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Mrs Ros Lishman

Job: Associate Professor

Faculty: Business and Law

School/department: Leicester Castle Business School

Address: The Gateway, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK, LE1 9BH

T: +44 (0)116 257 7434

E: rlishman@dmu.ac.uk

W: https://www.dmu.ac.uk

Social Media: twitter.com/roslishman

 

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Personal profile

Ros Lishman

Associate Head of Department (Academic) - Department of Politics, People and Place

Associate Professor, Teacher Fellow, BSc (Hons), PgDip, SFHEA

Ros is an Associate Professor and specialises in facilitating co-constructed experiential and service learning across a range of levels and programmes in the Department of Politics, People and Place.  Ros has been at DMU since 1997 in a variety of roles including research student, research fellow, lecturer and academic development partner.  She has academic leadership experience through module, programme and line management responsibilities.  Across the University.  Ros has contributed to teaching excellence through developing and sharing her teaching practice and has been a recognised DMU Teacher Fellow since 2012. 

For many years Ros only taught part-time professional students but now focuses on leading four modules for full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on politics/IR and project management programmes.  Her pedagogic practice is underpinned by the community of inquiry framework (CoI) and application of the universal design for learning framework (UDL). 

Ros is particularly known for her experience and ability in developing and delivering online digital education.  She helps and supports colleagues from across the University on educational technology issues and provides appropriate and creative solutions for learning, teaching and assessment.  She is currently on the project board for the VLE replacement project. Her strengths also include designing curriculum to enable staff and students to gain professional recognition and develop employability skills.

