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Staff Profile

Dr Sara Marsham

Dean of Education, Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering; Reader in Bioscience Education

Background

Sara is a teaching-focused academic who contributes to our Marine Biology and Marine Zoology degree programmes in the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences. She is Module Leader for our first year Academic and Professional Skills module that is taken by Biology and Zoology students in addition to our Marine Science students. She teaches and assesses across all three years of our degrees, covering topics such as biodiversity, marine ecology, and development of practical and professional skills.


In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Sara has contributed to the leadership of her academic School, the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering, and the University. Sara is currently Dean of Education for the Faculty. In this role she leads the development and delivery of our education portfolio for all undergraduate and postgraduate taught students across five academic units, including our Singapore provision. Sara has expertise in leading projects during institutional change and in-depth knowledge of quality assurance and enhancement procedures with experience across the Higher Education sector.



Roles and Responsibilities within the University

Interim Academic Lead for the Leading Edge Curriculum objective of the Education for Life 2023+ Strategy (April 2024 - date)

Member of the Education Strategy Programme Board (April 2024 - date)

Member of TEF Programme Board and Writing Group (March 2022 - January 2023)

Member of University Taught Programme Sub-Committee (January 2024 - date)

Co-facilitator of the Advance HE accredited External Examiner Professional Development Course (September 2021 - date)

Chair of Cross-Faculty Education Committee (September 2021 - date)

Member of the University Student Recruitment Strategy Committee and Student Recruitment Management Group (August 2021 - date)

Disciplinary Convenor to the University Student Disciplinary Panel (August 2020 - date)

Member of the University Disciplinary Panel (January 2020 - date)

Academic Lead for Review of Personal Tutoring (June 2019 - December 2022)

Member of University Technology-Enhanced Learning Sub-Committee (February 2019 - December 2019)

Chair of University Taught Programme Sub-Committee (September 2017 - July 2020)

Member of University Education Committee (September 2017 - July 2020; March 2021 - May 2021; August 2021 - date)

Member of University Academic Appeals Panel (July 2016 - date)

Member of University TEF Steering Group Plus (June 2016 - December 2019)

Member of University Out of Hours Task and Finish Group (April 2016 - March 2017)

Chair of INTO Board of Studies (English) (February 2016 - December 2019)

Member of University Teaching and Learning Space Focus Group (July 2015 - November 2016) and Sub-Committee (July 2015 - December 2019)

Member of CASAP PEC Committee (July 2015 - December 2019)

Member of the University Student Experience Sub-Committee (January 2014 - December 2019)

UKPSF Professional Standards Advisor (April 2014 - date)

Organiser of Newcastle Educators (previously Teaching and Scholarship Forum) (November 2011 - date) 


Roles and Responsibilities within the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering

Dean of Education for SAgE Faculty (January 2024 - date)

Acting Dean of Education for SAgE Faculty (March 2021 - May 2021; August 2021 - December 2023)

Chair of the SAgE Faculty Education Committee (March 2021 - May 2021; August 2021 - date)

Member of the SAgE Faculty Executive Board (March 2021 - May 2021;August 2021 - date)

Member of the SAgE Faculty Academic Continuity Group (March 2021 - May 2021)

Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) for SAgE Faculty (July 2015 - December 2019)

Chair of the SAgE Student Mobility Forum (February 2018 - December 2019)

Chair of the SAgE Faculty Learning Spaces Working Group (January 2017 - August 2016) 

Member of Science and Engineering Excellence Learning and Teaching Working Group (June 2015 - August 2016)

Member of School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering PEC Committee (June 2015 - September 2015)

Member/Deputy-Chair of SAgE Faculty Education Committee (July 2014 - December 2019) 


Roles and Responsibilities within the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences (2017 - date)

Degree Programme Director for the Marine Science programmes (January 2020 - August 2021)

Chair of School Board of Examiners (September 2017 - November 2018)

Organiser of the School Teaching Excellence Group seminar series (NESTEG) (September 2017 - date)

Tablet Innovation Group (October 2018 - date)

Study Skills Task and Finish Group (October 2018 - March 2019)


Roles and Responsibilities within the School of Marine Science and Technology (2007 - 2017)

