Higher Education Development & Support Institute - Arena | Teaching & Learning

Contact details and team information for Higher Education Development & Support Institute (HEDS) - Arena. HEDS is part of UCL Education & Student Experience.

Arena offers a range of support and professional development for those who teach and support students at 皇家华人. We听deliver听a variety of programmes that aim to improve the quality and consistency of teaching across the institution. Find out more about HEDS.听

The team develop听face-to-face and online courses, as well as bespoke resources and guidance for UCL's educators. The team also assists UCL staff who deliver or support education to obtain HEA-accredited Fellowship status.

There are three main functions:

Arena Consultancy: Arena Consultants provide support to faculties for pedagogy and practice development
Arena Staff Development: Develop and deliver courses for staff that deliver and support education at 皇家华人, including support for use of technology in teaching. Support the HEA-accredited Arena Fellowship scheme. Lead on reward, recognition and support of good practice in teaching and assessment.
Programme Development: Work with all new programmes, and many existing programmes, on their learning design approaches. Lead on assessment diversification.

Faculty support

We work closely with departments and faculties to enhance their education provision. Find contacts for听your Faculty Partnership Team .

Annual Reports

Dr Danielle Tran, PFHEA听

Associate Professor (Teaching)

Deputy Director of Higher Education Development & Support Institute (HEDS)

Email:听danielle.tran@ucl.ac.uk听

Prior to joining HEDS, I was Director of Education and Reader in Developmentally Disruptive Practices and Pedagogies at the University of the Arts London (UAL), UK. I've worked at various UK HE institutions across different roles and areas.

My research interests include decolonising teaching and learning, belonging, and reflective practice.

Dr Peter Fitch, SFHEA

Associate Professor (Teaching)

Associate Director UCL Higher Education and Development Support Institute (Faculty Partnership & Programme Enhancement)

Email:听p.fitch@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 5656 (internal: 55656)

I teach across the UCL Arena Centre鈥檚听professional development provision听for PhD students and staff involved in learning, teaching, and supporting the student experience

I lead on Arena's Faculty Partnership and Programme Development & Enhancement work, and have responsibility for Personal Tutoring staff development across UCL.

I work closely with the Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MAPS) to support and enhance their education provision.

Research interests

My educational research interests focus on personal tutoring in higher education, flipped learning in the STEM classroom (particularly student perceptions and engagement approaches), PGT students鈥� learning approaches, digital communities of learning, and peer support networks.

Contact me about

Arena Faculty Partnerships.
Programme Development & Enhancement.
Personal Tutoring.
Flipped learning approaches (including Team-based Learning)
Educational enhancement in the Faculties of MAPS and Brain Sciences.听听

Dr Jennifer Griffiths, SFHEA

Associate Professor (Teaching)

Associate Director UCL Higher Education and Development Support Institute (Staff development and recognition)

Email:听j.griffiths@ucl.ac.uk

I lead on UCL鈥檚 staff educational development programme and AdvanceHE accredited professional recognition for all staff involved in education and student experience. The covers everyone from our newest Teaching Assistants through to senior education leadership, supporting their development as educators, and recognition through our HEA fellowship scheme.听

Prior to joining the Arena Centre, I worked in Medical Physics research and Engineering Education. I have significant experience of developing new cross-disciplinary programmes that embed active and authentic learning and assessments to develop students鈥� understanding and skills, especially at Postgraduate level. I have delivered workshops and presentations internationally on Capacity Building and staff development, Engineering Education and Authentic Assessment. I am a degree accreditor for the Institute of Physics and Co-Chair of the SEFI (European Society for Engineering Education) Special Interest Group on Capacity Building.听

My areas of active education research include

Capacity building/staff pedagogical development of engineering educators
Staff and student engagement with feedback

Contact me about

Arena Fellowships听(AFHEA, FHEA, SFHEA, PFHEA).
The UCL Education Awards
Educational enhancement in the Faculty of Engineering Sciences
Leading Change in Education (UCL鈥檚 senior education leadership development programme)

Dr Jason Davies, SFHEA

Associate Professor (Teaching)

Email:听j.p.davies@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 6457 (internal: 56457)

I teach across the UCL Arena Centre's professional development provision and lead the Arena Senior Fellowship Pathway as well as co-chairing Liberating the Curriculum.听

My areas of active research include

Interdisciplinarity.
Threshold concepts.
Inclusive curriculum.

