“I attended two of Kate’s workshops recently, one on joint supervision of PhDs and one on being a PhD examiner. Both of them were excellent. She manages to make dense thickets of information not just digestible but positively engaging and is good at eliciting the active thinking and participation of those attending whilst keeping a firm but kind hand to ensure that no single participant unduly dominates. Not only useful informationally but a reminder of some very good classroom practice too”.
Dr Michael Szpakowski
Senior Lecturer in Art & Design
Writtle University College
“Kate has delivered research supervisor training courses for the Institute of Cancer Research for several years. These have been excellent in content and delivered in a relaxed, informative way that makes our Faculty think carefully through the supervision of research students and gives some idea of the complexities of the supervisory role. I have enjoyed working with her and find her knowledge and experience to be really relevant to my job as Deputy Dean”.
Professor Keith Jones
Deputy Dean
Institute of Cancer Research
“Kate has been delivering courses on ‘small group teaching’ and ‘assessment and feedback’ for over 10 years as part of Cardiff’s Training Programme for postgraduate researchers. Kate’s courses ensure that there is a balance between theory and practice whilst drawing on her extensive experiences. Kate is a natural at enthusing those who attend her sessions and her engaging approach to delivery is always well received by our postgraduates researchers who consistently give positive feedback”.
Dr Afia Ahmed
Doctoral Academy
University of Cardiff
“It has been my pleasure to work with Kate on a range of events and projects at Queen’s University Belfast over a number of years. She has been invited to Queen’s on numerous occasions to facilitate workshops for academic colleagues on topics including, Motivating Student Learning and Managing and Assessment Groupwork. These events are always well-received and comments have included, “the speaker was excellent and informative” and “Kate is an excellent presenter, I enjoyed both her content but also delivery style”, with others noting the inclusion of “practical examples with thought-provoking conversations”. As external assessor on our internal Teaching Awards panel, Kate’s input and guidance have been invaluable, providing sound advice to the panel members and constructive feedback to candidates”.
Liz McDowell
Centre for Educational Development
Queen’s University Belfast
Kate’s deep and extensive knowledge of educational development and adult learning is founded on a wealth of experience, a thorough engagement with the literature and perhaps most importantly natural flair and personal insight. She is a wonderful facilitator and has that rare ability to work very effectively with colleagues at all levels of seniority. In addition to this, what I have strongly appreciated over the years is Kate’s ability to work in partnership with an in-house team to create a seamless offering that is both impactful and sustainable. I have always valued Kate’s close knowledge of the sector, whether that be developments in student engagement and assessment practice or the adoption of new technologies, and Kate’s own research and writing have helped to make this accessible to a very wide audience in colleges and universities both in the UK and internationally”.
Doug Parkin
Programme Director
Leadership Foundation for Higher Education
“Dr Kate Exley is giving a training course for PhD supervisors at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) once a year. It is a pleasure to work with her. Course organisation is easy thanks to her kindness and flexibility, and the course content is adapted to the needs of the institution. The training courses are well prepared and highly appreciated by the participants. Even senior PhD supervisors with many years of experience in supervising PhD candidates acquire new knowledge with the training, take advice and reflect on their supervisory style. Attendees value, in particular, the interactive format of the training, the practical examples and case studies, as well as the excellent presentation skills and enthusiasm of the trainer”.
Dr Malou Fraiture
PhD Training Coordinator
Luxembourg Institute of Health
“Kate offered me consistent and cheery support over the many years it took me to complete the PGCHE. She helped me to demonstrate that I had achieved the substantive requirements for the PGCHE but also helped me to navigate how to do it. She inspired me to develop both research outputs on teaching and to develop pedagogic innovations that have won me awards and seen my students present to the House of Lords”.
Dr Charles Dannreuther
School of Politics and International Studies
University of Leeds
“As our External Moderator for our HEA accredited CPD Scheme, Kate’s contributions and advice have been invaluable. During her 4 year appointment, Kate has shared her expertise and knowledge of the sector regarding such provision. This has enabled us to refine and enhance the design, as well as provide a quality assured scheme that meets the needs of our institution. Kate’s collegial and constructive approach was much appreciated by the team and senior management”.
Dr Rachael Carkett
Senior Academic Staff developer
University of Bath
“Kate was my supervisor for PGCHE route 2 leading to a certificate. Kate helped me think critically about my experiences and link these to the theory. Most important for me though is that she gave me valuable insights into how I perceive and process information. This goes far beyond the certificate as it helped me realise how I interact with other people. A very vital skill in my work as a lecturer in International Health where I work with students, direct colleagues, and partners outside the UK”.
Dr Jennifer Parr
Director of Intercalated Studies
Leeds Institute of Health Sciences
“Kate and I have collaborated on many and varied projects, assessments and evaluations since we first started working together on the ‘Enterprise in Higher Education’ initiative in 1991. Kate is very well read in order to ensure an awareness of the latest developments in her areas of expertise, and she speaks, facilitates and advises with the authority that comes from long and deep experience. Kate has an open mind and brings a freshness and enthusiasm of approach to any project with which she is involved; she does more than just enable and facilitate she adds a dimension of mutual trust that helps others to realise their own creativity and capabilities more fully. Unsurprisingly, I recommend Kate without reservation!”
Professor Martin Binks
Haydn Green Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The University of Nottingham
Higher Education Assessment & Development 