Ben W. Walker

  • Ben is a Senior Lecturer in Educational Development within the Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development and joined Oxford Brookes University in November 2021. In this role he teaches on the EXPLORE programme (supporting colleagues to gain fellowship of the Higher Education Academy), delivers staff development, contributes to the university’s oversight of Academic Advising and undertakes educational research projects.

    Previously holding positions at the University of Lincoln, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Derby, he has been programme leader of the Academic Professional Apprenticeship / Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education and has supported a wide range of trainee teachers and existing practitioners.

    Within college-based higher education, he was course leader of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Post-compulsory) programme in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University. Going further back, he was Head of English and a full-time teacher of English for several years.  

    Ben has co-authored practitioner texts and journal articles on personal tutoring and academic advising, designed and delivered various staff development activities and been an invited keynote speaker at national and international conferences. He is the editor of Teaching Insights, Oxford Brookes University’s teaching and learning publication. He is a reviewer of manuscripts for Frontiers in Education and the International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, both international peer-reviewed journals. He is the Co-Chair of the Oxford Brookes Learning and Teaching Conference and a Conference Scientific Committee Member for the European Conference of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (EuroSOTL). His doctoral research focuses on academic and pastoral support of students informed by critical pedagogy.

    He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and was Vice-Chair of the UK Advising and Tutoring association (UKAT) for whom he was the creator of their national webinar series Tutoring Matters. He also happens to be a drummer in a Sheffield indie band...

    Ben is passionate about the impact the support side of a lecturer's role, including personal tutoring and coaching, can have on students individually, as well as institutions more broadly, and he is committed to developing this field further. 

  • Lochtie, D., Stork, A. and Walker B.W. (2022) (Eds) The Higher Education Personal Tutor’s and Advisor’s Companion: Translating Theory Into Practice to Improve Student Success. St Albans: Critical Publishing.

    Walker, B.W. (2020) Professional standards and recognition for UK personal tutoring and advising. Frontiers in Education. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.531451

    Walker, B.W. (2020) Tackling the personal tutoring conundrum: A qualitative study on the impact of developmental support for tutors. Active Learning in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787420926007

    Lochtie, D., McIntosh, E., Stork, A. and Walker B.W. (2018) Effective Personal Tutoring in Higher Education. Foreword by Professor Liz Thomas.  St Albans: Critical Publishing.    

    Walker, B.W. (2018) A Defining Moment in Personal Tutoring: Reflections on Personal Tutoring Definitions and Their Implications. IMPact: The University of Lincoln Journal of Higher Education, 1(1): 104-118. http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/31913/

    Stork, A. and Walker, B. (2015) Becoming an Outstanding Personal Tutor: Supporting Learners Through Personal Tutoring and Coaching. St Albans: Critical Publishing.

    Stork, A. and Walker, B. (2015) Measure learner performance on a scale of 1 to 10.  Intuition - The Journal for Professional Teachers and Trainers in the Further Education and Skills Sector. Issue 22: 20-21. http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/id/eprint/28059/

    Providing Effective Student Support in the Pre and Post Covid Environment (keynote presentation). SKVC (Centre for Quality Assurance) International Conference, Lithuania (December 2020).

    More Important Than Ever and Yet Impossible to Deliver? Tackling the Advising and Tutoring Conundrum. December 2020. Regional Universities Network, Australia (December 2020).

    More Important Than Ever and Yet Impossible to Deliver? Tackling the Advising and Tutoring Conundrumwith Placement Students (keynote presentation). ASET, The Work-Based and Placement Learning Association Annual Conference, University of Hertfordshire (September 2019).

    The Future of Student Success (discussion panel). Salesforce Conference HE Trailblazer panel, London (April 2019).

    Personal Tutoring - Boundaries in Student Support and Success. International Perspectives in Education (IPIE), University of Derby (June 2019).

    Beginning with Hope: Widening Undergraduate Participation, Belonging and Relationship Building. BERA (British Educational Research Association) Annual Conference, University of Northumbria (September 2018).

    “How can I be an Effective Personal Tutor and What is Out There to Help Me Do This?” Enhancing the Role of the Personal Tutor at the University of Lincoln. NACADA (The Global Community for Academic Advising) International Conference, University College Dublin (July 2018).