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Mrs Helen Lee

Profile summary

  • Regional Academic Staff
  • Staff Tutor, Education
  • Faculty of Wellbeing, Education & Language Studies
  • School of Education, Childhood, Youth & Sport
  • Regions & Nations (ECYS)
  • helen.m.lee

Professional biography

I am a Lead Staff Tutor (Education) based in Wales, working predominantly within the Education Studies: Primary pathway.

My background is in the field of Education – initially specialising in Secondary Science. Subsequently,  I have taught at all levels from KS1 up to and including KS5. I first joined the Open University in 2008 as a PGCE Tutor on the Secondary Science PGCE programme. Subsequently, I was Partnership Manager before moving on to be an Associate Lecturer on E102, E103, E209 , E309 and EK313.

Since moving into my role as a Staff Tutor and then Lead Staff Tutor, I have been involved in supporting both Associate Lecturers and Staff Tutor in their professional practice.    

Curriculum/programme expertise

An overview of my expertise is included below:

  • Accreditation and development of the revised PGCE programme in Wales.
  • Development of the mentor resources for school-based colleagues (PGCE Wales)
  • Tess-India – Critical Reader
  • Writing for Module and Open Learn courses

Mentoring expertise

My roles have included being a mentor in:

  • Initial Teacher Education programmes
  • Teaching Associate and Academic Supervisor on the Masters in Educational Practice programme in Wales – based at Cardiff University. 
  • As an Applaud mentor, I  support colleagues with their journeys towards HEA fellowship.
  • I am also involved in mentoring colleagues in Wales to support their personal career development.

Research interests

My currently research interests are focused upon:

  • Exploring student journeys through different stages of study - in order to facilitate progression, transition, and retention.
  • The pedagogical approaches employed in online teaching. To this end, my current doctoral studies are aimed at exploring the lived experiences of Associate Lecturers. My phenomenological study aims to uncover the hidden meanings that may underpin individual pedagogical practice and the impacts upon agency, identity, and belief.
  • I am a member of the Collaborative Research Network for Leadership and Professional Learning in Wales. I am shortly to be engaged in research activity around community- focussed schools.

Teaching interests

My teaching interests are focused on the holistic field of education in its widest sense.  

Aligned with my research interests in online teaching and learning and pedagogy, I am currently engaged in developing strategies and resources to support students in higher education to further develop academic skills across different levels of study. 

External collaborations

My work in Wales, has a wide remit, and encompasses education in its widest sense. I act as a conduit between the work undertaken in Wales (OUiW) and faculty-based colleagues. I support the civic mission of the university though both knowledge transfer and knowledge exchange activity. Examples of my work include:

  • Co-Chair – Cross-Faculty Community of Practice Group (2023 onwards)
  • Co-Chair of the EDI challenge panel at the Open University in Wales (2020-2022) Employing a values-based approach, this panel’s remit was to act as a critical friend in scrutinising the strategies and processes employed by the university.
  • Organisation and facilitation of a four nations Education Conference: Evolutions in Education (April 2024)
  • Contributor to the Cardiff Commitment project (2020-2021)