Comments on selected recent keynotes and workshops
Getting Published Masterclass at University of Leeds, 2022
“It was a pleasure to welcome Mick back to Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence. Colleagues from a range of disciplines and at different stages of their careers (from students to professors) attended and the enthusiasm to share ideas, offer advice, and support each other was evident throughout. The workshop did just what we hoped – it gave people the motivation, direction and confidence to get writing!”
Katie Livesey, Institute Manager
Workshop for SoTL Special Interest Group, Utrecht University, 2021
“Mick and Ruth are excellent facilitators who complemented each other perfectly in giving a workshop about Students as Partners in SoTL. They gave an interactive and very inspiring online workshop that provided lots of opportunities for the participants to ask questions and get actively involved in discussions with them and with each other. We were also very impressed by the thorough way they prepared themselves for the workshop, adjusting it to the local context and our wishes.”
Dr. Irma Meijerman, Senior Fellow, Centre for Academic Teaching
Workshops for Dundalk Institute of Technology, Ireland, 2021
“Mick delivered two outstanding online workshops, one on ‘Enhancing Student Success’ and the other on ‘Getting Published’. They were both excellent and very enjoyable. With his considerable experience and knowledge of the subject areas, Mick inspired and guided several highly engaging discussions. The advice throughout the workshops was refreshingly practical, and he provided many invaluable insights on overcoming challenges and best practice. We look forward to having Mick back with us again, and highly recommend his workshops.”
Dr Moira Maguire, Head of Learning and Teaching
Masterclass for senior management at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS), 2021
“At AUAS “Students as Partners” will be one of the central concepts we will be working on for the coming five years. Mick and Ruth’s Masterclass for the University Board was in this respect really educational and inspiring.”
Professor. dr. Jean Tillie, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences and Law, AUAS
Keynote to Senior Staff Conference at University of Essex, 2021
“We were at the beginning of a new project examining how we can provide opportunities for students to have more agency in their own education, including partnership working. At the launch of the project at our Senior Staff Conference, Mick and Ruth provided an excellent online keynote, providing both the pedagogical background and a wealth of practical examples to stimulate our thinking in this area. It was a large group and online but Mick and Ruth nonetheless managed to make it interesting and interactive and we left full of both enthusiasm and good ideas that we can bring to the project. Thank you Mick and Ruth,”
Professor Madeline Eacott, Pro-VC Education
Workshop for Midwifery Section of Dundalk Institute of Technology, Ireland, 2021
“Mick facilitated a fun and relaxed workshop to support us at the start of our journey towards optimising student engagement and partnership. His excellent guidance and advice provided clarity and insight into the role of both students and lecturers, and this has supported us in identifying clear, achievable goals. We are now looking forward to actively engaging on this meaningful journey together. “
Jill Atkinson, Head of Section of Midwifery,
Keynote to Festival of Learning at Gloucestershire, 2020
“I want to thank Ruth and you once again for the highly stimulating, online interactive keynote on student-staff partnerships that you gave to our Festival of Learning. There was a real buzz during the session with many of the 80+ participants contributing to the discussions. We must now ensure that we capitalise on the enthusiasm you have generated amongst our staff. The session was very well received and, as ever, your vast experience, directing staff to key principles and pertinent case studies, will hopefully have encouraged staff to develop their understanding and to feel confident enough to try out interventions in their virtual and physical classrooms.”
Professor Jennifer Hill, Head of Learning & Teaching Innovation, shire
Keynote at Heriot Watt, 2020
“Many thanks Ruth and Mick for a superb online, interactive keynote today with over 150 participants. You stimulated a rich conversation, full of practical hints and tips on how to bring active learning to life – online or on campus. It was terrific.”
Professor Martha Caddell, Director, Learning and Teaching Academy, Heriot-Watt University (at Edinburgh, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur).
Keynote at University of Surrey, 2019
“Mick and Ruth facilitated an exceptional opening session and a liquid cafe at our event. The opening session was so much more than a keynote. Delegates were actively involved in exploring and discussing ideas and there was a brilliant energy in the room. Mick and Ruth are a phenomenal double act. The level of expertise that they bring, alongside their extensive experience in facilitating events, creates something quite special. Their facilitation left both staff and students buzzing with ideas and enthusiasm. I think the impact of their visit will be felt here for a long time to come!”
Dr Naomi Winstone, Head of Department of Higher Education
Keynote at University of York, 2019
“Ruth delivered a fantastic session at our institutional learning and teaching conference. It was a stimulating and interactive contribution that was perfectly pitched to share best practice on developing learning communities with a broad audience. Thank you.”
Dr Glenn Hurst, Chair of the University of York Learning and Teaching Forum
Keynote and workshop, The University of Hong Kong, 2018
"Mick Healey’s keynote was a high point of our recent Teaching and Learning Conference on Co-Constructing Teaching Excellence. Mick shared his impressive bank of case studies from around the world showing how teachers and students can work together to co-construct excellence in curriculum design and teaching. He revealed a genuine sensitivity to institutional and cultural context as he presented a compelling vision of treating students as partners in the pursuit of enhanced teaching and learning."
Prof. Grahame T Bilbow, Director of the Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning
Keynote and workshop, Bath Spa University, 2018
“The real test of a keynote speaker at a Learning and Teaching event like ours is will they cut it with staff dealing directly with students. Mick and Ruth impressed on the day with their depth of knowledge and their ability to communicate with a sophisticated audience from a wide range of disciplines.”
Kieran Kelly, Curriculum Development Fellow
Keynotes and workshops, University of Adelaide, 2016 and 2017
“Your Workshops have now gone down as legendary at Adelaide – folks still saying to me that this was the best professional development activity they have ever experienced!”
Philippa Levy, Pro-VC Student Learning
Keynote and workshop at Myerscough College, July 2017
“On behalf of the whole HE teaching team at Myerscough College, we would like to thank you for such an inspirational, insightful and engaging workshop on ‘Designing and Embedding Active, Research and Inquiry Based Learning in the Curriculum’. As the HE provision is currently under-going periodical course review, your session couldn’t have been better timed. The day afforded a much needed reflection and discussion on active learning and engaging students, so thank you again for not only sharing all your wonderful case studies and examples but also listening to our own ideas and challenges.”
Rhonda Lobb, Scholarship Development Manager
Visit to TU Dublin, 2019
“Our new university – Technological University Dublin provided a wonderful opportunity to catch up with Mick Healey! We first met in 2015 at the early planning stages for TU Dublin – availing of Mick’s wealth of experience and insight into the complexities of Higher Education Institutions proved timely and impactful. Needless to say, he brought the same energy and enthusiasm to his work on this occasion – an important workshop theme of engaging students as partners is at the heart of the Technological University. Mick has the ability to draw on a variety of sources and present key findings in an engaging and collaborative style. I look forward to continuing to build on our partnership with Mick – as the Ireland’s newest University evolves.”
Larry McNutt, Registrar TU Dublin – Blanchardstown Campus
Keynote on ‘Students as partners’ at University of Brighton, 2017
“Mick gave us a splendid, well informed, lively, provocative and interactive keynote for the annual learning and teaching conference, which had our 300 participants busy thinking about working in partnership with our students as co-constructors of knowledge. He followed this up with a workshop to help them take the inspiration forward into developing their own practice and courses. We know how well this works – and not just on the day but beyond – because last time Mick came colleagues started transforming courses which now have massively increased their NSS scores showing how the students, our partners, really appreciate their active, engaged learning.”
Gina Wisker, Head of the Centre for Learning and Teaching
Keynote and workshop on active and inquiry based learning and students as partners at Writtle University College, 2017
“All the feedback I have had from the session has been excellent. All levels of staff from lecturers to senior managers have been referring to it in meetings and their plans for next year. It has led to a number of changes in delivery and process and it will be interesting to see how some of these work out. It was invaluable for us how Mick and Ruth had tailored the session both to our requests and applied it to the size and specialities of the institution. The interaction and different experiences of Mick and Ruth added an extra dimension to the sessions and it was great to hear Ruth’s own experiences of putting some of the ideas presented into practice.”
Isobel Gowers, Head of Learning and Teaching
Visit to Copenhagen Metropolitan University College, 2015
“Mick’s ability to effortlessly combine complex theoretical perspectives with abundant concrete and practical examples of application on the integration of research and teaching is quite unique. Among the participants at the workshops were both junior lecturers, experienced practitioners and educational managers and executives, and Mick was able to facilitate a meaningful and inspiring experience for everyone.”
Sune Sune Sparre, HR Consultant
Visit to Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 2014
“Thank you once again for the series of wonderful sessions on enhancing teaching in the university education sector which resonate with my identity of being a holistic academic.”
Paul Chua, workshop participant
Visit to University of Utrecht, 2017
“Mick ran a very useful and inspiring workshop, in which he set out multiple tools and best-practices to incorporate research-based learning and inquiry in all phases of undergraduate programs. Colleagues were highly enthusiastic!”
Neils Bovenschen, Teaching Fellow
Visit to University of Amsterdam, 2016
“We were extremely happy to receive Professor Healey again in Amsterdam, a few years after he led a workshop on research-intensive teaching which acquired a near-mythical status among the school directors of the University. Mick, thank you once again for your hands-on lessons, and for helping us kick off the Bachelor Innovation Programme of our College of Humanities in such an inspiring and captivating way!” Professor Caroline Kroon, Director College of Humanities
Visit to University of Luxembourg, 2016
“Over two days, Mick challenged and inspired our instructors and course leaders to really think about how they could better introduce students – early and often – to all aspects of research and inquiry during their studies. Colleagues walked away with renewed interest and appreciation … Mick took to familiarise himself with the very specific learning environment and cultural context we have at the University of Luxembourg. He brought nuance to the reflection on how the proposed techniques could be implemented.”
Cassandra Mikicic
Keynote and workshop at Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Undergraduate Research Conference, September 2015
“Professor Healey was the perfect keynote and workshop presenter for our statewide undergraduate research conference. All participants remarked about how well his examples helped provide direction to their programs, even with such a wide span from comprehensive research university to small rural community college, and all the sizes and complexities in between. We were very pleased with his professional expertise and delivery. I, myself, am going to implement several of the innovative ways of integrating research and inquiry that he discussed into my course.”
Dr. Linda Mason, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education