Conference speakers biographies
Dr Liz Beaty joined HEFCE as Director (Learning and Teaching) in October 2002. Since then she has overseen the development of the CETLs programme, helped to steer the introduction of the Higher Education Academy and the changes to the Quality Assurance system including the Teaching Quality Information and National Student Survey. She also has overall responsibility for HEFCE's relationships with institutions in the three northern regions. Before joining HEFCE, Dr Liz Beaty was Director of the Centre for Higher Education Development at Coventry University. Liz has a PhD from Surrey University and conducted research into student learning at the Open University. She worked in educational and management development at Newcastle Polytechnic, and the University of Brighton. She ran the teacher accreditation scheme for the UK Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA), and was co-chair from 1996 to 2000. Her publications span students' experiences of higher education, experiential and action learning, and strategies for educational change.
Professor Jane Core
Professor Jane Core is Director of Library and Learning Services at Northumbria University in Newcastle.
Her interests and activities reflect pedagogical, human and organisational issues in e learning and
e libraries. She sponsors institutional projects to integrate library services with the e learning
portal and the development of a library resource discovery portal. Recent major institutional projects
have focused on capital investments to develop physical learning spaces to reflect new styles of
learning and resource use and in this she works closely with Northumbria’s Centre for Excellence in
Assessment for Learning. She is significantly involved with the implementation of Northumbria’s
Learning and Teaching Strategy and Information Strategy.
At a national level she sits on a number of projects and initiatives including: the JISC Learning and Teaching Committee, JISC Infonet Board, JISC Plagiarism Board, SCONUL Executive Board and HEA National Teaching Fellowship Advisory Board.
Sarah Currier
Sarah Currier is Project Manager on the JISC-funded Community Dimensions of LO Repositories (CD-LOR)
project, and CETIS Support Officer for the JISC Digital Repositories Programme. Based at the Centre
for Academic Practice & Learning Enhancement at Strathclyde University, her previous experience includes
research and development in a number of e-learning/library initiatives, and she has published and presented
widely on her favourite topic of quality assurance for metadata in e-learning. She is originally from
New Zealand, and prior to moving into e-learning she worked for over 14 years in a variety of more
traditional library posts.
John Davey
John is responsible for managing and co-ordinating SOLSTICE, Edge Hill's Centre for Excellence in
Teaching and Learning (CETL), funded by HEFCE. SOLSTICE will further develop and extend supported
online and blended learning at Edge Hill, engaging larger numbers of staff and students, developing
and researching the use of new learning technologies, and disseminating the research, developments
and outputs to staff at Edge Hill and to the wider HE sector.
As a major contributor to Edge Hill's first online programme back in 2000, John has over five years experience of supporting, developing and delivering supported online learning. He is also an Edge Hill Learning and Teaching Fellow.
Dr Philippa Levy
Dr Philippa Levy is Academic Director of CILASS, the Centre for Inquiry-based Learning in the Arts and
Social Sciences, and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Information Studies, at the University
of Sheffield. She has research interests in the areas of inquiry-based learning, networked learning,
networked learner support and information literacy in higher education and has published widely in
these areas. She is the co-editor (with Sue Roberts) of a recently-published book entitled "Developing
the New Learning Environment: the changing role of the academic librarian". She was awarded a
University of Sheffield Senate Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2002.
Sue McKnight
Sue McKnight is Director of Libraries and Knowledge Resources at Nottingham Trent University,
a position she took up in August 2004. Sue is responsible for library services across NTU’s three
campuses and for leading the University’s strategic developments in e-learning and knowledge management.
She has recently established an Educational Development Unit within her portfolio to support curriculum
design and development for online and blended learning, as well as supporting the in-house VLE.
Prior to this, Sue was Executive Director, Learning Services and University Librarian at Deakin
University in Australia. As Executive Director, Sue was responsible for the University’s library
services, the design, development, production and manufacture of all course material associated with
online or distance learning, the management of the library and learning management systems, and for
the professional development of Faculty staff.
She holds professional library qualifications, an undergraduate degree in business and a masters degree in public administration. In 1999, she was recognised by the Australian Library & Information Association as Australian ‘Manager of the Year’ and was the inaugural winner of the Deakin University Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Leadership.
Dr Susannah Quinsee
Dr Susannah Quinsee is Head of E-Learning/Associate Director of Library Information Services at City
University, London. She has been managing the implementation of e-learning at City since 2003 which
includes the design of a new E Learning Unit and the rollout of a managed learning environment.
Susannah is also events organiser and a founder member of the steering group of the Heads of E-Learning
Forum (HeLF), a national organisation in the UK to provide a network for e-learning managers and lobby
national agencies. She has recent publications in the area of online learning and organisations.
Mark Stiles
Mark Stiles is Professor of Technology Supported Learning and Head of Learning Development and Innovation
at Staffordshire University. Mark’s team are responsible for managing, and facilitating eLearning, and
for research and development in strategy, policy, technology, and pedagogy for eLearning. He has led
projects for JISC and other organisations, including the COSE project, interoperability pilots, SURF
X4L (content reuse), and Staffordshire ICE (interoperation of VLEs with e-aggregators). He now leads
the JISC SUNIWE project (web services for individualised support to eLearners). Mark has carried out
various evaluations, including one of the JISC DiVLE programme. He is a regular speaker and has
published widely in the field.
Nicola Wakefield
Nicola Wakefield is the Law Librarian at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and the current
holder of the SCONUL Award for Staff Development. As well as being responsible for the Law Library
services at MMU, Nicola works closely with the University’s Law Department developing successful
information skills training packages for both undergraduate and postgraduate law students.
Her current projects include: creating reusable learning objects for legal research and contributing to a new publication discussing the use of virtual learning environments to teach legal information skills. In addition to these roles she is the current vice-chair of the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL) Web Editorial Board and the Chair of the Manchester Legal Information Group.
Prior to her present role as an academic law librarian, Nicola worked for two years in the commercial legal information field.