Statement in support of Dr Cathy Hampton
Dr Cathy Hampton is an exceptional teaching fellow, who combines a passion for learning
with a strong pastoral ability. Cathy has been at the forefront of an innovative institutional
project and has also taken a lead on a project of national strategic importance, both related
to the theme of the Year Abroad. As the coordinator of the French Year Abroad Virtual
Learning Environment, Cathy has been responsible for overseeing the development of the
Moodle and Mahara pages used by the department of French Studies. Cathy’s oversight of
this project launched the first VLE used by the department, which Cathy has also applied to
a variety of first-year modules. Cathy has thus succeeded in leading a revolutionary
approach to e-learning within the department, enabling students to develop as learners
beyond the classroom, notably through the use of reflective e-portfolios through Mahara and
through constructivist assignments.
Cathy has also been involved at an institutional level in the development of Moodle and
Mahara across the University, disseminating findings at, for example, the Institutional
Teaching and Learning Showcase. Cathy’s pioneering use of Moodle and Mahara for the
purposes of supporting the Year Abroad cohort at Warwick has led to the creation of a
network of institutional partners whose aim is to develop the use of e-portfolios for the
purposes of student language learning and the enhancement of transferable skills. Cathy
has disseminated her use of the Mahara e-portfolio builder for year abroad students at a
number of national conferences, including the biennial conference of the subject group for
Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies (LLAS). Through leading the use of e-portfolios for
year abroad students, Cathy has demonstrated a clear capacity for adaptability and
adaptability to changing circumstances and technologies, adapting the department’s
provision for year abroad students to reflect a new social media age. Cathy’s use of the
electronic video creator and repository, Kaltura, has also reflected this adaptability, drawing
on new technologies to develop students as learners and as citizens.
Cathy is a significant influence on the team of postgraduate teachers in the department. In
my own postgraduate teaching career, I have greatly benefited from Cathy’s guidance and
mentoring. In addition to one-to-one mentoring, Cathy has also designed and delivered
training courses for the team of postgraduate language tutors, providing guidance on
assessment methods and on pedagogic theories. Cathy has been a highly supportive
mentor and a constant presence in my own professional development. Whether offering
support on lecturing techniques and styles, or disseminating best small group teaching
practice, in particular with regards to encouraging student participation and facilitating deep
learning, Cathy has been a consistent source of inspiration.
Indeed, Cathy’s innovative curriculum design, with an emphasis on open-space learning
(OSL) and the ‘student-as-researcher’ model, has had a great influence on my own teaching
practice. Cathy has combined both pedagogic theories in her second-year module ‘In the
Family Way: Birth, Sex and Death in Seventeenth-Century French Culture and Texts,’
departing from traditional, desk-based teaching and learning to bring early modern literature
to the social media generation of students. Cathy’s course content is thus highly engaging
and inspirational for both her students and for colleagues. The teaching environment
fostered by Cathy is outstanding, supporting and inspiring students through a variety of
techniques employed in lectures and small group teaching. Cathy’s use of the student as
researcher model, for example, encourages students to pursue individual and collaborative
research, training a future generation of scholars and graduate employees with an emphasis
on research skills, report writing and presentation skills. The incorporation of highly
contemporary pedagogy, especially the OSL theories developed by the Institute of Advanced
Teaching and Learning, demonstrates Cathy’s strong contribution to course development in
the department.
Cathy has consistently contributed to activities across the University, leading a Widening
Participation project in collaboration with the Institute of Education which enables students
on the year abroad to produce educational resources for comprehensive schools in Coventry
and Warwickshire. Cathy has also championed the activities of the University in the wider
community by speaking at an annual conference of sixth-form students in Milton Keynes,
while creating a major new opportunity for the University on a national level through her
coordination of the inter-institutional Year Abroad VLE group. Through collaborating with the
student-run French Society in the creation of a departmental student mentoring scheme,
Cathy has made a major contribution to the social environment of the University, markedly
improving the student experience. In the same way, through establishing a peer-support
teaching fellow group within the sub-Faculty of Modern Languages, Cathy has made a vast
contribution to the cultural environment for all teaching staff at the sub-Faculty level.
In summary, Cathy Hampton has demonstrated clear teaching leadership at every level: in
the department, in the sub-Faculty, institutionally and nationally. Cathy is an innovative and
inspirational university teacher, whose application of technology-enhanced learning to
curriculum development and to the learning process of the Year Abroad has demonstrated
her strong contribution to the undergraduate student experience. Cathy’s support for her
colleagues and for graduate students in the department underlines her commitment to the
life of the University, while her module design and delivery demonstrates Cathy’s creative
approach to the transferable skills required by today’s generation of students. Cathy’s
teaching innovations, and her inspirational approach to teaching and learning was
recognised by students and staff last academic year (2011-12) when Cathy obtained a
Warwick Award for Teaching Excellence. Cathy has since continued to enhance her
teaching practice and continues to make a significant contribution to the life of the
department and to the wider teaching and learning community at the University
David Lees, PhD Candidate, Department of French Studies
Warwick Awards for Teaching Excellence PGR Winner 2012