Research group affiliations

Centre for Academic Innovation

Publications and outputs

  • Self-reflection as an assessment for Public Administration students: have we reflected on why we are doing it?
    Self-reflection as an assessment for Public Administration students: have we reflected on why we are doing it? Jones, Alistair; Lishman, Ros The use of self-reflection as part of an assessment component, or a summative assessment, is becoming widely utilised, across many academic disciplines. In professional courses, such practices are long-established. There is a suggestion, however, that self-reflection may mean different things to different academic disciplines. What is often unclear, for example, is why such an assessment is included in the learning strategies of a given module. It could be part of the learning package undertaken by students - to encourage them to reflect upon why they have undertaken particular aspects of study and what has been achieved as a result. This is a type of reflective questioning. Alternatively, for undergraduate students, it could be about developing a particular skill for use in a future work environment - we all undertake some type of appraisal. Finally, for some academic colleagues, it may be about the perception of reducing the marking burden, through self-assessment and self-rating. There are many things to consider here. Are the aims of these assessments explained clearly to the students? Can the students make the links between conducting self-reflection and applying it to another arena? Do the students take such assessments seriously? For many professional courses, such questions may elucidate much more positive answers. In this respect, the emphasis of this paper is very much upon our experiences in politics and public administration. There is also the issue of the perception of reducing the academic burden by undertaking such assessments. The reality is that - to do the job properly - it is likely to take longer to facilitate the assessment. The marking may also take longer if there is a need to examine the 'evidence'. This message will permeate throughout the paper. This paper will examine the issues around 'why' self-reflection may be a valuable part of assessment for both students and staff. It will include the case studies of two second-year modules in the Department of Politics, People and Place, which have forms of self-reflection embedded in their assessment strategies. The self-reflection aspect of these modules assessments comprises different modes and assessment weightings. There are variable experiences in these modules as to the value of these assessments. This paper will not be uncritical of the strategies undertaken in the modules with self-reflection as part of the assessment. The aim is to give careful consideration as to why such a form of assessment can be a valuable tool in developing a student's academic development and enhancing their potential employability, while also highlighting the drawbacks. Self-reflection is not the "all singing, all dancing" assessment that many may consider it to be. The context of the assessment needs to be explained clearly for the students to gain the maximum possible benefit from undertaking such an exercise. It could be questioned as to whether or not self-reflection is fit for purpose? To address this question, consideration must be given as to the purpose of the assessment.
  • Self-reflection as an assessment: have we reflected on why we are doing it?
    Self-reflection as an assessment: have we reflected on why we are doing it? Jones, Alistair; Lishman, Ros The use of self-reflection as part of an assessment component, or a summative assessment, is becoming widely utilised, across many academic disciplines. In professional courses, such practices are long-established. There is a suggestion, however, that self-reflection may mean different things to different academic disciplines. What is often unclear, for example, is why such an assessment is included in the learning strategies of a given module. It could be part of the learning package undertaken by students - to encourage them to reflect upon why they have undertaken particular aspects of study and what has been achieved as a result. This is a type of reflective questioning. Alternatively, for undergraduate students, it could be about developing a particular skill for use in a future work environment - we all undertake some type of appraisal. Finally, for some academic colleagues, it may be about the perception of reducing the marking burden, through self-assessment and self-rating. There are many things to consider here. Are the aims of these assessments explained clearly to the students? Can the students make the links between conducting self-reflection and applying it to another arena? Do the students take such assessments seriously? For many professional courses, such questions may elucidate much more positive answers. In this respect, the emphasis of this paper is very much upon our experiences in the social sciences. There is also the issue of the perception of reducing the academic burden by undertaking such assessments. The reality is that - to do the job properly - it is likely to take longer to facilitate the assessment. The marking may also take longer if there is a need to examine the 'evidence'. This message will permeate throughout the paper. This paper will examine the issues around 'why' self-reflection may be a valuable part of assessment for both students and staff. It will include the case studies of two second-year modules in the Department of Politics, People and Place, which have forms of self-reflection embedded in their assessment strategies. The self-reflection aspect of these modules assessments comprises different modes and assessment weightings. There are variable experiences in these modules as to the value of these assessments. This paper will not be uncritical of the strategies undertaken in the modules with self-reflection as part of the assessment. The aim is to give careful consideration as to why such a form of assessment can be a valuable tool in developing a student's academic development and enhancing their potential employability, while also highlighting the drawbacks. Self-reflection is not the "all singing, all dancing" assessment that many may consider it to be. The context of the assessment needs to be explained clearly for the students to gain the maximum possible benefit from undertaking such an exercise. It could be questioned as to whether or not self-reflection is fit for purpose? To address this question, consideration must be given as to the purpose of the assessment.
  • Reflecting to Rebuild and Strengthen Professional Development A Collection of ‘Post-Online’ Conversations
    Reflecting to Rebuild and Strengthen Professional Development A Collection of ‘Post-Online’ Conversations Cartwright, Edward; Chapman, Gary; Davies, Jonathan; Gordon, Genevieve; Harman, Brian; Koenig, Brett; Lancastle, Neil; Lishman, Ros; Malan, Karen; Guarneros-Meza, Valeria; Nizalov, Denys; Orazgani, Ali; Orr, Russell; Omar, Paul; Saunders, Roger; Virmani, Swati; Allen, Thomas This monograph is a multi-authored collection consisting of our faculty’s post-online reflections. The objective was to gather thoughts and discussion around teaching and research during COVID-19. We aim to build and explore around ‘lived experiences’ to provide a reference point to help Continuous Professional Learning and Development (CPLD) activities. The section on ‘digital diaries’ consists of dialogues from staff categorised into varied themes. In the testimonies, staff have reflected around their challenges, targets, strengths, familiarity and how they managed to overcome difficulties and achieve goals. A special section, from the Centre for Urban Research on Austerity (CURA), is devoted to identifying how pandemic has intensified research challenges, highlighting the funding, time and location constraints on academic research. The file attached to this record is the author's version
