Priska Schoenborn - National Teaching Fellow

Year of NTFS award: 2004

Institution at time of NTFS award: University of Plymouth

Priska joined the Educational Development team in September 2007. Her previous teaching experience, spanning seven years, was as a lecturer in Computing at the University of Plymouth. It was during that time that she received the NTF award. In addition to lecturing and supervising undergraduate students, Priska worked as admissions tutor, module leader, stage tutor, placement tutor and partnership link tutor. Now as an academic developer, Priska manages the internal pre-selection process for the NTFS and CATE nominations, supports the Teaching Development Framework and leads the Introduction to Teaching and Learning module. She holds HEA Senior Fellowship and is an AdvanceHE accreditor.

The overarching theme of the claim was about recognising that students develop at different rates and in different ways. Examples used as evidence ranged from assessment as learning (using a single case study throughout practical sessions with students which was developed into assessed work); inclusive practices relating to her role as a Disability Representative in the school; setting up a departmental peer review process; to her involvement in an international project with companies and universities from both Europe and the United States. The latter aimed to combine three different types of learning and teaching to form a single package offered to students and people in the workplace alike: face-to-face learning, e-learning and project-based learning. Students were producers; they actively contributed to the development of this project. The project was international, interdisciplinary, and involved students at different levels of their study (UG, PGT, PGR). Students from different disciplines (e.g. computing, marketing, education, law) worked on different aspects of the project. For example, a PhD student from computing researched digital storytelling; masters students in law looked into the legal implications of the project; local education students focused on the pedagogy to be adopted. Priska helped to organise this at the University of Plymouth.

Her research since the NTF award has been in the areas of pedagogy 2.0, students as producers, and inclusive practice. More recently, Priska has also been involved in research with colleagues from biomedical sciences looking into authentic learning using a simulated patient case study; and engineering exploring ways to engage students as researchers.

My pedagogic expertise:

  • assessment as learning
  • inclusive practice
  • students as producers
  • authentic learning and assessment.