Doctor in Education to use skills and experience to inspire others

Congratulations to UWTSD’s Dr Alison Evans who graduates today with a Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD). Dr Evans plans to use the skills from her new qualification to inspire others who have also not followed the traditional academic route, that anything is possible.

Dr Evans, Programme Director for the National MA (Education) course at the University said: “Having not done very well in school initially, I worked hard to qualify as a secondary school teacher by the age of 28.  I was lucky enough to work with some wonderful colleagues and exceptional students for over 20 years before I took up the position of senior lecturer within initial teacher education at UWTSD.  

“Whilst working within the university environment, I developed a passion for further learning and completed my master’s course before enrolling on the EdD.  I very much wanted to do this course so that I could use my Doctorate qualification to help and possibly inspire others who might not have followed the traditional academic route, to show everyone that anything is possible.”   

Dr Evans said it was a privilege to work with teachers who aim to be research-informed and make a positive difference in the education field.  

“I also teach on the EdD course and again, being a very small part of the students’ journeys is humbling and extremely rewarding,” she said.  

“In education, nothing stands still.  I’ve been so lucky to work with esteemed colleagues and I will never stop learning.  From teaching adolescents, to guiding student teachers and working with serving practitioners has enabled me to gain a holistic perspective about the educational landscape ‘on the chalkface’.

Dr Evans said studying at Doctoral level has enabled her to engage with a wide range of literature, challenge her thinking and contribute to the field of knowledge.

“I hope I can continue to refine my knowledge and skills to help others,” she said.  

“The EdD is designed for professionals who work in education, which means studying is on top of full-time work for many students.  Six years of pushing yourself to achieve things you weren’t sure you could do at the start of the course is now so worth it for me.  I would definitely encourage people to think about the EdD - no man (or woman) is an island and the support that you’d receive from academic staff and peers alike will mean that you finish the course much richer for the experience.”

Further Information

Rebecca Davies

Executive Press and Media Relations Officer    
Corporate Communications and PR    
Email: rebecca.davies@uwtsd.ac.uk    
Phone: 07384 467071