Dr Lucy Spowart
Profiles

Dr Lucy Spowart

Associate Professor (Senior Lecturer) in Postgraduate Education

Peninsula Medical School (Faculty of Health)

Role

  • Associate Professor Clinical Education
  • Programme Lead Clinical Education (Distance Learning)

 

 

Qualifications

B.A. (Hons) Sport and Recreation Studies, Staffordshire University, 1989.
Post Graduate Certificate in Education, University of Exeter, 1997.
MSc Sport Sociology (Distinction). University of Leicester, 2004.
Postgraduate Paper in Qualitative Research in Education, 2008.
Ph.D. Sport Sociology. Title: 'Snowboarding Mums Carve out Fresh Tracks: Collective Stories from the Mountains of Aotearoa/New Zealand'

Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA)

Previous Employment
2012-16 

Educational Developer, Teaching and Learning Support, Plymouth University

2011-12
Education Advisor, the University of Exeter

2010-11
Senior Lecturer, Sport, Recreation and Event Management, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia

2007-10
Various teaching and learning roles at the University of Otago whilst completing my PhD e.g. Study Skills Tutor for the Maori Centre;  Teaching Assistant; Research Assistant

2005-07
Sport Development Manager, Sport Waitakere Regional Sports Trust. Member of the management team. Key roles included: community development and training; staff training and development; preparation of funding applications; research and strategic planning.

1997-2005
Senior Lecturer, Physical Education and Sport Sciences, The University College of st. Mark and St. John. Teaching on a range of practical and theoretical modules; Teacher training; Supervision of undergraduate dissertations; Member of the Institution's Teaching and Learning Committee.

1995-1997
Programme Co-ordinator, Leisure and Tourism, St. Austell College, Cornwall.

1993-1995
Lecturer, Leisure and Tourism, St. Austell College, Cornwall

1990 - 1993
Part-time lecturer in Health and Fitness, and Leisure and Tourism, St. Austell College, Cornwall

Additionally:

2000-2005
Tutor for the Youth Sports Trust
Tutor for the National Coaching Foundation

1998-2000
Adult Education Tutor (part-time), Estover Community College, Plymouth.

1995-1998
Tutor for the Central Council of Physical Recreation

Professional membership

  • Member of the Association of Medical Education
  • Fellow of the Academy of Medical Educators
  • Member of the Society for Research in Higher Education
  • Member of the South West Educational Developers Forum

Roles on external bodies

External Examiner Swansea Medical School, Masters in Medical Education 2019-


Academic Link person for Greenwich School of Management's Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Practice 2014 -16

Senior External panel member for Manchester Metropolitan University's in-house accreditation scheme 2012-2014

External panel member for the inaugural accreditation panel for Aston University's Institutional teaching accreditation scheme for experienced teachers in H.E, 2013.

External panel member for the periodic review of the Masters in Education, Falmouth College of Arts, 2012.

Subject Specialist Reviewer in the area of sport, leisure and hospitality for the Quality Assurance Agency, UK. Five external reviews of Universities and Colleges in the UK conducted (2000-2002).

Teaching interests

My teaching interests and specialisms are:

  • Teacher education
  • Assessment and Feedback
  • Authentic Learning
  • Peer Mentoring/Peer Assessment

PhD students: 

Sally Hanks: Deconstructing, contextualising and assessing management and leadership qualities in dental professionals: an ethnographic study of principles in practice. Completed 2020

External Examining:

2020 Durham University - EdD External examiner


Previous Teaching and Learning Experience

As a Sport Management/Development Lecturer:

Lecturing, practical teaching, small group teaching, supervision (undergraduate to Masters), Study skills, Work-based learning

