Summary
I am currently a Lecturer in Education and Childhood at the University of Hull and teach on the Education degree and master’s programmes as well as supervising and examining PhDs. I am currently the pathway lead for the master’s in education, leadership and management award. I also work with a variety of local colleges as their academic contact for a range of education programmes at Batchelor and Master’s level. I have recently accepted the role of external examiner for the MSc in Education and MEd at the University of Glasgow and have done some editorial work for the Journal of Research in education. I am continuing my own research into Further Education and currently I am working on a study into Foundation degree provision.
I have worked in a variety of teaching roles in non-compulsory education in the Hull area for many years. This includes 20 years at a GFE college offering HE courses where I was a quality improvement and student support manager in the faculty of business and science. It was there that I noted that students on vocational degree level programmes; such as Foundation degrees and HNC/Ds having made a commitment to start their programmes of study sometimes dropped out. This led to my doctoral research and the title of my thesis, ‘The importance of absence: an investigation into the significance of resilience in retention on Higher Education courses in a Further Education College’. I studied for my doctorate in education through the open university and during my research I was happy to be awarded the Lord Perry of Walton award for research in the social sciences.