Steering Group

Steering Group Member
Co-chair of the Events Group

Alistair joined the steering group member in 2020 as co-lead for Events, after having been previously a member of the LearnHigher, Regional Events and Research Funding working groups. He has worked in learning development for 12 years, following previous higher education roles teaching history and politics and in educational research. He is currently Head of Skills Development at King’s College, London.
His particular focus is on the intersection between learning development and academic/educational development.

Steering Group Member

Jacqui works as an Academic and Library Specialist at the University of Hull and joined the Steering Group in 2019 having previously co-chaired our Communications working group. She is a Certified Leading Practitioner in Learning Development and is currently writing up her doctorate looking at bridges and barriers to developing visual literacy in Higher Education. She is particularly interested in visual ways to communicate and visual expressions of knowledge. As an NVivo Certified Expert, and with her background in ICT Learning, she has developed expertise in helping students get to grips with technology to aid learning and research.

Steering Group Member
Co-chair of Learn Higher

Jennie joined the LearnHigher Working Group in December 2017 and became the Co-chair in 2021. She is also a Co-chair of the Neurodiversity/Inclusion Community of Practice. Her interests include technology enhanced learning and accessible teaching practices. She is a qualified dyslexia tutor, a Certified Leading Practitioner of LD, a Senior Fellow of HEA and has an MA in Education (SEND and Inclusion). Outside of ALDinHE she is Co-chair of ALT East England and one of the regional co-ordinators in London, South-East & Anglia for the Association of Dyslexia Specialists in Higher Education. She has over twenty years of teaching experience and currently works as an Academic Skills Tutor at the University of Hertfordshire for the School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science.

Steering Group Member
Co-chair of the Events Group

Maddy has been a steering group member since 2020. She has coordinated the ALDinHE regional events since 2017. Maddy has worked in higher education for over eighteen years, predominantly in teaching, widening participation and learning development roles. She moved to take up her current position as Learning Services Manager at the University of Leeds in February 2018.
Her particular interests are the pedagogy of academic literacies, particularly academic writing, and the coordination and collaboration opportunities for student support services in large institutions.

Steering Group Member
Chair of the Conference Committee

Melanie joined the conference committee in 2017 and became the co-chair in 2019. She has over 12 years’ experience as a learning developer in both UK and American universities. She currently works as the Senior Graduate School Tutor (PGR Lead) at Brunel University London. Her areas of interest in learning development include: understand and developing critical thinking skills; researcher development; literature review writing; communities of practice; and building student self-confidence and self-efficacy. She is an ALDinHE certified lead practitioner and an AdvanceHE fellow.

Steering Group Member
Co-chair of the Peer Mentoring Group

Sandra Sinfield SFHEA and CeLP, is Senior Lecturer and University Teaching Fellow in the Centre for Professional and Educational Development at London Metropolitan University, a co-author of Teaching, Learning and Study Skills: a guide for tutors and Essential Study Skills: the complete guide to success at university (4th Edition), and one of the co-founders of the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDHE). Sandra has worked as a laboratory technician, a freelance copywriter, and an Executive Editor (Medicine Digest, circulation 80,000 doctors). With Tom Burns, she has developed theatre and film in unusual places – their Take Control video won the IVCA gold award for education – and is interested in creativity as emancipatory practice in Higher Education.

Steering Group Member
Chair of the Professional Recognition Working Group

Sheryl has been a member the Steering Group since May 2020. She is Head of Learning Development at the University of Northampton. She is an Advance HE Fellow, a Certified Leading Practitioner in Learning Development and Qualified Teacher. Her background teaching Sport Science in Further and Higher Education institutions has offered a plethora of experience actively engaging learners. Her research interests include asynchronous resources and inclusive teaching.

Steering Group Member
Co-Chair of ALDinHE

Paul joined the conference committee in 2017, the Steering Group in 2020 and became ALDinHE Co-Chair in 2021 and is based in the Centre for Learning and Teaching at the University of Bath. Paul is a Certified Leading Practitioner in Learning Development and a Principle Fellow of the HEA. His main research interest is peer learning, having completed his PhD in online peer learning and assessment. Paul also has an active interest in developing graduate attributes, promoting employability skills and learning technology – as well as occasionally dabbling in other areas of learning development . As an Associate Member of CIPD Paul is also a keen advocate of promoting personal and professional development.

Steering Group Member
Secretary

Kate is Head of Learning and Teaching Enhancement at the University of Northampton where she leads a team comprising: Academic Practice, Educational Linguistics, Learning Design and Learning Development. Kate is an Advance HE Senior Fellow, a Certified Leading Practitioner in Learning Development, and a National Teaching Fellow. Kate joined the ALDinHE Steering Group in 2019 as Secretary.