.听

Contact me about

Inclusive curriculum.
Threshold concepts.
Educational enhancement in the departments/faculties listed above.

Email Tuesday-Friday is the best way to reach me (I don't work Mondays).

Dr听Manjula Patrick, SFHEA

Associate Professor (Teaching)听

Email:听m.patrick@ucl.ac.uk听听听

I am Arena鈥檚 inclusive education lead with a focus on reducing awarding gaps for racially minoritised, disabled and mature students.

I joined Arena in August 2022 but have worked at department and faculty level across UCL for many years. Equity and inclusion form the core of my work, and I am an advocate for intersectional solutions to inequity.

I work with different stakeholders across the institution to develop innovative, workable interventions that progress inclusive education practices.

Contact me about

Inclusive education
Awarding Gaps听

Jesper Hansen, SFHEA

Associate Professor听(Teaching)

Email:听j.hansen@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 6455 (internal: 56455)

I lead听Arena for Lecturers on Probation (ALP)听which is a development course for all UCL lecturers and associate lecturers on probation. It is mandatory, but you can apply for an exemption if you have undertaken similar training (such as a PGCert) and/or have already obtained Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

I am one of the founding editors of the journal听.

My areas of active research include

Representation of gender and sexuality in higher education teaching, with a particular focus on language teaching. An example of how I work to support teachers at 皇家华人 can be found in the Teaching Toolkit听'Recognising and including LGBTQ+ identities in language teaching'.

Contact me about

Educational enhancement in the departments/faculties listed above.
For听Arena for Lecturers on Probation (ALP), please contact arenacentre.probation@ucl.ac.uk in the first instance.

Helen Knowler

Associate Professor (Teaching)

Email:听h.knowler@ucl.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0)20 3108听6434 听(internal: 56434)听

I am an Associate Professor (Teaching) based in the Arena Centre. I am a qualified teacher and experienced tutor at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. I worked at the universities of Bristol and Exeter before joining UCL in September 2022.听

My expertise is in Inclusive Education, and I have published widely on exclusionary practices in a range of education contexts. I specialise in developing inclusive approaches to teaching and learning related to controversial or problematic issues. I am currently the academic lead听for听developing the educational responses to the Eugenics Legacy Education Project and I work across all departments and faculties.听

Contact me about:

Eugenics Legacy Education Project

Dr Jamie Cawthra, FHEA听

Lecturer (Education and Practice Development)

Email: j.cawthra@ucl.ac.uk

I've taught and researched at a few very different Higher Education institutions since 2015, and in subjects including Foundation Year and Business Management. My background, though, is in philosophy. This includes ethics and aesthetics, but I'm particularly interested in the philosophy of pedagogy.

I joined the Arena team in 2024. Here, I teach on Arena's range of professional development courses for UCL staff and PGTAs.

My research interests include

the role of trust and inclusivity in higher education, particularly when it comes to academic integrity. Drop me a line if you'd ever like to talk about those areas!听

Dr Nick Grindle, SFHEA

Lecturer (Teaching)

Email:听n.grindle@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 6458 (internal: 56458)

I am leading the development of the听UCL ChangeMakers听Change Projects, and I teach on the听UCL Arena events听we run for staff and PhD students.

I joined the UCL Arena Centre in 2011 from the History of Art department.听

My areas of active research include

What role audiences play in shaping what, and how, students learn. I'm particularly interested in the potential that digital environments play in helping students identifying their audiences and communicating their work.听

I am also working with colleagues across UCL to investigate ways of connecting students with research, and in particular to evaluate different versions of Meet the Researcher activities.听

听

Contact me about

UCL ChangeMakers
Meet the Researcher and connecting students with research.
Educational enhancement in the departments/faculties listed above.