  • Putting the Action into Politics: Embedding Employability in the Academic Curriculum
    Putting the Action into Politics: Embedding Employability in the Academic Curriculum Lishman, Ros; Jones, Alistair We have developed a module which seeks to address the challenge of balancing academic and professional skills development. The Politics in Action module is currently delivered to approximately 80, second year undergraduate politics and IR students. After a period of confidence and trust building, students are tasked with working in small teams, to scope, develop and implement a project which aims to tackle one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at a local level. The module is resource intensive. It takes specific competences and motivation to successfully lead this pedagogical model. For instance, the current module leader has expertise in digital capabilities, extensive experience of being a facilitator, teaching skills development and professional recognition and working with part-time professional students. The teaching team needs to be ‘agile’ in its approach, to deal with real-time issues as they arise. The module has been influenced by the requirements of the Quality Assurance Agency’s Benchmarks for Politics and International Relations (QAA, 2019). Students in their individual reflective assignment must engage with the graduate skills and knowledge they have gained through the year, linking this with their personal SWOT analysis. There is a focus on experiential learning to complement and reinforce the theoretical knowledge taught elsewhere. This co-created module gives students an opportunity to shine, to develop confidence and enhance their strengths. Practical research skills and ethics are also incorporated into the hidden curriculum to help those who go on to take the politics dissertation. Politics in Action is about giving students the opportunity to gain experiences of working on projects in a place where it is alright for the project to ‘fail’. This real-world experience can be included in the Higher Education Achievement Record at the same time as gaining academic credits. Where does politics fit? Firstly, students have to engage with and debate about the merits of the UN SDGs. They must also consider and explore the concept of what local politics in action means to them. Additionally, students are exposed to the theory and practice of project management, leadership and team development, which they might not otherwise encounter. Students have created projects which have raised awareness and acted on a range of issues such as food poverty, homelessness, and waste reduction. The projects have involved developing relationships with a number of external stakeholders. Students have commented how proud they are of their achievements and recognise their impact. The module aligns strategically with the University by working with the public engagement team (DMU Local) and embracing Universal Design for Learning. This module is seen as a template of good practice and the concept has been used to design a stand-alone module which could be embedded into any programme across the institution. The Politics in Action module does offer a model where skills development and employability take priority. But this is within a framework of academic integrity and personalised learning, linked with the concepts of education for sustainable development and political activism for a highly diverse group of students. ECPR Virtual Conference, 24-28 August 2020 This was the virtual replacement for the annual ECPR conference which was planned for Innsbruck, Austria for August 2020
  • Designing for difference: lessons from a cross-disciplinary implementation of Universal Design for Learning
    Designing for difference: lessons from a cross-disciplinary implementation of Universal Design for Learning Brown, James Benedict; Hall, Richard; Lishman, Ros; Rushworth, Jo; Snape, J. Richard Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a pedagogical framework that seeks to provide students with flexible ways of learning, flexiblestudyresources,andflexiblewaysoftestinglearning. Just as Universal Design (UD) provides for difference of physical ability amongst users, UDL provides for difference of learning styles amongst students. Like UD, UDL assumes that learner difference, not commonality, is the norm. 1 De Montfort University (DMU) is a public teaching and research university located in the city of Leicester in the East Midlands of England. In 2016, DMU adopted UDL as part of a university- wide program to offset the consequences of changes to central government support for students with disabilities. Alongside a significant investment in lecture capture and replay technology, DMU’s adoption of the principles of UDL has challenged faculty members teaching at all levels and in all disciplines to re- appraise the accessibility and inclusivity of their teaching. This paper discusses research-in-progress from a cross-discipline survey of the implementation of the principles of UDL at DMU.* The project examines the perceptions and feelings of freshman students from a range of different backgrounds and in a range of subjects about the impact of UDL on their experience of higher education. When complete, the project will evaluate how the implementation of the principles and ideas of UDL are interpreted and applied by students, alongside their recom- mendations for the academic practice of staff. Funded by the Teaching Innovation Project (2016/17) 'Towards Equitable Engagement: the Impact of UDL on Student Perceptions of Learning'
  • Promoting investment in private rented housing supply: international policy comparisons
    Promoting investment in private rented housing supply: international policy comparisons Oxley, Michael; Brown, Tim J.; Haffner, Marietta; Hoekstra, Joris; Lishman, Ros
  • Co-ordinating regeneration: Improving effectiveness in local delivery.
    Co-ordinating regeneration: Improving effectiveness in local delivery. Brown, Tim J.; Lishman, Ros
  • Review of practice in the use of section 106 agreements to facilitate the delivery of affordable housing in the East Midlands
    Review of practice in the use of section 106 agreements to facilitate the delivery of affordable housing in the East Midlands Oxley, Michael; Brown, Tim J.; Camp, S.; Doran, D.; Levis, J.; Line, B.; Lishman, Ros; Turkington, R.
  • Rapid evidence assessment of the research literature on the purchase and use of second homes
    Rapid evidence assessment of the research literature on the purchase and use of second homes Brown, Tim J.; Lishman, Ros; Oxley, Michael; Turkington, R.
  • Black and minority ethnic communities and housing in the East Midlands: a strategy for the region.
    Black and minority ethnic communities and housing in the East Midlands: a strategy for the region. Oxley, Michael; Brown, Tim J.; Lishman, Ros; Richardson, Joanna

