Mr Dominic Bygate

Dominic Bygate is a Mathematical Physicist by training and has previously worked in the financial and software fields. He started his teaching career working in Further Education Colleges before moving to the University sector. Over a nearly 30 year career in education he has taught a range of subjects from GCSE mathematics to masters supervision. His interest in how assessment and feedback can drive learning led him to become involved with initiatives designed to improve student engagement and attainment through an aligned curriculum supported by appropriate technologies. Through working on projects of this kind he developed an interest in the management of change, working with teams and individuals to embed a more student centred approach to curriculum delivery. Impact of work Dominic's work puts the student at the heart of the learning experience. He enables small-scale changes in practice that are effective, sustainable and where ownership of change lies with the teachers and lecturers. At the heart of his practice is a deep understanding of the various subject and particular pedagogic contexts that academic staff and students work in, and using this knowledge to enable lecturers to reflect on, and change their practice. The many projects that he has worked on and the workshops that he has run have enabled academics in a range of institutions to develop more effective ways to work with students to increase engagement and attainment. Plans for the future He intends to continue to encourage innovation and change in the way that lecturers engage with students. Dominic is particularly excited about the opportunities afforded by mobile technologies and the use of non-traditional teaching spaces for enabling student engagement. In order to ensure that students can study in ways that harness the advantages of the latest cloud based and mobile technologies he is exploring how the next generation of digital tools - tablet PCs, cloud technologies and specialist concept learning spaces are influencing the ways the curriculum can be delivered. He is working with the providers of these technologies to explore the opportunities offered by new and innovative learning spaces and appropriate pedagogical approaches that allow for more effective learning and teaching.