Dr Mary Kitchener

• EXPLORE Taught Scheme

Previously

• Programme leader: Professional/Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (Post Compulsory) in ACP provision.
• Postgraduate Certificate for Teaching in Higher Education.

Research interests 

Mary transitioned into teaching in Higher Education in 2016, which became the catalyst for her doctoral research on professional academics - often referred to as pracademics. She completed her EdD in 2021, focusing on the transition from professional practice to academic roles. Her findings were published in an edited collection by Dickinson & Griffiths in 2023.

Mary’s publications include a peer-reviewed collection of fifty case studies for creating a gender-sensitive curriculum (Kitchener, 2022), alongside work published by the British Educational Research Association, the Staff and Educational Development Association, and the Society for Education and Training.

Most recently, Mary authored A Field Guide to Working in Higher Education, a practical resource designed to demystify the day-to-day workings of academia for pracademics. Published by Routledge, the guide is mapped to both the Advance HE Professional Standards Framework (PSF, 2023) and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE).

Groups

• Member of the Accredited Provision Leaders Network (Advance HE).
• Member of SiPHe.

Grants 

• LSIS (2013) Supporting Excellence in Initial Teacher Education in Further Education and Skills.  From Lorry Driver to Maths teacher: Blended learning programme to deliver subject pedagogy in the STEM subjects for PGCE programmes in post-compulsory education.  (Unpublished report) Principal investigator and bid writer drawing in revenue of £60k in association with LSIS, OBU and Swindon college. 
• Kitchener, M. (2015) Five Minute Lesson Plan for Learning Facilitators. South West Peer Confederation.  Generated income of £500. 
• Brookes Teaching Excellence Fellowship Team Award ‘Writing outside the Box’ (2017-2019) Cross-collaborative project to enhance reflection in professional academic practice. 

Keynote speeches

• Keynote Speech at Oxford Brookes Associate College Partners Conference (2016).
• Keynote Speech at Activate Learning, Teaching and Learning Fair (4 July 2017).
• Keynote Presentation PGCE (Post Compulsory) OBU Welcome Day October 2015, 2016 and 2017.

• Kitchener, M. (2014) Action Learning Sets.  Activate Learning Teaching and Learning Conference July 2014. 
• Kitchener, M and Lawlor, L. (2016) ‘How can we best promote FBV in teaching and learning?’ Poster Presentation. Society of Education and Training Conference 6 July 2016.
• Kitchener, M. (2017) Crossing Borders: Professional Neophyte Academics Engaging, Imaging and Aligning to the Landscape of Practice. Presentation of Doctoral Proposal. Oxford Brookes University, EdD Colloquium. ‘Doctoral Journeys’  24 June 2017. 
• Kitchener, M. (2019) Crossing Borders: Professional Neophyte Academics Engaging, Imaging and Aligning to the Landscape of Practice. Presentation of Doctoral Proposal. University of Worcester Learning and Teaching Conference. October 2018. 
• Kitchener, M. (2019) Crossing Borders: Professional Neophyte Academics Engaging, Imaging and Aligning to the Landscape of Practice. Poster Presentation of Doctoral Proposal. Oxford Brookes University Learning and Teaching Conference. 13 June 2019. 
• Kitchener, M. (2019) Where Tez Ilyas, Matthew Lipman and John Dewey meet. Facilitating conversations as a communal collaborative pedagogical device. Workshop Brookes Learning and Teaching Conference 13 June 2019.
• Kitchener, M., Potter, J., Kwok, K. (2019) Bringing the backstage conversations front of stage:  a whole organisational approach to inclusive teaching. SEDA Autumn Conference 2019: New frontiers in educational and curriculum development. 15 November 2019.    
• Kitchener, M. (2020) From Industry to University: Tales of professional academics’ transition of field, habitus, and symbolic capital to Higher education in the UK and recommendations to meliorate academic induction processes. Paper Presentation, School of Education Annual Conference, Oxford Brookes University. 20 May 2020 (Online).
• Kitchener, M. (2020) Weaving conversational-expository methods into an EdD Thesis: From Industry to University: Tales of professional academics’ transition to Higher education in the UK.  Paper presentation, Kaleidoscope Conference, University of Cambridge. 28 May 2020 (Online).
• Kitchener, M. (2020) Facilitating EDI conversations with a little help from Tez Ilyas. Presentation at Advance HE Teaching and Learning Conference. 7 July 2020 (Online).
• Kitchener, M. (2021) Evaluation of the ‘Differences that make the Difference’ inclusive teaching guides. Exhibition Hall Presentation. Brookes Learning & Teaching Exhibition and Conference 2021: The Art of the Possible: Re-imagining Learning & Teaching in Covid-19 Shaped Times. 17 June 2021 (Online).
• Kitchener, M. (2021) Grab and Go Writing Retreats. Presentation. Advance HE Accredited Programme Leader Network (09/12/21) Online.
• Kitchener, M. (2022) Handbook for creating a gender-sensitive curriculum: teaching and learning strategies.  Presentation. University of the Highlands and Islands International Women’s Day 2022 #breakthebias Conference. 8 March 2022 (Online).
• Kitchener, M. (2023) Creating a more gender sensitive curriculum. Brookes International Learning and Teaching Conference: Pedagogies of Possibility: tales of Transformation and HE Hope. (14 June 2023).
• Kitchener, M. & Kelly, G. (2025) Fostering effective academic advising relationships with adults: Bridging the relational space with colleague learners. Brookes International Teaching and Learning Conference: Academic Advising: Nurturing the Will to Learn. 19 June 2025 (Online).

