John Hilsdon - Chair

University of Plymouth
J.Hilsdon@plymouth.ac.uk

I have been a teacher since 1980 and have been working in universities since 1993. I coordinate the Learning Development team and its work at the University of Plymouth which provides me with plenty of inspiration and interest. In carrying out this work, one of the observations I have made is that learning seems to be largely about the growth of experience and communication. Learning leads us to communicate, verbally or non-verbally, with ourselves and others, about what we know and do not know. Because of this I have a particular interest in language and how it relates to learning – how language (in all its forms) is itself a learning tool. My interest in these issues encouraged me to seek out others involved in similar roles in other universities – and that is how, in late 2002, the LDHEN discussion list came into being.
My own study and research interests are in the areas of critical thinking and reflection; academic writing; and students’ experience of learning in HE.
I have a dog called Fletcher (he's the good-looking one in the photo), and I play in a rather loud and very amateur Samba band called Crooked Tempo (available for parties, events, festivals etc at a very reasonable rate!)

Julia Braham

University of Leeds
j.braham@adm.leeds.ac.uk

I work at the Skills Centre at the University of Leeds where my role is to develop services to students and work with academic staff promoting skills development and student collaborative learning. This involves co-ordinating a duty and drop in service and a study skills workshop programme. My teaching responsibilities include delivering workshops in the Centre and across the university e.g. working with international students to improve their transition to UK HE and developing the skills required to help students become active contributors in seminars and participate in groups.
I’m a member of the LearnHigher CETL and the learning area co-ordinator for listening and interpersonal skills.
Evidencing the diverse background of many in the learning development community I came to the Skill Centre after working as a Careers Adviser and have years of experience of teaching employability and personal skills development.

Caroline Cash - Secretary

University College Falmouth
caroline.cash@falmouth.ac.uk

Judy Cohen - Treasurer

University of Kent
j.cohen@kent.ac.uk

I work at the Unit for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching at the University of Kent. My role as a Curriculum Developer at Kent involves implementing and evaluating individual projects related to assessment. I am currently involved with the University’s implementation of Turnitin including staff development; the development of Academic Integrity resources for staff and students; and assessment resources for staff.
 Recently, I have been responsible for developing the University’s Academic Integrity website and contributing to discussion on University policy regarding assessment and plagiarism.  As part of LearnHigher, I am the Local Area Co-ordinator (assessment) and in this capacity I have formed a Local Assessment Advisory Group which links Kent with several local institutions, in order to create, collate and disseminate good assessment practice locally. I am interested in researching assessment in HE settings.
 I have worked as an accountant in Australia, as well as teaching in Australia, Sweden, Hong Kong and the UK. I have worked in secondary schools, FE and HE settings prior to settling in to this curriculum development role.

Becka Currant

University of Bradford
R.Currant@bradford.ac.uk

Andy Hagyard

University of Lincoln
ahagyard@lincoln.ac.uk

I work in the Teaching & Learning Development Office at the University of Lincoln, where my wide ranging role involves support for a number of curriculum development projects and promoting effective use of technology. I am also responsible for the design and implementation of the university's annual student satisfaction survey. My background is in Modern Languages, teaching EFL in France for several years before returning to UK Higher Education and a job developing independent language learning. I have a long-standing interest in learning development and am a member of the LearnHigher CETL, with learning area co-ordinator responsibility for ‘Doing Research’.
Leisure time revolves largely around my three teenage sons and their sporting activities, while struggling to find time for my own interests in running and mountaineering.

