Born in the UK, and currently living in New Zealand, Ursula had a fifteen-year career in various commercial-sector jobs in England before taking up an opportunity to pursue her passion to teach. She has been involved in diverse educational settings over the years, including teaching literacy, numeracy and IT skills in inner-city community projects, supporting experiential learning schemes for vulnerable young people and delivering vocational social care subjects at tertiary colleges. Ursula studied part-time for her degree at the University of Warwick, UK, where her experience in sales and administrative roles provided valuable sociological context. Inspired by her learning experiences, she completed her teaching qualifications and later an MA in Lifelong Learning at the University of Nottingham. In 2013 she completed a PhD scholarship in education at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK. Over the past five years she has lectured in sociology and education at universities, alongside teaching creative topics at local adult education centres. Her specialist research areas include the emotions of teaching and learning, and assessment strategies that enhance student-centredness. Ursula’s published academic work ranges from research articles focusing on aspects of emotional labour in education, to use of innovative methodologies in educational research. Ursula is also an enthusiastic creative writer and has published short stories, prose and poetry in anthologies and online magazines.
