Fellowship and Accreditation Expert Advisory Group

Professor Tim Woods (Chair)

Pro-Vice Chancellor (Learning, Teaching and Student Experience), Aberystwyth University.

A Professor in English and American Literature, Tim's current role involves oversight of the student experience from admission to graduation and beyond, including the learning and teaching environment. Consequently, he is keen to aid colleagues in their teaching development and support students during their time at university. His engagement with the quality assurance procedures in teaching has led him to be a member of the TEF Subject Panel for Literature and the Humanities, a member of the OIA HE consultation panel and a reviewer with the QAA. He believes facilitating and motivating colleagues to produce their best teaching skills and stimulating an enthusiastic and infectious learning environment is an absolutely key ingredient for a student’s life at university, and the opportunities and training provided by Advance HE play a significant role in generating such features. He hopes that being part of this Group will help generate robust mentoring, inspiring and engaging Fellowships and awards that underpin high quality teaching foundations across the HE landscape.

Katie Akerman

Director of Quality and Standards, University of Chichester.

Katie is an academic administrator, and the Director of Quality and Standards for the University of Chichester where she has strategic leadership for the management of quality and standards, including academic partnerships. This also includes a focus on accreditation activities and supporting the work of Advance HE at the University, such as with the Degree Standards Project. 

Katie has been a reviewer for National Teaching Fellowships and was previously a member of the-then HEA Quality Advisory Board. She is a Principal Fellow and a Fellow of the Association of University Administrators.

Katie is delighted to be joining the Fellowship and Accreditation Expert Advisory Group to contribute to its work to support the development of strategy for Fellowship and Accreditation, and the evolution of services to advance the professionalisation of teaching and professional development for the sector. 

Dr Timos Almpanis

Senior Lecturer L & T and Director accredited scheme, Kingston University.

Timos is the Kingston Academic Practice Standards (KAPS) Director and as part of his role he oversees the provision of the KAPS programme, an Advance HE-accredited framework which recognises the professional practice of colleagues at Kingston within the UK Professional Standards Framework. Timos leads the experiential route to all categories of Fellowship at Kingston University and oversees and contributes to the Introduction to Learning and Teaching (ILT) programme (taught route to Associate Fellowship and Fellowship), as well as the CPD staff development programme at Kingston.  

Timos holds a PhD in E-Research and Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) and is an advocate of Research-Informed Teaching (RIT) and for promoting an integrated approach to the uptake of digital technologies that does not focus on the technology per se, but on the pedagogy.  

Timos is excited to be part of the Fellowship and Accreditation Expert Advisory Group as he will be part of a team that informs new developments related to the Professional Standards Framework, which encompasses all aspects of academic practice. 

Dr Duncan Cross

Associate Teaching Professor & Head of Education, University of Bolton

Duncan is the Head of Education at the University of Bolton and an Associate Teaching Professor with responsibility for the institutional UKPSF scheme, he is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Law. Duncan has been an assessor and external for accredited schemes and also worked with the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning  developing and co-ordinating their Fellowship scheme, and has run a number of networks supporting professional recognition. Duncan is a Principal Fellow of the HEA and a National Teaching Fellow.

Dr Sarah Floyd

Reader in Higher Education Practice and accredited scheme lead, Ulster University

Dr Sarah Floyd trained as a secondary school science teacher moving to a career in Higher Education 30 years ago where she worked as a lecturer in environmental science and geography. She changed role, moving into educational development, following involvement in national and institutional educational initiatives. For the last 18 years she has worked as a staff and educational developer at Ulster University and now leads the institutional Advance HE accredited ENHANCE scheme and teaches on their taught routes to Fellowship for staff and doctoral researchers. She was awarded Principal Fellowship in 2013, the first woman in NI to achieve this, and has been an Advance HE accreditor and associate since 2012 providing support and leadership for many UK and international HEIs. Sarah has recently led research initiatives exploring the use of dialogue in professional recognition and staff perceptions of engaging with Fellowship. She was promoted to a Readership in Higher Education Practice in 2020. 

