Talking Teaching & Scholarship Podcast

In this episode, Dr Kathy Charles is in conversation with Melanie Currie, Deputy Dean of the Nottingham Business School at NTU, about her 25‑year journey at NTU, from hourly paid lecturer to senior leader. Melanie reflects on leadership shaped by problem‑solving, technology, and people, highlighting projects like ACE (Assessing Class Engagement) to boost student engagement. She emphasises values‑led, collaborative leadership, continuous improvement, nurturing others’ potential, and creating inclusive, engaging educational communities.

In this episode, Dr Kathy Charles is in conversation with Dr Kevin Love, Deputy Dean of Social Sciences at NTU, about his academic journey from natural sciences to philosophy and how this shapes his leadership. Kevin reflects on using questioning, critical analysis, and relational thinking in leading large‑scale projects such as semesterisation across his School. He emphasises planning, collaboration, trust in colleagues’ expertise, and understanding leadership as part of a wider ecosystem. Kevin discusses responsibility, reflection, and the importance of people, joy, and collective path‑finding in leadership and advises aspiring leaders to get involved, understand their influence, and remember it’s ultimately about serving the wider good.

In this episode of Talking Teaching and Scholarship Kathy Charles is in conversation with Victoria Fanning, NTU’s Academic Registrar. Victoria reflects on her 22‑year career journey from course administration to leading major university‑wide projects and processes. She discusses her love of administration, data, and problem‑solving, and highlights key projects such as improving timetabling and creating NTU’s relaxed graduation experience. Victoria shares insights on transitioning into leadership, the importance of collaboration, inclusion, and learning from challenges. Her leadership philosophy centres on authenticity, flexibility, and trying even if it means failing.

In this episode of Talking Teaching and Scholarship, Kathy Charles speaks with Dr. Angelo Pernetta, Deputy Dean at NTU’s School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences. Angelo shares how his background in conservation ecology shapes his leadership approach, viewing universities as ecosystems. He discusses driving impactful change in assessment and feedback, fostering inclusive leadership, and encouraging colleagues to embrace opportunities. A must-listen for anyone interested in educational leadership and student experience!

In this final episode, Kathy talks to Matthew Homewood about teaching and scholarship. Matthew is an Associate Professor and Deputy Dean of the Nottingham Law School at Nottingham Trent University. Matthew discusses his unexpected path from horticulture to European Law, and his enthusiasm for educational technology including using animations and Twitter (in its pre-X days) to hone student understanding of all things EU. Matthew also shares his advice to anyone just starting out in their teaching career as well as those who might be considering the prestigious National Teaching Fellowship Scheme which he was awarded in 2016 for his work at NTU.

In this episode, Kathy talks to Dr Sarah Broadberry about teaching and scholarship. Sarah is an Associate Professor of Teaching & Scholarship and is the Academic Practice Manager in the Centre for Academic Development & Quality (CADQ).Sarah has over 20 years' experience as an Academic and talks passionately about her love of teaching, being in front of students and how using Team Based Learning changed how she taught. Sarah also shares her excitement for this year's TILT Annual Learning & Teaching Conference, which will focus on what the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) means for us.

In this episode, Kathy talks to Dr Nicholas Midgley about teaching and scholarship. Nick is a Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography with just over 20 years at NTU.Nick’s work has taken him from Svalbard in the Northern Hemisphere to the Falklands in the Southern Hemisphere, he talks passionately about the importance of taking his students out of the classroom and into the field where they can experience and research why certain environmental effects such as flooding in Spain happen.He also tells us why a lobster pot tag is used as a way to determine the impact of plastics in our oceans.

In this episode, Kathy talks to both Lorraine Warde and Dr Sally Cooke from theNottingham School of Art and Design. Sally is a Research Fellow and Lorraine is aPrincipal Lecturer on the BA (Hons) Fashion Design course.Together, they discuss the Fashion Fictions project, founded by Associate ProfessorAmy Twigger Holroyd, which invites people around the world to imagine alternativefashion systems through creative storytelling and participatory exploration. Theproject brings individuals and communities together to reflect on how we live withclothing and to challenge the dominant fashion model, one shaped by economicgrowth and linked to global social and environmental harms, by speculating onmore sustainable and equitable ways of engaging with fashion.fashionfictions.org

In this episode, Kathy talks to Dr Stuart Burch about teaching and scholarship. Stuartis a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of International Media, a Beijing-based unit ofCommunication University of China which forms a joint institute with NTU.Stuart talks about the lasting influence that university has had on his life, how thephysical architecture of the classroom has changed and how he works hard with hisstudents to draw out their voices in all his teaching. Stuart also sets us some greathomework too, challenging listeners to start drawing - no matter how good or badyou think you may be!

