Carole arrived in Higher Education (HE) by a path that might appear circuitous but on closer examination shows the emergence of major themes in her career.
Carole’s first career was in nursing and specifically in cancer and palliative care, both fields requiring good communication skills and emotional support, as much as care and technical skills. This collegial attitude and her desire to learn from others, whether learners, colleagues or other academic developers, is an enduring feature of her professional life. Intrinsic to her work is the importance of connecting, collaborating, and networking with others; recognizing how her professional learning and performance is continually enhanced by this. These values are embodied in her record of transformational change to improve teaching and learning in hard to reach places such as academic development and maritime education.
Since moving into HE in 1995 Carole has worked in four UK universities. Initially as a nursing lecturer and then fourteen years in academic development. Carole has held a number of influential leadership roles which include Programme Leader Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Learning and Teaching (PG Cert HE L&T), Middlesex University 2006-2010, Director of Post-Graduate Programmes in Higher Education, Middlesex University 2010-2016, Head of Educational Development, Queen Mary University London 2016 -2018, Associate Professor Learning and Teaching / Head of Academic Development, Warsash School of Maritime Science and Engineering, Solent University 2016 -2020 and Co-Chair SEDA 2019 – present day .
As the first in her family to stay on at school after the age of 15 years, Carole believes in the transformational nature of higher education and has dedicated her career to enhancing the student experience. She has focused on supporting staff through the UK professional association for Staff and Educational Development (SEDA).
Her success is due to signature pedagogies, staff support, and applied learning being central to her practice, most recently in a maritime context. This culminated in the Chief Executive Officer of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), which is the Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) of the sector, approaching the Dean of the School to discuss the possibility of her secondment to MCA and with the mutual agreement between the two institutions Carole started her highly prestigious secondment role in January 2021.