This year, Her Majesty The Queen became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee – along with others across the country and around the world, we will be joining the celebrations of Her Majesty’s remarkable 70 years of service to the nation. 

Our royal connections

Her Majesty has visited the University twice in our long history – once to our Canterbury campus in 1987 to meet students and formally open new computing facilities in the Cornwallis Octagon and again in 2002 to mark the opening of our Medway campus, shared with Greenwich and Christ Church universities.

We’ve dug into our archives to find this photo of the Queen visiting in the late 1980s as we opened new computer labs – you can also find a photo of her visit on the wall of the Cornwallis Octagon!

The University itself was granted its Royal Charter on 4 January 1965, which is what gives us the power to award degrees. The Charter outlines is signed by Queen Elizabeth II and outlines both our objectives as a University – for the advancement of knowledge, the diffusion and extension of arts, sciences and learning, and the provision of liberal, professional and technological education.

Events and Celebrations

Activities will be taking place across Kent and Medway to mark the Platinum Jubilee weekend, alongside nationwide celebrations. Jubilee beacons will be lit across the UK ahead of a Platinum Party at the Palace on Saturday 4 June and The Big Jubilee Lunch at communities around the country on Sunday 5.

To kickstart the extended bank holiday weekend, we have rounded up the events and celebrations taking place throughout Kent for those that want to head down and join in with special Jubilee moments across the county

• Lighting of Jubilee Beacons will take place at venues across the county as the sun sets on Thursday 2 June – including Canterbury, Whitstable, Chatham, Margate and Dover
• Platinum Jubilee events will be taking place in a number of locations, with fun for all the family at special activity at Mote Park, Hever Castle and Leeds Castle
• Rochester Castle will host Medway’s Platinum Jubilee Picnic Site, with a live-stream of the events taking place in the capital across the weekend. The Platinum Jubilee Medway River Pageant will also make its way to a riverside street party in Chatham on the Saturday
• Lectures and musical tributes will also take place at Canterbury Cathedral – find out more about Jubilee Celebrations in Kent

We hope you have a lovely bank holiday and get to celebrate this remarkable achievement!

At at a time when a professional footballer coming out as gay is still seen by some as controversial, it is more important than ever for colleagues, students, and the wider community to be able to see examples of the lived experience of LGBT+ Pride.

This year, Canterbury Pride takes place on Saturday 11 June and the University LGBT+ Staff Network will be organising a group to march through the city to show that Kent is an inclusive and welcoming place for all LGBT+ people.

The marching group and attendance at Canterbury Pride are not only open to Network Members, but to all members of our community, whether you identify as LGBT+ yourself or are an ally. Book the date in your diary and watch this space for more information about how to join the parade nearer the time.

We are also asking staff and students to take part in a campaign about what your rainbow lanyard means to you. If you’d like to get involved, please email communications@kent.ac.uk.

From Simone Davies | Director of Marketing, Outreach, Recruitment & Admissions

Since joining Kent back in September 2019 I have had lots of discussions and conversations about our brand. Every one of us can point to something that makes Kent special – articulating that in a way that resonates with all our audiences from staff and students to partners and stakeholders isn’t quite so easy.  

What now seems like a long time ago – pre-pandemic we ran a number of workshops with staff and students which led to three key themes being identified: Connection, Collaboration and Community. The way these three themes come together to be more than the sum of their parts gives us a starting point to create a new brand identity for the university. They underpin everything we do and are very much linked to our key strategic priorities: Education and Student Success, Research and Innovation and Engagement, Impact and Civic Mission. 

We are on a journey and I’m excited that we’ll be able to share with you where we’re heading. The University of Kent brand is evolving and the work we’re doing now is about moving us on from the identity that was created over a decade ago to something that is reflective of who we now are and our ambitions for the future.  

This is very much about the way we present ourselves both internally and to the outside world, it’s about how we differentiate ourselves and stand out in what is an increasingly competitive landscape. It’s about people knowing who Kent is and what we stand for – it’s about communicating what makes us special. 

We have two groups of staff and students supporting and inputting into this work which includes staff across both central and Divisional teams plus undergraduate and postgraduate students. And we need to know what you think – there will be a face-to-face roadshow taking place on 16 and 17 June and this will be supported by a digital roadshow until 20 June. Plus we will be speaking to partners and stakeholders to make sure that what we’re saying is aligned to what they think about us. 

Who we are and how we portray that can be emotive but hopefully as we develop this narrative and visual identity it will resonate with what we’ve heard you say and will amplify our truth. 

I’m really looking forward to sharing where we’re up to next month and seeing what people think as this really important work gets closer to launch. 

