Dr Wayne Clark

Biography

I am a researcher and educator with over 25 years’ experience in higher education in the UK and USA. My research addresses the intersection of public participation, citizenship and the public sphere, as well as specialising in key areas of the contemporary higher education experience including student engagement, transitions of non-traditional learners, and employability. My work has drawn upon a range of social research methods and perspectives including qualitative, quantitative and secondary research tools.

Currently I hold the position of Student Learning and Engagement Coordinator in the Teaching, Learning and Employability Exchange at UAL. This one-year pilot is being delivered by two Student Learning and Engagement Coordinators uses a data-informed, evidence-based approach to identify ways to enhance student engagement at UAL.

Prior to joining UAL, I led two teams at University of Westminster: i) Data Impact team in Strategy, Planning and Performance ii) Research and Development team in the Career Development Centre. Previously, I worked for over ten years as a social science academic at Birkbeck, Bucks New University, University of Bedfordshire and Central Missouri State University teaching social and political theory, research methods and media/cultural studies.

My doctoral thesis examines the nature of political activism in the UK in the late 1990s in the context of Habermas' theory of the public sphere and was recently republished as the book Activism in the Public Sphere: Exploring Discourses of Political Participation (Routledge, 2019). Other outputs include peer reviewed journal articles in Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education, Learning and Teaching in the Social Sciences, Policy and Politics and Social Science Tribune, as well as articles in HE practitioner journals including Educational Developments, Graduate Market Trends, and Adults Learning.

My book reviews have been published in a range of academic journals including Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education, Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, British Journal of Sociology, Political Studies, and Political Studies Review. I am currently a referee for four academic journals: Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning; Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education; Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability; RAISE Student Engagement in Higher Education.

Other work includes funded evaluative projects for Linking London Lifelong Learning Network: 'FE-HE Transitions: Understanding Vocational Learner Experiences in HE', an exploration of the educational and early career transitions experienced by non-A level students and graduates; 'Career Development Centre Skills Award', an evaluation of the impact an extra-curricular scheme supporting non-traditional students to develop employability skills. Other projects include 'Schools: Active Citizenship for Undergraduate Students' funded by the Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Sociology Anthropology and Politics.

I am an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) and I hold a PG Cert in Supporting Learning. I am also a qualified Coach and Manager.