Learning and Teaching Committee
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Sharon Hodgson
ChairBiography
Originally from N Ireland and with degrees in Spanish and European Studies and in Urban Regeneration, Sharon is an Economic Development Consultant, specialising in business planning and funding bids. She has had an extensive career in the public sector and worked in a number of key economic development roles within local government – most recently Sharon led the team who successfully negotiated and signed off the Ayrshire Growth Deal – a £250M investment package. Previous roles have included Head of Strategic Services at Riverside Inverclyde Urban Regeneration Company and Project Manager, Tall Ships Inverclyde 2011, and over a thirty year career, Sharon has gained extensive experience of business support and employability and training programmes; events management and inward investment.
Sharon joined DGC Board of Management in April 2022 and is Chair of Learning and Teaching Committee. She also attends the Remuneration and Board Development Committees.
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Ann Hill
Non Executive MemberBiography
Ann is a highly experienced further and higher education professional, working at Director Level in the UK College sector. Her most recent post involved responsibility for improving quality assurance standards in respect of professional development for over 800 staff at a large college. This involved developing a successful and bespoke two year coaching programme for senior managers and governors. Alongside this, Ann was responsible for the strategic development of learning technologies/digital strategies across the College.
Ann left fulltime employment seven years ago, and is currently employed as an Independent Further and Higher Education Consultant, working primarily for the UK Quality Assurance Agency as a higher education Reviewer, and also as an Elite Independent Reviewer. She enjoys working with a wide variety of colleges and universities to improve academic standards and the quality of learning opportunities for students. She also works on academic appeals with the Quality Assurance Agency, and is experienced in judicial review processes.
Ann originally qualified in Librarianship and Information Sciences and practised as an academic librarian for several years, teaching Research Skills. She is experienced in commissioning new library builds, and particularly enjoyed a placement in Kentucky, USA, developing a new college library. She was awarded a Master’s degree in Women’s Studies (1985) and is vocationally qualified as an Assessor (Customer Care.) and as a Mental Health First Aider.
Ann relocated to Dumfries and Galloway two years ago, after spending many happy years holidaying in the area (from 1971). She also works for the Law Society of Scotland and was selected to sit on the Legal Aid Quality Assurance Committee, which monitors the work carried out by solicitors offering Civil Legal Assistance.
Implicit through all the work and life experience that Ann has, is her commitment to fairness and social justice, and the provision of life long educational opportunities for all sectors of our multi-cultural society.
Ann is a member of the following Committees: Audit, Learning and Teaching, Remuneration, Grievance and Appeals and HR Sub-Committees.
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Gillian Brydson
Non Executive MemberBiography
Gillian is the Director of Skills, Education and Learning with responsibility for all schools in Dumfries and Galloway. She has strong regional roots, a commitment to the students and employers in Dumfries and Galloway and over 25 years of education management experience from the College, University and School sectors.
In her early career she qualified as a physiotherapist and following clinical work for the NHS, gained postgraduate qualifications in Biomechanics from Strathclyde University and worked as a lecturer for Queen’s College and Glasgow Caledonian University. As a senior lecturer at GCU she was responsible for Masters programmes within the Faculty of Health which led to an ongoing commitment to develop routes for the professional accreditation of skills and work related learning. A change of direction to the school education sector brought the chance to return home to Dumfries and Galloway and she has worked for the Dumfries and Galloway Council Education Authority for the last 18 years in senior management roles.
She has a Doctorate in Education from the University of Glasgow which focussed on developing leadership of learning to shape schools for the future and is an advocate of lifelong and professional learning.
Gillian joined DGC Board of Management in April 2021 and is a member of the following Committees: Audit Committee and Learning and Teaching Committee.
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Honor Gibson
President of Student Association, Co-OpteeBiography
Honor recently graduated from Dumfries and Galloway college with an HNC in Childhood Practice. She is currently taking a year out to be this years Student President before moving on to study primary teaching at university.
Honor has extensive customer service experience, having worked in the hospitality industry since a teenager, and she is currently working in the local supermarket on the self-service checkouts.
Out with work, Honor is a single mum and enjoys attending conventions where she can meet people who like the same things her, and meeting some celebrities along the way. She is a a sci-fi geek and loves building LEGO, either with or without her child. She also volunteers as a parent helper within her child’s school, and is keen to become a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) ambassador for the area to allow children and young people to learn things from all around us.
As student president, she is looking forward to being a member of the board and being part of the team helping the students become the best versions of themselves. For this, she is keen to make sure their well-being is taken care of, and their mental health is put first within the college setting.
Honor is keen to represent the students at all levels across all the varied curriculum areas.
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Inga McVicar
Non Executive MemberBiography
Inga studied English Literature and History at The University of Edinburgh, and has worked across multiple sectors, including retail, publishing, marketing, hospitality, tourism and the third sector. Now in her second time of living in Galloway, Inga previously worked in the region as Project Manager of Destination Dumfries & Galloway and provided freelance services to various regional organisations, including Dumfries & Galloway Council, Dumfries Ice Bowl, Youth Beatz, the Creative Arts Business Network (CABN) and SUSTRANS.