In this episode, Kathy is at our City Campus to talk to Dr Michael McCann about teaching and scholarship. Michael is a Principal Lecturer in Economics and the Learning and Teaching Manager for the Nottingham Business School. Michael shares with us how he got into economics in his teens, which, after graduating, led him to start teaching the basic principles of economics at the University of Greenwich. He has a real passion for teaching undergraduates about finance and financial concepts from an economics perspective, something that most students have had little exposure too when they start their HE study. He is passionate about finding innovate ways to bring economics to life, a passion which has also led Michael to head up the TILT Practice & Scholarship group for Innovative Pedagogy.

In this episode, Kathy is at our City Campus to talk to Dr Ana Souto about teaching and scholarship. Ana is an Associate Professor of Architecture and Inclusive Practises, and she is the Director for Doctoral programmes in the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment. Ana shares with us her passion for working with students through the TILT SPUR scheme and how embracing the student voice and working with the students is essential and incredibly rewarding. You can also hear about the beautiful Arkwright Building where Ana is based.

In this episode, Kathy visits the Clifton Campus to talk to Dr Edward Breeds about teaching and scholarship in Physics. Ed is the Undergraduate Courses Manager for the physics cluster of courses and sits on the National Degree Accreditation Committee for the Institute of Physics. He is also the Chair of the regional branch of the Institute of Physics. In this podcast we chat about his passion for the subject and how he brings physics alive in the classroom by making it personal to his students. In the spirit of the festive season, we also hear about what it takes for Santa to deliver hundreds of millions of presents on Christmas Eve in his sound barrier breaking sleigh.

In this episode, Kathy Charles is at our City Campus to talk to Rose Gann about our teaching and scholarship promotion pathway. Rose is a Professor of Politics Education and Head of Academic Scholarship in the School of Social Sciences at NTU. She also chairs her learned society the Politics Studies Association of the UK. Rose shares how her passion for getting the female voice heard in politics really shaped her early career and is what brought her in to teaching. Rose’s first teaching was to 300 students covering the feminist section of a political ideologies' module. Her interest in politics also drove her ask questions around scholarship in particular colleagues understanding and practice of scholarship. Article References 1. Kern, B., Mettetal, G., Dixson, M. and Morgan, R.K., 2015. The role of SoTL in the academy: Upon the 25th anniversary of Boyer’s Scholarship Reconsidered. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, pp.1-14. 2. hooks, b., 2014. Teaching to transgress. Routledge. 3. Collins, P.H., 2022. Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment. routledge. 4. Martinovic, D., McGinn, M.K., Scott, R.M. and Obradović-Ratković, S., 2022. Conceptualizing Generous Scholarship. Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 10(1). 5. Godbold, N., Matthews, K.E.E. and Gannaway, D., 2024. Theorising new possibilities for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and teaching-focused academics. Higher Education Research & Development, 43(1), pp.92-103.

In this episode, Kathy Charles is at our City Campus to talk to Mark Sergeant about his award winning scholarship in academic integrity.  Mark was awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s award for excellence in Scholarship in its first year (2022-23) and he shares his experience of applying in this discussion.  Mark also explores his compassionate approach to academic integrity, his experience as a journalist, his early research and teaching on the psychology of sex, and shares some hidden voices and homework.  Mark has his eyes set on the other AI now – artificial intelligence – which has uses beyond assessment into a range of areas in psychology such as therapeutic training.https://academic.oup.com/mind/pages/sophie_bryanthttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/166997.Stonerhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B001H6RYTQ?ie=UTF8&tag=mh0a9-21&hvadid=&hvpos=&hvexid=%7Baceid%7D&hvnetw=o&hvrand=&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_7dy1f5hemb_e&msclkid=b69773fcec711dd71eb514f00930dde7