Frances Lane, SFHEA PGCE听

Lecturer (Teaching)

Email:听f.lane@ucl.ac.uk

I began my career as a secondary school teacher. I started training teachers in Higher Education in 2012, where I have led Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and Post Graduate Diploma programmes in education. I have also worked within learning and development for professionals in government.

I teach across the UCL Arena Centre鈥檚 professional development provision for PhD students, research staff and early career academics.

Tom Langston,听SFHEA

Lecturer (Teaching)

Email:听t.langston@ucl.ac.uk

I have worked in Higher Education since 2006 and joined UCL in 2024. I have worked across many areas in Higher Education although my focus has always been effective digital learning spaces and student engagement. My areas of interest included creative approaches within taught spaces using Active Blended Learning (ABL). This often manifested itself through the use of Audience Response Tools (ARS) to create active learning spaces.

I completed my PGCert in HE in 2020 and started teaching on the programme, I helped to develop how the feedback for the assessment was approached, incorporating written, audio and video into the process.听

I now teach as part of the UCL Arena team on the range of professional development areas.听

Dr Anjoom Mukadam PGCE, SFHEA

Lecturer (Teaching)

Email: anjoom.mukadam@ucl.ac.uk

I am the Programme Director of UCL Arena for PGTAs. I also teach across UCL Arena Centre鈥檚 professional development provision for PhD students, research staff and early career academics.听

My areas of active research include:

Student empowerment in Higher Education
Active learning online
Coaching approaches for听supporting students
Tactile pedagogies and gamification
Inclusive practice

Faculty Liaison:听IOE, UCL鈥檚 Faculty of Education and Society听

Contact me about

Arena for PGTAs听(for PhD students and Postdocs who teach) and any other support needed for postgraduate teaching assistants 鈥� you can also email听arena.pgta@ucl.ac.uk听

Dr Sharmina Mawani SFHEA

Lecturer (Teaching)

I have extensive experience of teaching postgraduate students in higher education from different cultural contexts. I am passionate about enhancing student empowerment, and am an advocate of a learner-centred approach, as well as a firm believer in working in partnership with students to bring diverse perspectives into the classroom, thereby creating transformative learning and teaching experiences.听

I am committed to creating spaces where educators can reflect on their own teaching practice, share challenges, as well as best practices in innovative teaching strategies that have made their students feel that they, as individuals, and their cultures are valued and respected.

I teach across the UCL Arena Centre鈥檚 professional development provision for PhD students, research staff and early career academics.听

My research interests include:

decolonising and diversifying the curriculum
assessment and feedback practices
personal tutoring and student well-being
coaching in education
student engagement and partnership听

Faculty Liaison: UCL Faculty of Life Sciences听

Ronan Haughton

Senior Teaching and Learning Administrator

Email: 听r.haughton@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)207 907 4625听(internal: 54625)

I manage the UCL Arena Centre鈥檚 administration听for provisions aimed at research staff, early career academic development, UCL Personal Tutors and PS Staff supporting students.

This includes:

Managing the听Arena for Probationary Lecturers听programme, the UCL听development pathway for Lecturers听on probation.听
Development and training for research supervisors,听personal tutors听and professional service staff.
Other one-off events and opportunities for early-career staff.听
Managing the UCL PGTA Hub's听content
Co-ordinating the SSW provisions for staff supporting students.

Contact me about

Arena for Probationary Lecturers听 (for Lecturers and Teaching Fellows on probation) 鈥� you can also email arenacentre.probation@ucl.ac.uk.
Research Supervisor development.
Personal tutoring.
Support and development opportunities for early career academics and Professional Service staff supporting PGRs.听

Moira Paganelli

Teaching and Learning Administrator

Email: m.paganelli@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 9397 (internal: 59397)

I lead the administration of the UCL Arena for PGTAs, Gateway workshops and the Teaching Associate Programme, which interacts with over 700 attendants every year.

