Dr Ann-Marie Houghton

PhD Supervision Interests

On areas associated with my research interests but in particular in the next few years on inclusive curriculum development, the academic and learning experiences of disabled learners, transitions issues into education and the workplace, especially for disabled graduates, from a multi-agency perspective the policy agenda of Schools that will encompass family and intergenerational learning from Faith Schools agenda

Profile

My university widening participation work links closely with research and teaching interests. I am involved in working with colleagues in the School of Lifelong Learning and Widening Participation and others throughout the university on widening participation issues associated with the student lifecycle thus including projects connected with pre-entry experiences that are funded via Lancaster University's Access Agreement as well as post arrival teaching, learning and student access to guidance and student services.

I am a member of the university's Equal Opportunities Committee, Disability Network, Harassment Network and a senior member of Cartmel College.

Research Interests

My research interests are closely linked to the work of REAP and my university role as Teaching and Curriculum Development Advisor.  Major themes at present include:

• Educational Equality and Social Exclusion
• Inclusive teaching and learning policy and practice
• Family Learning within school and community context
• Disability and transition to HE and Employment
• Widening participation policy and practice
• Educational Guidance See also doctoral research

Professional Bodies

I am a Honrorary Chair of the Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in Education of Adults (SCUTREA)

I am on the advisory editorial board for the:

• Journal of Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning
• Teaching in Higher Education

Current Teaching

Originally trained in the primary sector I have a long standing interest in encouraging learners of all ages to take an active role in their own learning and describe my approach to teaching and learning as collaborative and interactive. I have taught on both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and developed modules relating to areas of research including Aimhigher, social exclusion, race and disability and education. In addition, I have taught adult learners within a variety of community contexts

and have contributed to Lancaster Univeristy's Higher Education Academy accredited Certificate of Academic Practice (CAP).

Academic Year 2012-13

I am teaching on one of the PiNE undergraduate programme modules Advanced Seminars in the Psychology of Education: Child wellbeing in School (308b)

I am contributing to the Educational Research MA in Education Programme

• MA in Research Methods (EdS 801)
• MA in Educational Policy (EdS 812)
• MA in Gender and Education (EdS 814 co-convenor)

I am module convenor of the Organisation and Educational Development Postrgaduate module for the Certificate of Academic Practice (CAP) Curriculum Design and Development module

I have PhD students who are working on the following topics:

• Collaborative networks and Professional Development between mainstream and Special Educational Needs (SEN) teachers
• Inclusive provision for visually impaired learners in Saudi Arabia
• Ethnic Minorities and the Cognitive Ability Test (CATs)
• UK Higher Education Teachers and the Disability Discrimination Act
• The evaluation in Development Education: outcomes measurement

All courses provide an opportunity to disseminate and generate discussion about past and current research projects undertaken by the REAP group.

I completed Lancaster's Certificate in Academic Practice in 2006 and was nominated for the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme, 2010. The CAP programme provided a valuable forum for reflecting on my practice and has proved useful in my role in the Faculty of Arts and Social Science's Courses committee which is responsible for reviewing new course proposals and for offering advice to colleagues in Blackburn College who are responsible for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education Studies.

• Bright Links evaluation

  15/05/2012 → 30/12/2012
  REAP evaluated the Bright Links Engineering e-mentoring scheme which is a 3 year scheme run by the Royal Academy of Engineering in partnership with Brightside. The scheme is intended to inspire and su ... Read more»

• Designing an inclusive curriculum in higher education

  01/09/2009 →
  The project was funded by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and it aimed to gather and disseminate information about examples of good practice of inclusive curriculum design. ... Read more»

• Lancashire Aimhigher Disability

  29/04/2009 → 30/06/2009
  This was one of the Theme 2 and 3 projects funded by Aimhigher Lancashire. The aim was to identify and disseminate good practice and support for disabled students making the transition from school and ... Read more»

• Students' and Professionals', Experience, Concerns and Issues regarding Alcohol use by Lancaster Students

  21/12/2008 → 31/12/2010
  Funded by North Lancashire Teaching Primary Care Trust, the Students' and Professionals', Experience, Concerns and Issues regarding Alcohol use by Lancaster Students (SPECIALS) Project discerned what ... Read more»

• Barrow Youth Re: action Team

  02/12/2008 → 01/08/2011
  The Youth Re: action Team (YRAT) was a group of upper secondary school students from Barrow-in-Furness who were involved in researching local people's views of the regeneration of their town.The YRAT ... Read more»

• Barrow Engineering Project evaluation

  01/09/2008 →
  REAP are evaluating the Barrow Engineering Project, a curriculum enrichment project funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering that seeks to raise the profile of engineering among young people in Barr ... Read more»

• Up2uni

  06/04/2008 → 05/12/2008
  Up2uni was a staff development programme designed to support practitioners advising prospective students about higher education. On behalf of the programme developers from Manchester Metropolitan Uni ... Read more»

• Evaluation Capacity Building for HEI widening participation teams

  01/04/2007 → 31/12/2009
  This HEFCE funded project provided evaluation capacity building for HEI widening participation teams (WPTs) in the form of a development initiative involving regional capacity building workshops, inte ... Read more»

• Refugee Progression and Employment Project

  01/09/2006 → 01/07/2008
  The Refugee Progression and Employment (REPP) Project was funded by the European Social Fund. It was a collaborative project with the Universities of Sussex, Leeds and Wedgewood Memorial College. The ... Read more»

• Aimhigher Cumbria Evaluation

  01/08/2006 → 31/07/2011
  REAP worked on a consultancy basis with Aimhigher Cumbria to support evaluation of partnership, area and thematic Aimhigher activities. Evaluation projects included Aimhigher Cumbria and the Carlisle ... Read more»

• Aimhigher Lancashire Evaluation

  01/01/2006 → 31/07/2011
  Aimhigher Lancashire was a collaborative HEFCE, DfES and LSC funded widening participation project involving Higher and Further Education institutions in Lancashire who worked in partnership with scho ... Read more»

• Aiming4uni in Furness

  01/07/2005 → 31/10/2009
  REAP was involved with the Aiming4uni in Furness in two ways. Firstly, we contributed to the "Work with families" strand, drawing on our action research Families And Higher Education Decision-making ... Read more»

• Disability Effective Inclusive Policies

  01/01/2005 → 31/12/2007
  The Disability Effective Inclusive Policies (DEIP) Project was funded by the European Social Fund and co-ordinated by the Centre for Continuing Education at University of Sussex. The DEIP project aime ... Read more»

• Lancashire Intergenerational Multicultural Education Project

  01/09/2004 → 30/04/2007
  Funded by Lancashire County Council, LIME was a CAP (now known as REAP) research and development project which was concerned with exploring the impact of family learning on lifelong learning and incre ... Read more»

• Library Understanding and Curriculum enhancement to Inform Decision-making

  01/04/2003 → 31/12/2006
  Funded by HEFCE and Lancashire County Council, the LUCID project aimed to provide young people with an academically focused awareness and achievement raising package of activities. It brought together ... Read more»

• Families And Higher Education Decision-making

  01/01/2001 → 01/01/2009
  FAHED was an action research project that aimed to introduce the idea of higher education to the parents of pupils in years 9 and above who had a history of low participation in higher education. The ... Read more»

• African Caribbean and Asian Curriculum Project

  01/09/1995 → 31/12/2006
  The ACA action research project was managed by Lancaster University's Community Access Programme (CAP, now known as REAP) and was initiated in 1995 with the specific remit of developing 'black' perspe ... Read more»