Professor Sue Law

National Teaching Fellow 2014 Failing her 11-plus stimulated a commitment to learning in Professor Sue Law which has lasted a lifetime: although she later passed her 13-plus, she refused to go to Grammar school because she had made friends. Nevertheless, determined to succeed, she cheekily asked her headteacher to start a sixth form. He agreed but only if she recruited three more pupils, which she did and she then became the first pupil to go to University (and the first in her family). Sue strongly believes in the value of experiential learning and considers that students are often our best teachers. After teaching in schools and colleges in London, Glasgow, Manchester, Ayrshire and Staffordshire, Sue has held stimulating roles in seven universities: Warwick, Keele, Coventry, Nottingham Trent, Liverpool, Staffordshire, and currently, Leicester, where she leads a diverse and dynamic team. She has also worked in national organisations: as HEAs Executive Lead for Academic Practice and Institutional Strategy, she led the very successful national review/re-launch of the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF), now having significant sector-wide impact, and wrote the associated 'Recognising Excellence in Teaching and Learning' Report. Sue was a Specialist Adviser to MPs on the high profile House of Commons 2009 Select Committee Inquiry into Students and Universities, an experience she describes as 'a never-ending learning journey'. She has also chaired the Staff Development Forum, a nationwide CPD network and has been a QAA Reviewer/Auditor. She is currently chair of the Society for Research into Higher Educations Research and Development Committee. Sue seeks to inspire others, whether students or colleagues, through inclusiveness, believing that good teachers and managers are 'lead learners'. At Keele, she launched the UKs first part-time, distance-based MBA Education, and as a Head of an Education Department at Nottingham Trent, led major undergraduate curriculum change. At Warwick, she established its highly regarded PG Certificate: Academic and Professional Practice, grounded in research-led teaching and academic leadership. Sue's research (including books on educational leadership, professional development and learning and teaching enhancement) complements her professional practice, and reflects her view that continuing professional development is at the heart of good teaching.