Ian Scott University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa

I have worked in academia for two decades and during this time I have encountered different disciplines and developed a range of interests. My first degree was in Applied Biology and from there I moved on to gain my Ph.D. in Avian Ecology and Physiology. I completed my Ph.D. and several years of ‘post-doc’ at Durham University before moving on to my first teaching post at Suffolk College; where I was employed to teach physiology to nurses, but as with most mixed economy FE/HE institutes, I soon found myself teaching maths, biochemistry, ecology and A-level biology. This was my baptism of fire; 22-26 hours per week teaching and I rapidly learnt the art of class room control and ‘filling the time’. Whilst this was an experience I hold dear, I soon moved on to De Montfort University. At De Montfort, my main role was lecturing in ecology, but I also contributed by lecturing in general science to B.Ed. Primary and B.Ed. Secondary PE teachers. During my time at De Montfort, I managed, I hope, to undo the poor teaching practice I had previously developed and my interest in pedagogies and student learning developed. I started to believe that all my teaching could be and improved and I began to question my practice. Through this growing interest in pedagogy, I took on the role of APEL advisor and became involved in the GEES subject network. I started researching into aspects of pedagogy and was particularly intrigued by informal learning and through my interest in APEL developed an equally strong interest in work based learning. My involvement in work based learning and APEL led to a position at City University The development units remit was eventually expanded to cover an entire faculty with subjects ranging from radiotherapy to police and justice. Whilst working for City I developed a strong interest in; mentorship, study skill and research skill development and widening participation. I became chair of SEEC’s foundation degree network in 2004 and was awarded a University Teaching Fellowship in 2005. In February 2008, I joined the University of Worcester and Head the Academic Development and Practice Unit. My research interests currently focus on learning in less formal environments, but I am always, looking for an ‘interesting problem’.