Dr Kate Kelly

Kate is a Teaching Focused Academic in the First Year College and has been successful in obtaining the Deputy Head of Scholarship and Professional Learning role within the College.

Kate teaches skills-based units to aspiring health professionals and outdoor-leadership students that aim to prepare them for life after university by developing authentic interpersonal skills. Her personalised approach involves firstly helping students explore themselves, their own values, cultural influences and upbringing before developing communications skills within the context of this personal paradigm. This approach prepares students for work with a diverse range of individuals and helps them understand how they respond cognitively and emotionally in a safe environment prior to commencing placement. Kate also teaches an employability unit for psychology students that helps them to consider their reasons for pursuing psychology and engage actively in the planning of their own futures.

Since completing her PhD in cognitive neuropsychology (more specifically visual memory), Kate’s research interests have shifted to focus more on curriculum design and delivery. She is part of an ongoing project exploring employability curriculum design and delivery and in extending her discipline research to explore the psychological impacts of living with chronic disease. She readily engages in smaller, isolated projects to enhance her scholarship and gain deeper understanding and insight into the effectiveness of various education strategies.