Click here to see a full listing of Ros Lishman's publications and outputs  - housing and learning & teaching.

Research interests/expertise

  • Reflective learning
  • Co-constructed experiential, service-based and project-based learning
  • Digital education
  • Digital capabilities
  • Approaches to learning and teaching for professional students
  • Professional development for academic staff
  • Social housing

Areas of teaching

  • Academic and employability skills
  • Reflective learning
  • Dissertations and projects, including supervising undergraduate and postgraduate students
  • Research skills  - using experiences of undertaking housing research and consultancy
  • Project management
  • Housing  - choice and lettings

Qualifications

BSc (Hons) Geographical Science with French, University of Portsmouth (1994) first

Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Education, University of Edinburgh (2016) merit   

Courses taught

Current teaching committments

Undergradute politics, IR and public policy programmes

  • Dissertation (POPP3000)  - 30 credits, Level 6: Module Leader

MSc Project Management

 

Ros has 20+ years experience of teaching on a range of courses at De Montfort University – which has included a mix of face-to-face, hybrid, blended and online distance learning.

Honours and awards

'Mentor of the Year' Bal of the BALL winner 2021 (by nomination and award from the Faculty of the Business and Law)

'Outstanding Digital Educator' 2020/21 - inaugural BAL TaLEnt Award (by nominations from colleagues in the Faculty of Business and Law)  - June 2021

'Outstanding contribution to Teaching and Learning' - inaugural Bal of the BALL winner 2020 (by nominations from colleagues in the Faculty of Business and Law)

National Teacher Fellowship  - institutional nominee (2021)

DMU Teacher Fellow  - from 2012

In summer 2012 Ros' teaching excellence was recognised by the University and she was awarded a three-year funded Teacher Fellowship.  The University annually awards up to six new Teacher Fellows, a role which involves leading on teaching and learning issues.  Ros has particularly been interested in using the Fellowship to improve academic professional development.  For example, she has received funding to undertake small research projects:

  • to understand the level of interest in academic professional development opportunities in the Faculty; and 
  • to enhance staff digital capabilities in the Department.

Ros has also mentored colleagues who have applied for Teacher Fellowship and sat on the awarding panel for the 2016, 2017 and 2019 Teacher Fellows.

Working as a Teacher Fellow currently forms 0.1FTE of Ros' activities at DMU.

Professional licences and certificates

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA): since 2014

In December 2014 Ros successfully made a claim for Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), under the University's learning and teaching recognition scheme, ‘Define’.  Ros is now taking an active role in supporting colleagues to gain their Fellowship through mentoring as well as sitting on/chairing assessment panels.

Projects

Since 2022: Project Board Member  - VLE Replacement Project

Since 2020: Faculty of Business and Law TaLEnt programme steering group member

Since 2011: Lead on the social media accounts and comms for the Department of Politics, People and Place  - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Anchor podcasts

Conference attendance

Lishman, R. (2012) Housing & E-learning: using the CoI model, presentation at the E-learning & Housing Programmes, DMU & HEA Workshop & Seminar, De Montfort University, Leicester, 9 May

Lishman, R. & Crisp, A. (2013) Virtual reality experiences of using avatars in teaching and learning, presentation at the Technology and Pedagogic Change DMU ELT Symposium, De Montfort University, Leicester, 12 June

Lishman, R. (2013) Le Choice-Based Lettings en Angleterre, keynote speaker at the Conférence communale du Logement de la Ville de Grenoble, Grenoble, 20 September

Lishman, R. (2013) Réforme du logement social: le cadre national et ses déclinaisons territoriales?, roundtable participant at the 16th European Annual Conference of Local Public Enterprises, CNIT La  Défence, Paris, 30 October

