Mrs Barbara Workman

National Teaching Fellow 2010 Barbara entered academia as a second career having started as a nurse and joined Middlesex University soon after nursing was integrated into higher education. She started teaching nurse students and health care assistants in clinical practice and has since taught learners from allied health disciplines at pre-degree, degree, postgraduate and doctorate level. Throughout her career her expertise has been in learning from practice and experience. In the late 1990s she began working with Middlesex University's distinctive brand of Work Based Learning (WBL.) Her ability to facilitate learners from a range of healthcare backgrounds and to inspire their personal and professional development is evidenced by a student who wrote to the Vice-Chancellor saying: "I would wish to compliment Middlesex University on the high calibre of its academic staff and in particular my tutor, Barbara Workman, who provided what can only be described as exemplary support and direction ..." Barbara worked with WBL across subject disciplines initially in the School of Health and Social Sciences, and her appointment to the CETL involves extending and embedding WBL across all schools within the university. She works with colleagues to facilitate the use of WBL pedagogies and curriculum components resulting in innovative programmes pan-university. She says: "The CETL has enabled me to improve teaching and learning by facilitating others to become more creative through sharing my experience and knowledge and creating opportunities for colleagues to experiment with WBL." Her expertise is highly regarded in accreditation of individual's learning from experience and accreditation of in-company training courses and her work with employers has led to the development of a range of innovative employer led programmes. She is committed to WBL students, aiming to offer valuable learning activities which promote lifelong learning for work. Through writing and consultancy she contributes to a growing community of WBL practitioners, developing their expertise and ideas. For Barbara, WBL extends beyond qualifications and towards a better understanding and enjoyment of learning for oneself and others.