Dr Ian G. Giles PFHEA

I am now an Emeritus Professorial Fellow in the Faculty of Medicine in the University of Southampton, having been the Director of the University's Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit. For six months in 2008 I was acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education). In 2005 I completed the Management and Leadership in Higher Education programme run by the Graduate School of Education, Harvard University.

I have a passion in helping students learn. This has driven me to become increasingly involved in student engagement, quality enhancement and assurance. For me the best definition of quality is that of transformation which requires enhancement through continuous institutional change.

My academic background is as a biomedical scientist. I gained a first class degree in Physiology and Biochemistry and a PhD in Physical Biochemistry. My research interests are in the areas of bioinformatics, and protein structure and function. After promotion to Senior Lecturer, I held a number of roles including coordinator of the early years of the Southampton Medical degree and Deputy Head of School (Education) for the School of Biological Sciences. I became the Director of Learning and Teaching in the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Biological Sciences (2000-2003) and was appointed as the first Associate Dean (Education) in the newly created Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences (2003 to 2007).

I was one of the first two Southampton academics to gain the title University Director of Education (equivalent to a personal chair) awarded for achievement in the Leadership and Management of Education.

With the QAA (www.qaa.ac.uk) I have been a subject reviewer, an institutional and IRENI reviewer and am now an HER reviewer. I am also a DAP/UT scrutineer. I have been involved with numerous professional, statutory and regulatory bodies in the health and social care arenas. I have considerable experience as an external examiner and I currently work with a number of Universities relating to Quality and staff development frameworks linked to the UKPSF. I was the specialist author for the chapters in the QAA UK Quality Code on Student Engagement and Learning & Teaching.

I have undertaken international work in Europe, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Libya and Mauritius.