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Information for new staff
First of all welcome to the University of Kent! You will no doubt have been bombarded by a wealth of information since you arrived but we would like to introduce you to the core learning technologies used here at Kent and the support we offer to help you make the most effective use of them.
If you’ve come from another University, you may have experience of some of the technologies we use here at Kent. However, you will find our versions slightly different because we have custom integrations with other Kent systems. Our support therefore encompasses many forms, so we recommend that you engage with the training and support resources we have available (see table below). You can also contact your Faculty Learning Technologist (FLT) for more information or to arrange bespoke, school-specific training.
| Technology | Description and use | Training and support resources |
|---|---|---|
| Moodle |
Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to provide learning materials and activities to students. We have 3 variants:
Moodle Live – for course delivery Moodle Training – a sandbox environment for staff training and where staff can develop resources External – for public facing courses
|
Online training video (10 mins approx.) Sign up for Moodle Essentials (face to face) Moodle documentation (various pdf guides) |
| Turnitin |
Plagiarism detection and online marking functionality (via GradeMark) used to improve students' academic writing skills and facilitate timely electronic feedback from staff.
|
Online training video (10 mins approx.) Sign up for Turnitin Essentials (face to face) Turnitin documentation (various pdf guides) |
| KentPlayer (Panopto) |
Lecture recording service used to record lectures and seminars to aid student revision and in the production of educational multimedia resources.
|
Online training video (10 mins approx.) Sign up for KentPlayer Essentials (face to face) KentPlayer documentation (various pdf guides) |
Your use of the various learning technologies will depend on your role at the University – please see the guidance below.
Further information for...
Academic staff
Your use of learning technologies may also depend on your subject discipline and academic School; some technologies are more useful in some disciplines than others, and your School may have its own policy on how a certain technology should be used. If in doubt, speak to your School's Director of Learning and Teaching (DoLT) or School Administration Manager (SAM). In general, such policies define the minimum you are expected to do with a technology, so you can still choose to do more. Your Faculty Learning Technologist is happy to help.
You'll usually be expected to use Moodle to provide modular teaching materials to your students; every taught module has a Moodle module with staff and students enrolled automatically. You may also be expected to use Turnitin for assignment submissions, and you could also use its GradeMark functionality to mark online. Optionally, you can use KentPlayer to record lectures or demonstrations.
To find out about innovative use of technology, take a look at the Themes & Projects menu items (left), and let us know if you'd like to get involved in any of our projects. If you are interested in learning technology as a subject for research, you may be interested in taking the "Technology in the Academic Environment" module as part of the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education. You may be expected to undertake the PGCHE if you don't already have this or a similar qualification. Contact the Centre for the Study of Higher Education for more information. You may also find the University social media guidelines of interest.
Graduate Teaching Assistants, part-time or sessional teachers
The amount of engagement that a part-time teacher will have with these tools depends on two things; the teaching methods chosen by the module convenor and your own personal interest. A good example is Moodle: if a module convenor has carefully laid out the module and decided where the various types of content and activities will go, then your use of Moodle within the module will be shaped by the existing layout. If the module is being delivered by a number of seminar leaders such as yourself, the Convenor may decide to give you some autonomy on how you develop your section and resources within the Moodle module. So, in some ways, the convenor decides the minimum level of engagement that you need to have, but you can choose to take things further by providing more content or interactivity.
Administrative staff
As an administrator, your engagement with these technologies is highly dependent upon your role, and you may not need to use learning technologies at all. However, as learning technology is so widely used at the University, you'll probably come into contact with it at some point. Some examples of where administrative staff often use learning technology are:
- Creating Turnitin inboxes in Moodle, and archiving submissions.
- Manually enrolling new staff members on Moodle modules.
- Aiding academic staff in the production of modules in readiness for the start of term.
Your School Administration Manager (SAM) will explain how and when you will need to use learning technology, and your Faculty Learning Technologist will provide advice and support.
Help and support
As a general rule, if you're experiencing technical issues with learning technology, for example, problems accessing or logging into Moodle, then you should contact the IT Helpdesk. If your question is about the use or application of learning technology, then your Faculty Learning Technologist can help.