21 January 2019
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Educational Research, Publication, Research Supervision, Teaching
academic practice, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, City, City University London, education, Educational Developments, educational research, Higher Education, learning, London, MA in Academic Practice, magazine, Master of Arts, SEDA, Staff and Educational Development Association, Surrey, teaching, teaching qualification, teaching qualifications, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley has published an article in the December 2018 issue (Issue 19.4) of Educational Developments, The Magazine of the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA).
Dr Wiley’s article provides a ten-year retrospective reflection on his study for the degree of MA in Academic Practice at City University London, from which he graduated in 2015, as well as discussing the benefits of higher education teaching qualifications more widely.
The essay, ‘In defence of higher education teaching qualifications: Reflections on studying for the degree of MA in Academic Practice, ten years on’, is a longer version of a case study that Dr Wiley has developed for the forthcoming second edition of Kahn and Walsh’s (now Kahn and Anderson’s) Developing Your Teaching, part of Routledge’s Key Guides for Effective Teaching in Higher Education series.
The full contents page of this issue of Educational Developments may be viewed here: https://www.seda.ac.uk/past-issues/19.4
Bibliographic citation
‘In defence of higher education teaching qualifications: Reflections on studying for the degree of MA in Academic Practice, ten years on’, Educational Developments, Issue 19.4 (December 2018), pp.16–17. ISSN 1469-3267
5 December 2017
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Educational Research, Prizes & Awards, Teaching
academic leadership, academic management, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, education, Higher Education, learning, learning support, PFHEA, Principal Fellow, Principal Fellowship, Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, professional recognition, stragetic leadership, Surrey, teaching, The Higher Education Academy, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley has been awarded Principal Fellowship of The Higher Education Academy, and is thereby entitled to use the post-nominals PFHEA.
This is the highest level of professional recognition available from the HEA, and acknowledges sustained and effective strategic leadership demonstrated at institution-wide or inter/national level in relation to learning and teaching. To date, it has been awarded only to an elite group of some 800 academic and academic-related staff across the UK.
Dr Wiley is the only current permanent member of academic staff at the University of Surrey to achieve this status and one of the first nationally within the discipline of Music. It follows his successful application for Senior Fellowship, the HEA’s second-highest level of professional recognition, in 2015.
Applications of up to 7,500 words in length are evaluated by an external panel of HEA reviewers against Descriptor 4 of the UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and learning support in Higher Education. Several advocate statements from suitably qualified individuals are also required in support of the candidate.
Further information about the HEA’s Fellowship scheme, and the different levels of professional recognition it offers, may be found here: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/individuals/fellowship
10 June 2017
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Conference, Educational Research, Presentation, Research, Teaching
25, Adele, Adele Adkins, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, conference, creativity, education, educational research, Higher Education, learning and teaching, musicology, popular music, presentation, research, roundtable, study day, Surrey, teaching, teaching enhancement, teaching innovation, teaching practice, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley organized a Study Day on ‘Teaching and Creativity in Popular Music’ at the University of Surrey on Saturday 10 June 2017, bringing together some 25 higher education academics from across England.
The day comprised a combination of paper presentations and innovative teach-in workshops, in which facilitators presented aspects of their teaching techniques in performance, songwriting, and production in genres ranging from musical theatre to hip hop.
Also included was a central roundtable discussion (pictured, below) on the subject of ‘Pedagogical Practice in Popular Music Teaching in Higher Education: Creative approaches and continuing challenges’, which Dr Wiley convened and on which he spoke about the challenges of designing an undergraduate module on genuinely contemporary popular music (specifically, Adele’s 25 album) in the absence of an established scholarly discourse on which to draw.
The event was held under the aegis of the London and South-East England 21st Century Music Practice Research Network founded in 2016 between 20 higher education institutions, as one of a series of study days framed around its six headline themes.
Further information is available at the website for the Study Day: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/department-music-media/research-department/popular-music-teaching-creativity
The full programme for the event is available here: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Study%20Day%20on%20Teaching%20and%20Creativity%20in%20Popular%20Music%20(programme).pdf
23 May 2016
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Media, Teaching
academic management, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, Dance, Drama, Drama & Dance, Guardian, Guardian league tables 2017, Guildford School of Acting, Higher Education, league tables, Music, Music & Sound Recording, School of Arts, student experience, student satisfaction, Surrey, teaching, The Guardian, theatre, undergraduate, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
The School of Arts at the University of Surrey is celebrating excellent rankings in The Guardian’s UK University League Tables 2017, published today as part of the Guardian University Guide.