Staff serving as external examiners

External Examiner Swansea Medical School

Senior External panel member for MMU's teaching accreditation scheme 2013-14

Research interests

Recent Awards and Project Involvement

  • 2020 Principal Investigator Advance HE project: 'Accreditation Impact Evaluation' (£60,000)
  • 2017-19 Principal Investigator 'A cross institutional study examining the impact of Clinical Education Programmes at 4 UK Institutions' (£6500)
  • 2016/17 Principal Investigator on a project entitled: 'A cross-institutional comparison of staff experiences of gaining HEA recognition through in-house Professional Frameworks (£8128)
  • 2015 Principal Investigator on a PedRio funded project entitled: 'Largely invisible: Lone parents’ experiences of Higher Education at Plymouth University' (£8284.10)
  • 2014 Member of the project team on the HEA National Project 'Evaluating teaching development in H.E:towards impact assessment' (£100,000)
  • 2013 Principal Investigator on a project exploring staff engagement with the UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching in H.E
  • 2011 Steering Group member for Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) COLLABORATE project : working with employers and students to design assessment enhanced by the use of digital technologies
  • 2011 Co-researcher on a collaborative project with the University of Otago exploring the experiences of Postgraduate students involved in a peer mentoring project
  • 2011-12 Principal investigator on a project exploring the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches to community engagement within Sports Programmes at the University College St. Mark and St. John.
  • 2010 Research Assistant on a project exploring girls experiences of Physical Education at Secondary Schools in New Zealand 
  • 2008-2010 University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship ($40,000NZ)
  • 2007: University of Otago Research Grant for $5000NZ to investigate the newly established Surfing Mums Group in Mount Maunganui and Tauranga using qualitative research methods.
  • 2007-2008 University of Otago Division of Science Award ($7,500NZ)
  • 2006 Successfully wrote a $250,000NZ bid to Sport and Recreation New Zealand to fund the appointment of an ‘Active Schools Co-ordinator’ in the Waitakere region of Auckland.

PhD Supervision:

Co-Supervisor: Sally Hanks: Deconstructing, contextualising and assessing management and leadership qualities in dental professionals: an ethnographic study of principles in practice. Completed 2020


Key publications are highlighted

Journals
Articles
Spowart L 2019 'Snowboarding, motherhood and mobility' Annals of Leisure Research 1-16 , DOI
Spowart L, Winter J, Turner R, Burden P, Botham K, Muneer R, van der Sluis H & Huet I 2019 '‘Left with a title but nothing else’: The challenges of embedding professional recognition schemes for teachers within higher education institutions' Higher Education Research and Development , DOI PEARL
Spowart L, Winter J, Turner R, Muneer R, McKenna C & Kneale P 2017 'Evidencing the impact of teaching-related CPD: beyond the ‘Happy Sheets’' International Journal for Academic Development 1-13 , DOI PEARL
Winter J, Turner R, Spowart L, Muneer R & Kneale P 2017 'Evaluating academic development in the higher education sector: academic developers’ reflections on using a toolkit resource' Higher Education Research & Development 1-12 , DOI PEARL
Turner R, Spowart L, Winter J, Muneer R, Harvey C & Kneale P 2016 '‘The lecturer should know what they are talking about’: Student Union Officers perceptions of teaching-related CPD and implications for practice' Innovations in Education and Teaching International 54, (2) , DOI PEARL
King N, Van der Touw T, Spowart L & Lawlor C 2016 'A scoping study investigating student perceptions towards inquiry based learning in the laboratory' European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education Publisher Site PEARL
Spowart L, Turner R, Shenton D & Kneale P 2015 '‘But I’ve been teaching for 20 years…’: encouraging teaching accreditation for experienced staff working in higher education' International Journal for Academic Development Author Site , DOI PEARL
Spowart L & Nairn K 2014 '(Re)performing emotions in diary-interviews' QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 14, (3) 327-340 Author Site , DOI
Spowart L, Burrows L & Shaw S 2010 '‘I just eat, sleep and dream of surfing’: when surfing meets motherhood' Sport in Society 13, (7-8) 1186-1203 , DOI
Spowart L, Hughson J & Shaw S 2008 'Snowboarding Mums Carve Out Fresh Tracks: Resisting traditional motherhood discourse?' Annals of Leisure Research 11, (1-2) 187-204 , DOI
Chapters
Winter J, Turner R, Spowart L & Kneale P 2018 'Planning future CPD. What comes next?' Doing a good job well - being recognised as an experienced, professional teacher in HE (SEDA Special 41) PEARL
Spowart L & Burrows L 2016 'Negotiating Moral Terrain: Snowboarding Mothers' Women in Action Sport Cultures Palgrave Macmillan UK 155-174 , DOI
Armour K 2012 'Research Methods in Physical Education and Youth Sport' Routledge , DOI

Additional information

I enjoy triathlon and multisport events. I completed Speights Coast to Coast World Multi-sport event February 2010. I was also a bronze medallist in the World Long Course Triathlon Age-Group Championships, Perth, Australia, 2009. I have completed several Ironman and Long Distance triathlons, and placed third in my age-group at Challenge Wanaka long-distance triathlon, New Zealand 2017. I am also a Level 3 Triathlon Coach and Head Coach at Plymouth Triathlon Club.