Personal statement

As Deputy Associate Principal (Learning and Teaching) (DAP), my key responsibility is to develop and implement policy and strategy to deliver the University’s key educational priorities. In doing so I work in close partnership with key stakeholders to ensure coordinated development and implementation of policy and strategy and the delivery of the University’s key educational priorities. Key partners include:

• Vice Principal
• Executive Deans and Associate Principals
• Faculty Vice Deans (Academic) and Academic Officers
• Professional Service Directors
• StrathUnion (Executive Officers and staff).

Academic quality assurance and education enhancement are central to my role. I have a strategic leadership role in respect of:

• Education Strategy
• Quality Assurance
• Learning Enhancement
• Student Experience and Partnership
• Strategy and Policy

My current responsibilities include QAA Scotland liaison, detailed planning for Strathclyde’s Enhancement Led Institutional Reviews (ELIR) in 2018/19, including development of the University’s Reflective Analysis document. As a former Vice Dean (Academic) and Head of School I was also central to preparations and panel meetings in Strathclyde’s previous ELIRs in 2010 and 2014.

Strategic leadership responsibilities and activities include:

• Development and implementation of institutional and faculty academic quality policies, procedures and guidance; including oversight of Internal Review process and Assessment and Feedback.
• Convenor of the Surveys and Metrics Working Group (SMWG) which oversees institutional reporting, reflection and actions in response to internal and external surveys and other metrics including academic analytics, module and programme evaluation, TEF, NSS and DLHE.
• Academic lead for the International Study Centre (ISC) partnership between the University and Study Group. Recent activity has included detailed discussions leading to contract renewal, programme development and re-approval and quality oversight through external quality assessments conducted by QAA and Study Group.
• Academic leader for Learning Analytics. Having conceptualised and initiated this activity, I continue to lead the development of institutional policy, oversight and delivery of pilot projects across all faculties and the University’s Organisational and Staff Development Unit (OSDU). This work has recently led to the embedding of learning analytics into Graduate Apprenticeship online learning provision. Externally I lead for the University through project participation, invited presentations and networking, at national and international levels.
• Key Estates projects and developments associated with Sport, Health and Wellbeing, learning and teaching and the student experience.
• Institutional academic lead for a range of sector activities including:
  • Universities Scotland Learning and Teaching Committee
  • TEF engagement
  • Advance HE liaison.

I very much enjoy the opportunities my current role presents in terms of external links and engagement in learning and teaching within the Scottish and UK sectors. This increasingly provides the opportunities to influence and shape developments in the sector and also to help establish and contribute to important networks in Learning and Teaching.

I have been a QAA Academic Reviewer since 2015, I am a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and also a Fellow of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education.