Cheryl wins Learning Without Frontiers Award 2012
Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:35:00 GMT
Cheryl Reynolds, lecturer in the School of Education and Professional Development at the University has won the FE/HE Innovator award.
Her nomination explains about her work, introducing online provision and assessment for cohorts of over 1000 trainee teachers across the north of England. Her work is enabling new teachers in the sector to use and critique new technologies. She uses Unilearn, the University virtual learning environment, Twitter and Facebook, encouraging trainees to develop their own personal learning networks. Trainees on the in-service two year part-time CertEd/PGCE (Lifelong Learning) study at one of over 25 centres in the Consortium for Post-Compulsory Education and Training at their own study centres, but come together during the course online to share best practice. This work culminates in a conference for all trainees at the University towards the end of the second year of the course. The aim of her work is to enable trainees who teach a vast range of subjects across the Consortium, sometimes isolated as the only person in their field at their base, to reach out and share practice with their peers at other institutions.
Working with so many trainees means that she manages a network of almost 100 online tutors who use online learning tools for assessment and feedback and to help with the analysis of trainees development and attainment.
Learning without Frontiers is a ‘global platform for disruptive thinkers, innovators and practitioners to share knowledge, best practice, ideas and experiences about new learning.’
Cheryl also teaches on the Multimedia and E-learning MSc and the Education and Professional Development BA(Hons), where she says she gains inspiration to develop her work. She comments, “I’m very grateful to the University for giving me the scope to develop innovative approaches and most especially to my students who challenge me always to think again about my own practices and to keep striving for the best ways to educate and to learn.”
