National Teaching Fellow 2008. Derek France, one of the University of Chester's most innovative and committed teachers, has been described by his Dean as a "tireless campaigner to the cause of enhancing the student learning experience, within and beyond the department." Derek works in the only UK Geography department to score ten out of ten for teaching quality in the 2007 National Student Survey and, through his research on student perceptions of their fieldwork learning experience and ground-breaking work on embedding e-learning in teaching and assessment, he plays a lead role in enhancing the student learning experience.
In 2007, in recognition of his significant achievements, he was awarded a Senior University Teaching Fellowship. Beyond his Department, Derek's support for University initiatives for enhancing student learning is unstinting: "His encouragement of excellence, embedded in his experience of day-to-day teaching and support for students, is always very welcome." (Senior Academic Development Adviser) Derek engenders self-belief by encouraging students and colleagues to think 'out of the box' and explore new ways of doing things. Undergraduates repeatedly stress gains in confidence in IT skills through his teaching and a colleague reflects: "Derek's support and guidance in matters of student assessment have enabled me to more confidently set and assess interactive student tasks".
Student feedback reflects the high regard in which he is held and students and tutors both praise his innovative use of podcasting to encourage active engagement in assessment feedback: "It was really personal, you get the tone of voice with the words, so you could understand the importance of the different parts of the feedback" (Final year student).
Derek's achievements are evidenced by the quality of his publications on learning and teaching, leadership of the Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers Higher Education Research Group, and his work at national level for The Higher Education Academys Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Subject Centre and HEFCE Centres of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs).