Professor Mandy Tonks

(she/her)

BSc(Hons), PhD, PgD Med Ed, SFHEA

Overview

I have developed my professional practice over the last 25 years (across UG, PGT and PGR teaching, management and organisation and leadership).  I am committed to the development of a secure and open educational environment for our students and colleagues. I continue to evolve and adapt my practice to meet the needs of our students, the constraints of the sector and the wider needs of society.  Through holistic programme design underpinned by integrated and responsive student support, we can foster a productive learning environment in which our students and staff can thrive. My views have developed alongside the breadth and depth of my experience as an educator and leader. 

In my current role as Dean for Education (college of Biomedical and Life Sciences), I am a member of the University Senior Education team, and I am involved in all matters relating to education and student experience. 

Key principles of quality assurance, governance and enhancement align to my own personal values of honesty, openness, fairness, and compassion. Through clear processes and procedures, we can ensure quality of provision, clear direction for managing issues that arise and processes for remediation and ongoing improvement.

I am an experienced educator, having led, developed, and delivered educational provision across undergraduate, postgraduate taught and doctoral level programmes within the school of medicine in the areas of medicine and biomedical sciences.  I have taught since my time as a PhD student (since 1996). Over this period, I have had the opportunity to develop my skills, knowledge, and experience across UG, PG and PGR through a variety of roles including module lead, deputy programme director, Director for Postgraduate Research Studies, Director of Quality and Governance and more recently in the role as Dean for Postgraduate Education. Throughout this time my focus has always been on the quality of the student experience and the importance of support structures to ensure students can achieve their potential.  At the heart of this has been an attention to underpinning pedagogy and alignment of programmes teaching design, delivery, and assessment with attention to the expectations for the level of education and meeting the needs of internal and external stake holders.

I have a wealth of experience in educational leadership, clear operational and educational understanding and an appreciation for the interplay and dependencies of educational offer, reputation and quality of research within an institution as key drivers for attracting students, funding and partners. I have a keen professional interest in the areas of quality assurance, governance, student experience and overall programme enhancement to meet the changing needs of our students and the diverse globally connected society we serve, whilst helping to maintain academic standards.