The Medway Learning and Teaching Festival is jointly organised by the University of Kent, University of Greenwich and Canterbury Christ Church University. The aims of the festival are to share, celebrate and promote best practice across the Medway campus.

This year the festival will be held on Thursday 15 September on the Medway campus.

The theme for 2022 is Student Voice and how we can best listen and respond to those we hear and those we do not hear. This is a consistently strong theme in the sector and a priority for all three universities and collaborative partners. The Student Voice has been brought increasingly into focus since we have moved back to on-campus teaching and are working together to create a vibrant student and staff experience in Medway.

As in previous Medway Learning and Teaching Festivals, the event enables us to reflect on our own development needs and career aspirations as we start the new academic year. Attending or presenting can help colleagues to evidence professional development or maintain ‘good standing’ for Advance HE.

Call for workshop proposals

We are now inviting practitioners, researchers, students and staff to offer ideas for sessions ranging in length from 20 minutes to an hour. Co-authored presentations with students are particularly encouraged.

We welcome contributions on practices that:

• Foster student engagement on-campus
• Promote communities of learning, student belonging and inclusion
• Demonstrate collaborative approaches to learning and teaching
• Facilitate authentic engagement between staff and students

Please send the proposed title and brief summary of your session to Annikki Laitinen A.Laitinen@kent.ac.uk by 17:00 on 17 June 2022.

Kent Unicorns, a netball team made up of staff from the university, are taking on the BRIT challenge for February to raise vital funds for student mental health charities. 

The team are walking, running, swimming, or cycling to contribute towards Team Kent Uni in covering 2022 miles from 1^st February – 3^rd March.  This initiative is being coordinated by Kent Sport to raise vital funds for student mental health charities.

The team boosted their total by 70 miles through a Power Hour on Thursday 10^th February, where they creatively adapted their usual training session with spin bikes and drills to increase the distance.

‘Mental health is something that we cannot ignore and should be supporting, especially at universities. I am delighted that the Unicorns can participate and get involved in such a worthwhile cause’ – Emma Marku, Vice-Captain and Internationalisation Officer.

Kent staff are encouraged to get involved in the challenge.  More details can be found at https://www.kent.ac.uk/sports/brit-challenge

You can also donate to the challenge by visiting the JustGiving link on the British Inspiration Trust (BRIT) Challenge website https://www.justgiving.com/britishinspiration

If you are a member of staff interested in playing Netball, come along to ALL Active Social Netball every Monday lunchtime, 12.30-1.30pm in the Sports Centre. Kent Sport membership required. Minimum membership £2 per session with pay to play membership. For more information, please see website or follow @ALLActiveKent on Facebook, twitter, Instagram or TikTok for updates.

Following the award of the 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature to Emeritus Professor Abdulrazak Gurnah we have great pleasure in celebrating this wonderful achievement with a display of his works in the Templeman Library Welcome Hall.   

Running from 10 February until 15 April, you can take your own journey to ‘Paradise’ and explore his stories of love and war, politics and history: in short, of human nature and the human heart in its infinite complexity.  

His books, some of which were first drafted in the Templeman Library, have touched millions worldwide and shine a light on human experiences that are so often ignored. The Nobel Committee awarded this year’s Prize to Professor Gurnah for ‘his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents.’ 

We are very excited to share the collection with our students, staff and visitors to the Library in-person or online! You can browse and borrow any book from the display or discover more in our digital resources list of e-books. 

In an exclusive, sold out appearance at the Gulbenkian Arts Centre on Thursday 24 February 2022, Nobel Laureate & Professor Emeritus of English and Postcolonial Literatures Abdulrazak Gurnah returns to Kent to reflect on his life, writing, and sense of place and belonging. This event will be live streamed on the University’s YouTube channel so you will still be able to enjoy Professor Gurnah’s talk.

Our children’s holiday camps for 5 to 12 year olds are coming back and they’re bigger than ever!

We’re now including non-traditional sports plus games and activity sessions in the daily timetable, including Nerf, Drums Alive, Mini Golf, New Age Kurling and much more. Your child will still receive professional coaching in traditional sports, such as football, rugby, and cricket, with all sessions being delivered by experienced and DBS verified camp staff, providing the perfect way to keep your 5 to 12-year olds entertained over the school holidays.

EasterZone

Our next children’s holiday camp is EasterZone on Monday 11 to Thursday 14 April 2022. You can book your child’s place here.

