The Academy is the UK's first institutional academy of educators for staff and students engaged in the advancement of learning and teaching excellence.

A WIHEA Fellowship recognises and rewards outstanding achievements in learning and teaching and is an exceptional opportunity to engage with colleagues across the university, improve the student experience and make a genuine difference to Warwick through research, debate and policy formation.

Selected by the WIHEA Advisory Group during a competitive annual selection process, consisting of application and nomination in July 2018, two members of the CLL department joined the WIHEA’s collaborative community at the start of September 2018.

WIHEA’s community comprises Fellows and Members who each have a demonstrable commitment to Learning and Teaching and collectively represent the global and interdisciplinary staff and student body at Warwick.

Mark Hinton, CLL’s Community Engagement Development Manager was one of the nominated staff to successfully join WIHEA. Mark works with the third sector to raise awareness of opportunities for adult learners at the University of Warwick, to build long-term relationships between the University and communities across the region, and to encourage and facilitate good practice in University-Community Engagement within Warwick.

He also teaches Developing Community Leadership in a variety of community settings, and convenes the UG module, Community Engagement: Theory into Practice, developed with an Academic Fellowship from IATL. He also co-leads a CLL module on Race, Power and Community, and is involved in developing Anti-Racism training for professional and academic staff.

WIHEA’s Advisory Group also welcomed Tier Blundell, current Social Studies student. Tier joined the Centre last year as a part-time student, before transferring to full-time study. He has also studied the module Community Engagement: Theory into Practice taught by Mark, in the previous academic year.

CLL has several members of the department who are already part of the academy, Senior Teaching Fellow and Senior Tutor Dr Anil Awesti and Principal Teaching Fellow, Gill Frigerio joined as a fellow last year until August 2020. Dr Will Curtis, Principal Teaching Fellow at CLL who is currently seconded to the role of Academic Director for the Partnerships in the University Education Executive serves as an Ex Officio Fellow.

Congratulations to Mark and Tier in becoming WIHEA fellows. We wish them the best in their roles with the Academy.