Networking & Expertise Directory

Chad McDonald

Areas of Expertise

Academic Literacies | Academic Reading | Academic Writing | Inclusive Teaching | Induction, Transition and First Year Experience | Leadership and Management | Publishing in LD and Collaborative Writing | Widening Participation

Biography

I’m a Senior Academic and Study Skills Tutor at Manchester Metropolitan University, where I manage a team of nine learning developers. I previously taught academic literacies at the Universities of Bristol and Chester. Much of my work has focused on students who are at transition points in higher education, especially in arts and humanities disciplines. I’ve been a member of LearnHigher’s working group since 2021 and ALDinHE’s Professional Recognition working group since 2023. I joined the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education’s editorial board in 2024. I’m an Advance HE Senior Fellow (SFHEA) and an ALDinHE Certified Leading Practitioner (CeLP). I occasionally tweet about learning development using @Chad_McDonald.

How can I help learning developers?

I’m happy to support learning developers who are applying for formal recognition of their professional status, including ALDinHE’s Certified Practitioner (Cep/CeLP) statuses and Advance HE Fellowships. I’m particularly interested in the development of inclusive and accessible resources, so I’d be keen to discuss best practice in resource and workshop design with other learning developers. I have a special interest in the teaching of academic reading, which might have been influenced by my background as a primary school teacher.

Last modified: 18/02/2024