Director of Excellence in Learning and Teaching for the School of Marine Science and Technology (July 2014 - September 2015)

Chair of School Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Committee (March 2013 - September 2015)

Chair of School Board of Studies (July 2014 - September 2015)

Member of School Executive Board (July 2014 - September 2015)

Marine Science Stage 3 Co-ordinator (September 2013 - January 2020)

Marine Science Peer Mentoring Co-ordinator (September 2012 - December 2015)

Departmental Academic Library Representative (January 2010 - July 2015)

Great North Museum Academic, Teaching and Research Committee (November 2009 - July 2015)


Qualifications

BSc (Hons) Coastal Marine Biology, University of Hull

PhD Algal Ecology, University of Hull


Previous Positions

Lecturer at the Centre for Environmental and Marine Sciences, University of Hull (2006 - 2007)

Lecturer at Bishop Burton HE College (2006 - 2007)

Project Assistant for the Centre for Lifelong Learning, University of Hull (2005 - 2007)


Memberships

Society for Experimental Biology

British Phycological Society

British Ecological Society


Informal Interests

PADI Assistant Instructor

Emergency First Response Instructor (Primary and Secondary Care, and Care for Children)

Teaching

Undergraduate Teaching

NES1502 Diversity of Marine Animals

NES1504 Academic and Professional Skills for Biosciences (Module Leader)

NES1505 Marine Practical Skills I

NES25204 Marine Research and Employability Skills 

NES2505 Marine Practical Skills II

NES3505 Research Project


Postgraduate Teaching

MEC8061 Biomimetics



Research

Research Interests

Pedagogy:

Engaging students with assessment and feedback 

Understanding how students engage with academic reading

Links between teaching and research in HE

Role of virtual provision in delivering fieldwork


Marine Science:

Algal functional groups

Plant-animal interactions

Algal photosynthetic recovery

Intertidal community dynamics

Use of intertidal organisms as biomonitors


Postgraduate Research Students:

Izzy Lake - MPhil co-supervisor with Dr Heather Sugden. Izzy's research is investigating how tropical seagrasses are impacted by coastal activities in The Bahamas.


Janine Maddison - PhD co-supervisor with Dr Richard Bevan. Janine is undertaking a PhD in Bioscience Education focusing on the pedagogic benefits of virtual fieldwork.


Visit my Google Scholar page for further details of publications and impact.


Esteem Indicators

External Panel Member for the University of Cumbria FdSc Marine Biology and Rehabilitation programme validation (April 2024)

External Examiner for the University of St. Andrews BSc Marine Biology and MMarine Biology programmes (September 2022 - date)

Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education Reviewer for the Biosciences Subject Benchmark Statement (January 2022 - May 2023)

Advance HE Degree Standards Project Develop the Developer certification (November 2021)

External Examiner for the University of Hull BSc Ecology and Environment, BSc Marine Biology, BSc Zoology, MSc Marine Biology and MSc Marine Environmental Management programmes (September 2019 - September 2023)

External Advisor for the Open University Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences Board of Studies (September 2019 - July 2023)

External Examiner for Blackpool and The Fylde College Marine Biology programme (October 2018 - September 2023)

Awarded a poster prize for research on game-enhanced learning in the natural sciences at the Newcastle University Learning and Teaching Conference (April 2018)

External Advisor and Subject Specialist for Blackpool and The Fylde College Marine Biology programme (2017)

Awarded a poster prize for research on undergraduate students perceptions of reading at the Newcastle University Learning and Teaching Conference (July 2017)

Vice-Chancellor's Distinguished Teacher Award (June 2017)

Co-organiser of the Society for Experimental Biology, Creativity in Science Teaching Symposium (December 2016)

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (awarded December 2013)

Society for Experimental Biology, SEB Section (September 2015 - date)

SAgE Faculty Innovator of the Year 2014 and SAgE Faculty Innovator of the Year 2015

Awarded Society of Experimental Biology Presidents Medal (Education and Public Affairs Section) for 2013. Invited to receive award and present at the Annual Meeting in Valencia, July 2013  

Membership Secretary of the British Phycological Society (2007 - 2016)

Treasurer of North East Branch of the British Science Association (2009 - 2014)

STEM Ambassador

ERIC North East Board Member (2011 - 2015)

Awarded funding from the HEA to organise and host a workshop on Assessment and student dialogue: Can online platforms use marking criteria and other tools to improve feedback and engage students in the marking process? November 2013 

Organiser of the British Phycological Society 60th Annual Winter Meeting (January 2012)


Funding

£9,960 award from the Quality Assurance Agency as a partner on the University of Hull led application to deliver a project entitled: 'A Competence-Based Assessment Framework (C-BAF)', January 2024.