Sarah is committed to creating inclusive professional learning and recognition opportunities that value and support a diversity of educators. By joining the Fellowship and Accreditation Expert Advisory Group she would like to play a part in shaping the direction of this activity.

Dr Anthony Manning

Dean of Internationalisation, University of Kent

Anthony is responsible for leading cross-curricular academic academic in internationalisation and lifelong learning across the University of Kent. He is Principal Fellow and National Teaching Fellow experienced in supporting and chairing Kent’s HEA Route to Recognition. Anthony has also worked as an external reviewer for institutions in the UK and Australia. He has lived and worked in five different countries and led educational activity across a multi-faceted network of international partner institutions and work-based contexts. 

Throughout his career, he has been an active External Examiner for ten institutions in the UK and overseas. He is therefore used to making recommendations for the development of academic standards in diverse contexts and has excellent knowledge of the UKPSF. In addition to his work through the University of Kent, he also works as Deputy Chair of the British Accreditation Council’s Accreditation Committee, which provides a respected mark of educational quality to institutions in the UK and overseas.

Anthony is looking forward to extending his impact through the Fellowship and Accreditation Expert Advisory Group. Being particularly keen to represent the needs of colleagues working in international and lifelong-learning contexts, including those seeking recognition for academic practice through traditional academic routes and innovative academic-related avenues.

Dr Luke Millard

Dean of Learning and Teaching, Abertay University

Luke believes in the view that universities enable students to transform their lives. He believes students are most likely to do this when they are supported by great staff who are aware of what is best practice in their institution and beyond. Luke believes the achievement of a level of Fellowship is a great way for staff, within the academic and professional service spheres, to share those collaborative perspectives and generate activity that enables students learning. He believes the space that fellowship enables for staff to reflect on their particular journeys is invaluable and enjoys nothing better than seeing the smile on a colleague’s face when they achieve their fellowship target. Being part of the Fellowship and Accreditation Expert Advisory group is exciting for Luke as he seeks to learn from different approaches across the sector and help shape the continuing development of fellowship approaches to engage with the wide variety of staff and student peers who contribute to the student learning experience. 

Associate Professor Barbie Panther

Director Teaching Capability and Lead accredited Fellowship Program, Deakin University

Associate Professor Barbie Panther is the Director, Teaching Capability at Deakin University where she has responsibility for professional development, recognition and reward programs in learning and teaching.  Barbie’s academic background is in chemistry and she has held previous roles in Chemistry Education and Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching for the Faculty of Science and Technology at Federation University, Australia. Barbie leads the HEA program at Deakin and is Deputy Chair of the Australasian Strategic Program Leaders network. Barbie is passionate about exploring the possibilities of digital learning, supporting the development of inclusive learning environments, and building capability of those who design, deliver, enable and lead learning and teaching.

Associate Professor Jane Rarieya

Associate Professor & Director Institute for Educational Development, Aga Khan University

Jane, a Senior Fellow, has worked in Higher Education in Pakistan, South Africa and East Africa. Presently, she holds a dual position at the Aga Khan University as an Associate Professor at the Institute for Educational Development, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and the Director, Teaching and Learning. She is also, the inaugural Director, of the Teachers’ Academy at Aga Khan University and a founding member of the Association for Faculty Enhancement in Learning and Teaching (AFELT), regional association of faculty from a cross section of universities in East Africa that aims to improve the quality of teaching in higher education. In these roles, Jane is actively engaged in mentoring faculty as well as developing and facilitating professional development programmes for faculty. Her specialization is in the areas of gender, leadership and academic development; she has engaged in a number of research projects in these areas.

