News | 8 July 2021
A senior lecturer from Cardiff Metropolitan University has won a prestigious national award for her pioneering work helping disadvantaged learners across south Wales.
Dr Clare Elmi-Glennan from Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences has won the Tutor Award at the Learning and Work Institute’s Inspire! Awards.
Dr Elmi-Glennan, who works as a senior lecturer in the department of Applied Psychology, started working with Cardiff Met’s Widening Access team soon after completing her PhD. She wrote the University’s first accredited Level 3 module to be delivered in the community – successful completion of which provides a pathway to the Foundation in Social Science at the University.
Dr Elmi-Glennan’s ground-breaking work has paved the way for the development of further modules in other subject areas across Cardiff Met, providing more access routes for disadvantaged learners. This has further progressed into the Community to Campus programme at the University which was shortlisted for a Times Higher Award in 2017.
Clare’s route into higher education was non-traditional itself. After enrolling at night school as an adult learner, she was accepted onto Cardiff Met’s Educational Studies and Psychology degree at the age of 37. Furthermore, the parent-of-five graduated with first-class honours and completed her PhD in 2013.
Clare has also embraced new technologies to maintain learner communities throughout the pandemic by contributing an Introduction to Psychology module for the Welsh Government Continuation of Learning project plan. This initiative helped Year 13 students unable to proceed with their learning due to Covid-19.
Speaking about the accolade, Widening Access Community Engagement Officer, Jan Jones said: "Dr Clare Elmi-Glennan has played a pivotal role in enabling the development of our highly successful Community to Campus scheme and we are absolutely delighted to see her honoured at this year’s Inspire! Awards.
"Clare is widely acknowledged as having a wonderful style which engages, encourages and guides some of the most disadvantaged learners, raising their aspirations to look at higher education as a real option. She is truly inspirational and is fully deserving of an Inspire! Award as she has helped to transform the pathways to Cardiff Met for hundreds of students over the years."
Dr Clare Elmi-Glennan added: "I am honoured to have been recognised by the Learning and Work Institute and would like to take this opportunity to thank Jan Jones and Charlotte Arundel from the Widening Access team at Cardiff Met for their support and dedication.
"I have been genuinely impressed by all the adult learners I have taught in the community over the years and marvelled at their subsequent journey through Cardiff Met – their achievements mean so much to me. I sincerely hope this award inspires more under-represented groups and non-traditional learners to start their learning journey in higher education."
Director for Wales Learning and Work Institute, David Hagendyk commented:
"The awarding panel were impressed by Clare’s commitment and passion to widening access and to supporting disadvantaged learners access education, as well as the contribution she made during the pandemic to embrace new technologies for her students to be able to continue their ‘community to campus’ learning online.
"The work she has done to support learners, as well as her own learning journey, are an inspiration and we are pleased to have been able to recognise her contribution with an Inspire! Tutor Award."
