Reflecting on higher education through a psychological lens
In the UK, new professors are usually expected to give what is known as an 'inaugural professorial lecture', a public lecture that offers some insight into how the person became a professor, drawing to different extents on the personal and professional stories that intertwine to bring them to the current day. When I was appointed… Continue reading Giving psychology away: Making a difference in higher education
Thanks to the wonderful human that is Meredith Wilkinson of De Montfort University I am proud to be a member of the Disabled Women's Academic Network, which she set up a couple of years ago. It's an inclusive and supportive network, and is growing under Meredith's leadership. On Friday last week, Meredith emailed us to… Continue reading Being a disabled woman in academia – some tips
For education-focused academics, getting promoted can be hard. Even being appreciated just for doing what you do can sometimes be hard. How can we build the kind of profile that contributes to reward and recognition? When your schedule is packed full of teaching, student support, marking, quality assurance, course committees, marking, outreach, not to mention… Continue reading The ‘buy one, get one free’ (BOGOF) model of scholarship in higher education
Recently, I’ve celebrated the promotion success of a small number of well-deserving colleagues, who have been promoted to Senior Lecturer from Lecturer, or to Reader from Senior Lecturer. It is always heart-warming to hear of their successes, and the sense of reward and acknowledgement that they feel on hearing the news. As a Reader myself,… Continue reading Sharing failure: success as the tip of the iceberg
Yesterday, I blogged about the apparent mental health crisis in higher education, affecting both students and staff. Given some of the comments in the media, and from academics on social media, you might be forgiven for thinking that no sane person would ever consider an academic career! Numerous current PhD students are hoping to achieve… Continue reading Counting my (academic) blessings
This morning, I was delighted to hear the Duchess of Cambridge speaking at yesterday’s Royal Foundation’s Mental Health in Education conference (see here for a video, and here for a transcript), and to see the wealth of positive attention she received for her short speech on Twitter (#MHinEducation). The Duchess noted that “The scientific and… Continue reading Mental health in education: A response to the Duchess of Cambridge
Sabbatical: “a period of time when college or university teachers are allowed to stop their usual work in order to study or travel, usually while continuing to be paid” (Cambridge Dictionary Online) I’ve worked in academia pretty much constantly now for more than 20 years, with a brief step out to the periphery when I… Continue reading Scholarship sabbaticals – an insider view (part 1)
HigherPsychEd 