WHEA Annual Report 2025 Final Digital with links v3 - Flipbook - Page 5
WIHEA is a beacon of student engagement and an
exemplar of how Warwick empowers the student voice
to participate in meaningful engagement and co-creation.
Whilst Staff and Student Members (internal and external)
can join and leave at any time in the year, Staff and Student
Fellows are selected through an annual, competitive
application and nomination process, in which they evidence
their leadership in education and commit to making an
institutional contribution to learning and teaching. Staff
Fellows remain in role for three years and Students for one
year, following which they become WIHEA Alumni.
WIHEA’s impact is three-fold: on institutional-level learning
and teaching development; on the Fellows’ career and
professional development as educational leaders; and
nationally and internationally for Warwick in the higher
education arena.
Impact at an institutional level
WIHEA’s continuing growth and collective achievements
are evident in the number of communities of practice
(Learning Circles and funded projects) that have been
formed to advance teaching. It aims to increase crossinstitutional expertise in a wide range of themes through
the activities outlined above. Fellows bring knowledge,
often from their own disciplines and contexts, and commit
to rigorous processes of institutional and pedagogical
research to inform both local and sector-wide debates.
Impact on Staff and Student Fellows’
career and professional development
Staff Fellows are based in academic and professional
services departments. Those from professional services
are often ‘third-space professionals’, working within
the administrative structure while impacting directly
on students and academic practices. In their impact
statements later in this publication, the Fellows relate in
their own words how their Fellowships have impacted
on their careers and professional learning. Strikingly,
their accounts show how interdisciplinary and crossdisciplinary engagement has given them a more critical
understanding of pedagogy and practice, leading to
change in both their own and their departments’ teaching
and student support. Many Fellows have achieved
external recognition, and acknowledge that receiving
project funding, participating in or leading Learning
Circles, and being involved in governance and policy
development have enhanced their promotion prospects.
WIHEA has had significant impacts on progress toward
parity of esteem by establishing a prestige economy in
teaching akin to existing prestige mechanisms in research,
and by celebrating annually the increasing number of
Fellows who achieve academic promotion, with a notable
increase in teaching focused Professors in the last few
years. Twenty-six Fellows have become Professors
during the nine years of the Academy’s existence, and
several Fellows are part of the Education Strategy Group,
supporting strategic leadership of education at Warwick.
Fellows are offered tailored programmes of educational
leadership training, and through engagement in WIHEA
activities become well-informed of pedagogical and
institutional developments, enhancing their positions and
standing within their academic and professional service
departments.
Student Fellowships provide students with unique
opportunities to work alongside professional and
academic staff, participate in exchanges, projects, and
Learning Circles, and propose learning and teaching
policy or develop new academic practice that enhances
the student experience and student outcomes. Through
this engagement, they also develop an impressive range
of skills, knowledge, and experience. Some have gone on
to work in the higher education sector and have received
awards or national recognition for their work.
National and international impact
WIHEA continues to shape educational innovation
both nationally and internationally, driving sector-wide
change through strategic partnerships, collaborative
projects, and knowledge exchange. Its influence spans
institutions across the UK and globally, supporting
Warwick’s International Strategy and contributing to the
advancement of inclusive, research-informed education.
WIHEA has played a pioneering role in UK higher education,
inspiring similar academies and fostering impactful
collaborations that influence practice and policy. Through
its Collaboration Fund, WIHEA supports joint initiatives
with institutions across the UK, promoting knowledge
exchange and co-creation on sector-wide challenges such
as student engagement, wellbeing, inclusive education,
and digital learning. Previous projects have involved
partners from Bristol, Nottingham, King’s College London,
Brighton, York, Sussex, and University College Birmingham,
producing practical resources and innovative approaches.
Earlier this year, WIHEA brought together Fellows from
the Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence (LITE) and
WIHEA Learning Circle Leads to share opportunities for
collaboration and strengthen institutional links. WIHEA
also works closely with partner academies such as LITE
and Queen Mary’s Academy, co-hosting national events
like the Dales Dialogues and contributing to the formation
of UKSoTL, a cross-institutional body championing
pedagogical research and SoTL.
WIHEA has established a strong global presence through
strategic partnerships and collaborative initiatives that
align with Warwick’s International Strategy. These include
co-leading the Monash–Warwick Education Exchange
Scheme and hosting masterclasses with Monash
University colleagues on topics ranging from AI to critical
thinking. In 2024, WIHEA welcomed Dr Neha Rahman
from the University of Melbourne, whose month-long
visit fostered new connections and collaborations. Her
expertise in inclusive education enriched our community,
particularly through work with Student Fellows to develop
research projects and strengthen a sense of belonging.
The Internationalisation Learning Circle continues to be
a vibrant platform for global knowledge exchange and
educational transformation.
Looking ahead, WIHEA remains committed to cultivating
new international collaborations and supporting
meaningful educational exchanges, with ongoing
opportunities to share practice, build partnerships,
and contribute to sector-wide enhancement.
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