Professor Jackie Potter
Dean, Academic Innovation
Professor Jackie Potter joined the University of Chester as the first Dean of Academic Innovation in 2022. She is responsible for the Student Education Plan and leads the Centre for Academic Innovation and Development (CAID). CAID is an influential unit with a university-wide remit and acts as the creative catalyst for educational enhancement, curriculum development and academic practice across the university. Jackie has fifteen years experience leading educational change in the UK and Ireland and was the Chair of the national network, HEDG (Heads of Educational Development Group) from 2020-2023. She has served as a Trustee for SEDA (Staff and Educational Development Group) as a past Chair of their Papers (publications) Committee and a periodic contributor to their popular SEDA Blog. She is a Visiting Professor at Oxford Brookes University, and a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE) and a Senior Fellow of SEDA. She is currently the Deputy Chair for the Education Studies Subject Benchmark Statement Advisory Group for the Quality Assurance Agency.
Jackie is an external examiner for Advance HE accredited programmes in other UK universities with experience of credit-bearing awards, apprenticeship programmes and experiential routes. She periodically reviews new and existing Masters and PhD programmes in the UK and abroad. At Chester, she mentors and assesses participants on the three experiential and credit-bearing programmes and is acting Programme Leader for the PGCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. She continues to supervise PhD/EdD students and is interested to hear from prospective students who would like to explore ideas of inquiry into learning and developing within higher education contexts, academic practice and educational change.
Jackie was an active researcher in the field of community ecology and geo-conservation before developing her profile in academic practice and education research. She has published on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), Developing Teaching Expertise, Students Perceptions of Teaching Excellence, Leadership in Higher Education, Educational Change in Higher Education, Inclusive Curricula, Flexible Curricula, Students Supporting Students and Assessment. She has supervised seven PhD/EdD students, the most recent and current students are studying identity among new teaching staff and students and the notion of 'becoming' within higher education contexts. She is currently PI on two research projects identifying Future Skills for Chester students and another developing SoTL practitioners. She is Co-I on a QAA-funded collaborative development grant to develop competence-based assessment.
Blogs
Potter, J. (2022). Can digital technologies be of, for, and as learning? SEDA Blog. 27.07.2022
Potter, J. and Pritchard, J. (2021). Building your SoTL Profile as an educational developer. SEDA Blog. 8.12.2021.
Kwok, K., Potter, J., Shaikh, S. and Pritchard J. (2021). The practical wisdom of… students? Co-creating a practical resource for HE teachers with students as partners. SEDA Blog. 20.10. 2021.
Potter, J.A. (2021). Who owns the curriculum? WonkHE, 28.04.2021.
Turner, R. and Potter, J.A. (2019). Doing a good job well – being recognised as an experienced, professional teacher in HE. SEDA Blog. 19.07.2019.
Articles
Potter, J. (2022). Looking back, looking forward: Leading Educational Development in UK HE. Educational Developments 23 (1): 15-17.
Kwok, K. and Potter, J. (2021). Gender stereotyping in student perceptions of teaching excellence: applying the shifting standards theory. Higher Education Research and Development (42):5, https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2021.2014411
Potter, J. A. (2017). What role for educational developers in sharing learning about exemplary educational practices from teaching award schemes? Educational Developments 18 (4): 25-27.
Edited Books
Potter, J.A. and Devecchi, C. (Eds). (2020). Delivering Educational Change: A Transformative Approach for Leaders and Practitioners. SEDA Series. London: Routledge.
Potter, J.A. and Turner, R. (2018). Eds. Doing a good job well – being recognised as an experienced, professional teacher in HE. SEDA Special 41. Staff and Educational Development Association. London: SEDA.
Potter, J.A. and Hampton, D. (2009). (eds.) Students supporting Students. SEDA Special 26. London: Staff and Educational Development Association.
Book Chapters
Kwok, K. and Potter, J. (2022). Supportive woman, engaging man: Gendered differences in student perceptions of teaching excellence. In, King, H. (Ed.) Developing Expertise for Teaching in Higher Education. London: Routledge.
Potter, J. A. (2019). Academic fluidity? An unconventional route to the professoriate. In, Murray, R. and Mifsud, D. (Eds.) The Positioning and Making of Female Professors: Pushing Career Advancement Open. Palgrave Studies in Gender and Education. Palgrave-Macmillan.
Pringle, J., Bracegirdle, L and Potter, J.A. (2017). Effective Learning of Forensic Geoscience with e-games. In, New Approaches to Forensic Science Education. Eds. Williams, A., Cassella, P. and Muller, A. New Jersey, Wiley & Sons.
Collins, N. and Potter J.A. (2012). Staff-Student Partnerships can drive institutional change: the development of a recognition scheme for postgraduate students who teach at an Irish University. In, Staff-Student Partnerships in Higher Education. Ed. Little, S. London, Continuum Press.
Potter, J.A., Creaner, M., Delany, D. and Lalor, J. (2010) Visions of effective doctoral supervision: disciplines and traditions in a time of change. In, Research Teaching Linkages: Practice and Policy. Eds. Murphy, J., Higgs, B. and Griffin, C. Cork: NAIRTL. Pp49-53.
Potter, J.A. (2009) Starting with the Discipline. In, The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Ed. Murray, R. Open University Press- McGraw Hill. Pp58-68.
Potter, J.A. and O’Farrell, C. (2009) Establishing Identities in Professional Academic Learning Communities in Ireland, Academic Futures: Inquiries into Higher Education and Pedagogy. Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Cambridge Scholars Press, Pp 96-110.
Research Reports
Devecchi, C., Mansour, H., Allen N. and Potter, J.A. (2018). Managing Change Together: leading cultural change across the HE workforce. Final Project Report. London, Leadership Foundation for Higher Education.
Denning, T., Potter, J., Spencer, G. and Stannard, R. (2016). Exploring and extending flexibility: a reflective framework. York, Higher Education Academy.
Fanghanel, J., Potter, J. Pritchard, J. and Wisker G. (2015). Defining and supporting the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL): a sector-wide study. Executive Summary. York, Higher Education Academy.
Fanghanel, J., Pritchard, J., Potter, J. and Wisker, G. (2015). Defining and supporting the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL): a sector wide study. Literature Review. York, Higher Education Academy.
Fanghanel J., Pritchard, J., Potter, J. and Wisker, G. (2015).Defining and supporting the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL): a sector wide study. SoTL Audit and Capacity Building Tool. York, Higher Education Academy.
Jackie Potter holds a PhD from the University of Manchester, a BSc from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning from the University of Liverpool. She is a qualified coach and works with people in the higher education sector to achieve workplace success.