The Guardian league tables rank the University of Surrey No. 1 nationally for Music, No. 2 nationally for Drama & Dance, and No. 4 nationally in the overall league table.
As Director of Learning & Teaching for the School of Arts, Dr Christopher Wiley has taken a lead in developing the School’s learning & teaching and student experience strategies. This has included the initiatives by which its students have been engaged in completion of the National Student Survey, the latest results for which similarly placed the School’s subject areas at No. 1 and No. 2 nationally.
The Guardian league tables represent one of the most influential rankings of UK universities, and incorporate multiple metrics from the National Student Survey including student satisfaction with teaching, satisfaction with feedback and assessment, and overall satisfaction with the course.
Further information on the successes of the School of Arts in The Guardian league tables 2017 may be found here: http://blogs.surrey.ac.uk/arts/2016/05/23/guardian-league-table-2017-results-music-at-no-1-drama-dance-at-no-2/
12 January 2016
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Presentation, Teaching
arts education, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, discussion forum, education, Higher Education, learning, pastoral support, personal tuition, Personal Tutoring, School of Arts, student evaluation of teaching, Surrey, teaching, teaching enhancement, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley organized a half-day Learning and Teaching development event for the School of Arts at the University of Surrey on 12 January 2016. This was the fifth forum of this nature in two years (see information about previous events here), and involved some 40 staff from across the institution.
This event incorporated a training session led by the University’s Student Services on the pastoral side of Personal Tutoring, as well as a discussion forum on student evaluation of teaching facilitated by Dr Wiley, which considered how academic staff might seek to maximize the effectiveness of feedback received from students for purposes of ongoing teaching enhancement.
A blog post written by Dr Wiley, in which the School of Arts Learning and Teaching symposia are discussed, has recently appeared on the Association of National Teaching Fellows blog. The post, entitled ‘How do National Teaching Fellows make a contribution in their institution?’, may be read at the following link:
http://ntf-association.com/national-teaching-fellows/how-do-national-teaching-fellows-make-a-contribution-in-their-institution/
Update: With over 400 reads in the week in which it appeared, Dr Wiley’s post set a new record for the Association of National Teaching Fellows blog.
6 January 2016
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Conference, Educational Research, Presentation, Teaching
Anna McNamara, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, conference, education, Higher Education, presentation, research, Sean McNamara, Surrey, Surrey ExciTeS, teaching, teaching enhancement, teaching preparation, teaching preparation time, teaching quality, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley co-facilitated a discussion forum at the University of Surrey’s annual Surrey ExciTeS (Excellence in Teaching Symposium) on Wednesday 6 January 2016.
Entitled ‘How can we increase teaching quality without increasing teaching preparation time?’, the session was based on a longer workshop previously run at the School of Arts Learning and Teaching development event in September 2015.
Dr Wiley was joined for the discussion forum by two colleagues from Guildford School of Acting, Anna McNamara and Sean McNamara, as co-presenters. The session saw some 30 staff from across the institution engage in exploration of strategies by which teaching may simultaneously optimize preparation time and increase student engagement.
This is Dr Wiley’s third appearance at Surrey ExciTeS, following contributions in 2014 (the inaugural event) and 2015.
The full programme for Surrey ExciTeS 2016 may be found here: http://www.surrey.ac.uk/dhe/surrey_excites/Surrey%20ExciTeS%202016%20Programme.pdf
23 November 2015
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Prizes & Awards, Teaching
academic management, award, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, Director of Learning and Teaching, education, learning, Music, School of Arts, Surrey, teaching, teaching excellence, teaching innovation, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley has received awards and nominations for several major teaching prizes at the University of Surrey in 2015, after less than two years in post as Director of Learning and Teaching for the School of Arts.
In April 2015, Dr Wiley was nominated for The Lynne Millward Award for Academic Staff Member of the Year, which is run by the University of Surrey Students’ Union (awards ceremony pictured, right). Nominations for this award are submitted by the students themselves and it is therefore highly competitive.
Then in June, Dr Wiley was announced as the winner of the Faculty Learning and Teaching Award for the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences (prior to its becoming the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences), as well as being shortlisted for The Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award.
