School of Education

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Sarah Speight

Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education and Student Experience, Faculty of VC's Office

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Biography

Sarah Speight is Professor of Higher Education and the University of Nottingham's Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Teaching and Learning. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and both a National Teaching Fellow (2013) and Principal Fellow (2014) of Advance HE . Sarah is the recipient of a University of Nottingham Lord Dearing Award for excellence in learning and teaching (2006) and a Lord Dearing Fellowship (2011). From 2010 to 2017 she was Academic Director of the Nottingham Advantage Award, the University's initiative to support Undergraduate students develop their life and work skills (http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/Careers/Students/AdvantageAward/Index.aspx).

Sarah is a member of the Learning Sciences Research Institute (LSRI). She has research interests in the areas of employability and sustainability, particularly as these relate to higher education curriculum and pedagogy. Her research focuses on two areas; the relationship of employability to academic learning within higher education curricula, and sustainability as a dimension of pedagogy and practice in academic programmes.

Sarah served five years as Archaeology editor of Transactions of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire (the county's archaeological and historical journal) and three years on the advisory panel of the Archaeology Subject Centre of the Higher Education Academy. She has been a doctoral studentship assessor for the Higher Education Academy, an advisor for the HEA's Green Academy change programme and a member of the expert panel working with the QAA to develop guidance on the integration of Education for Sustainable Development into academic programmes and pedagogy.

Expertise Summary

Sarah's expertise lies in the areas of employability and sustainability within higher education policy, curriculum and pedagogy.

Research Summary

Sarah is a member of the Learning Sciences Research Institute. Her interests lie in higher education curriculum and pedagogy with a focus at undergraduate level.

Recent research projects have been focused upon employability and sustainability; how these themes/concepts are understood by higher education stakeholders, and how they can be integrated into the curriculum. Small-scale projects have explored staff and student views of employability across academic disciplines and campuses of the University of Nottingham, and student leaders' engagement with sustainability. In 2013-14, Sarah was academic lead for a JISC-funded project (PARiS - Promoting Academic Resources in Society) which produced a range of e-books on Sustainability and Business, Geography, Engineering and Arts and Humanities. Subsequently, Sarah has been involved in evaluations exploring the impact of online information skills training on postgraduate students and qualitative research to better understand the experiences of BAME and mature students at university.

Sarah is not currently taking on new research students due to existing commitments.

Recent Publications

  • SARAH SPEIGHT, GILLIAN MOREIRA and DAG HUSEBO, 2020. Listening to students for tomorrow, today: engaging students to define the future of higher education Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal. 3(1), 96-114
  • PRITCHARD, C and NEWALL, E, 2019. On Course for Your Masters: an evaluation of an open online learning programme in information skills used by postgraduate students at a large and comprehensive UK university In: Proceedings of EDULEARN 19, Annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies, Valencia, Spain. 19. 107-113
  • BYRNE, N, COWLEY, H and SPEIGHT, S, 2019. How in-class electronic collection of student evaluations is providing teachers and managers with better information for the development of teaching, In: How in-class electronic collection of student evaluations is providing teachers and managers with better information for the development of teaching, Proceedings of EDULEARN 19, Annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies, Valencia, Spain.. 19. 755-764
  • SIVAPALAN, S and SPEIGHT, S, 2018. Role of education for sustainable development. In: WALTER LEAL FILHO, ed., Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education Springer. (In Press.)

Sarah is a member of the Centre for Research in Higher, Adult and Vocational Education. Her research supervision areas include:

  • education for sustainable development
  • adult and lifelong education
  • higher education pedagogy (particularly online pedagogies and assessment)
  • employability in the higher education context
  • historical perspectives on lifelong learning and education

Research proposals: please email Sarah if you would like to discuss the appropriateness of your research topic.

Past Research

Previous research has focused upon adult education within the higher education sector and has explored the development of academic disciplines within adult education, and the impact of policy change upon adult education provision.

