Staff profile

Rachel (she/they) joined the School of Education at Durham University as a Lecturer in 2021. She is the Programme Director for the Master of Professional Practice (MProf) and convenes the undergraduate Educational Research Methods module. She teaches on modules across the BA Education Studies and BA Primary Education including: Educational Research Methods, Contemporary Issues and Evidence in Education, and supervising BA Education dissertations. Rachel also teaches on Digital Technologies and Education: Critical Perspectives for the MA Education, and supervises Masters dissertations. Rachel runs seminars in the Reflective Practitioner Conference, and is involved with the Teaching and Learning in the Curriculum and Self-directed Study modules for the PGCE Theory.

Prior to joining the School, Rachel spent seven years leading Maths, Statistics and Chemistry modules for undergraduate foundation students in the Department for Lifelong Learning at the University of Sheffield. She also contributed to a wide range of other modules, and won awards for her work on using flipped learning to reduce students’ maths anxiety. During this time, Rachel did a part-time PhD on age differences in use and attitudes for technology and technology-enhanced learning, also at Sheffield.

Alongside her teaching in Lifelong Learning and her PhD, Rachel ran seminar groups for the Masters in Education in the School of Education at Sheffield. She contributed to modules on The Practice of Research and Critical Issues in Education and Educational Research, and supervised MA dissertations.

Rachel’s own educational journey includes an undergraduate degree in Chemistry, a PGCE in secondary science, and a Masters in Education, all from Durham University. In her spare time, she enjoys gaming and indulging in too many cups of tea.

• Technology-enhanced learning and digital pedagogy: learning environments; assessments; flipped learning
• Age inclusivity and mature students
• Reducing student anxiety in science and maths
• Constructivism
• Mixed methods and new research methods

• 2021: Invited reviewer for Effective Management of Doctoral and Master’s Research course by Epigeum, Oxford University Press :
• 2021: Invited speaker at technology-enhanced learning workshop for the PGCert programme for Xi-an Jiaotong-Liverpool University:
• 2020: Member of the British Educational Research Association (BERA):
• 2017: Invited keynote speaker at E-learning Day at Macclesfield College:
• 2017: Senate Award for Excellence in Learning and Teaching for Collaborative Activities, University of Sheffield:
• 2017: Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA):
• 2017: Students' Union Annual Academic Award: Academic Skills Award, University of Sheffield, for work done to reduce students’ maths anxiety:
• 2015: Member of the Foundation Year Network:
• 0000: Reviewer for various journals: International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education; Journal of the Foundation Year Network; Australasian Journal of Paramedicine; Journal of the Academy of Business Education:

Conference Paper

• Staddon, Rachel V (2022), The importance of a supportive environment in the flipped classroom, 29th International Conference on Learning. Valencia, Spain.
• Staddon, Rachel V (2022), Taxonomies of technological knowledge, The Three Rivers North East Universities Consortium Conference 2022. Online.
• (2021), A ‘supported’ flipped learning model for foundation maths in higher education: student perspectives, BERA Annual Conference 2021. Online.
• Staddon, Rachel V (2021), Saving face when face-to-face is cancelled: Maintaining the personal touch, Foundation Year Network Annual Conference 2021. Online.
• Staddon, Rachel V (2019), Flipped learning – panacea or problem? Mature students’ motivations and barriers to technology, BERA Annual Conference 2019. Manchester, UK.
• Staddon, Rachel V (2019), Choosing technology for the mature classroom: Students’ motivations and barriers, 26th International Conference on Learning. Belfast, UK.
• Staddon, Rachel V (2018), Does flipped learning satisfy the technological learning needs of mature students?, 17th European Conference on E-Learning. Athens, Greece.
• Staddon, Rachel V (2018), Audio feedback: Students’ and tutors’ perspectives, TELFest 2018. Sheffield, UK.
• Priede, Camilla, Ferguson, Rosalyn, Staddon, Rachel V & Tratt, Rosalind (2018), Expanding foundations of science – an exercise in mapping and teamwork, Learning and Teaching Conference 2018. Sheffield, UK.
• Marshall, Ellen M & Staddon, Rachel V (2017), Using technology to reduce maths anxiety, TELFest 2017. Sheffield, UK.
• Staddon, Rachel V (2017), What the flip? Inverting the foundation maths classroom, SOLSTICE and CLT Conference. Ormskirk, UK.
• Marshall, Ellen M, Wilson, Daniel A, Mann, Victoria E & Staddon, Rachel V (2017), Addressing maths anxiety within the curriculum, The Second International Conference on Mathematical Resilience. Milton Keynes, UK.
• Staddon, Rachel V (2016), Thinking outside the box: a mathematics outreach activity for the fearful, Foundation Year Network 10th Annual Conference. Southampton, UK.

Conference Proceeding

• Staddon, Rachel V (2018). Does flipped learning satisfy the technological learning needs of mature students?. Academic Conferences International Limited.

Doctoral Thesis

• Staddon, Rachel V (2021). Technology and Technology-Enhanced Learning: Age Differences in Use and Attitudes. PhD.

Journal Article

• Staddon, Rachel V. (2023). Exploring higher education students’ perspectives on factors affecting use, attitudes and confidence with learning technologies. International Journal of Instruction 16(2): 31-52.
• Staddon, Rachel V (2022). A supported flipped learning model for mathematics gives safety nets for online and blended learning. Computers and Education Open 3: 100106.
• Staddon, Rachel (2022). Taxonomies of technological knowledge in higher education: A mapping of students’ perceptions. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology 38(3): 179-196.
• Staddon, Rachel V. (2020). Bringing technology to the mature classroom: age differences in use and attitudes. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education 17(1).
• Marshall, Ellen M, Staddon, Rachel V, Wilson, Daniel A & Mann, Victoria E (2017). Addressing maths anxiety within the curriculum. MSOR Connections 15(3): 28.

Newspaper/Magazine Article

• Staddon, Rachel V (2018). The trials and tribulations of being a part-time PhD student. Doctoral Times (18): 28.
• Staddon, Rachel V (2015). Training needs analysis. Doctoral Times (11): 3.