Pauline Ridley - Vice Chair

University of Brighton
p.ridley@bton.ac.uk

I work in the University of Brighton Centre for Learning & Teaching (CLT), mainly contributing to courses development of resources and other activities to support academic staff in their teaching. I also work directly with students, and am currently developing our online resources to support student learning development. I taught history of art and design for many years, and was a member of the national Subject Benchmarking panel for the History of Art, Architecture and Design. I also worked in the LTSN Subject Centre in Art, Design & Communication (now HE Academy Subject Centre for Art Design Media) based at Brighton.
I now coordinate the Visual Practices area for the LearnHigher CETL , and have a particular interest in the development of visual knowledge and skills in different disciplines, object-based learning, and the relationship between visual and verbal analysis and communication. I am also involved in the work of InQbate, the CETL in Creativity (a partnership of Sussex and Brighton Universities) and its Creativity Development Fund projects. Other areas of interest include writing development, and working with students with disabilities.

Kate Ippolito (née Smith)

Brunel University
kate.smith@brunel.ac.uk

I work in Brunel’s Learning and Teaching Development Unit, where my role is to manage education research and development projects and to share information about good learning and teaching practice. This involves me teaching on the PGCert in Teaching and Learning in HE programme, coordinating Brunel’s annual Symposium on Learning and Teaching, developing the BETAR Centre (Brunel Enhancing Teaching: Advice and Resources) website, running workshops for students and staff (around developing oral communication skills and enhancing teaching practice, respectively) and managing our Curriculum Innovation Fund projects. I am also a member of the LearnHigher CETL and the Learning Area Co-ordinator for oral communication. I enjoy this varied role and particularly value working with a wide range of internal and external colleagues to develop ways to better support learners.   I have worked at Brunel for 5 years and prior to this worked as a multilingual trainer in industry.  I have a Masters in Higher and Professional Education and through this became interested in exploring the experiences of international students and ways of making the curriculum more inclusive.

Jan Sellers

University of Kent
J.G.Sellers@kent.ac.uk

Over the last 30 years, I have worked in careers guidance, in the voluntary sector and in adult and continuing education, teaching creative writing, return to work and study skills groups. My PhD in Continuing Education (Kent, 2001) explored the working lives of women part-time lecturers. In 1993, I set up a student learning support project at the University of Kent, which led to the creation of the Student Learning Advisory Service, now part of the Unit for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (UELT). I was awarded a University Learning Support Prize and a National Teaching Fellowship in 2005. I managed the Student Learning Advisory Service until January 2007 and am now in a new post – so new I don’t have a revised job title yet (suggestions welcome!) My brief is to contribute to the creative and strategic development of UELT’s work in teaching and learning, a role I am pursuing with relish through a mixture of approaches – research, networking, playing with ideas and learning from initiatives here and at other universities. I am particularly interested in student retention and in creative approaches to student learning support, the focus of my teaching fellowship project.

Judy Turner

University of Reading
j.e.turner@reading.ac.uk

I am a Chartered Psychologist and my post as Study Adviser involves both study support and assessing students and staff for dyslexia. At Reading we have a very small Study Support Team (2.5 FTE) for 14 000 students and we support all students from Foundation through to Ph.D. We provide a mixture of individual one to one sessions and workshops which are either generic or embedded in modules and courses. Workshops cover a range of topics from essay writing to participating in seminars. At present I spend two thirds of my time on dyslexia assessment and follow-up support for individuals. I also run staff training workshops on dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia etc. and am on committees to formulate university procedure and policy on disability and equal opportunities. The staff training has been really worthwhile and has resulted in tutors at Reading being good at referring appropriate students for dyslexia assessment. I am a learning area coordinator for LearnHigher: Reading is responsible for Time Management and Report Writing.

Vicky Schofield-Vollans

Birmingham City University
Vicky.Schofield@bcu.ac.uk

I have been a teacher for thirty years, first of French and Italian and for the last 23 years of ESOL and study skills. I am currently the Head of the Learner Development Unit in the Library and Learning Resources.

I am particularly interested in widening participation, academic writing, academic listening, the teaching of grammar, and of English to international students.
My main hobby is amateur dramatics and I have recently completed a production of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” in the title role, critically acclaimed in Bromsgrove and Redditch!!