Professor Mark Schofield has been invited to share his knowledge across the globe after winning a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship.
Mark, the Dean of Teaching and Learning Development and SOLSTICE Academic Director, has been chosen to deliver a number of presentations and workshops internationally as a result of his award, which recognises excellence in higher education teaching and support for learning
His latest venture involves travelling to the University of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa to talk about the challenges around e-learning and assessments in higher education. He also recently visited the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia to talk about the use of technologies in teaching and learning practices. New contacts have also been made with the Multi National Teaching Fellowship Group in the United States, which will give Professor Schofield the opportunity to forge new links and explore new ways of working together.
He explained: “Although I was only awarded the National Teaching Fellowship for Edge Hill University a few months ago it is already having a positive impact and I’m getting a number of requests to visit other universities across the world to share my expertise and knowledge. It’s fantastic to be invited to these places because it is based on recognition from my peers internationally. I feel very privileged to be involved in this work and to be an ambassador for Edge Hill. Being given this fellowship has already opened so many doors and is raising the profile of the University even further, reinforcing our excellent reputation in this area of work. Ultimately, it is benefiting our students and staff and shows our continued commitment to excellence in teaching and learning.”
The award has been made to Professor Schofield for raising the profile of learning and teaching locally, nationally and internationally and in recognition of his success in supporting colleagues and influencing student learning.
He explains more about winning the fellowship in this interview here. He said: “I have worked hard in the profession for many years and have always tried to motivate others to succeed using innovative methods, so I’m delighted to be given this recognition. However, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this without the support of the students and my colleagues, both here at Edge Hill and abroad.”
Professor Schofield currently leads on teaching and learning development and associated research and contributes to curriculum design and teaching on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Education and Health.
His innovative work in technology enhanced learning is one of the reasons for his visiting chairs at Leeds Metropolitan and Northampton Universities. Professor Schofield has also cemented firm international partnerships between Edge Hill University and the University of Johannesburg, the Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association South Africa, the United States Air Force Academy and the international DLAC (Distance Learning and Collaboration) group through his innovative work on research, curriculum design and e-learning.
Mark, who is from Kirkby, recently became a Senior Fellow in Educational Development at the University of Windsor, Ontario. He sits on the editorial board of the Innovations in Education and Teaching International Journal. He leads on practice based research development for the University’s education and health professionals. He is also the Academic Director of the SOLSTICE Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and chair of the Edge Hill University Centre for Learning and Teaching Research. He has acted as an expert advisor to the HEA eLearning Observatory initiative (now EvidenceNet), to government groups envisioning technological support for learning in the future and was a member of the HEA e-learning ‘Think Tank’.