Professor Carolyn Roberts

National Teaching Fellow 2006 Institution at the time of Award: University of Gloucestershire Since September 2009, Professor Carolyn Roberts has been Director of the Environmental Sustainability Knowledge Transfer Network at the University of Oxford, based in the Earth Sciences Department. The KTN brokers innovative environmental technology projects between universities and businesses. Before that she Directed the Centre for Active Learning in Geography, Environment and Related Disciplines at Gloucestershire University, a national Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), and was for eight years Head of a large School of Environment. A University Teaching Fellow since 2001, National Teaching Fellow since 2006, and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy since 2008, Carolyn promotes active styles of learning and education for sustainable development. Her hydrological research and consultancy provides a fascinating backdrop for her teaching: research for the police, for example, on the movement of corpses along rivers and canals grips students imaginations when learning about fluid dynamics. Public inquiries also generate fascinating material for students. She led the first of a series of field classes to Uganda. Undergraduates fundraise with UK-based academic staff beforehand, send recycled computers and books to Uganda, and undertake ICT training. In Africa, they have installed a network and taught African staff and students about its possibilities, while research projects on themes such as rainforest conservation, and fishery management in Lakes Victoria and Kyoga, were undertaken with their Ugandan hosts. She has been innovative in the area of curriculum development. Earlier in a diverse career, she was a part-time Open University science tutor, supporting overseas armed forces personnel on active service. Telephone tutorials with Bosnian command posts and postal tuition to the Falklands were challenging settings and contributed to Carolyn's belief about matching delivery styles to diverse circumstances. Recently, Carolyn has explored disabled students' educational needs, working with teams delivering major HEFCE-funded projects. She co-authored the lead volume for the learning support for disabled students undertaking fieldwork and related activities series, and with colleagues from the Academy's Subject Centre for Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES) she initiated one of the first UK conferences specifically focusing on the contribution of support staff to student learning.