Programme duration
The AKC Programme is open to all students and staff at King's. The AKC runs alongside your degree programme and takes two years to complete.
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One-year postgraduate students are eligible to complete the AKC in two years by undertaking a second year via distance learning. These students will be contacted at the end of their first AKC year with details of how to enrol. The second year of the AKC remains free of charge.
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Students enrolled on the volunteering pathway will complete the AKC over two years, but will complete 3 series of lectures instead of 4. In place of one lecture series students will use hours of volunteering to meet the requirements. More information on the volunteering pathway can be found here.
Attendance
The AKC programme is assessed by lecture attendance. Lecture attendance is demonstrated by successfully completing a short, qualitative quiz on KEATS after each lecture.
In order to pass each semester's lecture series, students must demonstrate their attendance at four out of nine lectures per series (i.e. successfully complete the quizzes for a minimum of four out of nine lectures per semester).
In order to pass each academic year, students must meet the minimum attendance requirements for both lecture series (i.e. successfully complete the quizzes for a minimum of four lectures in Semester 1 and a minimum of four lectures in Semester 2).
Quizzes
Each quiz consists of two reflective questions. Students are not expected to spend more than 5-10 minutes per quiz. You are advised to write two or three sentences in response to each question.
Quiz questions for recent lectures have included:
- Do you think doctors should have the right to ask any question of their patients? (Too Important to Be Offended—the Doctor Has to Ask)
- Can creative imagination, art, stories, music and literature build moral or social character? (Narrative Imagination and Moral Perfection in Indian Buddhism)
- When it comes to climate change, what do you think is the most effective action that individuals can take? (Climate Change: What Can We Do?)
- How do we relate to art in a historic space that represents values different from our own? (Inside St Paul's Cathedral: Art Old and New)
Quizzes are released at 12 noon on Mondays (as soon as the live lecture begins) and remain open for two weeks (14 days). Quizzes will be moderated as either as pass or a fail. Moderation will take place throughout the academic year; however quiz results will not be final until they are ratified at the end of the academic year.
The full AKC Assessment Regulations can be found on the AKC KEATS area, alongside guidance on completing and submitting quiz questions.
Dean's Commendation
Students who complete a minimum of eight quizzes in a Semester will receive a Dean's Commendation in recognition of their commitment to the programme. The Dean’s Commendation is awarded to students at the end of each academic year. Students are eligible to gain a Commendation for both semesters providing they meet the requirements. Please note that you must gain a pass for the academic year overall in order to be awarded a Dean’s Commendation.
Optional essay competition
Students who wish to explore an AKC theme in more depth are invited to write an essay at the end of the series. Essay questions will be released at the end of each term, and the best essays in each Faculty will receive an AKC prize. Students who enter the essay competition may also receive a Dean's Commendation in recognition of their commitment to the AKC programme.