Samuel Dent

Starting out in student support services, I gained frontline experience of the real challenges facing staff and students in a diverse range of services and teaching modes, which inspired me to start my PhD research. I am currently Head of Academic Development responsible for the universities Academic Development Team.

Prior to joining Staffordshire University I was Nottingham Trent University's Academic Development Manager, I was responsible for three teams; Educational Development, Educational Research & Evaluation, and the Trent Institute for Learning and Teaching (TILT). Responsible for leading on the support for the closure of Success Gaps across the institution as part of the University's Access and Participation Plan (APP).

Prior to this role I established NTU's Educational Research & Evaluation Team, leading a team on a range of equality and inclusivity projects. Now a permanent part of NTU my team's projects included looking at; LGBT+ Students Academic Experience; Mature Student Experience; Commuter Student Experience; and links between Work-Related Learning, Placements, to addressing attainment gaps.

Prior to this I worked at the University of Sheffield demonstrating local, national and international impact, securing a cumulative total of £2.5 Million in external funding for addressing barriers to student success. My 2017 research Should I Stay or Should I go?, was launched to a national endorsement, and has been cited in the Office for Students (OfS) regulatory framework. While also leading the I have also leading OFS- funded project Raising Awareness, Raising Aspirations (RARA) which worked with Kings College London and the University of Portsmouth to develop approaches to personal tutoring practice to reduce unexplained gaps in attainment, particularly for students from BME and lower socio-economic backgrounds.

I am a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a network convenor for the Society for Research in Higher Education (SRHE), in 2016, I was named the Forum for Access and Continuing Education's (FACE) Emerging Researcher. I have acted as an associate and invited lecturer at various institutions, and welcome opportunities to speak and collaborate.