Meet the team

This step gives you the opportunity to find out a little more about the team that will be guiding you through this course. It might be a good idea to ‘follow’ them so you can easily catch up on their latest activity and join in with their discussions.

Educators

Dr Harriet Jones – Lead Educator

I am a senior lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of East Anglia. I have been interested for many years in how students study before they come to university and have researched this topic so that I can help students make a success of this difficult transition into Higher Education. I did my first degree at Bristol University, where I studied Botany, and a PhD at Birmingham University in microbial ecology. Much has changed since I did these degrees. There is much more support available now, and much more recognition of the challenges students face at university. My focus at UEA is teaching first year undergraduates and helping them to develop higher education skills.

Rachel Cladingbowl (Mentor)

Rachel is a freelance writer and poet. Her poetry came to prominence when her work was used as the basis for a beautiful and moving life affirming animation ‘Via’ (2018). The animation, built around the evocative writing of Rachel was produced by Izzy Burton. It was nominated for a BAFTA and won numerous film international festival awards in 2018. Rachel is part of the writing team for this MOOC and the following teacher-led PreU Skills Course.

Cath Sharrock

I started teaching at university level only just over a year after finishing as an undergraduate. I remember that I was giving a seminar to first year students at King’s College, London university (where I was doing my PhD) and finding it really scary. It also quickly made me realise just how important it was to get it right and I have, since then, been particularly interested in the transition from school to university studies. After my PhD, I got my first lectureship at Nottingham university in literature and critical theory and then moved on to UEA where I have been for rather a long time and am now a Senior Lecturer in the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing. Most of my own research work is interdisciplinary in its focus, linking literature with the cultural history of medicine and I am at my happiest when worrying away about words.

Robert Jenkins

I studied Chemistry at UEA as an undergraduate, and then went on to do a PhD in Chemical Physics. My love of maths developed during my undergraduate studies and after finishing my PhD I stayed at UEA to help develop the Science Foundation Year. It was in this role that I found a love of teaching and learning and I was able to explore this role further as a Learning Enhancement Tutor, specialising in Mathematics and Statistics. I am enthusiastic and passionate about maths and have been at the forefront of teaching and learning innovation at UEA for many years, helping to create an extensive suite of online resources to help students study maths. I did this job for over ten years before moving to the Norwich Business School at UEA where I have designed and run workshops to help students re-engage with maths, especially tailored to students who have disconnected with this subject in their past.

Chris Bishop

I graduated with a BA (Hons) in English from Bangor University in 1994 and then spent several years teaching English as a Foreign Language in Italy, Australia and the UK. After joining UEA in 2002, I taught on and directed various courses in English for Academic Purposes, during which time I also took an MA in Linguistics, Society and Culture. I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and now work in UEA’s Student Services department as a Learning Enhancement Tutor. This means I help students to develop their ‘academic literacies’, such as academic writing and critical thinking, and so become more confident in and effective at what they do. The best part about my job is that I get to work with students and staff from all disciplines at UEA, which shows me the range of activities that happen here, and the variety of people involved.

Now you’ve had a chance to meet us, we would love you to introduce yourself using the comments, and say ‘hello’ to your fellow learners.