Dr Preeti Patel, Head of Computer Science and Applied Computing, has recently gained the highly coveted recognition from Advance HE, as a Principal Fellow.
Date: 2 March 2023
Dr Patel has worked in the higher education sector for over three decades, during which she received the Fellowship FHEA (in 2011) and the Senior Fellowship SFHEA (in 2016) with submissions demonstrating her passion, initiation of and involvement in myriad activities requiring a deep engagement with relevant pedagogical literature, concepts and principles. She has translated this theory into her practice in an integrated way that takes cognisance of her STEM discipline and the profile of her students.
Advance HE is a member-led, sector-owned charity that works with institutions and higher education across the world to improve higher education for staff, students and society. Advance HE’s vision is to see that “Higher education providers and systems are inclusive, sustainable and high performing in all they do”.
This latest recognition is a testament to Dr Patel’s sustained academic leadership at local, national and international levels. Dr Patel says, “I’m absolutely delighted to have received this award at this point in my career”. She goes on to say “The application process was very challenging as the requirements are demanding and exacting on many levels. It took several months to get the application ready for submission. The effort was definitely worth it though, as I received some excellent feedback from the Panel”.
Professor Digby Warren, Head of the Centre for Professional and Educational Development and Professor of Higher Education, says “Principal Fellowship is a prestigious recognition of successful and sustained strategic leadership in teaching and learning practice and development. Huge congratulations to Dr Patel on this impressive achievement. Consequently, we now have five Principal Fellows at London Met, and we hope, in the next iteration of our CPD in Academic Practice (CAP) Scheme, to include this category in our in-house provision for experience-based claims for Fellowship - once we have more colleagues with PFHEA who could help to mentor others”.
Dr Patel concludes that “Never has the HE sector undergone so much change as in the last 5 years with all academics now needing to be highly competent, technology-savvy educators, active researchers and industry-focussed practitioners all combined into one exciting and worthwhile career”. Dr Patel would strongly recommend the professional recognition process as a platform for colleagues to reflect and present their body of work.
