Role
Programme Director for the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP).
Polly joined the Educational Development (ED) team at the University of Plymouth in 2007 having worked in HE for the previous five years as a Learning Development Advisor.
Polly is the Programme Director for the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP). Her key responsibilites are leading and facilitating the PGCAP, and the Graduate Teaching Associates (GTA) course. The PGCAP is the course that all new acadmics at the University of Plymouth undertake as part of their professional development during their probationary period. Successful completion of this programme will give participants a teaching qualification (the PGCAP) and Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. The GTA Course is a short course primarily designed to help PhD students to develop their skills in learning, teaching, and assessment.
Additional responsibilities include:
Running bespoke development sessions for experienced staff across the university
Chair for approvals, appeals and complaints panels
ED representative on the University Complaints and Appeals Board
ED representative on the Disability and Equality strategy group
ED link to the Faculty of Health, Education and Society Teaching and Learning committee
Advisor to Teaching and Learning space committee
Qualifications & background
Qualifications
MA Education, University of Plymouth, 2007
Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, University of Plymouth, 2003
PGCE Religious Education: Secondary, St Mary's University College, 1998
BA (Hons) in Religious Studies and Music, University College of Chichester, 1996
Background
Prior to joining the University of Plymouth in 2001, Polly pursued a number of interests in her early career which included working as the Lay Chaplain and as an International Welfare Officer at the University College of Chichester (1994-1996). Her interest in supporting young people then led her to Bishops Stortford YMCA where she held the post of Assistant General Manager for nine months before taking up her place to do a PGCE at Strawberry Hill. Having gained her Qualified Teacher Status Polly then went on to teach a lively strain of Religious Education in Secondary schools in Bath and South Wales.
Since joining the University of Plymouth in 2001 Polly worked for a short while with the Widening Participation team, leading the National Mentoring Project. In 2002 she joined the Learning Development team working with students and staff to hone academic skills and enhance the learning experience. During this time she also supported the General Teaching Associates course, and in 2007 was appointed to lead GTA and join the ED team as an Academic Developer and tutor for the Learning and Teaching in Higher Education course. Polly is now Programme Director for the PGCAP.
Professional membership
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) Current
Staff and Educational Development Association Member (SEDA) Current
Institute of Lecturers and Teachers in Higher Education (ILTHE) 2003-2005
National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) 1997-2002
Teaching interests
Enabling colleagues to give students an engaging, challenging and positive learning experience is pretty much at the top of Polly's agenda. Her teaching interest include a range of topics which support this aim. Those topics include:
Concepts of teaching and learning: models, theory and approaches
Informed curriculum design
Innovative and inclusive assessment design
The nauture of good quality feedback
Working with groups
Equality and inclusivity
Polly also designs and delivers specially requested Contuing Professional Development workshops for academic colleagues across the university. Examples include:
Internationlisation of programme design and delivery for courses being taught abroad
Personal Development Planning: successfully designing it into your programme
Developing academic writing with international students
Feedback in a Problem Based Learning setting
Engaging with the Virtual Learning Environment
In addition to this Polly also contributes to the Graduate Skills Programme at the University of Plymouth, running sessions such as:
Academic writing for PhD students
Rapid reading
Plagiarism