Finally, at a prestigious awards ceremony on 23 November 2015 (pictured below), Dr Wiley was announced as the runner-up for The Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award. This award recognises sustained excellence in teaching, innovative curriculum development, and enhancement of the student experience – thereby illustrating the impact that Dr Wiley has made within the University of Surrey in a relatively short space of time.
8 October 2015
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Presentation, Teaching
acting, careers in music, careers in the arts, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, collaboration, Dance, digital media arts, extra-curricular activity, Guildford School of Acting, Music, musical theatre, networking, opportunities, professional production skills, School of Arts, Sound Recording, teaching, theatre, theatre and performance, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
The School of Arts at the University of Surrey held its first ‘Opportunities and Networking’ event in the Ivy main auditorium, Ivy Arts Centre on Thursday 8 October 2015, organized by Dr Christopher Wiley.
Over 100 students were in attendance across the subject areas of Music and Sound Recording, Theatre, Dance, Digital Media Arts, and the Guildford School of Acting.
The event introduced students to the many different possibilities for them to collaborate with one another on different School of Arts programmes, provided them with information about extra-curricular University activities related to the arts, facilitated their networking with students elsewhere in the School, and enabled them to register their interest in collaborating with one another via sign-up sheets.
Dr Wiley compèred the event, which featured contributions from range of other School of Arts staff as well as students. The evening ended with a series of networking activities designed to enable students to meet one another and to discuss their interests in collaborating on arts projects, followed by more informal opportunities to chat over pizza and soft drinks.
This ‘Opportunities and Networking’ event follows in the footsteps of an equally successful and well-attended panel discussion on ‘Careers in the Arts’, co-organized by Dr Wiley and hosted by the School of Arts earlier in the year.
18 September 2015
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Presentation, Teaching
arts education, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, discussion forum, education, Higher Education, learning, School of Arts, Surrey, teaching, teaching enhancement, teaching policy, teaching practice, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley convened and facilitated a Learning and Teaching development event for the School of Arts at the University of Surrey on Friday 18 September 2015.
40 academics from across the subject areas of Music and Sound Recording, Dance, Theatre, Digital Media Arts, and the Guildford School of Acting participated in two lively and productive discussions led by Dr Wiley during the half-day event.
Both designed to enable the sharing of best practices across the School, the first discussion workshop considered current School policy in relation to teaching, while the second explored strategies for teaching enhancement with a particular focus on student engagement and interactivity.
This was the fourth of the biennial School of Arts Learning and Teaching events instigated by Dr Wiley in his role as Director of Learning and Teaching, following the success of similar forums in January 2015, September 2014, and January 2014.
12 August 2015
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Media, Teaching
academic management, BMus, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, Creative Music Technology, Dance, Guildford School of Acting, HEFCE, Higher Education, Higher Education Funding Council for England, Music, National Student Survey, National Student Survey 2015, NSS, NSS 2015, School of Arts, student experience, student satisfaction, Surrey, teaching, teaching excellence, undergraduate, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
The School of Arts at the University of Surrey is celebrating excellent results in the 2015 National Student Survey (NSS), including a score of 95% for overall satisfaction, with Dance and Music reaching No. 1 and No. 2 in the national subject rankings, respectively.
The School made gains in every one of the survey’s 22 questions, including a score of 99% satisfaction overall in the ‘Teaching on the course’ category. Three programmes – BMus Music, BMus Creative Music Technology, and BA Dance – all scored the maximum 100% for overall satisfaction.
As Director of Learning and Teaching for the School of Arts, Dr Christopher Wiley has taken a lead in developing the School’s student experience strategy, including the initiatives by which its students were engaged in completion of the NSS.
The National Student Survey is an independently conducted annual survey of final-year undergraduate students across the UK, and has become a high-profile measure of student satisfaction nationally since its introduction ten years ago.
Further information on the achievements of the School of Arts in the 2015 National Student Survey may be found here: http://blogs.surrey.ac.uk/arts/2015/08/12/national-student-survey-2015/
9 March 2015
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Teaching
academic leadership, academic management, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, education, Higher Education, learning support, professional recognition, Senior Fellow, Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, SFHEA, Surrey, teaching, The Higher Education Academy, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley has received professional recognition from The Higher Education Academy as a Senior Fellow, becoming one of the first academic staff at the University of Surrey to achieve this status.