  • SARAH SPEIGHT, GILLIAN MOREIRA and DAG HUSEBO, 2020. Listening to students for tomorrow, today: engaging students to define the future of higher education Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal. 3(1), 96-114
  • PRITCHARD, C and NEWALL, E, 2019. On Course for Your Masters: an evaluation of an open online learning programme in information skills used by postgraduate students at a large and comprehensive UK university In: Proceedings of EDULEARN 19, Annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies, Valencia, Spain. 19. 107-113
  • BYRNE, N, COWLEY, H and SPEIGHT, S, 2019. How in-class electronic collection of student evaluations is providing teachers and managers with better information for the development of teaching, In: How in-class electronic collection of student evaluations is providing teachers and managers with better information for the development of teaching, Proceedings of EDULEARN 19, Annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies, Valencia, Spain.. 19. 755-764
  • SIVAPALAN, S and SPEIGHT, S, 2018. Role of education for sustainable development. In: WALTER LEAL FILHO, ed., Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education Springer. (In Press.)
  • SPEIGHT, SARAH, 2017. Learning for sustainability in the digital world On the Horizon. 25(1),
  • SPEIGHT, S, 2017. The Mainstreaming of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS). In: MILANA, M, HOLFORD, J, WEBB, S, JARVIS, P and WALLER, R, eds., Palgrave International Handbook on Adult and Lifelong Education and Learning Palgrave McMillan. 939-956
  • M.WATTS, C.NEAL and S.SPEIGHT, 2017. Nottingham to Ningbo: Students as Change Agents across the Globe Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change: Changing Culture and Embedding Partnership. 3(2),
  • SUBARNA SIVAPALAN, MICHAEL J.CLIFFORD and SARAH SPEIGHT, 2016. Engineering education for sustainable development: using online learning to support the new paradigms Australasian Journal of Engineering Education. 21(2), 61-73
  • SPEIGHT, S and BOWMAN, A, 2015. INNOVATION AT THE MARGINS: THE NOTTINGHAM OPEN ONLINE COURSE In: INTED2015 Proceedings of the 9th International Technology, Education and Development Conference, March 2nd-4th, Madrid, Spain.. 9. 6329-6339
  • SPEIGHT, S., 2015. Archaeology for All? Did University Adult Education deliver Archaeology for democracy? Transactions of the Hunter Archaeological Society. 26(1), 7-17
  • SPEIGHT S.J., 2014. The Nottingham Advantage Award. In: JACKSON N AND WILLIS J, ed., Lifewide Learning and Education in Universities and Colleges Lifewide Education Community.
  • SPEIGHT S AND MORGAN W, 2014. E-LEARNING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY: DRIVING FOR CHANGE WITH AN OPEN ONLINE COURSE In: Proceedings of EDULEARN14 Conference 7th-9th July 2014, Barcelona, Spain. 14. 2891-2898
  • SPEIGHT, S., LACKOVIC, N. and COOKER, L., 2013. The contested curriculum: academic learning and employability in higher education Tertiary Education and Management. 19(2), 112-126
  • SPEIGHT S, 2012. Loving Learning in Adult Education: Memories of Shakespeare Street 1922-2010. In: MARSH C, ed., Adult Education and Well-Being: Proceedings of the 42nd Annual Conference of SCUTREA Institute of Lifelong Learning, University of Leicester. 272-283
  • SPEIGHT S, LACKOVIC N AND COOKER, L, 2012. Stakeholder attitudes towards employability in a Sino-British university Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability. 3(1), 26-49
  • SPEIGHT, S., 2012. 'I fell in love with this building' Adults Learning. 24(1), 32-35
  • KEMP, S., SPEIGHT, S ET AL, 2012. A National Programme to support Education for Sustainable Development in the UK:University Experiences of the HEA Green Academy. In: LEAL FILHO, W, ed., Sustainable Development at Universities: New Horizons 34. Peter Lang.
  • WRIGHT S, MENDONCA T, BAKER J, STAPLETON S, BEGGAN A AND SPEIGHT S., 2012. Sustainability - The Business Perspective The University of Nottingham.
