UWTSD entrepreneurial champion is awarded Doctorate degree
Dr Felicity Healey-Benson’s learning journey showcases her unwavering determination, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment to driving positive change. An IMH student, her research focused on lecturer’s experiences of cultivating Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in education, emphasizing creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking among students.
This aligns with our university’s emphasis on entrepreneurial education, and Dr Felicity’s Healey-Benson’s innovative phenomenological research has brought a fresh perspective to the field.
In five years of balancing part-time doctoral study, her professional commitment to projects within the International Institute of Creative Entrepreneurial Development (IICED), and life as a mum to three young children, Dr Healey-Benson founded and co-founded three successful initiatives.
Her reflective blog, EmergentThinkers.com, gained a following from over 150 countries. She also co-founded the Harmonious Entrepreneurship Society (Ltd) with Professor David A Kirby, to address entrepreneurship’s role in tackling the sustainability challenge. Additionally, she co-founded hanfod.NL, a learned society on phenomenology with Dr. Mike Johnson of Cardiff University. Currently, Dr Healey-Benson is co-editing a book on the contribution of phenomenology to Networked Learning.
She said: “Reflecting on my journey, I am filled with immense joy and deep gratitude for the wonderful individuals I have encountered throughout my doctoral studies. This transformative experience has encompassed various forms of growth, and I am truly grateful for the invaluable support and inspiration I have received from those around me.
“The entrepreneurial skills I have honed, the interdisciplinary perspectives I have gained, and the connections I have forged with like-minded individuals have played a pivotal role in shaping my professional identity.
“My journey exemplifies the profound value of enterprise activities in researchers’ overall development. By embracing entrepreneurship and its associated skills, we have the power to contribute significantly to a sustainable and prosperous future. Through fostering innovation, driving positive change, and making meaningful contributions to society, researchers can pave the way for a better tomorrow.”
Associate Professor Kath Penaluna, Director of IICED said: ““Since we first met Felicity it was clear that there were many synergies between her research and our own entrepreneurial learning goals, many of which were developed through our United Nations work.
“Phenomenology research methods are all about lived experiences, and enterprise education is best taught through experiential learning, where you must do something to learn, not simply hear about it in a lecture. Felicity’s research will help us to continue to develop our UWTSD offer in sustainable enterprise, and to build on our 2022-3 Award as the Triple E European Entrepreneurial University of the Year.”
Further Information
Rebecca Davies
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Corporate Communications and PR
Email: rebecca.davies@uwtsd.ac.uk
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