Professor Shelley Parr

About

Professor Shelley Parr is the Director of the Centre for Higher Education Practice at the ��. She is a Principal Fellow of the HEA, is a Professorial Fellow in Medical Education.

CHEP promotes academic professional learning for every member of University staff and Doctoral students (working in partnership with the Doctoral college), in all areas of academic activity (Education, Research, Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise) and at every stage of their career. Working in partnerships with faculties, CHEPs aim is to enable staff to reach their full potential and achieve more together. In addition, CHEP plays a leading role in university wide enhancement projects in support of the University Strategy.

Professor Parr's has a particular interest in education focused academic career pathways and is currently undertaking some collaborative educational reserach/scholarship into the perceptions of education focused academics in research intensive insitutions in the UK. She also continues her interest in student engagement and has been invited to talk on the topic on several occasions particularly around the International Aspire award for Student Engagement that she lead for the Faculty of Medicine in 2014.

With a background in Physiology, Professor Parr also continues to do some teaching of Physiology to Health Sciences and Medical Students.

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Publications

1 publication

Page 1 of 1

Stephanie Bull, Alison Cooper, Anita Laidlaw, Louise Milne & Shelley Parr, 2024, Studies in Higher Education

DOI:

Type: article

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Teaching

Prof Parr decided to focus on education early in her career and has taught on a wide range of courses since her first teaching fellow contract in 2000. Her main subject area is Physiology and she has mainly taught medical, science and dental students but the focus of her work now is in education leadership. Having acted as a programme lead, Director of Programmes, Associate Dean (Education) and Head of Department within faculties, she now leads university wide education enhancement activities through her role as CHEP Director. The current leadership role encompasses our triple helix approach as it provides support for Research, Education and Knowledge exchange and enterprise.

Scholarly activities include:

Prof Parr has presented scholarly work at National and International Conferences on the topics of

Education focused academic career routes
CPD Education programmes in HE
Innovative use of Audience response systems
Student Engagement Best Practice
Demographics of Graduate Entry Programme Students at the ��
Postgraduate Certificates in Academic Practice at the SEDA conference 2008

Prof Parr has been an External Examiner for

Year 1 of the BDS Dental programme at Cardiff University 2011/12 to 2015/2016
Year 1 of the Graduate Entry Medical Programme at Birmingham University 2014/15-2018/19
All years of the new SCOTGEM Medical programme jointly lead by St Andrews & Dundee 2018/19-2022/23

Prof Parr has acted as a reviewer Nationally & Internationally for

BMC Medical Education Journal
Higher Education Academy National Teaching Fellowship applications
Higher Education Academy National Teaching Fellowship Fund Applications
Academic Review of the Masters Programmes at Birmingham University Medical School
Academic review of a physiology textbook: Third Edition of Human Physiology, An Integrated Approach by Dee Unglaub Silverthorn.

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Biography

After attaining a first class degree in Biological Sciences (Physiology) and PhD in Medical Physiology (Thesis title: Deafness in Meningitis) at the University of Birmingham Prof Parr undertook one postdoctoral research position (Effectiveness of Ginkgo biloba in treating tinnitus) and successfully published her findings in the BMJ before deciding to actively pursue a career in teaching and learning in higher education (in preference to a career in medical research).

Prof Parr was appointed as a Teaching Fellow at the University of Birmingham in 2000 and subsequently Lecturer upon completing a PGCert in Teaching and Learning. Prof Parr moved to Cardiff University in 2004 for a similar post. In both posts she was responsible for delivering teaching, assessment and student support to science, medical and dental students and a range of module, programme and curriculum change leadership responsibilities. Before leaving Cardiff Prof Parr was the Deputy Subdean (Academic) for the Medical Programme meaning she was responsible for all of the academic aspects of years 1 and 2 of the BM programme.

In 2007 Prof Parr made the decision to step out of medical education and take up an educational developer appointment at the �� to advance and widen her knowledge, understanding and experience of educational theory, evidence and practice whilst also developing and widening her skills in staff development, quality assurance and quality enhancement. She was responsible for leading a range of university wide enhancement activities including the PGCert in Academic Practice for which she was awarded a University Vice Chancellors teaching award in 2011. She worked with HR for the PVC (Education) to lead development of a new Framework for the professional development of staff at Southampton with respect to Education that was accredited by the HEA and is now in place as PREP.

In January 2011 Prof Parr went back into Medical Education as the BM4 (graduate entry medicine) Programme Leader in the Faculty of Medicine and successfully lead this programme until April 2017. In 2014 Professor Parr was successfully appointed to the role as Head of the Academic Unit for Medical Education (HoAUME), however she relinquished this role in 2015 to act as the interim Associate Dean (Education for the Faculty). Upon Appointment of a permanent, Associate Dean Prof Parr chose to take on the role as Director of Undergraduate Programmes rather than return to her HoAUME role.

In 2014 Prof Parr lead a team of staff and students who submitted a successful application on behalf of the Faculty for an international ASPIRE student engagement award.

Professor Parr’s sustained and significant skills, experience and reputation for academic excellence in learning and teaching was recognised in 2015 through her Principal Fellowship of the HEA and in 2016 when she was promoted to Professorial Fellow in Medical Education.

In 2018 Prof Parr was successfully appointed to the Director of CHEP role at the �� where she leads the Centre for Higher Education Practice.

Prizes

Vice Chancellors Teaching Award (2011)
Vice Chancellors Teaching Award (2011)

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