Visiting Fellows
Jane Clarke
January 9 - February 29, 2012
Jane Clarke has been Head of Academic Professional Development at De Montfort University since 2004. She and her team run a PGCertHE for new academic staff; an MA in Educational Practice (HE route) an open programme of workshops, seminars, conferences and showcases; and undertake tailored development work within Faculties. She leads on the recognition and reward of excellent teaching through a number of internal and external schemes. These schemes have spawned a number of research projects such as 'Outstanding Learning and Exceptional Teaching in Different Contexts'. She is presenting on the latest project 'Student Perceptions of Outstanding Teaching' at the SRHE Annual Conference in December 2011.
She has catalysed the development of networks across the University to facilitate innovation and the dissemination of good practice. These include the Teacher Fellow network; an Education Special Interest Group, which has resulted in the publication of Gateway Papers and an Internationalisation SIG.
Recent activity
Jane and DMU colleagues have just completed the adaptation of the booklet 'Cultural Inclusivity for DMU staff' under licence from Leeds Metropolitan University.
‘Building Capability for Academic Leadership' During 2011 Jane, with two colleagues, interrogated the 'middle layer' of academics at DMU in order to understand both the roles that they were playing and the tensions some programme leaders were experiencing. She is presenting a paper on this work 'Strengthening the Core' at the 2011 SRHE Annual conference mentioned above.
Visit to Thai Nguyen University Vietnam: In November 2011 Jane visited TNU and delivered sessions on Curriculum design and development; Assessment and feedback; Peer observation and evaluation and Student learning in UKHE, to students on the TNU Doctoral Programme in Educational Management, most of whom work at TNU (see photo below).
History!
Jane began her teaching career as a Teacher to Speakers of Other Languages in Italy, Bradford, Yorkshire UK, and Kuwait. On returning from Kuwait she studied Sociology and Politics at the University of Leicester as a mature student. She followed this by teaching Sociology in Further and Higher Education. In the late 1990s she was the lead researcher on a project 'Fulfilling the part time Higher Educational Needs of Adults from Minority ethnic communities'. She then moved into staff development at the University of Leicester and came to DMU in December 1999 to develop an accredited teaching and learning pathway for new academics.
She has three grown up children, 2 working, and one a mature student in UKHE, and four grandchildren aged between 3 and 9. She enjoys working on the allotment that her family shares (particularly gathering the vegetables!), hill walking, yoga, badminton, cooking for friends and family, travelling, the cinema and the performing arts.
Jane with PhD Education Management Group and her colleague Nick Allsopp of DMU