Senior Fellowship, one of four levels of recognition offered by The Higher Education Academy, is awarded to applicants who demonstrate an established record of teaching and of academic leadership in relation to teaching provision.
Applications of 5,000-7,000 words in length are evaluated by The Higher Education Academy against its UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and learning support in Higher Education.
Further information about Senior Fellowship of The Higher Education Academy may be found here: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/professional-recognition/hea-fellowships/become-senior-fellow-hea
14 January 2015
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Educational Research, Presentation, Teaching
arts education, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, discussion forum, education, educational research, Higher Education, learning, module descriptors, personal tuition, Personal Tutoring, programme validation, School of Arts, Surrey, teaching, University, University of Surrey, validation, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley organized a Learning and Teaching enhancement event for academic staff across the School of Arts at the University of Surrey on 14 January 2015, following the Symposia that had taken place in September 2014 and January 2014.
In a change from previous events, this one adopted a seminar-style format. It combined a discussion forum on the School’s Personal Tutoring system, facilitated by Dr Wiley, with a training session on module descriptors and programme validation co-facilitated by two members of the University’s Directorate of Quality Enhancement and Standards.
Over 30 academic staff were in attendance representing the range of disciplines encompassed by the School, including Music and Sound Recording, Theatre and Dance, Film and Digital Media Arts, and the Guildford School of Acting.
31 October 2014
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Educational Research, Publication, Teaching
academic leadership, academic management, academic practice, autoethnography, BMus, BMus degree, change management, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, City, City University London, collaborative leadership, education, Higher Education, learning, MA in Academic Practice, metric-based performance, Music, professional development, programme director, teaching, University
Dr Christopher Wiley has published an article on academic leadership in higher education in City University London’s in-house Learning at City Journal.
Dr Wiley’s essay, ‘Academic Leadership in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: A Personal Reflection on one Programme Director’s Professional Development’, provides a retrospective evaluation of his development as an academic leader to date, with particular reference to his previous position as Programme Director of City’s Music BMus programme (2009–13).
Based on work originally undertaken for his MA in Academic Practice, the article considers change management, collaborative leadership, metric-based performance, and the challenges faced by the UK higher education sector today, as well as discussing the ways in which Dr Wiley has sought to apply theories from the scholarly literature to his various leadership roles.
Further information about this publication, including the abstract, may be found at the following link: http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/4896/
Bibliographic citation
‘Academic Leadership in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: A Personal Reflection on one Programme Director’s Professional Development’, Learning at City Journal, Vol. 4, No. 2 (October 2014), pp. 39–49.
Full text
The full text of the article is available for free download via City Research Online: http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/4896/1/L%40C_Journal_Volume_4_Number_2_-_Article_4.pdf
15 September 2014
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Conference, Educational Research, Presentation, Teaching
arts education, assessment, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, conference, education, educational research, feedback, Higher Education, inspirational teaching, learning, School of Arts, student roundtable, Surrey, symposium, teaching, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley convened a second one-day Learning and Teaching Symposium for academic staff across the School of Arts at the University of Surrey on 15 September 2014, as a follow-up to a related event that had taken place in January.
Themed around ‘Inspirational Teaching: Sharing Practice’, the event included two sessions by invited speakers and two discussion workshops facilitated by Dr Wiley (one on sharing good practices in teaching, the other continuing previous conversations on assessment and feedback), as well as a roundtable comprising three current students who presented their views on inspirational teaching.
The Symposium was attended by over 30 full-time and Associate staff ranging from long-standing lecturers to those who had only started work at the University that day, and representing a wide variety of different arts disciplines.
16 January 2014
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Conference, Educational Research, Presentation, Teaching
arts education, assessment, assessment practice, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, conference, education, educational research, feedback, Higher Education, learning, School of Arts, Surrey, symposium, teaching, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley convened a one-day Learning and Teaching Symposium, themed around ‘Enhancing Assessment and Feedback’, for academic staff across the School of Arts at the University of Surrey on 16 January 2014.
The event comprised three sessions by invited speakers, poster presentations, and two discussion workshops facilitated by Dr Wiley, one focussing on Grade Descriptors and the other on reviewing current Feedback practices in the School (pictured). Also included as part of the Symposium was a dedicated session for Associate Tutors on Assessment and Feedback, again led by Dr Wiley.
