Role
The main duties I undertake at NTU are teaching and assessment of undergraduate Psychology, including planning, module leadership and delivery of psychology related modules, supervising dissertation students.
As a senior lecturer the pedagogical approach I take is unlike many of my colleagues, I have primarily adopted the Team Based Learning Approach two years ago due to enhance the learning experience and to allow students the opportunity to successfully engage and develop a range of academic skills that will be used within their professional employment. More recently I have written new modules within early years drawing on the neuroscientific approach to understanding early childhood also adopting a TBL approach.
The student experience is extremely important to me, as a care leaver unable to access HE until I was 26, I appreciate the difficulties many students face in the transition from mainstream education into HE and how this can impede the engagement they offer. To develop my skills to support students I have actively the role of CERT mentor lead for the BA Education course for three years and now the Level 4 Psychology tutor. To compliment this role, I have also trained as a GRIT resilience facilitator with NTU, delivering welcome workshops across Social Sciences for all Years 1 students. More recently I had the privilege of being part of the first group of staff trained to deliver the Consent Training programme as a compulsory requirement for all year one students.
Career overview
2023 - present Senior Lecturer - School of Social Sciences: Psychology
2013 – 2023 – Senior Lecturer - School of Social Sciences: Institute of Education Nottingham Trent University
2011 – 2014 Adoption Panel Member – Nottingham City Council
2003 – 2014 Training Manager - KB Recruitment & Training Ltd
2002 –2003 Youth Offending Sessional Worker (Nottingham City)
1999 - 2001 Young Peoples Support Worker (NCH Action for Children)
1998 –1999 Residential Social Worker (Buckinghamshire County Council)
1998 Relief Residential Childcare Officer (Gateshead Council)
Research areas
I am aligned to the EDMAL: Education, Motivation and Learning Group promoting and support research examining the experiences of students across the educational lifespan, with a view to understanding how to improve their learning and motivation.
Education, Motivation and Learning Research Group (EDMAL) | Nottingham Trent University
Recent research includes: Parental Motivational Messaging (PMM) which examines how students respond to their parent' motivation messages
Currently undertaking a PhD with a focus on understanding wellbeing for early childhood and developing measures to capture subjective views of wellbeing
I am currently focused on the wellbeing of early childhood within healthcare settings and children living with chronic health conditions:
Latest paper: Drachmann D, Hoffmann E, Carrigg A, Davis-Yates B et al. Towards enhanced understanding of idiopathic ketotic hypoglycemia: a literature review and introduction of the patient organization, Ketotic Hypoglycemia International. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2021;16(1):1-11
https://ojrd.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13023-021-01797-2
External activity
2019 – 2021 Director of Ethics – Ketotic Hypoglycaemia International
2018- 2021 Civilian Instructor 209 SQD ATC
2006-2010 Primary School Governor – Dovecote Primary
2002 – 2003 Hospital Play Worker - QMC
2000–2001 Adoption panel member – Durham Diocesan
Publications
DRACHMANN, D, HOFFMANN, E, CARRIGG A, DAVIS-YATES, B, WEAVER V, PETERSEN, J.S, THORNTON, P, WEINSTEIN, D.A, SHAH, P & CHRISTESEN. H. 2021. Patient Organization for Families Affected by Idiopathic Ketotic Hypoglycemia. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases (16):173