£9,510 award from the University Education Development Fund to deliver a project entitled: 'Does a life sciences student's demographic background correlate with their access to careers and developmental opportunities and therefore academic achievement as well as graduate destinations?' in collaboration with Dr Vanessa Armstrong, Dr Damian Parry, Dr Beth Lawry (all School of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sports Sciences), Dr Jessica Jung (Careers Service) and Prof. Alison Shaw (Inclusive Newcastle), May 2021.

£2,500 award from the University Learning and Teaching Innovation Fund to deliver a project entitled: 'SNES Undergraduate Skills Teaching Review' in collaboration with Ms Helen Adamson and Dr Alison Graham (both School of Natural and Environmental Sciences), February 2018.

£2,400 award from the University Learning and Teaching Innovation Fund to deliver a project entitled 'Game-enhanced learning in Biological Sciences' in collaboration with Dr Alison Graham (School of Biology), June 2017.

£8,850 award from the University Learning and Teaching Innovation Fund to deliver a project entitled 'Mathematical skills catch-up: Developing a University-wide solution through online formative tests', in collaboration with Dr Chris Graham (School of Mathematics and Statistics), Miss Vicky Hall (Maths Aid), Dr Yoav Tadmor (School of Psychology), Dr Alison Williams (School of Geography, Politics and Sociology), Dr Kate Henderson (School of Mathematics and Statistics), and Mr Christian Lawson-Perfect (Numbas / School of Mathematics & Statistics), February 2017.

£5,000 award from the PVC for Learning and Teaching to further support work on engaging students in assessment and feedback, in collaboration with Dr Alison Graham (School of Biology), July 2016.

£5,000 award from the SAgE Faculty Innovator of the Year 2105 to work on producing software to visually map assessment and feedback deadlines for students and academic staff, in collaboration with Dr Alison Graham (School of Biology), Dr Christie Harner (SAgE Faculty & LTDS) and Mr Jonathan Lamb (School of Computer Science), September 2015.

£5,000 award from the SAgE Faculty Innovator of the Year 2014 to continue work with engaging students in assessment and feedback, in collaboration with Dr Christie Harner (SAgE Faculty & LTDS) and Dr Alison Graham (School of Biology), September 2014.

£850 award from the University Learning and Teaching Innovation Fund to deliver a project entitled 'The NUTS and bolts of learning and teaching: a staff-student partnership at Newcastle University', in collaboration with Dr JC Penet (School of Modern Languages) and Dr Vanessa Armstrong (School of Biomedical Sciences), May 2014.

£2,750 award from the University Learning and Teaching Innovation Fund to deliver a project aimed at 'Using Grademark to improve feedback and include students in the marking process', in collaboration with Dr Christie Harner (SAgE Faculty & QuILT), Dr Jonathan Goss (School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering) and Dr Alison Graham (School of Biology), February 2013.

£5,000 award from the University Learning and Teaching Innovation Fund to employ an RA to develop the modules MST2017 Graduate Employability Skills for Marine Scientists and BIO2021 Vocational Placement for Biologists, in collaboration with Dr Pete Garson (School of Biology) and Prof. Matt Bentley (Marine Science), January 2012.

£1,000 award from the University 'Just One Thing' project to deliver 'A TurningPoint for Student Feedback' in collaboration with Prof. Matt Bentley (Marine Science), January 2011.

£5,000 award from the University Teaching and Learning Innovation fund to host an undergraduate-led Marine Biology conference in December 2009.

£5,000 from the Royal Society Partnership Grant scheme in collaboration with St Stephen's School, Dr Ross Harrington (School of Chemistry) and Mr Peter Chaniotis (Marine Science and DARN), February 2009.


Conference Presentations

Slides from conference presentations are available here


Publications