The Student Success (Central) Department is delighted to announce the outcome of the recent Diversity Mark Awarding panel that took place on 22nd August 2023, with the work of four module convenors (on five modules) being recognised as meeting the criteria for the award.
Diversity Mark is an institution-wide collaborative initiative run by Student Success team and Diversity Mark Officers in conjunction with academic colleagues, divisional liaison librarians and Kent Union. The process celebrates modules that offer an inclusive learning experience and diverse range of resources for their students. Participants are encouraged to reflect on the demographic makeup of reading lists and stimulate conversation on how to diversity reading lists that represent a more universal collection of knowledge.
The commitment and work of the following module convenors and Diversity Mark Officers (DMO) were commended at the recent awarding panel:
- Dr Margrethe Bruun Vaage and Dibra Thapa Magar (DMO) for module FILM6350 Film, Politics and Identity (Division of Arts and Humanities)
- Iain MacKenzie and Bunmi Omojuwa (DMO) for module POLI6890 Who do you think you are? (Division of Natural Sciences)
- Robert Green and Paige Sharma (DMO)for modules FSCI3010 Introduction to Forensic Science and PSCI7120 Advanced Topics in Forensic Science (Division of Natural Sciences)
- Lucy Panesar and Rachel Gefferie (Senior DMO) for module UELT8330 The Inclusive University (Centre for the Study of Higher Education)
Tiz Buswell, Assistant Manager for Student Success was delighted with the outcomes: “The commitment and hard work of all involved in this process should be applauded. The convenors are dedicated to diversifying the curriculum and with the support of the Diversity Mark Officers and divisional librarians this truly collaborative process can only result in valuing the student voice.”
Rachel Gefferie, Senior Diversity Mark Officer added: “The hope is that more and more module convenors will get involved in this invaluable process and see the benefits of having the Diversity Mark award associated with their module. Representing diverse perspectives leads to a more inclusive learning experience for all students.“
A formal celebration of the above outcomes will take place at the next Diversity Mark Award Ceremony in the autumn term.
Module convenors can find out more about the Diversity Mark process here and are warmly encouraged to register their interest by emailing studentsuccessproject@kent.ac.uk .