2026 Award presented to Sandra Sinfield SF‑ALDinHE, SFHEA
It is a real privilege, on behalf of ALDinHE, to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Sandra Sinfield, SF‑ALDinHE, SFHEA.
This award recognises not just long service or an impressive list of roles and outputs, although Sandra has plenty of those, but a lifetime of values‑led practice, impact, generosity, and passion that has helped shape learning development as a field, a community, and a movement.
Sandra is an Associate Professor 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 (5th edition); and one of the co‑founders of the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education.
Her professional journey has been anything but linear. Sandra has worked as a laboratory technician, a freelance copywriter, and an Executive Editor of Medicine Digest, reaching a circulation of 80,000 doctors. With Tom Burns, she developed theatre and film in unusual places; their Take Control video won the IVCA Gold Award for Education. Across all of this runs a sustained interest in creativity as an emancipatory practice in higher education.
Sandra’s contribution to learning development has always been rooted in a deep and unwavering commitment to educational justice. Throughout her career, she has championed students who are too often marginalised, unheard, or made to feel that higher education was “not for them”. She has consistently challenged deficit narratives, insisting instead that institutions should change to meet students, rather than expecting students to contort themselves to fit the institution.
What sets Sandra apart is not only what she has done, but how she has done it. She brings together rigour and compassion, theory and practice, scholarship and activism. Her work reminds us that learning development is not remedial, not auxiliary, and not optional, but intellectually rich, ethically grounded, and fundamentally transformative. She has shown us that what we do matters and that it matters profoundly.
Sandra’s influence can be felt across:
- learning development scholarship;
- widening participation and inclusive pedagogies;
- academic literacies;
- staff development and mentoring;
- and, crucially, in the confidence and agency of countless students and colleagues.
Many people in the learning development community have been mentored by Sandra, supervised by her, collaborated with her, or encouraged by her at exactly the moment they needed it. Others know her through her writing, which consistently speaks with practitioners rather than at them, and which invites us to think more critically, creatively, and courageously about our work.
And then there is Sandra’s contribution to ALDinHE itself.
In 2002, Sandra, together with Tom Burns, presented at a Discourse, Power, Resistance conference in Plymouth, where they shared a platform with John Hilsdon. Both presentations centred on learning development, and a vital connection was made. At the time, Sandra was Chair of the London‑based Learning Development Network, while John was exploring the creation of a national network. In 2003, Sandra and John established the Learning Development in Higher Education Network and co‑hosted the first Learning Development Symposium at London Metropolitan University. In 2010, this work culminated in the establishment of ALDinHE, alongside the Journal for Learning Development in Higher Education.
Since then, Sandra has been a tireless advocate for Learning Developers and for the legitimacy of our work within the association. She has helped build spaces where people feel they belong, spaces where early‑career practitioners are welcomed, where diverse voices are amplified, and where critical debate is not only permitted, but actively encouraged.
Importantly, Sandra has never separated scholarship from humanity. She reminds us that kindness is not the opposite of excellence, it is part of it. That care is not unprofessional, it is political. And that hope is not naïve, it is necessary.
It is a genuine pleasure to add my voice in celebrating Sandra’s richly deserved Lifetime Achievement Award. My collaborations with Sandra and with Sandra and Tom together, have been some of the most creative, intellectually energising, and values-driven experiences of my professional life.
Working with Sandra is never simply about completing a project; it is about opening up spaces for possibility. She brings a rare combination of criticality, warmth, and imaginative thinking that transforms collaboration into something generative and deeply human. Whether co-creating resources, exploring academic literacies, or contributing to the wider learning development community, Sandra consistently centres people, especially those whose voices are too often marginalised and asks how we might do things differently, and more justly.
Sandra’s generosity as a collaborator is striking. She creates environments where ideas can flourish, where risk-taking feels safe, and where everyone involved is encouraged to contribute meaningfully. There is always a sense, when working with Sandra, that the work matters, not just academically, but ethically and socially. Her influence extends far beyond any single project. Through our collaborations, I have seen first-hand her unwavering commitment to educational equity, her insistence on challenging deficit narratives, and her ability to bring people together in ways that build confidence, community, and change.
It is ongoing honour (and pleasure) to work alongside Sandra, and to draw upon the body of work Sandra and Tom created together. Their collective impact continues to inspire my own practice, and the practice of so many others across our field. Collaborating with them has reinforced my own belief in the power of creative, participatory approaches to transform both student and staff experiences.
Debbie Holley, Emerita Professor of Learning Innovation, Bournemouth University
A lifetime achievement award can sometimes sound like a closing chapter. But anyone who knows Sandra knows that she is not done. Her ideas continue to challenge us. Her questions continue to motivate us, productively. And her belief in the power of education to change lives continues to inspire us all.
Today, we honour not just a distinguished career, but a legacy:
- a legacy of equity,
- of intellectual courage,
- of community‑building,
- and of unwavering belief in students and colleagues alike.
Sandra, on behalf of ALDinHE, and with enormous gratitude and admiration, it is our absolute pleasure to present you with the ALDinHE Lifetime Achievement Award.
Please join us in congratulating Sandra Sinfield.