Academic Tutor
Prior to joining University of Sunderland in 1995, I taught for 15 years in primary schools in the North East of England. During that time, I was also involved in consultancy work for Cleveland Local Education Authority in primary Design and Technology.
I gained a Masters’ in Education from the University of Sunderland in 1992 and then lectured on a part-time basis before taking up the position of Senior Lecturer where I continued my interest in Design and Technology.
In 2008 I was named Design and Technology ITE Lecturer of the Year by the Design and Technology Association. My expertise in Design and Technology continued and I became vice-chair of the ‘Expert Subject Advisory Group’, an organisation set up by the DfE to play a pivotal role in leading developments in the subject at national level.
I have also undertaken many roles in the University including several programme and module leaderships for primary education and also the full-time masters course, until my promotion to Principal Lecturer in 2010.
I have a keen interest in Distance Learning (DL) and until retiring in 2019, I led the DL provision. Prior to becoming the team leader, I worked as part of the team to design, develop and deliver the highly successful PGCE Education DL which now operates in sixty countries worldwide. As part of this role, I have travelled extensively in the Middle East, Far East and Europe undertaking many quality-assurance visits to observe trainees and visit schools.
Since retiring, my role has changed to Academic Tutor where I work on a part-time basis in International Teacher Education. My teaching focuses on supporting ITT trainees during their course, acting as their personal academic tutor for their professional and research modules.
In addition to working with University of Sunderland, I am employed by another university as their external examiner within their independent distance learning provision.