Claire Ketnor (2023) – bio

Dr Claire Ketnor is the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Portfolio Lead in the Department of Engineering and Mathematics at Sheffield Hallam University. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and holds a Vice-Chancellor’s teaching award.

Claire is committed to making the learning experience open and inclusive for all students, particularly within the discipline of mathematics. She aims to enable every prospective student to reach their full potential in university-level mathematics by adapting approaches for new purposes or bringing approaches in from elsewhere. Claire aims to cater to students with different learning styles by using inclusive teaching approaches within a workshop format. Her use of physical objects within classes, such as Rubik’s cubes, helps students understand complex material. Due to the importance of using a mixture of assessment methods for inclusivity and to help students who may struggle with traditional approaches, Claire has introduced a number of different assessment activities including video assignments and work-related learning. Through these methods, students are given opportunities to demonstrate their understanding according to how they communicate best.

Claire’s research area is teaching and learning pedagogy. To better understand barriers to learning to inform teaching decisions, Claire created and leads an international Psychology of Mathematics Education research cluster.

Keen to encourage more female students to study mathematics beyond GCSE level, Claire created a ‘Girls in Maths’ day. This inspires girls to consider more options regarding future studies. She is also passionate about introducing initiatives to help students transition into university and foster feelings of belonging, which are important for retention and student success. Claire has helped other courses set up PAL (Peer Assisted Learning) schemes and develop community plans.

Claire creates opportunities to lead others to be diverse by developing teaching and assessment methods away from traditional approaches. She is particularly proud of her quick progression to hosting national and international events that changes practice world-wide and benefits thousands of students each year. For example, Claire led an international TALMO workshop on student interaction and engagement which gave educators tools to encourage student involvement and increase belonging.

Email: c.ketnor@shu.ac.uk