Focus on Scholars The People Behind the Papers

This feature of the Scholarship Review showcases the individuals who have contributed to this year’s edition through their projects funded by SRDS, research papers, case studies, features and reflective think pieces.

A big thank you to all contributors.

Scholarship Profile: Carrie Lee Biography

Carrie joined Blackpool and The Fylde College as a student, where she completed a year-long access course in Social Sciences, before graduating in 2022 with a first-class BA Honours degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice. During her degree, Carrie engaged in a number of research projects, on important topics such as environmental harms with the most recent being ‘A Critical Green Criminological Investigation into the Corporatisation and Commodification of Fresh Water’.

Carrie was keen to obtain experience and accepted all additional opportunities including a Nationwide research project in conjunction with Lancashire Violence Reduction Network, presenting at the Lancaster Undergraduate Conference and various training sessions including Trauma Informed Practice and Restorative Justice.

Now in her fifth consecutive year at B&FC, Carrie continued her involvement as an employee, taking on the role of Students’ Union Sabbatical Officer. In this capacity, Carrie is dedicated to amplifying the student voice and with her passion for social justice and equity, Carrie is keen to use her leadership role to be instrumental in driving positive change for students.

Scholarship Profile: Michael Holdsworth Biography

Michael Holdsworth is a lecturer, researcher, performer, and producer based in Lancashire, United Kingdom. For the last fifteen years he has worked as Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Acting and Musical Theatre programmes at the Blackpool School of Arts. Michael is currently undertaking a PhD at Lincoln University exploring the intersection between the Musical Theatre Chorus and the Crowd Phenomenon, Mob Mentality and Group Behaviour in the development of a new pedagogy.

Michael has recently delivered a workshop the S Word: Stanislavsky’s Last Words in Prague, written for the International Stanislavsky Journal and will be presenting at Warwick University’s upcoming conference: Performing the Fantastical on the topic of Immersive Theatre: The Santa Claus Experience. Further research interests include: Forum Theatre in the Classroom, Active Analysis and Organic Action and the relationship between Psychology and Body in the Realisation of Performance.

Scholarship Profile: Sara Shotton Biography

Sara Shotton has worked in education for 17 years and is a lecturer in Leadership Management and Lifestyle across FE and HE. Her specialisms are exercise, fitness, health and nutrition. Sara holds a wide range of fitness and health qualifications as well as a Level 4 IV award, and she is a World Skills ambassador. However, her First-Class Hons degree and Master’s qualifications (UCLAN), are in the field of education and professional practice. Sara’s current research topics include ‘Improving student engagement in an FE setting’ and ‘Where does learning really happen’? exploring how teachers can facilitate the lightbulb moment in and out of the classroom.

Scholarship Profile: Robert Sims Biography

Rob started with the College in July 2022 as a lecturer in the School of Computing. Rob previously worked at Hewlett Packard for 15 years progressing from service help desk, through to COBOL programming, some project management roles and finally working on the governments Working Age Change programme before seeking and accepting voluntary redundancy in 2013.

Rob then returned to education at B&FC in 2014 where he obtained a first class degree in Interactive Media Development (B.Sc Hons) and was awarded Higher Education student of the year in 2017. Rob then completed his PGCE with B&FC in 2018. Rob subsequently applied for a competitive Ph.D opportunity at Lancaster University and was successful, starting in Oct 2018 with a topic of ‘ Virtual Reality:Integrated Delivery of Education’ under the guidance of Dr. Abhijit Karnik. Rob is due to defend his thesis in May 2023.

Rob has attended and published to various conferences including IEEE ILRN and EduLearn. Rob’s research profile is https://www.researchgate.net/profile/ Robert-Sims-9, ORCID 0000-0002-2387-4451.

Scholarship Profile: Paula Smithson Biography

Paula Smithson is a UK based practising artist and printmaker living in Lancashire. She studied BA Hons Fine Art at the University of Central Lancashire where she specialised in printmaking, since graduating in 1999 she has exhibited nationally and internationally and has worked to commission. She also holds a Masters Degree in Illustration from Manchester Metropolitan University. Alongside her creative practice she has been teaching further, higher and adult education since 1999 in formal educational establishments and in participatory settings, she currently holds the post of Lecturer in Printmaking and Illustration at Blackpool School of Arts.

Her work is inspired by commedia de’lla arte and the carnivalesque and explores ideas around performance and spectatorship with a focus on circus and the psychological impact aerialists have on audience. She regularly attends the circus to draw during performances.