Inga is passionate about Dumfries and Galloway, its people, its landscape and its potential. That includes working as a volunteer caseworker at SSAFA (the armed forces charity), working throughout Dumfries & Galloway’s community to support British Armed Forces veterans and their families, dependents and being a season ticket holder at Queen of the South.
Inga is now Operations Director at Springboard (The Springboard Charity/Springboard UK Ltd), mobilising Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism employability services throughout the UK; managing all of the charity’s activities in Northern Ireland, Scotland and North of England; and contract managing key partnerships with private sector, public sector and trust & foundations funders.
Inga joined DGC Board of Management in September 2024 and is a member of Finance and General Purposes Committee and Learning and Teaching Committee.
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Kirsty Duncan
Non Executive MemberBiography
Kirsty is responsible for Built Environment Smarter Transformations Skills Infrastructure programme which looks to support industry, tertiary education, and schools to develop a workforce that can have a positive impact on the current skills imbalances within the built environment. Kirsty’s experience is within developing skills programmes and digital learning design and will be using this knowledge to grow and deepen relationships across the education and built environment sectors and build the necessary educational structures to support the delivery of a competent workforce.
Kirsty joined DGC Board of Management in September 2024 and is a member of Audit and Learning and Teaching Committees.
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Peter Woods
Academic Trade Union MemberBiography
Peter has been a full time Lecturer at Dumfries and Galloway College since starting in 2007. Predominantly teaching in Fitness, Health and Exercise but also delivering across the full suite of Sport and Fitness courses in Further and Higher Education. From 2012 to 2020 Peter held an additional role as a Learning and Teaching Mentor, working with colleagues in nearly all curriculum areas. Peter has typically wide-ranging experience as a Lecturer meaning involvement of Quality Assurance, External Approval, Curriculum Design, Technology use, Partnership Working and a range of Learning and Teaching initiatives.
In 2015 Peter joined the Learning and Teaching Committee as a Faculty Rep. As well as Learning and Teaching Peter has an interest in Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion and as such joined the Local E+D Committee and the College Equality and Diversity Forum.
Further Equality and Diversity training led to an interest and involvement as a local EIS FELA rep. Peter has been on the EIS FELA National Executive Committee since 2017. Locally, Peter was one of the signatories of the local RPA (Recognition and Procedures Agreement) for the revised LJNC and is currently the EIS FELA Branch Secretary.
Peter graduated from Exeter University and went on to complete TQFE from University of Dundee. Peter has spent time as an SQA External Verifier and is GTCS registered.
Peter joined DGC Board of Management in March 2024 and is a member of Learning and Teaching Committee.
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Professor Alastair Irons
Non Executive MemberBiography
Professor Alastair Irons is a Professor of Computer Science, Deputy Principal and Deputy Vice Chancellor at Abertay University in Scotland. Before coming to Abertay in July 2022 he was Academic Director for Digital Education at the University of Sunderland, having previously been the Dean for the Faculty of Technology. Prior to joining the University of Sunderland in 2008 he worked at ONE North East, Northumbria University and ICI. Alastair became a National Teaching Fellow in 2010. He was a visiting scholar at the University of Cape Town in South Africa from 2013 – 2017 and is currently a visiting professor at the University of Johannesburg and at the British University in Egypt.
Alastair is currently Vice President (academic) of the British Computer Society (BCS) and is Chair of the BCS Academy board, he also sits on BCS Council and BCS Trustees and is a founding trustee of the BCS Foundation. He is also the UK representative on the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) and serves on the IFIP Board.
Alastair joined DGC Board of management in September 2024 and is a member of Audit and Learning and Teaching Committees.
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Shane Saunders
Vice President of Student AssociationBiography
Shane Saunders is the Student Association Vice President and an HND student studying Fitness, Health and Exercise. He is a very active person and likes to take on new fitness challenges when he can. He has done several challenges to raise money for local charities close to his heart.
Shane took on the role as vice president because he wants to help all the students get the most out of their college experience and make their time here as stress free as possible.
Shane joined DGC Board of Management in August 2024 and is a member of Learning and Teaching Committee.
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Susan McLellan
Academic Staff MemberBiography
Susan joined Dumfries and Galloway College as a Lecturer, Digital Health and Social Services in January 2016. She graduated with a BSc (Hons) Psychology with the Open University. To enhance her role as a Lecturer in the College, Susan is also employed as an External Verifier, Marker, and Member of the Quality Development Team with SQA.
Prior to joining the college, Susan worked as a Co-Ordinator within the Third Sector, providing support to various organisations, employees and volunteers. She also has previous experience within the role of Director of a local voluntary organisation, and she has been involved as a member of the Exclusion and Appeals Panel, Education Department of Dumfries and Galloway Council.
Susan is a member of Learning and Teaching Committee, HR Sub Committee and Board Development Committee.
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