Teaching Excellence & Pedagogy - Dr Karen Mc Cullagh

Teaching Excellence

I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

I won a UEA Students' Union Transforming Education Award in 2017-18, under the category: Advisor of the Year Award. Students who nominated me commented that I was “very helpful and informative in guiding students;” and had “been very helpful and supportive throughout my academic year. She made me feel welcome even though I am an International student. When I first enrolled in UEA, she taught me how to adapt to the different culture,” as well as “I do believe that my experience of University is better because of her and she can help me with anything.”

In the academic year 2015-16, I was nominated for a Student Law Society award in the category: ‘Lecturer who makes me want to attend a 9am lecture!.’

I received a UEA Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2012-2013. The award panel praised my ‘extremely innovative approach to teaching, in particular the powerful effect of using multiple media approaches for teaching, which allows me to bring a highly personal approach to large class teaching, and noted that my feedback materials were models of clarity.’ They also commended my ‘impressive commitment to pastoral support and praised my exceptional and inspirational teaching.’

I was previously nominated for a Teaching Excellence Award at the University of Salford in 2008 and 2011.

Teaching Pedagogy

I conducted a pilot study on the use of films and documentaries to teach Internet law during the academic year 2016-17. I disseminated the findings of the study in three different ways: a poster at the University’s Learning & Teaching Conference in May 2017, and at the BILETA conference 2018, and an article in the University’s Learning Highlights Magazine (Spring edition).

I conducted a study on the use of ‘clicker quizzes’ to improve interaction and engagement in Lectures and as a formative assessment tool in 2011. I presented the findings of the clicker study at the 6^thannual Education in a Changing Environment Conference where the paper was shortlisted for a prize. I also disseminated the findings of the action study in the journal: Practice and Evidence of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.