|
|
Centre for Excellence in Professional Development Through Education Research and Technology (the ExPERT Centre)
Lead Institution: University of Portsmouth, Director: Professor Lesley-Jane Eales-Reynolds The Centre aims to support staff in developing scholarship in learning and teaching and has a strong focus on pedagogic research and knowledge transfer in order to enhance the student learning experience. The students concerned include those in biomedical sciences, psychology, radiography, social work, professions allied to medicine and complementary to dentistry. The Centre is also designed to act as a resource for the local dental and medical communities for continuing professional development and continuing medical/dental education. We are working towards a highly integrated approach that will benefit both professionals in the local community as well as our students at the University of Portsmouth through providing wider interprofessional educational opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable. The research activities of the Centre focus on variation theory and its application in Higher Education, allowing us to test and validate new pedagogic approaches to learning and teaching. The main research themes of the Centre, which will be closely linked with teaching activity, are creativity in learning and teaching in the health-related sciences, the use and role of technology, and the impact of simulation, in blended learning. The Centre will have state state-of-the-art facilities for developing tomorrow’s health- related scientist, as well as a range of technological resources and expertise. Colleagues are supported in personal and professional development through the opportunity to bid for small research grants, funding for dissemination activities, secondment or exchange visits. The Centre will provide a number of electronic resources for UoP staff including an annotated database of useful references and a database of expertise within the University of Portsmouth. The Centre produces a brief monthly newsletter (The ExPERT News), which highlights a particular activity in each edition and provides information about useful links and resources. We are currently introducing Learning Network Lunches where colleagues have the opportunity to network across the university, to discuss ideas about research and examples of good practice and to see demonstrations of equipment in an informal setting setting. |
|