Lishman, R. (2014) Information Literacies: a different lens for online part-time professional students?, presentation at the Student Transitions: The Triad of Understanding, DMU Learning and Teaching Conference, De Montfort University, Leicester, 3 September

Lishman, R. (2015) Mes Voyages en France (2013): Allocations, lettings and choice, Similar issues – sharing solutions in Europe, presentation at Allocations, Lettings and Choice: the issues and the solutions, HQN Seminar, Leeds, 10 March

Lishman, R. & Christopher, S. (2015) Using E-Portfolios to Reflect on Academic and Professional Skills: Experiences of Teaching and Assessing Reflection, presentation at the Supporting and Developing Student Reflection in Assessments Seminar, De Montfort University, Leicester, 15 May

Lishman, R. (2015) Using E-portfolios to assess professional practice for housing students, presentation at the Student Transitions II: The Pillars of Learning, DMU Learning and Teaching Conference, De Montfort University, Leicester 15 September

Reeves, A., Lerpiniere, C. & Lishman, R. (2019) Ten Ingredients to embed Education for the Sustainable Development Goals in Taught Courses, presentation at the Student Engagement and Student Disengagement: Reasons, explanations and a way forward, DMU Annual Learning & Teaching Conference, De Montfort University, Leicester 11 September

Consultancy work

Choice-based lettings: 

  • Seconded to Harborough District Council to set up the first district-wide choice-based lettings (CBL) project in England, funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
  • Jointly carried out evaluations of a number of CBL schemes, often focusing on data extraction and analysis as well as developing, undertaking and analysing questionnaires for a range of stakeholders. 
  • 2013: involved in sharing the experiences of introducing choice-based lettings with social landlords and municipalities in France.

Externally funded research grants information

Title: Boosting the Supply of Affordable Rented Housing in the UK: Learning from Other Countries 
Type of Project: Comparative review
Start Date: January 2013
End Date: December 2013
Role in Project: Supported Principal Investigator and other researchers
Collaborators: Oxley, M., Brown, T. and Richardson, J.

Internally funded research project information

Title: Engaging Academics: investigating professional development reluctance

Funding Agency: DMU Teacher Fellow Funding for Pedagogic Research and Development Projects 2012/13

Type of Project: Research Project

Start Date: Sept 2012

End Date: Dec 2013

Role in Project:  Principle Investigator

Collaborator: Annie Britton

 

Title: DigitalPoPP: enhancing digital capabilities in the Department of Politics and Public Policy

Funding Agency: DMU Teacher Fellow Funding for Pedagogic Research and Development Projects 2014/15

Type of Project: Research Project

Start Date: March 2015

End Date: July 2015

Role in Project:  Principle Investigator

Collaborators: Jacq Furness, Chris Goldsmith, Richard Vallance

Additional Activities

Frontrunner Internship Mentor (part-time, October to March/April - 10hrs per week each)

  • 2014/15: Future of Housing Education  - to review the status of housing education in the UK [1 student]
  • 2015-2017: Politics Resources  - to organise, catalogue and share learning and research resources in the Department [2 students]
  • 2015-2023: Politics in Action  - to increase the online presence of the Department through social media [10 students]

Sandwich Placement Supervisor (full-time, September to August)

  • 2021/22: Politics Engagement and Communications Assistant [1 student]

Endorsements

“I got my HEA Fellowship … I just wanted … to say thank you for all the help you gave me. I found the session with you hugely helpful and am certain that the guidance I received from you was instrumental to my being awarded the Fellowship. Thank you very much!” (PgCert Higher Education student, 2015/16)

"I cannot thank enough Ros Lishman, Dr Peter King and Dr Tim Brown ... for the support that they have given, particularly Ros over the last year and for making my time at De Montfort interesting and enjoyable."  (BSc (Hons) Housing Studies graduate, July 2015)

"Thank you for another informative year of teaching. I have learnt new skills and broaden my horizons through the module [Housing and Transferable Skills]." (Foundation Degree in Housing, Communities and Regeneration student, June 2015)

Find Ros on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/roslishman

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