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 8^th of June from 14:00 – 16:30 (GMT), with the theme ‘Digitally Enhanced Assessment and Feedback’

Agenda:

• 14:00 – 14:05 – Dr Phil Anthony (University of Kent): Introduction
• 14:05 – 14:35 – Professor Kathleen M. Quinlan & Dr Edd Pitt (University of Kent): Digitally Enhanced Assessment and Feedback: promising practices from the literature 2016-2022
• 14:35 – 14:50 – Siân Shaw (Anglia Ruskin University): Using HoloLens for authentic learning
• 14:50 – 15:05 – Dr Andy Clegg (University of Portsmouth): Assessment and Feedback: Reflections and simple guiding principles for law
• 15:05 – 15:15 – Break
• 15:15 – 15:30 – Professor Margaret Bearman (Deakin University): Designing the digital into higher education assessment
• 15:30 – 15:45 – Sarah Knight (Jisc): Redesigning assessment practices for a digital age
• 15:45 – 16:00 – Assistant Professor Alexandra Mihai (Maastricht University): ePortfolios: combining authentic assessment and a space for independent learning
• 16:00 – 16:15 – Professor Yong Zhao (University of Kansas): Learning without borders
• 16:15 – 16:30 – Professor John Hattie (University of Melbourne): The power of Feedback

Colleagues 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.

The University is undertaking an Employability Health Check to help us identify areas of good practice and to collect ideas for future activity. We are hosting online round tables for staff, and individual surveys with students. If you would like to take part, please add your details to https://www.kent.ac.uk/ces/contact/form.html and we will send you the appropriate links.

Professional Service colleagues 14^th June 10.00-12.30

Academic colleagues 30^th June 10.00-12.30

Students will be contacted 7^th-16^th June

These events are hosted and facilitated by an external company. If you are unable to attend, but would like to feed ideas into this review, please email headofces@kent.ac.uk.

The University of Kent is partnering with a number of organisations to host Canterbury Stands with Ukraine, a major community event to be held in Canterbury city centre on Saturday 28 May. 

From Canterbury Stands with Ukraine:

Canterbury will show its solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people at a major community event to be held in the centre of the city on Saturday 28 May.

The open event will bring together VIPs, city dignitaries, the general public and a wide range of charities and volunteer organisations that have begun to welcome the increasing number of Ukrainians coming to the area to escape the war. Ukrainians themselves are leading these efforts, with the delivery of welcome packs, advice and guidance, language support, counselling services, and a wide range of other support services being made available through the sustained efforts of supporters in the community.

The event – to be held at Canterbury Christ Church University’s Augustine House – will hear from those who have fled the war as well as those hosting them in their homes and will include performances from Ukrainian and UK singers.

Among the organisations to be represented at the event is Canterbury for Ukraine which through its social media presence and active leadership since the start of the war has spearheaded local efforts to provide critical support services to those most in need.

Also present will be representatives of religious, political, business and educational organisations in the city and beyond.

A key element of the programme will be the opportunity for the public to meet the key volunteer and charity organisations involved in supporting the Ukrainian community and to find out how they can help and support these efforts.

Denys Nizalov of Canterbury for Ukraine said: “This will be an important event for us in the city as we take a moment to acknowledge the amazing work being done. But it will also encourage us to redouble our efforts to help those most affected by this horrific war. It is humbling to see the response that Canterbury and its people have made in the last three months but I know there is also the wish on the part of many people to do more. So I would encourage anyone interested to come along and find out how they can help.”

Councillor Connie Nolan, who will be speaking at the event, said: “This event represents an important moment for Canterbury and for its support of those who are arriving in our area due to the terrible impacts of the war in Ukraine. I’m extremely proud of the way that the city has responded to the challenges of the last few months, putting in place such a wide range of services and providing such a warm welcome to those who need it most.”

Canterbury Stands with Ukraine will take place at Augustine’s House, Canterbury Christ Church University, CT1 2YA (nearest parking can be found at Old Dover Road and Watling St car parks) from 10.30 – 13.00.

For further information and to register your interest, please go to: www.facebook.com/groups/canterbury.for.ukraine

Thank you to all Kent staff and students who recently took part in a number of physical challenges and group activities during our first ever Giving Week to raise funds for the new Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy.

The Centre is a partnership between the University, the national charity Parkinson’s Care and Support UK, and the Kent Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre, where it will be based. It will be the first of its kind in the UK to provide the therapies, knowledge, tools and social community needed to overcome many of the physical and mental limitations imposed by Parkinson’s disease.

The challenges included a 5k ‘campus trek’, with the Sheriff of Canterbury presenting medals to the participants, and a lunchtime music concert from East Kent Rock Choir which had over 250 attendees.

