Inspires students to aim high and excel.
Professor Lydia Arnold is the Professor of Learning and Teaching and Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning, Teaching and Digital) at Harper Adams University, Shropshire. Her responsibilities include leading eLearning provision, academic development, UK PSF accreditation, institutional curriculum oversight, and teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students. She joined Harper Adams around 2009 on an employer engagement project developing courses for work-based higher education access, with her role expanding to teaching and learning leadership. In 2020, she became the university's first female professor. Previously, she held a secondary school teaching qualification in Geography and Mathematics.
Arnold earned her first degree in Education Studies and Geography with Mathematics from the University of Keele, a Doctorate in Higher Education from the University of Liverpool, and holds qualifications including BA (Hons), PgC, MA, EdD. Her research focuses on pedagogy, assessment, feedback, authentic assessment, action research, workplace learning, and technology-enhanced feedback. She serves on the editorial board of Higher Education Skills and Work-Based Learning and the International Advisory Board of Educational Action Research, and holds external roles at the University of Birmingham and Liverpool Hope University. Key publications include "Problematising Pedagogical Action Research in formal teaching courses and academic development: a collaborative autoethnography" (2021, with L. Norton), "Action Research: practice guide" and "Action Research: sector case studies" (2018, HEA, with L. Norton), "The craft of feedback in a complex ecosystem" (2017), and "Staff and Student Experiences of Electronic Marking and Feedback" (2016, with C. Kennard). Awards include National Teaching Fellow, Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and CMALT holder and assessor. She organizes the annual Learning and Teaching Conference and disseminates work via blog and social media.