Rachel Walls, Teaching Fellow in Academic Skills Development
Email Rachel Walls via r.e.walls@leeds.ac.uk
Phone Rachel Walls: 0113 343 1055
My role
I support University of Leeds mature or part-time undergraduates and Lifelong Learning Centre students with academic skills development, through workshops and one-to-one appointments.
I am a personal tutor and module lead for BA Professional Studies and supervise dissertations involving textual analysis. My areas of expertise include: academic skills development, employability and career planning skills, cultural studies, and learning technologies.
Teaching
I lead the module 'Employability in a Changing World' on the Professional Studies BA and am a personal tutor for students on that programme. I lead the ‘Read and Chat’ programme for people considering Higher Education and support applicants to Lifelong Learning Centre programmes through their matriculation exams and the the Kickstart programme.
Professional experience
I have worked in four universities in various roles, teaching film, literature and cultural studies and supporting students and staff with careers, skills and professional development. My PhD, completed in 2011, explored stories and surveillance of an inner city neighbourhood in Vancouver, Canada.
Research interests
My current research interests are in situated pedagogies, education for social justice and digital pedagogies. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Certified Member of the Association for Learning Technology (CMALT) and a member of the UK Association for Advising and Tutoring (UKAT). I recently presented at the NERUPI conference on adapting a module for online delivery and last year presented at the NACADA (The Global Community for Academic Advising) International conference on using positionality in work with students.