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.

As we approach the end of the financial year at Kent, we have opened a short-life Voluntary Severance scheme to specific cohorts of staff across the University. While we continue to make good progress in delivering our Financial Improvement Plan, we still have work to do to be sustainable and we have an opportunity with funds available this year to explore potential savings in areas that could make a difference. 

The scheme is open to all academic staff in the Division of Arts & Humanities, along with all staff at Grade 10 and above across the University. All eligible staff will be contacted directly to let them know they can apply, with the email including a link to full details about the scheme itself. 

As many will be aware, the Division of Arts & Humanities has recently been reviewing its different academic areas to respond to the national decline in prospective students looking to study humanities courses. This scheme is predominantly being launched to support any academic staff in the Division who may wish to leave the University, with any savings helping to inform the future direction it takes. 

However, given the external environment remains uncertain with both ‘frozen’ home fees and new challenges linked to the cost of living crisis, we have also opened the scheme up more widely across senior staff in case there are any other opportunities to make savings. This is part of helping us get ahead of any future financial constraints while we can, making sure we manage their impact in a way that minimises the effect on overall staffing levels. 

Directors of Division will also be communicating with colleagues in their respective areas to provide local context on the scheme, with all applications considered on a case-by-case basis. If you have any further questions about voluntary severance, please contact your HR Manager, or the central Employee Relations team at VSscheme@kent.ac.uk. 

The University also has a number of existing options available to staff across the organisation who are looking to move on at a time that is right for both them and their division/directorate. These include efficiency retirement, flexible/phased retirement, ill health retirement as well as our existing voluntary redundancy package. If you would like an informal, confidential conversation about any of these schemes please contact your local HR Manager.

Our Joint Staff Negotiating and Consultation Committee (JSNCC) held its latest regular meeting on 11 May. The JSNCC is the main forum in which staff and trade union representatives meet with management representatives to discuss key developments across the University, particularly those that will impact staff. Find out more about JSNCC and how the reps can help you have your voice heard. 

Updates from the May meeting 

People and Culture Strategy 

Deputy Director of HR Nikki Hyde gave an update on the development of our People and Culture Strategy, which is being finalised following a series of focus groups with colleagues across the University. The Strategy is about how staff can be best supported to get the most out of their time at Kent, wherever they work and whatever they do. JSNCC discussed how we can ensure this becomes fully embedded with tangible positive impact for staff, including the importance of engaging staff in the strategy in ways appropriate to where they work. It will also dovetail with a wider programme of staff engagement activities throughout the year, making sure we make the most of being largely back on campus again. 

Wellbeing and Workload 

This continues to be a key priority, both for the JSNCC reps and for the University’s Executive Group. Concerns were raised about the need for join up across projects to ensure that additional pressure doesn’t get put on staff by multiple change initiatives happening at the same time. The Project Management Office has recently put in place a new Project and Programme Portfolio Board which should help with prioritisation of projects and avoiding such conflicts in future. The Committee also discussed the recent workload and wellbeing survey, with a wider update for staff on the outcomes of this due shortly. 

KentVision 

A regular update on KentVision was provided, with the latest project update available on the Staff News pages. This remains a key area of concern for the Committee, with reps reporting pressures around the aspects of the project expected for delivering by August. However, there has also been progress in some areas, with all recognising the need for more regular comms on areas where things are improving. 

Covid-19 and Health and Safety 

Following recent Government announcements on ‘Living with Covid’, our current Covid-19 Pay Policy will be removed from 31 May.  

JSNCC were advised that the Safety, Health and Environment Executive Committee (SHEEC), a sub-committee of Council, is being replaced by a new management committee, with Audit Committee taking over the monitoring role for Council.  JSNCC discussed the arrangements for staff consultation on health and safety, with reps stating a preference for retaining dedicated consultation meetings rather than health and safety being absorbed into main JSNCC meetings. 

Staff Development Policy 

The Committee discussed the challenges with evenly implementing the Staff Development Policy, with a sense that due to disparities in budget allocation not all areas are in a position to fully deliver on the policy commitments.  While it was generally agreed that Kent values the development and career progression of its staff, the Talent & Organisational Development team was asked to look further into the way staff development budgets are allocated and spent across different areas.  

Next meeting is 22 June 2022.

Find our more about JSNCC. 

From Martin Carvey | Project Manager

Following significant work from stakeholders across the University, over the past couple of months we have begun to see increased functionality across KentVision, supported by careful testing and training ahead of rollout. This will continue in the weeks and months ahead, with our Agile Team delivery model being deployed across more areas, allowing for quicker and more effective development at each stage.  

This remains a challenging project but we are now seeing real progress in tangible business analysis, development and testing activity, leading to more key features and functionality being deployed – this will continue in the weeks ahead. My continued thanks to all users across the University for your engagement in getting the recent deliveries into place. 

Assessments: Boards of Examiners 

Initial Boards deployment is now completed. Development and testing of the next stage of the functionality for this remains on track for rollout this term, with training scheduled throughout. This is a key functionality with progress continuing in the weeks ahead, ensuring we can run a smooth exam process across Divisions. 

Changes of Circumstances 

Several user group onsite workshops with key users across the University have assisted in completing the process mapping for this, with a focus on user experience. Additionally, core components for delivery have been identified, ensuring data improvement is an initial focus.  

Our business analysts and developers continue collaborating to consider the complexities around Changes of Circumstances and are now working through the priorities for different users. This will focus on mapping out the changes to have in place for the key moments in the academic calendar during this year.  

Statutory Data 

Incremental changes are being made that will ensure data in KentVision continues to improve, with this strand of work continuing in line with the schedule. 

Next steps  

We are concurrently focusing business analysis and specific development work across several other priority areas – both for KentVision to meet the University’s needs during the short term, with further delivery scheduled during the next few weeks, and for further changes throughout this year, supported by ongoing user engagement. A priority order for delivery is being confirmed now to conclude the work of our independent SITS consultant, confirming the extensive SITS delivery list and priorities. Estimates for delivery timelines are now being accurately assessed, and a resourced project delivery roadmap can be completed.  

While there is still a way to go before we have features and functionality in place to satisfy all stakeholders, we are also looking ahead to how we bring both the working methods and ongoing improvements into ‘business as usual’ with the support of colleagues in IS.  

Congratulations to Kerry Barber for being appointed as the Director of Research and Innovation Services.

Kerry will be known to many as the current Director of Operations for the Division of Human and Social Sciences at Kent and will be taking up her new role as Director of RIS in the summer.

“I am delighted at Kerry Barber’s appointment to lead Research and Innovation Services, a high-performing directorate that is supporting the University very effectively to achieve its ambitions for research and innovation.”
Professor Shane Weller | Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation