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Contact details and team information for Education and practice development team in the Office of the Vice-Provost (Education & Student Experience).
Education and practice development offers a range of support and professional development for those who teach and support students at UCL by delivering a variety of programmes, some mandatory, some optional and some selective, that aim to improve the quality and consistency of teaching across the institution.
The team develop face-to-face and online courses, as well as bespoke resources and guidance for UCL's educators. The team also assists UCL staff who deliver or support education to obtain HEA-accredited Fellowship status.
The Education & practice development team is made up of three main functions:
- Arena Consultancy: Arena Consultants provide support to faculties for pedagogy and practice development
- Arena Staff Development: Develop and deliver courses for staff that deliver and support education at UCL, including support for use of technology in teaching. Support the HEA-accredited Arena Fellowship scheme. Lead on reward, recognition and support of good practice in teaching and assessment.
- Programme Development: Work with all new programmes, and many existing programmes, on their learning design approaches. Lead on assessment diversification aligned with the AssessmentUCL rollout.
Professor Sam Smidt, PFHEA
Pro-Vice Provost (Education and Practice Development)
Email: s.smidt@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 6451 (internal: 56451)
I am Director of the UCL Arena Centre so lead on the strategy related to educational development at UCL and on the support of academic staff in enhancing their learning and teaching practice.
A particle physicist by background, with many years’ experience in online and distance education at the Open University, I have worked on developing and implementing learning and teaching policy.
I also have several years’ experience working in international education projects, particularly in capacity building projects in Central Asia and in Bangladesh.
My areas of active research include
- Changes in professional practice with Technology Enhanced Learning
- Professor Allison Littlejohn et al. (2015-10-01) The Open University Digital Think Tank: Position Paper, The Open University.
- Professor Allison Littlejohn et al. (2015-09-01) Driving Disruptive Innovation: Analysis of changes in Professional Practice through the production of an OU module (S309), Open University Insight
- Science Communication
- Professor Richard Holliman et al. (editors) (2009) Investigating science communication in the information age: Implications for public engagement and popular media, Oxford University Press
- Professor Richard Holliman et al. (editors) (2009) Practising science communication in the information age: Theorising professional practices, Oxford University Press
Contact me about
- Strategy and leadership of education and practice development at UCL.
- Personal tutoring at UCL.
Professor Simon Walker, PFHEA, NTF HEA
Director of Programme Development
Email: simon.walker@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0) 203 108 8099 (internal: 58099)
I provide leadership and strategic direction to ensure the effective development of a coherent and forward-thinking approach to programme development and assessment. I work closely with the PVP (Education and Practice Development) to develop alignment with the Arena Centre’s strategic priorities, and ensure that Arena staff support the programme development work, and with senior leaders across UCL faculties and professional services to deliver transformational change and improvement in assessment practice.
I also provide strategic advice and guidance to UCL Senior Officers – including the Vice-Provost (Education and Student Experience) – and committees on issues relating to programme development and assessment, and work closely with the Students Union to ensure that the student voice is consistently considered in this area.
Prior to joining UCL, I was Head of Educational Development at the University of Greenwich where I led a wide range of university policies and strategies. These included:
- Greenwich Graduate Attributes Initiative
- Learning Teaching and Assessment Strategy
- Personal Tutoring Policy
- New Arrivals and Transition Policy
- Greenwich Connect, the University’s Pedagogical Research Strategy (GRIP), and;
- TEF submission.
I set up and co-led the Students as Change Agents UK Network in 2013, which continues to flourish. My current international work includes working on British Council/ World Bank projects in Bangladesh, and in Nigeria.
I am a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and hold a National Teaching Fellowship for my contribution to the field of Learning Design, commended by Google in 2012, and shortlisted for a Guardian Higher Education Award for Digital Innovation in 2018.
Recent publications
Simon Walker, Emily Salines, Abdillahi Abdillahi, Sharon Mason, Aanesh Jadav & Catherine Molesworth (2019) Identifying and resolving key institutional challenges in feedback and assessment: a case study for implementing change, Higher Education Pedagogies, 4:1, 422-434, DOI: 10.1080/23752696.2019.1649513
Walker,S., McKenna, D., Abdillahi A., Molesworth, C (2017) Examining predictors of retention with implications for TESTA@Greenwich. Journal of Educational Innovation Partnership and Change. Vol 3 Number 2 Journal. DOI: 10.21100/jeipc.v3i1.607
Contact me about
Clive Young
Head of Programme Development
Email: c.p.l.young@ucl.ac.uk
Tel (internal): 65127
I lead the development, promotion and sharing of excellent practice in the design of programmes, modules and assessment across UCL’s faculties and departments. The role entails development and implementation of a framework for programme and module development linked to effective learning design and assessment, and provides educational guidance to staff and Faculties.
I also lead a team of Programme Development Advisors who work with teaching teams to design programmes, modules and assessment. I am part of the leadership of UCL’s programme development service that drives enhancement in learning and teaching practice.
Contact me about
Leo Havemann
Programme Development Advisor
Email: l.havemann@ucl.ac.uk
Tel (internal): 58043
I work with teaching teams to design programmes and modules. Working closely with the Director and Head of Programme Development, I lead the development, promotion and sharing of excellent practice in the design of programmes and modules across UCL’s faculties and departments.I work as a core member of UCL’s programme development service to drive enhancement in learning and teaching practice.
I develop and implement a framework for programme and module development linked to effective learning design and assessment.
I work closely with Arena Consultants, Digital Education and Faculty colleagues to ensure that staff receive expert consistent, coordinated and practical support and guidance.
Contact me about
Nataša Perović
Programme Development Advisor
Email: n.perovic@ucl.ac.uk
Tel (internal): 65443
I work with teaching teams to design programmes and modules. Working closely with the Director and Head of Programme Development, I lead the development, promotion and sharing of excellent practice in the design of programmes and modules across UCL’s faculties and departments.I work as a core member of UCL’s programme development service to drive enhancement in learning and teaching practice.
I develop and implement a framework for programme and module development linked to effective learning design and assessment.
I have a background in science, web development and teaching and have been working on education development in medical and allied health sciences in higher education since 2006. I am co-creator of the ABC Learning Design method.
I work closely with Arena Consultants, Digital Education and Faculty colleagues to ensure that staff receive expert consistent, coordinated and practical support and guidance.
Contact me about
Karen Shackleford-Cesar
Programme Development Advisor
Email: k.shackleford-cesare@ucl.ac.uk
Tel (internal): 56238
I work with teaching teams to design programmes and modules. Working closely with the Director and Head of Programme Development, I lead the development, promotion and sharing of excellent practice in the design of programmes and modules across UCL’s faculties and departments.I work as a core member of UCL’s programme development service to drive enhancement in learning and teaching practice.
I develop and implement a framework for programme and module development linked to effective learning design and assessment.
I work closely with Arena Consultants, Digital Education and Faculty colleagues to ensure that staff receive expert consistent, coordinated and practical support and guidance.
Contact me about
Dr Alex Standen, SFHEA
Associate Director (Education and Practice Development) and Associate Professor (Teaching)
Email: a.standen@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 6454 (internal: 56454)
I have oversight of the professional development of research staff and early career academics.
This includes:
- Postgraduate Teaching Assistants (PGTAs) and Postdocs with teaching responsibilities (Arena One)
- Lecturers and Teaching Fellows on probation (Arena Two)
- Research supervisors
- Personal tutors.
I work closely with the UCL Doctoral School to lead on the development and training of UCL research supervisors .
I first joined UCL in 2013 in a student support and engagement role in the Faculty of Brain Sciences, prior to which I taught Italian and European Studies at the Universities of Birmingham and Auckland.
I work closely with the following departments and faculties to enhance their education provision:
- Faculty of Laws
My areas of active research include
- Research student development.
- Supervisory relationships.
Contact me about
- Research supervision.
- PhD students and Postdocs who teach (including Arena One) – please contact arena.one@ucl.ac.uk in the first instance.
- Early Career Academic development (including Arena Two) – please contact arena.two@ucl.ac.uk in the first instance.
- Educational enhancement in the departments/faculties listed above.
My working days are Monday to Thursday.
Dr Silvia Colaiacomo, SFHEA
Lecturer (Teaching)
Email: s.colaiacomo@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3108 7962 (internal: 57962)
I lead UCL Arena One, which is a development pathway for postgraduate teaching assistants (PGTAs).
It consists of the mandatory Gateway Workshops and the optional Teaching Associate Programme (TAP). After completing TAP, participants can submit an application for Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA).
I work closely with the following departments and faculties to enhance their education provision:
- IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society
My areas of active research include
Teaching and learning in higher education with a particular focus on internationalising the curriculum and assessment and feedback.
Contact me about
- Educational enhancement in the departments/faculties listed above.
- For Arena One, please contact arena.one@ucl.ac.uk in the first instance.
Karen Matthewman, SFHEA
Lecturer (Teaching)
Email: k.matthewman@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3549 5444 (internal: 65444)
I teach across our professional development provision and I support UCL staff looking to undertake Arena fellowship applications.
I work closely with the following faculties to enhance their education provision:
- UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences
My background is in Applied Linguistics, and my current research interests include:
- Inclusive education and developing a sense of belonging for staff and students
- Differences in academic practices across discipline
Contact me about
- Arena Fellowship scheme and related mentoring opportunities
- Arena professional development provision
- Educational enhancement in the departments/faculties listed above.
Dr Peter Fitch, FHEA
Lecturer (Teaching)
Email: p.fitch@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 5656 (internal: 55656)
I teach across the UCL Arena Centre’s professional development provision for PhD students, research staff and early career academics.
I have responsibility for Personal Tutoring staff development across UCL.
I work closely with the following faculties to enhance their education provision:
- Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
My areas of active research include
PGT students’ learning approaches, digital communities of learning, and peer support networks.
Contact me about
Dr Nick Grindle, SFHEA
Lecturer (Teaching)
Email: n.grindle@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 6458 (internal: 56458)
I am leading the development of the UCL ChangeMakers Change Projects, and I teach on the UCL Arena events we run for staff and PhD students.
I joined the UCL Arena Centre in 2011 from the History of Art department.
I work closely with the following departments and faculties to enhance their education provision:
- Engineering Sciences
My areas of active research include
What role audiences play in shaping what, and how, students learn. I'm particularly interested in the potential that digital environments play in helping students identifying their audiences and communicating their work.
I am also working with colleagues across UCL to investigate ways of connecting students with research, and in particular to evaluate different versions of Meet the Researcher activities.
Contact me about
- UCL ChangeMakers
- Meet the Researcher and connecting students with research.
- Educational enhancement in the departments/faculties listed above.
Jesper Hansen, SFHEA
Lecturer (Teaching)
Email: j.hansen@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 6455 (internal: 56455)
I lead Arena for Lecturers on Probation (ALP) which is a development course for all UCL lecturers and associate lecturers on probation. It is mandatory, but you can apply for an exemption if you have undertaken similar training (such as a PGCert) and/or have already obtained Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).
I am one of the founding editors of the journal Postgraduate Pedagogies.
I work closely with the following departments and faculties to enhance their education provision:
- Joint Faculties: Arts and Humanities
My areas of active research include
Representation of gender and sexuality in higher education teaching, with a particular focus on language teaching. An example of how I work to support teachers at UCL can be found in the Teaching Toolkit 'Recognising and including LGBTQ+ identities in language teaching'.
Contact me about
- Educational enhancement in the departments/faculties listed above.
- For Arena for Lecturers on Probation (ALP), please contact arenacentre.probation@ucl.ac.uk in the first instance.
Dr Jennifer Griffiths, SFHEA
Associate Professor (Teaching)
Email: j.griffiths@ucl.ac.uk
I oversee the UCL Arena Centre’s work on:
- Assessment literacy for staff
- Development of Postgraduate Taught Programmes around the UCL Connected Curriculum
- Staff career development in education beyond early career
- our professional recognition scheme: Arena Fellowships – UCL’s professional recognition scheme for teaching, leading to all levels of Higher Education Academy (HEA) fellowship.
- Events including the Education Conference and Posters in Parliament/Posters in Cloisters.
My remit also covers Masters level skills modules delivered by the Arena Centre.
Prior to joining the Arena Centre, I worked in Medical Physics research and Engineering Education. I have significant experience of developing new cross-disciplinary programmes that embed active and authentic learning and assessments to develop students’ understanding and skills, especially at Postgraduate level. I have delivered workshops and presentations internationally on Engineering Education and Authentic Assessment.
I work closely with the following departments and faculties to enhance their education provision:
- SLMS team leader
- UCL Faculty of Medical Sciences
My areas of active education research include
- Engineering education.
- Authentic Assessment
- Postgraduate taught student experience.
Contact me about
- Arena Fellowships (AFHEA, FHEA, SFHEA, PFHEA).
- The UCL Education Conference
- Educational enhancement in the faculty of Medical Sciences
- PGT student experience
- Developing authentic assessment.
