An Educationalist with specialisms in Media, Film, and Teacher Education, I have been a part of Central's academic team since 2013. I initially joined Central as Pathway Leader for the PGCE Media Studies and also taught on the PGCE Drama, later moving into management of the Learning Centre which houses three distinct services for the support of Learning Development, Disability, and Specific Learning Differences (SpLDs).
I currently lead and facilitate informal learning development at Central in my role as Programme Leader for Learning Skills, while remaining connected with my disciplines through postgraduate teaching at the School. I also sit on various boards and committees at Central, including the Equality and Diversity Committee and Academic Board. My pedagogical interests and experience connect to themes of situating arts education within the praxis of post-compulsory education policy levers, with a particular emphasis on social stratification in educational settings, learner experience, identity, and academic journeys. These interests are currently formalised in a longitudinal research project and through invited membership of the UCL, IOE; Centre for post-14 Education and Work. Additionally, I maintain links with the broader academic community within the fields of education and learning development in shape of reviewer status for the British Educational Research Association Journal (BERJ) and Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education (JLDHE). Outside of Central, I am an Associate Lecturer at the University of Arts London (UAL), and a member of the UAL Digital Maker Collective and the Association of Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE), Research and Development Working Group.
A qualified lecturer and mentor/coach, before joining Central I taught for over a decade within the FE and HE sectors on various media, film, and teacher training programmes, while also working in various quality assurance and external assessment capacities, in the roles of:
This was supplemented with consultancy work in the community sectors as an applied film practitioner and facilitator with clients including the London Boroughs of Haringey and Waltham Forest.
Both my professional background and emerging research have evoked an interest in Equalities that has manifested in various ways, including:
Prior to teaching, I worked in the media and film industries in various capacities, including as a freelance video editor for corporate and commercial clients. My interests in practical media have continued and currently take shape in occasional directing and editing contributions to short film projects and making photography-based art.
Shah, J. (2017) ‘Informal Learning in a Digital Landscape: A Higher Education Drama Conservatoire Case Study’, in Informal Learning: Perspectives, Challenges, and Opportunities, (Nova Science Publishers)
www.cssd.ac.uk/content/learning-skills