Professor Barbara Allan

National Teaching Fellow 2008 Institution at the time of award: University of Hull Barbara Allan is the Dean of Westminster Business School. Previously she was the Director of Learning and Teaching at the University of Hull Business School. She has worked in higher education for more than 20 years in a range of roles and she is committed to the development of vibrant learning communities involving students, practitioners and colleagues. Professor Peter Lutzeier, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) at the University of Hull writes: "Barbara has a very impressive track record of engagement with students and their learning experience, and developing appropriate teaching methods for a diverse range of learners. She is well known for her innovative methods. Barbara is a role model for enjoyable and effective learning and teaching amongst colleagues." Barbara's experience in developing and leading innovative virtual learning communities includes directing the EMPATHY Net-Works project which was part-funded by the European Social Fund. This project enabled graduate women to move into careers in the logistics and supply chain industries. This success was achieved through a blended approach of face-to-face workshops, e-learning and e-mentoring, and the project enabled Barbara to bring together her skills in developing networks involving students, academics and practising managers. In the Business School at Hull, Barbara has developed a Centre for Innovations in Learning and Teaching which enables colleagues to come together to share and develop their professional practices. Current activities within the Centre include: the development of a Virtual Graduate School which is supported by Roberts Funding; Succeed with Numbers a project that aims to enhance the quantitative methods skills of undergraduates; an alumni and student e-mentoring project; and a project that focuses on the improvement of student feedback through the use of tools such as hand-writing and voice recognition software. One of the highlights of the year is the annual residential conference organised by Barbara and her colleagues. Here the focus is on sharing good practice and learning from each other. Barbaras collegial approach means that the Centre has enabled the development of a lively community of colleagues who are committed to improving their students experiences. Barbara is also an active researcher in the fields of e-learning and e-mentoring. She is fascinated by temporal aspects of e-learning and e-mentoring, and this interest has led to her research focus on temporal landscapes. Barbara has an extensive range of publications including more than ten books. Recent examples of her published work include: Blended Learning (Facet Publishing 2007) and Virtual Learning Communities (with Dina Lewis, Open University Press 2005). In addition, her new book Study Skills for Business and Management Students is due to be published by the Open University Press early in 2008.