Keele lecturer receives prestigious award for inclusive and compassionate teaching

A Keele lecturer has received a coveted national teaching award for her efforts to embed inclusivity, compassion, and support for students' wellbeing in her teaching and delivery of programmes.

Dr Alison Pooler, Reader in Health Professional Education in Keele's School of Medicine, is the latest Keele lecturer to receive a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship from Advance HE, in recognition of her work in Keele's sector-leading School of Medicine.

The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) recognises, rewards and celebrates individuals who have made an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession.

Dr Pooler is the Student Engagement and Retention Lead for around 1,600 students in the school and plays a crucial role in supporting student wellbeing to make sure they get the most out of their course.

She has also created innovative support mechanisms for neurodivergent students, particularly those with ASD/ADHD, after observing some of the issues faced by these students every day. Dr Pooler has hosted several staff workshops for her colleagues and developed a set of good practice guidelines to help staff to shift their perspective and amend their practice to make their teaching more inclusive, with these principles also being embedded in Keele’s wider Inclusive Educational Framework.

Her work has also received national recognition, which has led to being invited to sit on national working groups with the General Medical Council, NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care around curriculum and professional development.

She has also developed partnerships with universities in Texas and New York for collaborative online interactive learning activities, increasing opportunities for staff and students at Keele and in the US to pursue international exchange and learning opportunities.

Dr Pooler said: "I am delighted to have my work recognised through this national award. Keele provides a rich environment for the exchange of ideas and initiatives for ongoing programme development and student support. Students are the centre of what we are here to do, and the modern world throws many challenges at them and us as educators, to which we must respond."