Amanda Gilbert
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Dr Amanda Gilbert, Lecturer Academic staff development and support |
Responsibilities and Professional Activities
I am a Lecturer in Academic Development at the Centre. My main areas of responsibility are academic development for staff and the provision of tutor and demonstrator training and development.
I am always happy to talk to anyone about their teaching: it's great to hear about successes as well as challenges and disasters. Within the Centre I am the contact for the Faculty of Science and for the Faculty of Architecture and Design. Please feel free to contact me anyway, and I will help if I can or pass your query on to someone who may be more able to help you.
I also run programmes and support for tutors and demonstrators at Victoria. Training is provided for new tutors at the beginning of each Trimester and other tutor/demonstrator development sessions are available throughout the year. Follow the link if you would like to know more about tutor support.
Background
Before moving to academic development I studied and then lectured in Psychology. My first degree was from the University of Exeter, UK and my PhD, "The Role of Technology in Intensive Care Nursing: Mental Models of the Patient-Monitor System." was from the University of Sheffied, UK.
I returned to Exeter to teach and then moved to the University of Sussex before changing direction and working in higher eucation research at the Centre for Higher Education Practice at the Open University, UK.
My family moved to New Zealand in 1999 and I spent five years working as an academic developer at the Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences. After a year in the UK at the University of Kent, I returned to NZ, starting off at Massey and then moving to Victoria in 2008.
Research Interests
I have a number of interests and projects in progress at the moment:
Active learning in the sciences
During the past few years, I have undertaken some very interesting projects in collaboration with lecturers in different science subjects.
We have focused on teaching in large first year classes and ways to engage students. Our intention has been to use teaching which encourages active learning with the aim of improving students' performance and also increasing retention into 200 level courses.
The introduction of clicker technology into some courses has led to some interesting changes in lecturing and supported positive developments in student engagement.
Developing part-time teachers in Higher Education
My work with tutors and demonstrators ties in well with work I have been doing looking at the very specific problems associated with the professional development of part time teachers in higher education.
I am currently co-editing a book on this topic (with Fran Beaton of the University of Kent, UK) and also studying the experiences and support of tutors here at Victoria.
Critical Thinking
Another area of interest for me is thinking, critical or otherwise, that happens in university study. I am really keen to talk to anyone who has ideas or thoughts in relation to this topic.