An impressive £15,000 was raised through Kent Giving Week which will make a vital contribution towards establishing and running the much-needed Centre. Anyone wishing to donate can do so here: https://www.kent.ac.uk/parkinsons/support-us/donate

Professor David Wilkinson, who will be leading research at the Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy, said: ‘I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part in these fundraising events – your support is invaluable. The Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy will play a significant role in helping those with Parkinson’s disease in the local community have access to non-therapeutic therapies that can make a huge difference to their quality of life.’

The Kings School in Canterbury has selected the Centre as its Charity of the Year with its staff also participating in a number of fundraising challenges such as a 5k fun run, a family/dog inclusive circular walk and a family BBQ. Additionally, a member of staff at King’s School is independently taking part in 11 Tough Mudder challenges throughout 2022 to raise money for the Centre.

Our first Giving Week was officially launched on Monday 9 May by Vice-Chancellor and President, Karen Cox. Each year the University will select one of its funding priorities to benefit from a week of fundraising activity.

Kent Staff taking part in Kent Giving Week’s 5k campus trek

TED talk-style event providing insights into Parkinson’s treatments and therapies at Kent Giving Week

A netball challenge takes place during the Kent Giving Week Livestream

Left to right: Elizabeth Gordon (Parkinson’s Care and Support UK), Professor David Wilkinson (Kent), Spencer Goddard (CEO of Kent MS Therapy Centre)

June celebrates Pride month and the annual Pride Canterbury parade. The University of Kent has a presence at this event each year and as we pull together our plans, one of the things we want to do is showcase the brilliant advances in LGBTQIA+ research taking place at Kent.

We want to celebrate your work by sharing an overview of your ongoing and completed research at the University of Kent stall which will be located in the Dane John Gardens on the 11 of June.

How you can get involved

Please submit your contact details and an abstract of your research project in this Microsoft Form to showcase your ongoing or completed research at this years’ Pride Canterbury event.

If you have any questions please contact Josh Turner on communityliaison@kent.ac.uk.

Please submit your contribution by Monday 6 June 2022.

This event celebrates the diversity of our varied and wonderful communities of human sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

Look out for more information in the coming weeks on to get involved with Pride Month and join the parade.

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

Due to the stabilising situation of Covid, they’ll be doing a side-range of webinar topics. Here’s the schedule for two weeks:

Week commencing 30 May 2022

Monday 30 May – ‘‘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

Wednesday 1 June  – ‘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 3 May – BANK HOLIDAY QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE

Week commencing 6 June 2022

Monday 6 June –‘Care first manager and MHFA support’ – This webinar provides an overview of the support available for managers and also the mental health first aiders of organisations through the EAP.
Time: 13.00-13.30 – click on this link to sign up

Wednesday 8 June – ‘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 10 June – ‘Supporting each other’s differences’ – A webinar to help us understand we are all different but how we can be supportive to each other with the choices we make and lives we have.
Time: 12.00-12.30 – click on this link to sign up

Dr Edd Pitt and Professor Kathleen M. Quinlan, academics in the University of Kent’s Centre for the Study of Higher Education, authored the latest in a series of high-profile literature reviews from Advance HE.

Their review, focused on enhancing assessment and feedback practices in higher education, launched on 19 May.  Based on 481 empirical studies published from 2016-2021, it is a timely and comprehensive resource for higher education practitioners and policy makers.

The review concludes with a series of evidence-based recommendations for educators, policymakers, and researchers in the field.

According to Stuart Norton, Senior Adviser Learning and Teaching, Advance HE, “the authors have done an excellent job of providing details and explanations of each [recommendation], ultimately with a view to rethinking and repositioning assessment strategies, processes, and practices across the sector.”

In an accompanying blog, Quinlan and Pitt reflect on the process of completing the review.  In two companion podcasts, they discuss high level messages from the review, explaining key principles and offering examples of practices that illustrate those principles.  They will present webinars on 9 June.

Professor Richard Reece, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Education and Student Experience at the University of Kent welcomed the report, “it offers valuable and insightful guidance on the steps we need to take as a University and a sector to ensure assessment and feedback best serve our students’ learning. It will guide our own review of assessment and feedback policy and practices at the University of Kent in the coming year. We hope colleagues will begin that process at this year’s Learning and Teaching Conference on 20 June, which Dr Pitt and Professor Quinlan have organised around these themes.”

Sign up to the conference on the 20 June.

Advance HE is a charity that works with institutions and higher education across the world to improve higher education for staff, students, and society. A membership organisation, it enrols more than 500 higher education and research institutions around the world, including most UK higher education providers.

This literature review is being showcased as a member benefit, ensuring wide dissemination among key stakeholders. To retrieve these resources, simply login using an email address from a member institution.