Ruth Stoker

Current:

• Director of Teaching and Learning for the School of Music, Humanities and Media since October 2014
• Subject Area Leader for Combined Honours since October 2014
• Senior Lecturer in Journalism since 2006

Previous experience in education:

• Formerly at Barnsley College (1993-2006) where roles included:
• Course leader BA Journalism (validated Leeds University)
• HE quality management leader
• Course leader HND Journalism
• National test setter and moderator for the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA exam board, Coventry
• National HND module writer/developer for Edexcel

I have held external examiner posts for programmes with the University of Plymouth (at Truro College), Manchester Metropolitan University (Manchester College) and Leeds Metropolitan University (Hull College).

For two years I worked as a part time quality reviewer for the Open College Network.

Journalism:

Prior to entering a career in education, I trained and worked as a journalist.

I hold the National Council for Training Journalists (NCTJ) National Certificate, and between 1987 and 1994 worked for:

• Wakefield Express
• Telegraph and Argus, Bradford
• Halifax Courier
• Yorkshire Post

Currently investigating how jouranlists learn ethics in the post-Leveson environment, working with three regional newspaper groups to look at the impact of the community of practice on learning with early career journalists. Some of this work is funded by a bursary awarded by the Association of Jouranlism Education.

Other areas of interest include:

• Blogging as an opportunity for experiential learning
• Newspaper and magazine design
• Changing formats of newspapers
• Pedagogical research into improving interview skills