  • GOSLING S, MENDONCA T, BAKER J, STAPLETON S, BEGGAN A AND SPEIGHT S., 2012. Sustainability - The Geography Perspective Parts I and II The University of Nottingham.
  • SYKES N, MENDONCA T, HARRIS G, BAKER J, STAPLETON J, BEGGAN A AND SPEIGHT S, 2012. Sustainability in the Arts and Humanities Parts I and II The University of Nottingham.
  • EALES A, CLIFFORD M, MENDONCA T, HARRIS G, BAKER J, STAPLETON S, BEGGAN A AND SPEIGHT S., 2012. Sustainability & Engineering Parts I and II The University of Nottingham.
  • SPEIGHT, S.J., 2011. A gentlemanly pastime: antiquarianism, adult education and the clergy in England, c.1750–1960 History of Education: Journal of the History of Education. 40(2), 143-155
  • SPEIGHT, S., 2008. Castles as Past Culture 2: Identity and adaption in the post-life of castles The Castle Studies Group Journal. 22, 268-275
  • SPEIGHT, S., 2008. Castles as Past Culture: Living with Castles in the Post-Medieval World. In: ETTEL, P, FLAMBARD-HERCHER, A.M and AND MCNEILL, T.E., eds., Chateau Gaillard 23: Etudes de castellologie medievale 23. Publications du CRAHM - Caen. 385-394
  • SPEIGHT, S., 2007. Review: A Few Well-positioned Castles. The Norman Art of War Medieval Archaeology. 51, 356-357 (In Press.)
  • SPEIGHT S, 2007. Review of 'Castles'by T.E.McNeill The Castle Studies Group Journal. 20, 246-7
  • SPEIGHT, S.J., 2006. Castles and Settlement in Rural Nottinghamshire, Egmanton, Laxton and Greasley. In: Chateau Gaillarol, 22 Actes du colloque International de Voiron.
  • SPEIGHT, S.J., 2006. Transactions of the Thoroton Society:The Journal for Nottinghamshire History and Archaeology
  • SPEIGHT, S, 2006. Castle Studies Society for Medieval Archaeology Newsletter (Special Anniversary Edition). 36, 3
  • SPEIGHT, S.J., 2006. Castles in The Nottinghamshire Heritage Gateway
  • SPEIGHT, S.J., 2005. Transactions of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire
  • SPEIGHT, S., 2004. Teachers of adult education in British universities 1948-1998 Studies in the Education of Adults. 36(1), 111-127
  • SPEIGHT, S.J., 2004. Religion in the Bailey: Charters, Chapels and the Clergy In: Chateau Gaillard 21: Actes du colloque international de Maynooth. 271-280
  • SPEIGHT, S.J., 2004. British Castle Studies in the Late 20th and 21st Centuries
  • SPEIGHT, S.J., 2004. Transactions of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire
  • SPEIGHT, S.J., 2004. Archaeology in Nottinghamshire: Work Carried Out in the Period 2002-2004 108
  • SPEIGHT, S.J., 2003. Localising history 1940-1965: the extra-mural contribution Journal of Educational Administration and History. 35(1), 52-64
  • SPEIGHT, S., 2003. Residential archaeology and local history in British university adult education, c.1940-1980 Journal of Adult and Continuing Education. VOL 9(PART 2), 149-166
  • SPEIGHT, S.J., 2003. An Officer and an Antiquary: Major Hayman Rooke and the beginnings of archaeology in eighteenth century Nottinghamshire. In: Nottinghamshire Past 1st Edition, 2003. 116-136
  • SPEIGHT, S.J., 2003. Digging for History Adults Learning. 15/2, 20-21
  • SPEIGHT, S.J. and FRANKLIN, G., 2003. Egmanton near Laxton; Nottinghamshire's Second Finest Motte and Bailey Castle? Transactions of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire. 107, 65-81
  • SPEIGHT, S.J., 2003. Transactions of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire.
  • SPEIGHT, S., 2002. Digging for history: archaeological fieldwork and the adult student 1943-1975 Studies in the Education of Adults. 34(1), 68-85
  • SPEIGHT, S.J. and HENSTOCK, A., 2002. Transactions of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire
  • SPEIGHT, S.J. and HENSTOCK, A., 2001. Transactions of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire

School of Education

University of Nottingham
Jubilee Campus
Wollaton Road
Nottingham, NG8 1BB

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