Dr Sue Folley named as National Teaching Fellow
A long-term interest in the possibilities of digital technologies in education has helped Dr Sue Folley to be rewarded with a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship.
Dr Folley, Academic Development Advisor in the Strategic Teaching and Learning Team, has worked at the university since 1999 and leads a team of learning technologists across the institution.
The team advise and devise learning resources to help academic staff make the most of digital technology in their teaching. Already immersed in online teaching and learning before 2020, Dr Folley’s skills and practicality came to the fore when the COVID-19 pandemic forced teaching to go online.
She devised ‘Moving Your Module Online’ – MYMO – during lockdown, as a course designed to help teaching staff prepare for fully online teaching at the start of the next academic year.
The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme, from higher education charity Advance HE, celebrates and recognises individuals who have made an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession in UK higher education.
Dr Folley had previously worked in the university’s previous Computing and Business Advice Centre, offering training courses to local small and medium sized businesses, and was involved in distributed learning when the university also operated campuses in Oldham and Barnsley. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and the University’s representative on Helf (Heads of eLearning forum).
“We had a lot of very positive feedback on MYMO when it was implemented in 2020,” says Dr Folley, who achieved both her master’s degree in Multimedia and eLearning and doctorate in Education focusing on tutors’ experiences of teaching online at Huddersfield.
“I had run a course prior to that, called Facilitating Online, for academic staff who wanted to teach online. We put them in the shoes of an online student, getting people to work in groups, and it worked well so the challenge was scaling that up when the pandemic hit.
“I am absolutely delighted to be named as a National Teaching Fellow, especially working in professional services. When teaching academics, they are the experts in their subject discipline, but I can show them how they can improve their teaching and learning practices using digital technologies and the online space.
“I can show them how to use online discussions to get students engaged, advice on creating videos or tips on teaching using active learning approaches in the classroom.
“The fellowship will give me more confidence in supporting academic staff, but also they will feel confident in me because they know they are dealing with someone who knows how to use digital technology to aid with teaching and learning.”
Kathryn Harrison-Graves, Deputy Chief Executive at Advance HE said, "We are delighted to announce the 2025 awards to those with an unwavering commitment to teaching excellence.
“These newly awarded National Teaching Fellows represent the very best of UK higher education, demonstrating remarkable innovation, dedication and impact on student learning. Their achievements not only benefit their own institutions but inspire excellence across the entire sector. At a time when higher education faces unprecedented challenges, these awards celebrate the transformative power of outstanding teaching and collaboration."