The Teaching and Learning Exchange will be welcoming a number of new colleagues over the coming months to support various key projects that align with our institutional objectives.
Within Arts Education, Dr Rachel Marsden and Neil Currant have joined the academic programmes team, respectively as Lecturers in Practice-based Research and Thinking Teaching. We have created a new Attainment team, where Dr Clare Warner and Vikki Hill will be working together to lead and coordinate our work to eliminate our attainment differentials at UAL. They will be supported by our new Digital Resource Developer, Gemma Riggs. Last but not least, Alexandra Pitt will join as a new Educational Developer with a focus on our reward and recognition programmes.
Joining Digital Learning are Peter Beare as Digital Learning Coordinator and Darren Gash as Digital Learning Manager, supported by Hannah Hyde as Digital Learning Engagement Support.
And finally, we welcome Dr Emily Salines to UAL. Emily will join the AEM team and will be the LCC AEM Lead.
We’d also like to say a huge thank you and good luck to Dr Nick Addison, who retires at the end of January. We are very sorry to see Nick go, whose excellent teaching has touched many at UAL. We’ll miss his vast knowledge of arts education and warm, subversive presence, but we’re not sad because he’s off to enjoy painting and reading by the sea.
We look forward to introducing our new colleagues to you over the coming months. Please join us in making them all feel welcome at UAL.
New team Member Biographies
Dr Rachel Marsden – Lecturer in Practice-based Research
Rachel has joined the Academic Practice course team (replacing Nick Addison). Rachel is a lecturer, curator and arts writer, researching transcultural studies, cultural translation and curatorial practices in China and the Asia-Pacific. She is also focused on the development of practice-led/based (arts and curatorial) curricula towards “pedagogies of practice” and emerging cultural leadership.
Neil Currant – Lecturer, Thinking Teaching
Neil will be delivering the Thinking Teaching short course across UAL (replacing Vikki Hill). Neil is an extremely experienced educational developer who joins us from Oxford Brookes University, having previously worked at Salford and Bradford Universities. He is currently writing up his EdD, on Black and Minority Ethic student experiences of belonging, a study that he has developed through storytelling and critical race theory.
Dr Clare Warner – Educational Developer (Curriculum and Assessment)
Clare will be joining the UAL Attainment Team in March, from Westminster College where she is Coordinator and Lecturer in Teaching Training. Her courses recruit a diverse community of students who want to become teachers in FE and she is proud that the course she leads does not have an attainment gap. Clare has recently completed a PhD at Goldsmiths University. Her PhD thesis explores the experiences of African-Caribbean education practitioners/grassroots organisations applying to open Free schools in London. Clare has led a range of projects addressing attainment differentials across all areas of education from primary to university level. This work has been shared widely.
Vikki Hill – Educational Developer (Attainment – Identity and Cultural Experience)
Vikki joined UAL in 2016 as the lead for the OFS Catalyst funded Changing Mindsets Project. Deploying a range of diverse and creative approaches Vikki has ensured that this project has secured very strong student and staff engagement from across UAL. The website she developed (http://ualcreativemindsets.myblog.arts.ac.uk/) to share this work is a testament to the ways that she deploys research informed creative approaches to address attainment differentials. Vikki has particular expertise in the area of supporting student and staff understanding of growth mindsets, implicit bias and stereotype threat, and has shared her work at a range of conferences and staff development events. Vikki is a practising artist and before working at UAL Vikki was programme team lead in art and design at Newham Sixth Form College.
Gemma Riggs – Digital Resource Developer: Attainment
Gemma will be working with colleagues in the Teaching and Learning Exchange to ensure that attainment enhancement resources are shared in a range of high quality and engaging digital formats. Gemma is currently a Visiting Lecturer at RCA and her creative portfolio displays a wide range of digital media and communication work including work created while she was working at LCF in her role as Network Research Facilitator. Gemma is a freelance film maker and has managed large scale international film projects.
Alexandra Pitt – Educational Developer (Reward and Recognition)
Alexandra will be joining the Arts Education team in April as an Educational Developer with a special focus on promoting reward and recognition for teaching staff. Key to her role will be developing UAL’s current HEA accredited CPD scheme to support more staff to attain Fellowship. Alexandra will be joining UAL from Middlesex University, where she is currently a Senior Lecturer. She has been teaching in higher education for twenty years and brings a wealth of experience to her role. Her educational background spans English Language Teaching and Linguistics, Art History and Creative Writing, and she has plenty of ideas about using a variety of writing techniques to reflect on professional practice.
Peter Beare – Digital Learning Coordinator
Peter joins us from London Met University where he has been supporting the use of their Digital Learning platforms, including Moodle. He has a background in media production which includes lecturing in the subject. Peter will be working on defining and supporting effective practice in Digital Learning as well as contributing to staff development.
Darren Gash – Digital Learning Manager
Darren joins us from Surrey University where he has been leading on the development of staff digital competencies and pedagogical insight across the institution. He has a background in TEL and in leading creative media degrees. Darren will be focusing on expanding our Digital Learning staff development offer and the strategic development of Digital Learning practices.
Hannah Hyde – Digital Learning Engagement Support
Hannah joins us from the commercial sector where she works in PR and marketing. She will be focusing on engaging UAL staff with our Digital Learning offer, keeping our online presence fresh and supporting events and workshops.
Dr Emily Salines – Academic Enhancement Model (AEM) Project – LCC Lead
Emily joins us from Greenwich University where she was a Senior Lecturer in Learning and Teaching. Emily has been leading on a range of cross university enhancement projects. For example, she has been leading an assessment enhancement project at Greenwich as well as offering cross university support in the area of curriculum design. This work links to the work that Greenwich are doing as part of their Catalyst funded OFS funded Attainment Project. Emily is a Senior Fellow of the HEA and her PhD is in French and Comparative Literature.