I also co-ordinate UCL Arena Events, run by UCL staff and external colleagues.

Contact me about

Arena for PGTAs (for PhD students and Postdocs who teach) and any other support needed for postgraduate teaching assistants 鈥� you can also email arena.pgta@ucl.ac.uk.

Peter Phillips, AFHEA

Senior Teaching and Learning Administrator

Email: peter.phillips@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 6468 (internal: 56468)

I manage the administration of the Arena Fellowship scheme, offering support and guidance to staff at all stages of the application process

Contact me about

Sandra Lusk, AFHEA

Projects Manager (Academic Development)听

Email: s.lusk@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 6467 (internal: 56467)

I manage the administration of the UCL鈥檚 programme design service to drive听enhancement in learning and teaching practice.听

In partnership with UCL ChangeMakers, UCL Student Union, I co-ordinate the Student Quality Reviewers programme, which provides opportunity for students to engage with UCLs quality assurance and enhancement activities.

On behalf of UCL Arena team, I co-ordinate a range of academic development events for UCL staff and students, including UCL Education Conference and Academic Practice Conference (APT)

Contact me about:

Tor Wright

Eugenics Legacy Education听Project (ELEP) - Project Manager听

Email:听t.wright@ucl.ac.uk 听
Tel: +44 (0)20 7679听6127听 (internal: 56127)听

I joined the Arena team after nearly seven years working in the UCL Medical School.听

I am working with Helen Knowler, the associate professor (teaching) developing UCL鈥檚 Eugenics Legacy Education Project, one of the outcomes of the Inquiry into the History of Eugenics at 皇家华人, who published their report and recommendations in 2021.

Contact me about:

The Eugenics Legacy Education Project.听

Richard Steele

Communications Manager

Email: richard.steele@ucl.ac.uk 听
Tel: +44 (0)20 7911 5320 (internal: 05320)

I joined the Arena team in June 2023. I am working with Helen and Tor to help organise the activities of ELEP with a particular focus on events and engagement activities. I鈥檓 also looking at how we evaluate and report back on aspects of the project.

I also work in the communications team of the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies for some of the week.

Contact me about:

The Eugenics Legacy Education Project.听

Leo Havemann

Programme Development Advisor

Email: l.havemann@ucl.ac.uk
Tel听(internal):听58043

I work with teaching teams to design programmes and modules.听 Working closely with the Director and Head of Programme Development, I lead the development, promotion and sharing of excellent practice in the design of programmes and modules across UCL鈥檚 faculties and departments.I work as a core member of 听UCL鈥檚 programme development service to drive听enhancement in learning and teaching practice.听

I develop and implement a framework for programme and module development linked to effective learning design and assessment.

I work听closely with Arena Consultants, Digital Education and Faculty colleagues to ensure that staff receive expert consistent, coordinated and practical support and guidance.

Contact me about

Supporting the design of new programmes or听modules
Assessment design
Review of existing programmes听

Nata拧a Perovi膰听

Programme Development Advisor听

Email: n.perovic@ucl.ac.uk
Tel听(internal):听65443

I develop and implement a framework for programme and module development linked to effective learning design and assessment.

I have a background in science, web development and teaching and have been working on education development in medical and allied health sciences in higher education since 2006. I am co-creator of the ABC Learning Design method.

I work听closely with Arena Consultants, Digital Education and Faculty colleagues to ensure that staff receive expert consistent, coordinated and practical support and guidance.

Contact me about

Supporting the design of new programmes or听modules
Assessment design
Review of existing programmes

Karen Shackleford-Cesare听

Programme Development Advisor听

Email: k.shackleford-cesare@ucl.ac.uk
Tel听(internal):听56238

I develop and implement a framework for programme and module development linked to effective learning design and assessment.

I work听closely with Arena Consultants, Digital Education and Faculty colleagues to ensure that staff receive expert consistent, coordinated and practical support and guidance.

Contact me about

Supporting the design of new programmes or听modules
Assessment design
Review of existing programme听