Smithson is a member of ArtLab Contemporary Printmaking Studio.

Scholarship Profile: Carolyn Foy Biography

Carolyn Foy is a lecturer for the BA (Hons) Business Management, Leadership, Management and Lifestyle at Blackpool and The Fylde College, United Kingdom. Teaching mostly finance based subjects such as Managing finance, Financial Decision Making, Strategic Finance and Accounting.

Carolyn holds a BA (Hons) in Business and Financial Management and PostGraduate Certificate in Education awarded by Lancaster University. She is also working towards a MSc in Finance and Strategy with Manchester Metropolitan University. In 2022, Carolyn achieved the status of Higher Education Fellow (HEA).

Carolyn started her career in finance 9 years ago after working primarily in the hospitality sector for many years. Carolyn had spent several years developing her skills and knowledge before moving into teaching (both FE and HE) four years ago at B&FC. In her role she is constantly researching financial decision-making and strategy in modern corporations to help developing and create relevant scaffolding resources for her students.

Carolyn is enthusiastic about strategic finance and the transition to a sustainable economy. However, her main research area is currently focused around investigating the role of financial control in organisations while evaluating the value of this system as a performance assessment approach.

Scholarship Profile: Aaron Tonks Biography

Aaron Tonks is a Lecturer and Specialist Practitioner specialising in Digital Imaging and Photography and teaches across HE and FE programmes for Blackpool School of Arts. He graduated from the Arts Institute at Bournemouth with a BA (Hons) in Photography and has an MA in Visual Design as Creative Practice from (B&FC) Lancaster University, specialising in gallery ideology. Aaron is the curator for the college’s art gallery and has helped to deliver a rich and inspiring programme of exhibitions in support of the school’s ethos – Community, Connectivity and Process. He has also been at the forefront in researching and developing virtual and VR technology for the purposes of exhibiting and interacting with art.

Scholarship Profile: Lauren Watson Biography

Dr. Lauren Watson is a lecturer on BA English: Language, Literature and Writing and has taught in the H.E. sector for 15 years. She studied for a research MA in Victorian Literature from Liverpool University (sponsored by an award from the British Academy) and completed a funded PhD in post-structuralism, contemporary metafiction and the later works of Charles Dickens at Lancaster University. She has lectured at Lancaster University and the University of Cumbria, teaching a range of modules on English literature degrees, and has also taught international students on EAP courses. Her research interests currently include late Victorian fiction and representations of terrorism.

She has published in journals - including Textual Practice, the leading international journal of radical literary studies – and is author of Contingencies and Masterly Fictions: Countertextuality in Dickens, Contemporary Fiction and Theory (2010). She has recently started writing for the English and Media Subject Centre, writing study materials for A-Level students in their publication EMAGAZINE and online resource centre.

Scholarship Profile: Lisa Gayton Biography

Lisa Gayton is a lecturer in the school of Society, Health and Childhood. Lisa lectures in Leadership and Management, Child and Youth Development and Health Development. Prior to working at Blackpool and the Fylde college she gained 18 years’ experience managing and leading in community development and youth in rural and urban areas, specialising in funding and charity management and managing centres across Lancashire. Later in her career she was Head of Service for Community Development leading the funding and the strategic delivery for statutory authorities.

Lisa has a HND in Business and Finance, a BSc (Hons) from Edge Hill University and more recently a Master’s from Cumbria University in Community Development and Youth. Her research is pending publication. Lisa is passionate about her specialism in Leadership and Management and has recently developed several commercial training programmes for leaders and managers in social care across Lancashire. Lisa is also involved with a Lancaster University research body who are leading a European consultation on a new adult social care training framework for the UK.

Scholarship Profile: Seamus Fox

Biography

Seamus Fox is the Senior Tutor of Scholarship and Research at Blackpool School of Arts and the Theatre Making Pathway leader for BA Hons Acting & BA Hons Musical Theatre. His background is in Theatre and after gaining an MA in Making Performance from Edge Hill University he founded Vexed Theatre a touring company who has performed across the UK and Ireland. Previous research interests include The Uncanny in performance and acting pedagogy, supernatural theatre, and adaptation. All the shows that Seamus has written or produced, adopt a practice-based research methodology to develop existing acting pedagogy for contemporary performers. His current research interests lie within the field of Immersive Performance and immersive technologies drawing inspiration from narrative structures used in AAA games. Seamus is now developing a new show to go to Edinburg Fringe Festival and Vault Festival later this year.