Gemma Mansi is committed to widening participation at the University of Greenwich and nationally. As an Associate Professor of Educational Development, Gemma designs, influences and leads teaching innovation, quality assurance and enhancement across the School of Education. Her academic area of expertise is Childhood and Youth Studies and, as her career progressed in leadership, she developed in leading successful strategies through educational development to implement effective policy, which promotes inclusion, diversity and access of underrepresented students.
Based on her track record of school success, university leaders and external advisory boards across the education sector have acknowledged her as an expert in leading change and have afforded her opportunities to raise the profile of teaching excellence across the sector. Her strategic impact has affected institutional policies and external initiatives, which are modelled through culturally responsive teaching practices, and have created pedagogical shifts in teaching and learning.
Leading on educational development to create cultural change has cemented Gemma's passion for widening participation and empowering staff to challenge themselves and develop their own innovative practices to facilitate equitable learning. For her, educational development is about influencing change through communities of practice, advancing staff capabilities through sharing best practice and delivering sustainable differences to students.
Gemma equally considers students as a community of experts and co-creators of teaching and learning, evidenced through engaging students as partners in developing inclusive assessment and curricula. Gemma's educational development work has reach and value in leading change across HE institutions, multi-academy trusts and professional associations for educational developers. Her work also shows her commitment to student voice being a key influencing factor in shaping sustainable, equitable change in teaching and learning.