Professor Joanne Clare Fox

National Teaching Fellow 2007 Dr Jo Fox is Senior Lecturer in Modern History at Durham University. In her relatively short time at Durham, she has had a major impact on many aspects of her discipline and Department, from instigating change through her work on the Honours Degree in History, to introducing exciting new technologies which have benefited both staff and students. Perhaps best known for her modules on the history of propaganda, Jo teaches on the principle that students should be empowered to become researchers in their own right. She also believes that History is about understanding complexity rather than searching for concrete answers. To deliver both of these aims she exposes students to a wide variety of sources, including films; original manuscripts of BBC bulletins complete with censors' marks; and childrens' games. Jo is particularly imaginative in her use of resources and new technologies. She has worked with student radio on an Elvis retrospective where she integrated historical perspectives on the cultural history of Rock 'n' Roll in 1950s America. Reciprocally, she has listened and learnt from her own students. When they were inspired to start a propaganda page on Facebook, it led her to develop, in conjunction with Learning Technologists at Durham, a project which explores why and how students are choosing to learn with Facebook and how the academic community should respond. Jo is keen to support diverse learning needs. She teaches in a way that promotes cross-cultural and interdisciplinary understanding. She believes strongly that History should not be confined to scholars, although it should be scholarly. Jo is in great demand, both within her own institution, where she helps others to explore new learning technologies by running university-wide workshops, and nationally, for example presenting a case study of her seminars to the National Blackboard Conference, chaired by Lord Dearing, as well as giving presentations to colleagues across the UK both at regional and national events. She is currently working on integrating Podcasting and Videopodcasting into Virtual Learning Environments to broaden the student learning experience.