided by Care first.
Time: 12.00-12.30 – click on this link to sign up

Friday 21 October – ‘Practical information and advice through Care first’ – The webinar provides detail about our Information Specialists and their role as part of your EAP service.
Time: 12.00-12.30 – click on this link to sign up

We are looking for staff to volunteer and get involved at our upcoming Open Days at our Canterbury campus

If you haven’t worked at an Open Day before, they are really good fun! You will be a warm and welcome face to potential students and their families whilst assisting and directing them to locations across campus. Watch our Canterbury Open Day video to get a taste of what you could be involved in.

Canterbury Open Days:

• Saturday 8 October 2022 08:45-14:15
• Saturday 22 October 2022 08:45-14:15
• Saturday 19 November 2022 08:45-14:15

Please note, all staff up to Grade 6 will be able to claim overtime. If you would like to volunteer, please email opendays@kent.ac.uk with your availability.

We’re celebrating National Inclusion Week with a call to action: Put inclusion at the heart of everything you do using an Equality Impact Analysis.

Embedding inclusion in our work, from the start

When we create or make changes to policies, processes, events, and even meeting schedules and timetables, it may seem that everyone will be impacted equally. However, if we consider the changes more closely, we may find that they impact certain groups of people differently.

An Equality Impact Analysis focuses on the impact of the piece of work on each of the protected characteristics and whether it is putting someone with one or many of the protected characteristics at an unfair disadvantage. It is crucial to complete an EIA at the very beginning of your work – this will mean you avoid making changes later down the line and potentially causing yourself extra work. You should never complete an EIA on your own – the point of an EIA is to widen your perspective, and the easiest way to do this is to include colleagues in this work.

By carrying out an EIA, the owner of the piece of work will benefit from:

• identifying areas of impact that may not have been otherwise considered
• thinking of possible ways to mitigate any negative impacts
• a way to show how equality considerations have been considered and addressed

An EIA that has been completed to an acceptable standard will include the following:

• A consultation with key groups of people – we call these groups our ‘critical friends’ (staff network members, student network members, EDI Leads and Reps, ‘expert staff’ e.g. researchers in the specific topic of policy you are creating or updating)
• A list of mitigations put in place to lessen any unavoidable impact on protected characteristic groups
• A list of changes made based on feedback from your ‘critical friends’

Practicing inclusion every day makes the EIA easier every time

EIAs can feel overwhelming when you first complete one – that’s ok. Remember, you should never be completing an EIA on your own, so this should instantly lessen the burden. Be open to suggestions from colleagues and ‘critical friends’, and use this as an opportunity to learn about the wider community of students and staff here at Kent.

We’ve built a toolkit and a template you can use to begin your journey with Equality Impact Analyses. You can find these, a training module and some example EIAs listed on our webpages here. If you think you’d benefit from some more training, just let us know! Email us at equalityanddiversity@kent.ac.uk and we can arrange a training session for you and your team.

The Division of Natural Sciences, Supply Stores are doing an Autumn food bank collection running Monday 3^rd – Friday 7^th October

Items wished to be donated can be brought to the Science Supply Stores, Ingram Building, Ground floor G22 (near Ingram reception).

Pop by any time Monday – Friday 09:00-16:45

All donations are gratefully received!

The Canterbury Food Bank is community project and registered charity providing emergency (three-day) food parcels to individuals and families in short term financial crisis across the Canterbury District (Canterbury, Whitstable, Herne Bay and surrounding villages).

Any and all tinned/canned/packeted/long life products are of course welcome, but for those wanting a shopping list they are particularly low on:

• Instant Mash
• Canned Potatoes
• Tinned Beans and Vegetables
• Tinned fruit
• Tinned dessert
• Rice Pudding
• Pasta sauce
• Cup-a-soup
• Tinned soup
• Long-life fruit juice
• Long Life Whole Milk
• Coffee (small jar)
• Canned Ham
• Tinned Fish
• Shampoo
• All Toiletries
• Male and female deodorant
• Size 3 nappies
• Size 5, 5+ 6 and 6+ nappies
• Washing-up liquid
• Cleaning sprays
• Washing powder
• Baby wipes
• Dog food

The Canterbury Food Bank is registered charity No. 1153791.

In September, UKRI and the Leverhulme Trust announced that they would be increasing their annual stipends for doctoral studentships by 10%, from £16,062 to £17,668. Recognising the importance of this increase in the current financial climate, the University will be applying this same increase to all of its internally-funded PhD studentships. This includes GTAs, studentships funded through specific schemes such as the Global Challenges Doctoral Centre and Signature Research Themes, and match-funded studentships with external organisations.

Commenting on this increase, Gordon Lynch, Director of the University’s Graduate and Researcher College, said, ‘I’m very pleased that the University has been able to do this, building on financial returns from its successful performance in REF2021. I’m also grateful to staff who have been working to tight deadlines to ensure that our students receive this money as soon as possible. We recognise the cost of living pressures faced by students and this will remain an important priority for the University in the coming academic year.’

This stipend increase will be effective from 1^st October 2022, and will be applied to the first payment rounds that students receive this autumn.

By Jessica Messenger | Research Excellence Assistant

Earlier this year the University received funding through Kent County Council’s schools programme to run a Youth Summit on campus, the idea being to reconnect young people in Kent to their learning after two years of missed activity. Although the plans for the event were exciting and ambitious, we still needed to put a lot of work into realising our ideas and to make them happen.

I’m pleased to say that, with a lot of hard work by a lot of people across the University, including a reschedule of the date from the summer to October, those early ideas have developed and those plans have been firmed up. Not only that, the programme has proved to be popular beyond what we could have hoped for with more than 800 young people coming to our campus over three days next week.

Take a look at the programme and you’ll see a wide range of exciting and innovative sessions, including workshops exploring maths through natural and everyday objects, exercises that combine drumming with movement, a ‘multilingual Tempest for our times’, opportunities to take part in a court trial in a fun and interactive way, stand-up comedy workshops, sessions to create environmental land art, workshops on cyber security, the showing of a contemporary Ukrainian play called The Grain Store, and much more.

Each day there will be a plenary session including a UN-style debate on Monday led by our Humanities and Social Sciences Division on key challenges facing our young people, an interactive film called ‘Anthropocene’ on our changing environment and KMTV will deliver a Generation Genome event that aims to inspire young people to delve deeper into the world of genomics. It all amounts to what we hope will be an incredible festival of learning for our young people who have missed out on so much over the last two and a half years.

Every Division has been involved in helping to come up with the programme, and our Signature Research Themes have been in the thick of developments, contributing some of the highlights of the week. Students too will be on hand to help deliver the learning activities and make sure things run smoothly.

One of the key objectives of the Youth Summit was to give our young people a voice and a platform to tell us about their hopes and ideas for the future. So we’ll be eliciting their ‘ideas for a better world’ to compile and to make them available in different formats to send to MPs, council leaders, headteachers and other senior figures in the region as a clear statement about what our young people want for their future.

I hope as many of you as possible will drop by between 3 and 5 October to take in the atmosphere of the Youth Summit, follow it on KMTV or through our comms channels. It promises to be something special.