The Centre for Higher Education Practice (CHEP) is delighted to share that four of the CHEP team have recently achieved Principal Fellowship recognition from Advance HE to demonstrate their sustained strategic leadership in education and their influential contributions across the sector.

Congratulations to Dr Ann Bingham, Bobbi Moore, Claire Hughes and Dr Erika Corradini. They join CHEP Director, Professor Shelley Parr in achieving this status.

Dr Ann Bingham serves as the institutional lead for the Professional Recognition of Educator Practice (PREP) programme. Ann’s expertise lies in academic advising and the professional development of colleagues. With over 25 years’ experience in Higher Education, Ann has delivered lasting institutional and sectoral impact, rooted in collaboration, integrity, and a passion for empowering others to excel.

Ann played a pivotal role in the founding and development of the UK Advising and Tutoring Associate (UKAT) which was created in 2015 to provide focused, coordinated leadership in a domain that had long lacked strategic attention. As Vice Chair and Board Trustee, Ann has played a central role in steering UKAT’s evolution into a sector-influencing charitable organisation, driving governance reform, embedding developmental pathways, and cultivating initiatives, such as Special Interest Groups (SIGs), that foster collaborative scholarship and influence policy.

Ann commented: “The journey towards Principal Fellowship has been deeply rewarding, shaped by years of planning, reflection, and collaboration. I built strong networks, embraced opportunities to support others, and remained anchored in my values of community and shared growth. Ongoing reflection helped me understand how my contributions connected across institutional, national, and international contexts. Taking time to reflect was especially valuable, we rarely pause to consider how our activities shape our practice and what we’ve achieved as a result. I’m proud to be recognised by Advance HE as a Principal Fellow, affirming my commitment to both personal growth and the development of those around me.”

Bobbi Moore is an experienced leader with more than 18 years of cross-disciplinary expertise in digital education, professional development, and applied educational design. Her work focuses on turning research into practice to deliver inclusive, evidence-informed educational change. She has helped shape strategic approaches to teaching, assessment, and professional learning in both the UK and Australia.

Since joining CHEP in 2020 as Education Strategic Lead, and serving as Interim Director from 2024 to 2025, Bobbi has overseen a portfolio of academic development programmes, supported the scholarly growth of educators, and delivered high-impact strategic initiatives. 

Her leadership reflects a strong commitment to institutional citizenship – leading on initiatives that strengthen the University’s culture, values, and long-term priorities. Over the past five years she has led three major University-wide projects that have influenced strategy, enhanced practice, and improved outcomes in digital education, curriculum design, assessment, and academic development.

Bobbi authored the University’s new Framework for Education, co-authored the Common Framework for Online Education, and in 2021 established the CHEP Student Internship Programme, embedding student partnership and co-design into strategic work. Beyond the University, she contributes nationally as a trustee and executive committee member of the UK Heads of Educational Development Group.

Bobbi said: “Being awarded Principal Fellowship is a huge milestone. The process gave me the chance to pause and reflect on my impact, the incredible people I’ve worked with over the years, the lessons I’ve learned, and the values that guide my work. That reflection has been as rewarding as the recognition itself, and it’s made me think about what comes next and how I can continue to make a difference for colleagues, students and the wider HE sector.”

Claire Hughes is a higher education senior leader having worked across both professional services and academic roles for 15+ years. She has influenced institutional and national level education strategy, championing enhancements to teaching, learning, assessment and the student experience, which has led to national award recognition. In these roles she also led civic engagement initiatives working with a range of charities, trusts and business groups within Southampton to champion talent retention within the region.

In her current role at the University of Southampton, Claire is the Assessment Consultancy Lead, Principal Teaching Fellow, within CHEP. She is utilising her experience to lead the Assessment Consultancy as part of the Advancing Assessment Strategic Major Project to promote accessible, inclusive, and student co-designed assessment practices.