Booking and payment

Booking and payment for EasterZone 2022 is easy and can be completed through our EasterZone online store. A booking form will need to be completed for each child you wish to book on our holiday camps. Spaces can be booked either for individual days or the full four days. Spaces are limited so book your space early.

EasterZone 2022 prices

Late pick-ups are available from 3pm to 5pm and include staff-led fun games and creative activities.

If you have any questions about our children’s holiday camps, please email sportsdevelopment@kent.ac.uk or call 01227 816391. Alternatively, please contact us if you would like to be added to our mailing list for future camps.

The University is celebrating its strong tradition of creative reuse as part of international Fair Use / Fair Dealing Week

For the first time, Kent will be taking part in Fair Dealing Week from 21-25 February – a celebration of the flexibility in copyright law allowing creative reuse of copyright material.

At our online event (via MS Teams) on Wednesday 23 February from 17:00 to 18:30, we will demonstrate how research, education and engagement at Kent are underpinned by a copyright literacy strategy. We will also outline associated policy, which encourages Kent staff and students to make informed use of legal provisions.

Draft programme

• Introduction from Professor Richard Reece – Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience) and Chair of the Copyright Steering Group
• The University of Kent Copyright Literacy Strategy and fair dealing – Chris Morrison, Copyright and Licensing Specialist
• A Journey of Creative Reuse in Filmmaking – Dr Richard Misek, Senior Lecturer, School of Arts and independent film maker
• Teaching Digital Arts students through games and play – Dr Alexandra Covaci, Lecturer, School of Engineering and virtual reality researcher
• Parody, pastiche, pandemic songs and copyright – Dr Ben Marsh, Reader, School of History and musical director of the Marsh Family internet sensation. In conversation with Chris Morrison and Dr Jane Secker (co-founders copyrightliteracy.org).

Sign up now

Sign up for the online event now via this Eventbrite link.

Our talented LGBTQ+ students have created a range of art pieces based on their experiences of ‘LGBTQ+ In Lockdown’. You can view the display in Keynes Atrium all month.

For millions of people across the UK, and the world, the Covid-19 lockdowns were a turbulent, emotional and difficult time that placed intense pressure on an individuals’ mental health. Many are still living, and struggling, with the aftereffects.

This exhibition showcases the creative talents of LGBTQ+ students at the University as they reflect on their experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic, and in particular the lockdowns throughout 2020 and into 2021.

For LGBTQ+ students, alongside the pressure of trying to juggle studies, work and the anxiety caused by the global pandemic, there was the additional pressure of being away from their university support networks, potentially being forced to live in a hostile environment, or having to pause or further delay treatment or medical processes for an unknown period of time. For many, lockdown was incredibly traumatic.

For other members of the community, the lockdowns represented an opportunity for deep self-reflection and discovery; a chance to explore their identities.

This collection of art and poetry, commissioned from over 20 student artists from the LGBTQ+ community, reflects the diverse range of feelings and experiences that are reflective of our wider community, both at Kent and beyond and offers a window into the different meanings that the word ‘lockdown’ had for students.

The artists were encouraged to reflect upon what lockdown meant for them as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, both the positives and the negatives. For some, lockdown was an experience that they hoped would never be repeated. For others, it was a period of contemplation and enlightenment. For many, it was both.

Thanks to Student Services and Kent County Council who funded this project. 

See more LGBT+ History Month events. 

Thank you to everyone who has already offered to help at this year’s Celebration Ceremonies and Congregations.

Graduation is a key moment in the lives of all our students and, following the pandemic, we’re keen to ensure this year’s ceremonies from March onwards are extra special.

It’s great that so many colleagues across the University have already shown an interest, but we always need more help – for roles from ticket collection to graduate registration, ushering and handing out certificates.

Benefits for you

These are wonderful occasions to share with our graduates and help celebrate their success, but there are plenty of other benefits for you too, including:

• The ceremonies are a great way to get to know colleagues in both your own team and across the University.
• If you work two or more ceremonies, you will receive a free lunch/dinner.
• If you’re on grades 1-6, you can claim for TOIL (time off in lieu) or overtime payments.
• If you’re on a higher grade, you may be able to claim time back, subject to agreement with your manager.

Find out more

Watch our video on how you can help make our ceremonies extra special!

Further information on what’s involved is also available in our Congregations Factsheet and you can find out about the ceremony dates here. Feel free to email us at congregations@kent.ac.uk if you have any questions.

If you’re ready to sign up, please complete this form asap.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Liberty Chambers and Chloe Cooper, Congregations team

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