My academic background is chiefly in applied developmental psychology and I have developed and taught courses and conducted research around this area throughout much of my career in higher education. I have an ongoing concern with the ways in which children and young people relate to their families, peers and friends, and the impact on their lives of engagement with schooling and the broader community.

I have always had a strong interest in learning and my PhD research studied the emergence of pupil’s learning strategies in normal classroom settings. More recently, I have been working on aspects of student learning strategies, especially the learning approaches and needs of non-traditional students entering higher education.

I have been involved in higher education curriculum development over many years, including the design of programmes in applied social sciences and teacher education. In the last few years I have combined my abiding interest in children and young people with the prioritisation of workforce development in this area, being involved in designing, validating, planning and running certificate and foundation degree courses for a range of workers in trainee and para-professional roles. I was awarded a Vice Chancellor’s Teaching Award for this work in July 2005.

One of my important current tasks concerns encouraging the professional development of our students on part-time vocationally-oriented courses. This includes analysis of professional values and aspects of reflective practice, particularly through work-based learning. In addition, I have developed courses on the design and implementation of work-related projects and investigations, so that students engage with research and evidence-based practice during their programme. Those who stop at foundation degree level will have gained valuable skills and insights into evidence-gathering and ways of tackling work-related issues in an empirical way. Others who progress to higher qualifications acquire a basis for developing their research skills further in subsequent courses.