Kate Coulson is Head of Learning and Teaching Enhancement (LTE) at the University of Northampton. The LTE team is a group of expert practitioners in academic integrity, academic development, learning design, learning development and educational linguistics. During her tenure, as Head of Learning Development (2013-2021) Kate has transformed the Learning Development provision at the University, into a well-respected team of experts who share their exemplary practice internally with colleagues and externally with peers through research dissemination.
The LD team now offers sector leading provision whereby all students experience module embedded LD expertise throughout their degree programme. Kate also uses her unique position to influence and enhance the Learning and Teaching expertise at Northampton. All of this coupled with research projects to measure the impact of LD work upon student attainment and to ascertain why there is an award gap, have placed the LD provision at Northampton at the forefront of the LD sector within the UK and beyond.
Since 2019, Kate has been the Secretary of ALDinHE, more recently becoming acting Co-Chair. She is passionate about sharing exemplary practice and ideas within and beyond the LD sector and has encouraged the Association to enhance this approach through initiatives such as the annual conference, LD@3 and regular practitioner-led events. Her sharing ethos has also meant representing ALDinHE on the International Consortium of Academic Language and Learning Developers (ICALLD) Steering Group which enables Learning Development experts from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Scotland and the UK to come together and work on projects and initiatives.
Kate has a BSocSc in Sociology and an MSc in Information Science. After graduating she worked in the City of London and in 2006 moved into higher education. She has a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education, is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE and a Certified Leading Practitioner in Learning Development. She is embarking on her doctoral study in 2022, measuring the prevalence and efficacy of Third Space practice across the UK. Kate is a very proud first-generation student and those experiences will always influence her ethos and approach to her work.