HEA National Teaching Fellow, Dr Mark J.P. Kerrigan appointed as Director of Learning, Teaching & Enhancement at Plymouth College of Art

Dr Mark John Patrick Kerrigan, a National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), and former Director of Learning & Teaching in the Faculty of Medical Science at Anglia Ruskin University, has been appointed as Director of Learning, Teaching & Enhancement at Plymouth College of Art.

With strong professional interests in curriculum design and delivery, assessment, digital literacy and mobile/technology-enriched learning, Mark has an excellent understanding of teaching and learning within a dynamic higher education environment. Mark holds a PhD from Edinburgh University, is a published researcher and an experienced PhD supervisor. Prior to his role at Anglia Ruskin University, where he was also a University Teaching Fellow, he worked in the Educational Development Unit at the University of Greenwich, and was a programme leader and Teaching Fellow for the University of Westminster. Mark is an established academic leader with significant experience in quality enhancement and quality assurance.

Vice Principal Christy Johnson said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Mark into our academic community here at Plymouth College of Art. Mark’s impressive academic background and extensive knowledge in the field, will help to drive forward our strategic ambitions for Learning & Teaching in the years to come. Mark will be instrumental in supporting the development of a curriculum for the 21st century, contributing to Plymouth College of Art’s commitment to creative pedagogy, interdisciplinary exchange, collaboration, and social impact.”

Mark is a co-convenor for the Society of Research into Higher Education, Newer Researchers’ Network and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology. He was recently awarded an Honorary Visiting Fellowship to Anglia Ruskin’s Centre for Innovation in Higher Education. He was a founding member and co-led the national Jisc-funded Change Agents Network and was the project manager for the Jisc-funded Digital Literacies in Higher Education project. At Anglia Ruskin University, he led the Faculty’s roll out of a new LMS and delivered numerous technology-enhanced learning projects. Previously, he developed a new model of assessment feedback as part of the Jisc-funded project, Making Assessment Count and co-developed MapMyProgramme – an open-source tool to support the holistic design of assessment. In 2012 he was awarded a prize of ALT-C/Google for his Google work.

Mark said: “Plymouth College of Art is on an excellent trajectory for learning and teaching, with a strongly defined sense of identity and vision for where it wants to be in the future.

“When I first met the College’s senior leadership team and heard them speak, they conveyed a strong sense of excitement and passion for Plymouth College of Art, their students, and how they wanted to position the College for the future. I ended the conversation convinced that I wanted to be part of that journey.”

The Director of Learning, Teaching & Enhancement is a new role at Plymouth College of Art, created as part of the College’s continued development as a distinctive and innovative specialist Higher Education Institution (HEI), undergoing the year-long process of scrutiny on its journey to achieving Taught Degree-Awarding Powers (TDAP) and university title.

As Director of Learning, Teaching & Enhancement, Mark will drive pedagogical innovation and provide strong and effective cross-college leadership that will enhance learning and teaching across FE and HE provision, and contribute to the strategic development of distinctive pedagogic practice and research across the College and wider creative learning continuum in partnership with Plymouth School of Creative Arts.

Working closely with the Vice Principals and Academic Dean, Mark will support the development and implementation of an integrated cross-college curriculum. This work will ensure that learning, teaching and enhancement supports the College’s ethical commitment to creative learning through pedagogical innovation, and social justice through community impact and social mobility.