About

As an Associate Professor in Learning and Teaching, I have strategic responsibilities at the University, all ultimately focused on maximising the success of our students. I lead the University’s Pathfinder Scheme, which provides opportunities for Derby staff to gain Fellowship professional recognition. I am the Pedagogic Lead for Education for Sustainable Development and I also have oversight of the Undergraduate Research Scholarship Scheme (URSS).

Research interests

I have a longstanding interest in the processes of learning, teaching and assessment. I have led and collaborated with others on projects exploring different aspects of the student experience (eg. induction and the transition to university, employability, the use of scenarios to support ethical thinking skills and the role of social networking tools). I have a strong personal and professional interest in sustainable development, and this has also been reflected in my research (eg. nature connectedness, assessing the carbon footprint of fieldwork).

Recent publications

• Davies-Vollum, K.S., Ribchester, C., Yeboah Danso-Wiredu, E. and Raha, D. (2023) Virtual mobility to enhance intercultural competencies for a more sustainable future, Innovations in Education and Teaching International.
• McMahon, D., Ribchester, C., Brown, M. and Randell, M. (2023) Audio Artists Assemble!: Designing a creative pedagogic methodology that promotes collaboration and artistic cross pollination. Makings, Volume 4 (1).
• McMahon, D., Ribchester, C., Randell, M., Brown, M. and Baggaley, P. (2022) “When the Boys Come Home”: An Authentic and Interdisciplinary Audio Drama Production. In E. Sengupta and P. Blessinger (Eds.), Changing the Conventional University Classroom (pp. 99-115). Bingley, Emerald Publishing Limited.
• Ribchester, C. Davies, F., and Fisher, E. (2020) Planning and Presenting Together: Insights from the ‘Towards Meaningful Partnerships’ Symposium, Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education. 31.
• Ribchester, C. and Healey, R. (2019) Pedagogies for developing undergraduate ethical thinking within geography. In H. Walkington, J. Hill & S. Dyer (Eds.), Handbook of Teaching and Learning in Geography (pp. 139-150). Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Publishing.
• Ribchester, C. and Healey, R. (2019) Realism, reflection and responsibility: the challenge of writing effective scenarios to support the development of ethical thinking skills. Journal of Further and Higher Education. 43: 101-114.

Membership of professional bodies

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
• Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS)

Qualifications

• BA (Hons) Human Geography – Aberystwyth University
• PhD Human Geography – Aberystwyth University

Recent conferences

I have spoken about different aspects of learning and teaching, often in collaboration with research colleagues and students, at a range of recent conferences and workshops including at the Universities of Surrey, Newcastle, and Glasgow Caledonian, and have spoken at multiple online events including those hosted by Advance HE.

Teaching responsibilities

My Associate Professor role is not primarily a teaching one. However, I do lead continuing professional development workshops on a range of topics, including Education for Sustainable Development, and I work closely with colleagues in small groups or on a one-to-one basis. For the majority of my career prior to joining the University of Derby, I was a Lecturer in Geography.