The Symposium was attended by over thirty academics and several teaching-related staff from across the School of Arts (Music, Sound Recording, Dance, Film, Theatre, and the Guildford School of Acting) as well as e-Learning and Library & Learning Support Services.
9 October 2013
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Prizes & Awards, Teaching
award, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, City, City University London, education, HEA, Higher Education, Higher Education Academy, London, Music, National Teaching Fellow, National Teaching Fellowship, NTF, Surrey, teaching, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley was one of 55 award winners honoured at the 2013 National Teaching Fellowship Award Ceremony, held at Middle Temple Hall, London on 9 October 2013. Dr Wiley represented both his current and former institutions, the University of Surrey and City University London, respectively.
Run by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), and the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland (DELNI), the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme recognizes individual excellence in learning and teaching in Higher Education.
Individuals are nominated for the Scheme every year by some 350 eligible higher and further education institutions across England, Northern Ireland, and Wales. Successful nominees receive an award of £10,000 to enable their continuing professional development in learning and teaching.
Dr Wiley is pictured below receiving his award from Professor Sir Robert Burgess, Chair of the HEA Board, during the Ceremony. The announcement that Dr Wiley had been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship was made in June 2013.
13 August 2013
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Media
2013, BMus, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, City, City University London, HEFCE, Higher Education, Higher Education Funding Council for England, London, Music, National Student Survey, NSS, programme director, student experience, student satisfaction, teaching, teaching excellence, undergraduate, University, Wiley
City University London’s BMus Music programme has been ranked as top in the UK with 100% student satisfaction in the 2013 National Student Survey (NSS), voted by the students themselves.
Dr Christopher Wiley assumed the position of BMus Programme Director in 2009, following a year when student satisfaction – as determined by the final question of the NSS, ‘Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of the course‘ – was at just 31%. Under his leadership, student satisfaction has steadily increased to 62% (2009), 68% (2010), and to 81% last year.
Other highlights of the programme’s 2013 survey results included responses to the questions ‘Staff are good at explaining things’ and ‘Staff have made the subject interesting’ (both 100%); ‘Staff are enthusiastic about what they are teaching’, ‘The course is intellectually stimulating’, and ‘I have been able to contact staff when I needed to’ (all 97%); and six other scores in the 90s.
Launched in 2005, the NSS is an annual national survey of final-year undergraduate students, conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), and provides the standard measure of student satisfaction used in a number of major league tables. The full results of the 2013 National Student Survey are available from HEFCE’s website.
The University’s statement on its 2013 student satisfaction scores acknowledged Music’s top position in the UK.
16 April 2013
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Educational Research, Research, Teaching
academic management, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, Director of Learning and Teaching, learning, Music, new appointment, School of Arts, Senior Lecturer, Surrey, teaching, University, University of Surrey, Wiley
Dr Christopher Wiley has been appointed Senior Lecturer and Director of Learning and Teaching in the School of Arts at the University of Surrey. The University’s School of Arts comprises the subject areas of Music and Sound Recording, Dance, Film, and Theatre, as well as the Digital World Research Centre, the Lewis Elton Gallery, and the acclaimed Guildford School of Acting (GSA).
Dr Wiley commences his new position in September 2013. His academic profile on the University of Surrey website may be viewed here: http://www.surrey.ac.uk/schoolofarts/people/complete_staff_list/christopher_wiley
12 February 2013
Christopher Wiley
Academic Management, Presentation
BMus, careers, careers evening, careers in music, careers in the arts, Chris Wiley, Christopher Wiley, City University London, employability, employment, London, Music, Wiley
The Centre for Music Studies at City University London hosted its inaugural ‘Careers with a Music Degree’ evening on Tuesday 12 February 2013 from 6-9pm, organized by Dr Christopher Wiley.
The event welcomed external speakers from a range of different music-related professions including venue management, teaching, freelance performance, the music business, music therapy, sound recording, and graduate positions. In addition to explaining their own roles and professions, the panel of experts had many useful employability tips to pass on to the students.
Speakers represented organizations including the British Broadcasting Corporation, the Barbican, The Latymer School, ForeSound School of Music and the Performing Arts, Mazars LLP, and the Incorporated Society of Musicians. Several were recent graduates of the City BMus programme who were now in key positions within their profession.
Around 50 current students were in attendance (together with former students and staff). Many have now made important new contacts and some have even secured placement opportunities as a direct result of the event.
DR CHRISTOPHER WILEY 