Professor Samantha Smidt

Academic Director, King’s Academy.  King’s College London

Samantha's background is in physics and science education and after many years at the Open University she joined UCL in 2016 where,as Director of UCL Arena and with an institutional responsibility for Education and Practice development, Sam led a team of about 20 staff working closely with faculties on their education development, running development courses for staff across UCL, leading on the pedagogic development underpinning major education strategic projects and managing a very large professional recognition fellowship programme. In September 2022, Sam left UCL to take up a similar role at King’s College London, with a brief to grow the King’s Academy team and the scale and impact of their work.  Sam is particularly enthusiastic about the potential of the PSF and of fellowships and accreditation to create internationally comparable frameworks for the development of teachers in higher education around the world.

She is delighted to be part of the Fellowship and Accreditation Expert Advisory Group as higher education thinks about the post pandemic world, and the very great importance that education has in helping societies meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals and address some of the very real challenges in society.

Professor Mark Schofield

Professor and Dean of Teaching and Learning, Edge Hill University

Professor Schofield has been involved with United Kingdom Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) since its inception, having fed into consultations at all stages of its development. His engagement is based upon strong philosophical commitment to the professionalisation and enhancement of University teachers through adding clarity to the expectations of the skills knowledge values and attitudes that should prevail. He advocates for the UKPSF as a developmental tool which can focus hearts and minds in universities on the fundamental business of teaching for effective learning and student growth and success.

He led the establishment of the Edge Hill UKPSF CPD scheme (D1-D4) as pan-University Dean and Professor of learning and teaching in HE and has extensive experience as an internal and external assessor and engagement with the Principal Fellowship networks. He has used the philosophy of UKPSF widely, frequently supporting universities with their pursuit of teaching excellence whilst working as a visiting professor and advisor in Asia.

His commitment to the UKPSF is grounded in his own values as an educator. He views the contribution of this Fellowship and Accreditation Expert Advisory Group to the operations of the UKPSF in the future as being key to making a difference globally to a shared culture of teaching quality enhancement.

Professor Judy Williams

Associate Vice President for Teaching, Learning and Students, Director of the Institute for T & L., Director of accredited scheme, University of Manchester

Judy is the Associate Vice President for Teaching, Learning and Students at the University of Manchester with a portfolio focusing on inclusivity and engagement. In addition, she is the Director of the Institute of Teaching and Learning, where she supports teaching excellence, embeds innovations and leads on university-wide strategic projects. 

Judy’s passion for academic enhancement began 17 years ago, developing support packages for early career academics. She set up the Centre for Academic and Researcher Development, working nationally with Vitae and internationally with the Medical Research Council to deliver pipeline programmes to produce the next generation of academic leaders. Judy’s approach provides a continuum of support, for those early in their career through to colleagues stepping into leadership, in order to make a step change in teaching excellence.

Judy is the Director of Manchester University's Advance HE accreditation scheme, having developed and delivered programmes for staff and students to support them in developing and enhancing their teaching and to enable them to gain fellowships as well as career enhancement.

Judy is delighted to be part of the Fellowship and Accreditation Expert Advisory Group and will use her experience and expertise to help shape the future direction of the scheme and embed inclusivity. 

Louise Woodcock

Director of Academic Practice, University of Leeds

Louise is an experienced staff and educational developer. Her current role includes responsibility for academic staff development, career development and professional recognition encompassing post graduate researchers and early career staff through to more experienced staff and leaders.  

She previously worked at the Universities of Sheffield and Birmingham and The Manchester Metropolitan University in a range of roles with a common theme around staff and student development to support high quality learning, teaching and research.  

Louise is an active member of the Heads of Educational Development Group and is currently a member of the executive. She previously participated in a European Universities Association Thematic Peer Group for Learning and Teaching, part of a team drawn from eight universities focusing on the links between teaching and research. The outputs were disseminated at the inaugural EUA Learning and Teaching Forum in 2017, focusing on the implications for curriculum design and staff development and recognition. Other interests include access and inclusion in higher education and Louise is passionate about the power of education to change lives and be a force for good.