Voice of the Educator
The 12th International Conference on Engaging Pedagogy will take place on 13th December at the University of Limerick. The theme of this year’s conference is the Voice of the Educator. We are delighted to welcome Prof Sally Bradley, Advance HE, as our keynote who will challenge us to explore the responsibility of the educator and how our personal and professional values impact on student learning and the student experience. View the schedule here.
What makes a professional educator? How do we demonstrate this that at a time when the global higher education sector is under pressure with league tables and metrics? Sally will challenge us to explore the responsibility of the educator and how our personal and professional values impact on student learning and the student experience. We will explore the challenge of innovation and risk taking in the curriculum versus the safety of tried and tested methods of teaching and assessment when student evaluation is at stake. With the pressure to include: sustainability, inclusive practice, co-design etc., how do we meet these competing agendas? Is the adoption of a digital approach the solution or an imposition? How often have you heard colleagues say: “Students aren’t like they used to be!” “When I was a student…” The world has moved on. The student experience of higher education is very different today to that of say, 20 years ago. How do we, as educators, move forward? Continuing professional development is critical. But Sally will argue that if CPD isn’t applied in practice then it isn’t CPD! She will explore with us where CPD can be found in unexpected places, from the informal to the accredited. CPD does not have to be costly international study tour or a PhD, articulating and sharing our practice with others is a starting point. So today we should at least be singing the same song, perhaps it will take more time to become note perfect.
Sally is a Senior Adviser (Professional Learning and Development) at Advance HE and Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at Sheffield Hallam University. Prior to the merger with the Leadership Foundation in Higher Education (LFHE) and Equality Challenge Unit (CU), she was the Higher Education Academy (HEA) Academic Lead for Professional Learning and Development. As Senior Adviser, she delivers the Advance HE online course for those new to teaching, supports Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Student Mental Wellbeing in the curriculum as well as working with strategic leaders of learning and teaching through Principal Fellowship (PFHEA). She is a member of the Technician Commitment Steering Board. Sally is a Principal Fellow of the HEA, Senior Fellow of SEDA and Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management. She holds a PhD from Lancaster University in Educational Research, an MSc in Strategic Information Systems Management from Sheffield Hallam University and a BSc (Hons) in Computing and Systems from the Open University. She is a qualified Executive Coach