Dr Linda Anne Barkas

I joined the University of Sunderland after working as a freelance teacher and management consultant. I set up my own businesses and worked in administration and senior management in the public and private sectors before retraining as an English as a Second Language Teacher and travelling abroad. This led to a career change into FE for 13 years and then a move into research in HE, where I have gained over 30 years of experience of managing, teaching, supervision, and research.

I am currently a Senior Lecturer in Business Management and Module Leader for PDC513 Research Methods on the Professional Doctorate and DLMM16 Global Integrated Marketing Communications. Previous roles have included Interim Team Leader, Programme Leader for the MBA, and MA International Management, and Centre Leader for three of our partners in Vietnam. I have held a number of different module leadership roles including PGBM141 Leadership and Management Development, and the dissertation on MAIM.

I am Doctor of Studies and co-supervisor for a number of students researching different aspects of higher education policy and practice, business leadership and change, and marketing management. I hold External Examiner positions at other universities.

My early career research studies were undertaken on issues in SEN and interventionist methods in additional learner support systems in English, Maths, and ESOL, developing into research into teaching and learning in higher education. This research developed into specialist studies of students' learning needs in academic literacy and expanded into my PhD thesis on academic practice in HE.

Post-doctoral research has focused on students' emotional and meta-cognitive learning needs from within a psycho-social framework. Studies have included projects in teaching and learning mathematics, and research methods in business management, engineering, and health-related programmes of study. Current research projects are on issues in inclusion in HE.

• Learning and teaching in higher education
• Inclusive academic practice
• Health and safety
• Business management

My other academic qualifications and staff development are in Leadership and Management, Equality and Diversity, Diagnostic Testing, SEN Legislation, Employment, Contract, and HSE Law and Management Accounting.

Conferences and papers from 1985-2016: Consultancies and contributions to numerous publications: reports/papers/consultancy on topical issues in special needs, ESOL, literacy, numeracy, widening participation, skills development, research methods, leadership and management.