Mrs Laura Stott

I plan and deliver all Academic Skills support within the faculty of KSA, via workshops, timetabled teaching and one-to-one support tutorials. I keeps abreast of NSS and KSS metrics and am mindful of Kingston University's Inclusive Curriculum Framework and the Future Skills Town House strategy, regularly reviewing my teaching content and practice accordingly. An example of this is when I discovered that a large percentage of KSA students have SoSNs for specific learning differences or declared disabilities, and I realised I needed to adjust my teaching so that students with varied learning styles would still find my teaching inclusive and accessible. One way to ensure accessibility for all was, in addition to synchronously delivering workshops, I also provided recorded workshops available on the KSA Academic Success Centre Canvas module. This was particularly for students who have processing speed difficulties, who may benefit from using the Teams Transcribe tool, due to hearing difficulties or needing simultaneous communication streams, or for students in digital poverty and unable to access live online sessions.

During the move to online teaching and blended learning as a result of COVID lockdowns, I attended numerous CPD events run internally by LTEC and external organisations such as Advance HE, Wonkhe@home, OfS and HEPPP UWE Bristol. The focus of the sessions was to improve my teaching methods, increase my use of technological tools to aid accessibility, participation, and inclusion, and also to internationalize my teaching materials. I now use polls and quizzes to enhance student engagement and aid with learning scaffolding during workshops. I also utilise multimedia teaching resources by incorporating videos from Linkedin Learning and TEDx into my teaching material.

For many years I have worked alongside colleagues during HeadStart events supporting incoming KSA Foundation and Level 4 students. This year (2023-24) I contributed to the Transition Review Task and Finish Group to consider how to make the transition into university more successful, and also thinking about the move from L4 to L5. I also collaborate with colleagues in Careers and Employability providing cross-faculty Academic Success sessions for undergraduates and postgraduates during the Careers Festival and the Kingston University Enrichment Week. 

In addition to my role at KU, I became the Safeguarding Lead Governor at a local infant school in 2021. I received professional training via the Schools Alliance for Excellence regarding both safeguarding within education and special educational needs, and have undertaken a Level 2 qualification in Understanding Specific Learning Difficulties. I have taken this broader understanding of educational legislation (such as KCSIE 2022) and processes, and learning differences, which aids me in my role at KU with adult learners. This training has given me an appreciation of the educational support processes for SEND students prior to entering HE, as well as an awareness of the range of potential safeguarding triggers and specialist advice agencies for KU students. 

Qualifications and expertise

• BSc Psychology (2000)
• MSc Environmental Psychology (2001)
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
• Understanding Specific Learning Differences Level 2 (2022)

Qualifications and expertise

• MSc Environmental Psychology

Areas of specialism

• Environmental Psychology
• Sustainability
• Building Design for the visually impaired

Scholarly affiliations

• Environmental Psychology Dept, Surrey University

Publications

In addition to my role at KU, I effectively engage with professional and external public/civic organisations. In 2021 I took on the civic role as ‘SEND' and ‘Safeguarding' Governor at a local school, enabling me to be an ambassador for Kingston University in another education setting, raising KU's reputation and profile.

I remain active within the field of Environmental Psychology, and am a member of IAPS (International Association of People-Environment Studies) and Plymouth University's Sustainable Earth Institute Net-Zero Exchange network. In 2024 I undertook training as a Climate Fresk workshop facilitator, delivering workshops to KU students and staff, and wider community groups, raising awareness of the climate impacts of carbon and inspiring knowledge-driven behaviour change.

I collaborate with other Academic Success Centres within KU to share professional practice, ideas and knowledge around pedagogy, improving outcomes for the students who engage with the service. As KSA's Academic Success Officer, I aim to enhance, amongst other metrics, student progression and attainment. To this end, I was part of the team conducting an Access Agreement-funded research project examining KSA students' experiences (particularly SEND students) of online assessment and feedback. The outcome was the implementation of new consistent marking criteria and rubrics, and recommendations for staff training on VLE technologies.

I joined the Academic Integrity Working Group (2023-24) influencing policy change within the Academic Framework for teaching on Academic Integrity for all L4, L7 and other new students from Sept 2024 onwards. I have also been nominated to represent my faculty (KSA) on the university Academic Council, advising the Board of Governors and Vice Chancellor on the development and performance of academic policies, activities and the resources needed to support them.

I actively participate in CPD courses which have directly impacted my teaching and thus benefitted the academic life of students at Kingston University.

Qualifications and expertise

• Safeguarding: How to Fulfil the Governance Role (NGA e-Learning course) (2022)

Professional and scholarly affiliations

• IAPS (International Association of People-Environment Studies)
• Advance HE

I run the Kingston School of Art Academic Success Centre (KSA ASC), and therefore have responsibility over the service provision and direction of this support service. I also attend and contribute to the KSA Faculty Education Committee, the purpose of which is to monitor the quality of taught provision, consider new academic developments, and develop, support and monitor policies and practices that enhance KSA's teaching quality, learning environment and student outcomes. In addition, I am an active member of the bi-monthly ADLT team meetings, which aim to monitor progress against the Faculty Education Strategy and other Faculty strategic priorities. I also aim to collaborate as much as possible with other KU student services, and for the last few years have worked with colleagues in the School of Architecture and in Careers and Employability on the 'Access to Architecture' initiative. This initiative was designed to support students with writing cover letters, CVs and preparing for interviews with Architecture practices for summer internships.

Since 2020, I have attended a significant amount of training around online teaching, blended learning, online safety and training on the Canvas Virtual Learning Environment. I have used this training to embed tools such as Mentimeter and Kahoot quizzes, Microsoft Form questionnaires, and other learning resources such as videos from Linkedin Learning, within my workshops to make the sessions more engaging. I also collate student and staff feedback regarding the KSA ASC teaching and resources, using responses to adapt and improve teaching materials and subject cover. In the academic year 2022/23, for example, a new workshop and self-help guide were produced to address the issue of student Stress Management

Increases in student demand, and the recent assimilation of students from the school of Arts, Culture & Communication into the KSA faculty, has resulted in an uptick in the KSA Academic Success Centre caseload. To address this, the centre has employed several Hourly Paid Lecturers who assist in providing students with formative written feedback for academic assignments. This has involved me acquiring new skills as a Line Manager such as using the university's Unified recruitment system, training staff, and managing a budget. Additional staff will enable more student support; an essential and beneficial use of funding. University data shows that in 2019/20 students who engaged with the KSA ASC had significantly higher progression rates at 1st attempt (73.1%) and following reassessment (98.9%) than non-engaged KSA students (66.7% and 87.9% respectively).

Qualifications and expertise

• Mental Health First Aid Adult Course (MFA England) (2022)

University responsibilities

• Academic Success Officer for Kingston School of Art, Kingston University
• Member of KSA Faculty Education Committee
• Member of KU Academic Council (2024-2027)

Public and CIVIC roles

• SEND and Safeguarding Governor at St Peter and St Paul School, Chaldon