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Appointment
- Lecturer (Teaching) MA Education
- IOE - Curriculum, Pedagogy & Assessment
- UCL Institute of Education
Biography
I grew up in San Diego, California and studied Child Development and Psychology at university in California, specifically focusing on motivation and how this impacts learning in the transition from primary to secondary school. I did my MSc in Psychology of Education at the IOE, where I focused on comparing UK and US university students' perceptions of cooperative learning. My academic work at the IOE, as well as a research internship I undertook during that time, inspired me to apply for a PhD on higher education pedagogy.
Throughout my doctoral study I was also engaged in developing and leading the IOE Doctoral Community, a peer-mentoring community for students who are transitioning into doctoral study that was funded by UCL ChangeMakers and then later embedded with in the Centre for Doctoral Education.
Research Themes
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I have been engaged in research on student-staff partnership and research-based education with the Arena Centre, specifically focusing on the teacher-student dynamic that can be challenged through these methods.
I have also engaged in several UCL ChangeMakers projects as both a student and staff member, as well as contributing to development of the Moodle course for ChangeMakers.
Through my doctoral research, I have been engaged in research on critical pedagogy in higher education, focusing on both curriculum that challenges the status quo as well as pedagogy that positions the teacher as a critical co-investigator rather than as an expert. This research also touched on the influences of the marketisation of higher education in the UK and how this presents challenges to university teachers' ability to implement their pedagogical beliefs.
I am also on the editorial board for a new journal called Postgraduate Pedagogies, which aims to provide a space for post-graduate teaching assistants (PGTAs) to share their experiences and reflections on their teaching practice and their unique role within the university.
I am particularly interested in research around:
- critical pedagogy
- higher education, marketisation of HE, student as consumer
- pedagogical beliefs and practice
- postgraduate study
- student-staff partnership
- collaborative learning
- student voice
- international students/study abroad
- critical research methods, challenging power within the research dynamic
Teaching Summary
Currently I am the Deputy Module Leader of MA Education's core module What is Education? My teaching on the module focuses on issues around social justice and alternative education.
In addition, I teach on the Critical Perspectives of Teaching and Learning module, which focuses on different approaches to teaching and learning.
I am also an MA Education tutor, which involves supporting MA students with their work on the core modules as well as designing and carrying out their final research project and writing up their dissertation.
Academic Background
| PhD | Curriculum & Pedagogy | Institute of Education | |
| MSc | Psychology of Education | Institute of Education | |
| BSc | Child Development & Psychology |