Claire has also undertaken a range of external examining roles, been an Advance HE moderator and mentor for over 10 years and served as a core member of Academic Board, Teaching and Learning and Quality Committees. She has also presented at a variety of national conferences and events, and her research focuses on curriculum and assessment design and the changing nature of supporting an excellent student experience.

Claire’s extensive experience in higher education has shaped her deep understanding of inclusive curriculum, assessment, and student support design, ensuring equitable opportunities for diverse student groups.

Claire told us: “When I applied for a university role in professional services over 15 years ago, I never dreamt that it would lead me to becoming a senior leader in higher education. Gaining my Principal Fellow award with Advance HE is a personal career highlight and when preparing the submission, it gave me the time to reflect on my own development across that time and the range of work I have undertaken.  This would not have been possible without working with amazing colleagues along the way that inspired my practice, gave me opportunities and were open to my ideas and a special thanks to my mentors for their guidance and support.”

Dr Erika Corradini is a strategic leader in higher education with a strong track record of delivering transformative change through innovative academic programmes and initiatives that support both educators and learners. With over two decades of experience, she has led national and international projects and set up and led strategic networks to enhance teaching and learning quality across the university sector.

At our University, Erika leads Educator Development, focusing on early career academics, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and Education Evaluation and Enhancement. From 2019-2025, Erika led the AHE Teaching Excellence Awards for the institution. Her leadership is grounded in deep expertise in quality assurance of teaching, academic policy, and evidence-based education.

Her publications explore educational excellence and innovation, academic careers, employability, and digital education. She is Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Research in Learning Technology, the flagship journal of the Association for Learning Technology (ALT).

As Co-Chair and Trustee of the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA), Erika contributes to shaping the future of academic development in the UK and internationally. She represents SEDA within the International Consortium of Educational Development (ICED), has built strategic partnerships and founded a special interest group dedicated to advancing Transnational Education.

Erika shared: “Achieving PFHEA has encouraged me to continue my passion for supporting education development, enhancing student learning, nurturing communities of staff and students, and building networks of support within higher education. I am truly thankful for the guidance and encouragement of my mentors who have helped me stay focused, motivated, and on track.”

Advice for prospective Principal Fellowship applicants from Ann, Bobbi, Claire and Erika:

• Make time to reflect – It’s essential to understand what you did, why you did it, and how. Consider the challenges you faced, how you overcame them, and most importantly, what changed as a result. This reflection brings clarity and depth to your portfolio. Take pride in what you have achieved.
• Engage with others and ask for support – Connect with your mentor, speak to other Principal Fellows, and those currently writing their portfolios. These conversations offer valuable insights, encouragement, and perspective. Asking others to tell you what they consider the core areas that you have led will guarantee content for your submission.
• Plan thoroughly – Writing a portfolio takes time. It’s not just about the writing itself, but also about planning, allowing space to realise your goals, and ensuring you have time to evaluate the strategic impact of your practice.
• See it as an investment – The time and effort you put into the application is worth it. Principal Fellowship of HEA is an internationally recognised marker of esteem and can open doors, expand your network, and highlight the value of your leadership.
• Be bold and confident – You have done amazing work and achieved great things so show this in your submission – the key is finding a mentor that will hold you to writing in this way!
• Identify the ‘I’ in the ‘WE’ – When writing your application consider what would have been different, not happened or not been possible without your leadership or support of the work.  That is then the ‘I’ piece for your submission.
• Become a mentor – This is an excellent way to continue to develop yourself and colleagues and to create professional connections.

Advance HE Professional Recognition for you

Advance HE Fellowship provides recognition of your professional standing in your teaching practice and is recognised across the HE sector as a measure of your expertise and accomplishment.

This University actively supports educators to attain Advance HE professional recognition to demonstrate commitment to high quality teaching. This can be achieved via the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) (taught programme) or PREP (portfolio based).

Visit CHEP’s Teaching Recognition SharePoint page