Education expert wins influential doctoral studentship

The University of Exeter’s Professor of Education Wendy Robinson has won a prestigious doctoral studentship award from the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

Professor Robinson is one of fifteen academics to receive the award which will support the development of learning and teaching across UK higher education.

The HEA awards have been made to academics to support Doctoral studentships. Each of the awards will build on the HEA’s work in one or more of its seven key thematic areas of: assessment; education for sustainable development; employability; internationalisation; flexible learning; retention and success; and reward and recognition of teaching. Their outcomes will also help to build an evidence base for learning and teaching in these areas.

Professor Robinson’s award is for a doctoral programme entitled, ‘Educating professionals and professionalising education in research-intensive universities: opportunities, challenges, rewards & values’. It will build upon some initial inter-disciplinary work in the area of professional learning and professional training in the areas of Education, Law, Medicine and Higher Education.

She said: “I am delighted to have been successful in winning this HEA Doctoral Studentship award. It will help to build research capacity in the new Centre for Research in Higher Education currently being established at the University’s Graduate School of Education. It will also offer exciting new opportunities for inter-disciplinary collaborative working and enhancing professional academic practice.”

Professor Debra Myhill, Associate Dean for Research in the College of Social Sciences, said:”The award of a prestigious HEA grant is a real honour for Professor Robinson. The studentship is an exciting opportunity to explore professional education in universities in rapidly changing times and signals the Graduate School of Education’s place as leading educational research and informing important current educational debates.”

The research outcomes from the Doctoral studentships will be disseminated throughout UK higher education.

Professor Craig Mahoney, Chief Executive of the HEA, said: “The award winners will work closely with the HEA to help us to make a real difference to the learning experience of potentially thousands of students. I’m confident that the research outputs from our new Doctoral programme, will have a significant impact on both policy and practice.”

Date: 24 May 2012