Rate My Professor Tania Wiseman

Dr Tania Wiseman is an Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy at Swansea University in the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science, where she holds the positions of Head of Therapies and Programme Lead for Occupational Therapy within the School of Health and Social Care. She possesses 23 years of experience as an occupational therapy educator and has been intensely engaged in developing learning approaches that encourage enquiring minds through challenging yet humorous methods. Prior to joining Swansea University in August 2022, she served as Principal Lecturer at the University of Brighton from 2000 to 2022. Wiseman qualified as an occupational therapist in 1996 upon completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Brighton, following a degree in biological sciences from the University of Sussex. She obtained a Master's degree in occupational therapy in 1999 and earned her PhD in Leisure Studies from the University of Brighton in 2019, with her doctoral thesis titled 'Leisure in 21st Century Later Life'.

Her research specializations encompass leisure in later life, critical perspectives on active ageing, occupational therapy and occupational therapy curricula, narrative research, and nature-based therapy. She leads a leisure in later life research group, supervises postgraduate students who have presented at national conferences, and contributes to peer-reviewed publications in these areas. Wiseman also focuses on developing sustainable health curricula and combating ageism in health professions training. Notable publications include her authored book Leisure in Later Life (Springer Nature Switzerland, 2021); 'Exploring constraints to leisure participation within the countryside' (Journal of Occupational Science, 32(1), 109-123, 2024, co-authored with L. Harris and J. Liddell); 'Garden visiting as a meaningful occupation for people in later life' (British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 79(12), 768-775, 2016, co-authored with R. Leaver); 'Multi-sensory dysfunction in dementia and cognitive decline' (chapter in A New Approach to Dementia: Examining Sensory and Perceptual Impairment, Routledge, co-authored with K. Thomas, A. Tales, L. Krajcovicova, and J. Kremlacek); 'Sustainable Development within Health and Social Care Education' (chapter in Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Emerald Publishing Limited, co-authored with J. Mills, H. Baid, and A. Taylor); and 'Rambling on: Exploring the complexity of walking as a meaningful activity' (chapter in The Routledge International Handbook of Walking, Routledge, co-authored with K. Finnie and N. Ravenscroft). In her teaching, she delivers modules such as Foundation Sciences for Occupation, Evidence Based Project for Occupation, The Emergent Practitioner, and The Specialist Practitioner, employing blended learning, simulation suites, and evidence-based small group tutorials to promote team-based problem-solving and emotional engagement.