Dr Rebecca Lindner
Associate Professor (Teaching)
Email: r.lindner@ucl.ac.uk
I am based in UCL Arena Centre and UCL Doctoral School. At Arena, I teach across the Centre’s professional development modules for PhD students, research staff and early career academics. This includes:
- Postgraduate Teaching Assistants (PGTAs) and Postdocs with teaching responsibilities (Arena One)
- Lecturers and Teaching Fellows on probation (Arena Two)
- Research supervisors
At the Doctoral School, I lead on EDI initiatives and policies to support PhDs and early career researchers.
Prior to joining UCL, I was Associate Dean of the Honours College at the University of Oregon and I served before that as Head of Humanities at Amsterdam University College. I hold a PhD in Renaissance literature and I have taught broadly across the humanities.
I work closely with the following departments and faculties to enhance their education provision:
- Faculty of Population Health Sciences
My areas of active research include
Inclusive education, curriculum design, and the interrelations between science and the humanities.
Contact me about
- Research supervision
- Arena support for UKCGE Research Supervisor Recognition scheme
- PhD students and Postdocs who teach (including Arena One) – please contact arena.one@ucl.ac.uk in the first instance
- Early Career Academic development (including Arena Two) – please contact arena.two@ucl.ac.uk in the first instance
- Educational enhancement in the departments/faculties listed above.
Dr Martin Compton, SFHEA
Associate Professor (Teaching)
Email: martin.compton@ucl.ac.uk
I work across the Arena centre's provision including Arena Fellowships, programme design, curriculum development as well as teaching, assessment & feedback enhancement.
Central to my role is providing guidance and support with the integration and exploitation of new and existing technologies and the ways in which we can connect traditional and digital pedagogies.
I work closely with the following departments and faculties to enhance their education provision:
- Faculty of Life Sciences
My areas of active research include:
- Digital education
- Observation of teaching and learning & peer-supported development
- Transnational education
Contact me about:
- Principles of asynchronous content creation to support face to face and online teaching
- Managing and facilitating live, online classes
- Digital strategies for student engagement (in conventional teaching spaces or both synchronous and asynchronous online spaces).
Dr Jason Davies, SFHEA
Associate Professor (Teaching)
Email: j.p.davies@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 6457 (internal: 56457)
I teach across the UCL Arena Centre's professional development provision and lead the Arena Senior Fellowship Pathway as well as co-chairing Liberating the Curriculum.
I also oversee our MRes taught modules, which includes teaching Investigating Research.
I work closely with the following departments and faculties to enhance their education provision:
- Joint Faculties: Arts and Humanities and Social & Historical Sciences and IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society team leader
My areas of active research include
- Interdisciplinarity.
- Threshold concepts.
- Inclusive curriculum.
Contact me about
- Inclusive curriculum.
- Threshold concepts.
- Educational enhancement in the departments/faculties listed above.
Email Tuesday-Friday is the best way to reach me (I don't work Mondays).
Valentina Barbaria, AFHEA
Senior Teaching and Learning Administrator
Email: v.barbaria@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 6465 (internal: 56465)
I manage the administration of all of the UCL Arena Centre’s activity for research staff and early career academic development.
This includes:
- Managing the Arena for Probationary Lecturers programme, the UCL development pathway for Lecturers on probation.
- Development and training for research supervisors, personal tutors and professional service staff.
- Other one-off events and opportunities for early-career staff.
- Managing the UCL PGTA Hub's content
- Co-ordinating the SSW provisions for staff supporting students.
Contact me about
- Arena Two (for Lecturers and Teaching Fellows on probation) – you can also email arena.two@ucl.ac.uk.
- Research Supervisor development.
- Personal tutoring.
- Support and development opportunities for all early career academics.
Moira Paganelli
Teaching and Learning Administrator
Email: m.paganelli@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 9397 (internal: 59397)
I lead the administration of the UCL Arena One, Gateway workshops and the Teaching Associate Programme, which interacts with over 700 attendants every year.
I also co-ordinate UCL Arena Essentials, run by UCL staff and external colleagues.
Contact me about
- Arena One (for PhD students and Postdocs who teach) and any other support needed for postgraduate teaching assistants – you can also email arena.one@ucl.ac.uk.
Peter Phillips, AFHEA
Senior Teaching and Learning Administrator
Email: peter.phillips@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 6468 (internal: 56468)
I manage the administration of the Arena Fellowship scheme, offering support and guidance to staff at all stages of the application process
Contact me about
- UCL Arena Fellowships.
- UCL Arena events.
- Programme Leaders.
- MRes Modules.
Sandra Lusk, AFHEA
Projects Officer
Email: s.lusk@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 6467 (internal: 56467)