Nosheen Rachel

Nosheen is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Brighton and teaches on the BA Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), BA Education and MA Education programmes at the University. Nosheen has responsibility for the student experience and engagement aspect of the BA ECEC and Education and is the current year one Personal Academic Tutor lead.

Nosheen has over 18 years’ experience of teaching and project management in UK Higher Education and has previously worked at Middlesex University and the University of Roehampton. While studying at Middlesex for her MA in Education (Leadership and Management) and her PhD in Education she coordinated the Aimhigher (North London) Project. Subsequently, she managed the University’s International/ Study abroad office. She completed her PhD on peer mentoring in Higher Education in 2013, and in the same year took the PG Cert in Higher Education.  She is a Fellow of UK Advance HE.

Before joining Middlesex University, after completing an MSc in Chemistry, Nosheen taught Chemistry to Cambridge GCE A level at a Grammar School in Lahore, Pakistan for 14 years. During this time, she also worked as a consultant and lecturer in training pre-service and in-service science teachers at the early years, primary and secondary level.

Nosheen has extensive experience of teaching International/Comparative Education and social research methods on the BA Education Studies and Early Years programmes and on the MA Higher Education. Nosheen is an experienced supervisor for UG and PG students and has been a joint supervisor for doctoral students. Nosheen has also contributed to teaching on the MA and PhD programmes at the Dept. of International Education at Stockholm University, Sweden and at universities in Pakistan.

In her role as Study Abroad/Exchanges Manager at Middlesex, Nosheen was the project lead for all operational and academic aspects of EU funded programmes for student and staff mobility. Nosheen has participated in and supported a number of funded projects, including running mentoring training for students in Serbian universities, and was involved either as a facilitator/ inter-project coach, principal investigator or as joint investigator in a number of Strategic Partnerships and Capacity Building projects for Higher Education Institutions across the world. Nosheen has presented at several national and international conferences on leading and managing change, on research and innovation, student peer mentoring, international education and aspects of project management. She has published her research and project outcomes in a number of peer-reviewed articles and reports.

Nosheen chaired the Universities UK International Unit strand on staff mobility in 2019; and since 2020 was selected as a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities Chevening Scholarships assessment committee.

Nosheen has a holistic approach to teaching, integrating innovation and student-centred pedagogical strategies. She strives to focus on a positive learning experience for students through providing opportunities such as learner-focused interactive discussions within lectures, seminars and workshops to help promote student ownership of their learning. She is committed to creating a safe learning environment within classrooms for students for co-creation of knowledge through effective and confident communication, encouraging reflective practice to help develop critical, collaborative and creative thinking and problem-solving skills.  

Nosheen’s research and teaching interests include cognitive development in children, formal and informal learning and life-long learning;  comparative, intercultural and international education; leadership and change management in higher education; practitioner research; learning theories and psychological approaches to learning, teaching and assessment in higher education; sociology and education; social justice and contemporary education; student support and student engagement in HEIs; contemporary challenges in student mental health and well-being, and Special Education Needs; mentoring and coaching; literacy, gender and development; the role of higher education in community learning and the development of sustainable communities; diversity and inclusion in education.

International/comparative education and contemporary issues; Early years education and care; Student transition to Higher Education; Intersectionality in education; Gender equity and equality; Diversity and Inclusion in Education; Mentoring and coaching; Peer learning and student support (including support for students with Special Education Needs); Parent/practitioner partnerships in supporting student learning and development; Methodological approaches of interpretivism, ethnomethodology, action research, phenomenology and critical grounded theory for research in education.

E+ KA2 Strategic partnerships Project ‘Realise’, 2016-2019 Grant €40,000 (Project partner, adviser, researcher)

Realising the potential of staff mobility in European Higher Education