Invited presentations 

• Kitchener, M. (2023) Don’t forget your briefcase. Professional in (to) HE Network. 26 April 2023. 
• Kitchener, M. (2021) Experience of the Viva. Doctorate in Education Thesis Workshop (EdD) Oxford Brookes University. Saturday, 24 April 2021 (Online).
• Kitchener, M. (2021) Doctoral Journey. Doctorate in Education Welcome Day 2022. Oxford Brookes University. Saturday, 2 October 2021 (Online). 
• Kitchener, M (2021) Online teaching. Global Teaching Partnerships (Kazakhstan) Interview with Paul Jackson (Oxford Brookes Business School). Oxford Brookes University Business School’s British Council Creative Spark Higher Education Enterprise Programme,. Tuesday, 25 May 2021 (Online). 
• Kitchener, M. (2023) IDEAS: A design thinking approach to inclusive curriculum development Teachers' webinar. Oxford Brookes University. Thursday, 21 September 2023 (Online).

Academic Qualifications

• EdD 
• PGCE (Post-compulsory)
• MA (Education) 
• BSc (Hons) Psychology with Business Psychology
• CELTA

Other professional recognition

• Senior Fellow of Advance HE.
• Independent End Point Assessor Academic Professional Apprectice (Teaching) Advance HE (2019-2024)
• Reviewer for CATE awards in 2022/23.
• External examiner at the University of Suffolk PaSSPORT and PGCAP accredited Advance HE provision (2021-2025).
• External reviewer, Heriot-Watt University InSPIRE Programme (2025 - ).

Mentorship

• Research mentor at Oxford Brookes (2019 - ).
• Advance HE Aurora Mentor.
• Community of Pracademics (2025 - ).

Doctoral Supervisor (2022 - onwards)

• Sadeghi-Movahed, H. (2025) Behind the Curtain: An examination of dyslexic students' responses to feedback on their written summatice assignments. Oxford Brookes University. Doctorate in Education, April 2025.

Doctoral Examiner (2023 - onwards)

• Internal Examinar EdD thesis: Tuffnell, R. (2023) Exploring Year 9 students' perceptions: Influences on decisions to study GCSE Art and Design. Oxford Brookes University. June 2023. 

Awards

• ‘Outstanding Teaching and Learning (HE)’ Staff Recognition Award 2011-12, Swindon College.