Stacey Mottershaw

Profile

Prior to joining Leeds I worked at the University of Sheffield for over 10 years, across a range of professional services roles including study abroad, outreach, recruitment, external engagement and employability. I joined Leeds University Business School in September 2018, first as a Teaching Fellow in Employability and Professional Development, then as a Lecturer (Teaching and Scholarship). Since 2022 I have been an Associate Professor (Teaching and Scholarship). I teach a range of topics including ethics, sustainability and career development, as well as personal tutoring, working with students on industrial placements and supervising dissertations. 

Alongside my role in LUBS I am pursuing my Doctorate in Education (EdD) at the University of Sheffield. My research explores the career decisions, journeys and trajectories of academics from working-class backgrounds. 

Since December 2023 I have been Trustee of the National Education Opportunities Network (NEON). Find out more about our work here: https://www.educationopportunities.co.uk/about/ 

Sector blogs:

Mottershaw, S., and Viragos, A. 2025. ‘It’s different when they’re in their office’: the disconnect in student perceptions of academic meetings. Society for Research in Higher Education (SRHE) blog. [Online]. Published 7^th February 2025. Available from: https://srheblog.com/2025/02/07/its-different-when-theyre-in-their-office-the-disconnect-in-student-perceptions-of-academic-meetings/ 

Mottershaw, S., and Bramley, G. 2022. To professionalise, or not to professionalise, that is (part of) the question. Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) blog. [Online]. Published 29^th March 2022. Available from: https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2022/03/29/to-professionalise-or-not-to-professionalise-that-is-part-of-the-question/ 

Mottershaw, S. 2021. Why we need to stop using the term widening participation. Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) blog. [Online]. Published 17^th December 2021. Available from: https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2021/12/17/why-we-need-to-stop-using-the-term-widening-participation/ 

Online resources: 

• Listening Rooms Toolkit: https://sway.cloud.microsoft/uPgMLVr5OcqpLUbw 
• Leeds Institute of Teaching Excellence Podcast ‘Listening Rooms’: https://rss.com/podcasts/litebites/1903801/ 
• Academics of Working-Class Heritage Talking project site: https://charliedavis5.github.io/AWCHT/Home.html 
• Ensuring all student voices are heard: case study. University of Leeds 2023. Available from: https://www.leeds.ac.uk/directory_record/20298/ensuring_all_student_voices_are_heard
• How Might We Guide: engaging with student voices. University of Leeds 2023. Available from: https://www.leeds.ac.uk/curriculum-redefined/doc/how-might-we-guides

Presentations:

• April 2025. Invited speaker: ‘Inclusive teaching practice’. LUBS Talk About Teaching. University of Leeds. 
• April 2025. Invited panelist: ‘Access and Student Success: Taking stock and looking forward’. University of Leeds. Hybrid. 
• March 2025. Workshop: Leading the Way - Ethical approaches to research in widening access. NEON Professional Programme. Online. 
• January 2025. Invited speaker: Using Focus Groups and Listening Rooms in pedagogical research. Partnerships in Assessment and Feedback Student Advisory Board training. Online. 
• December 2024. ‘Is ‘solidarity’ the most important word in the language of the working-class academic?’. SRHE Annual Conference. East Midlands Conference Centre. 
• November 2024. ‘Transformative power of collective spaces: reflections on facilitating a working-class student advisory board’, co-delivered with Rachael O’Connor. The University of Leeds Student Success Conference. 
• July 2024. Invited panelist: ‘Early Career Academic event - Building a Positive Academic Community’. The University of Leeds. 
• June 2024. ‘Using community-building approaches to challenge deficit narratives and highlight working-class commonalities in academia’, panel session co-delivered with Nadine Cavigioli and Rachael O’Connor. Working Class Studies Association Annual Conference. Online. 
• April 2024. 'Methodologies for centring student voices’, co-delivered with Rachael O’Connor. Workshop for participants on the University of Leeds’ Build Your Scholarship Practice programme. Online. 
• April 2024. ‘Does class impact the career decisions, journeys and trajectories of academics with working-class heritage?’. SRHE Newer Researchers Webinar Series. Online. 
• January 2024. 'Common ground: Using authenticity to make connections in teaching', co-delivered with Mike Reynolds. Student Education Conference 2024. The University of Leeds. 
• January 2024. ‘Reflections on being working-class and collaborative approaches to exploring class in HE’, co-delivered with Rachael O’Connor and Nadine Cavigioli. Student Education Conference 2024. The University of Leeds. 
• November 2023. 'Common ground: Using authenticity to make connections in teaching', co-delivered with Mike Reynolds. ISSOTL 2023. Utrecht, The Netherlands. 
• September 2023. 'Common ground: Using authenticity to make connections in teaching'. RAISE Conference. Leeds.
• September 2023. ‘Pay your dues’: student finance, debt and disrupting legal education', co-delivered with Gareth Bramley. University of Law Learning and Teaching Conference. Online. 
• August 2023. Invited speaker: 'Understanding student success'. University of South Wales. Online. 
• July 2023. 'Changes to delivery of academic personal tutoring', co-delivered with Anna Viragos. Society for Research in Higher Education (SRHE) Showcase. Online. 
• June 2023. Invited keynote: ‘Flexible learning and higher education: a recipe for under-represented student success?’. Advance HE Flexible Learning Symposium. 14^th June 2023. The Studio, Leeds. 
• September 2022. ‘Hiding in plain sight: Why every teacher should be student again’ (with Gareth Bramley). University of Law Annual Teaching and Learning Conference. 6^th and 8^th September 2022. Online. 
• July 2022. ‘Can you hear me? – Using Listening Rooms to explore student success for under-represented students in LUBS and AHC’. Advance HE Learning and Teaching Conference. 6^th July 2022. Northumbria University. 
• June 2022. ‘Creating SoTL communities through critical storytelling: reflections on a participatory study with Russell Group academics of working-class heritage’ (with Charlie Davis, Penny Rivlin, Adam Matthews and Jessica Hawkins). EuroSoTL 2022. 17^th June 2022. MMU.
• May 2022. ‘The Importance of Working Class Academics – Belonging and Authenticity’. Alliance of Working Class Academics. 11^th May 2022 (online). 
• April 2022. ‘Online or face to face. That is the question’ – exploring preferences of students for academic personal tutoring’ (with Anna Viragos). UK Association of Tutoring (UKAT) Conference 2022 (online). 
• March 2022: ‘Supporting the progression and attainment of diverse cohorts’ (with Maria Hussain). Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) Certified Management Business Educator (CMBE) CPD training (online). 
• July 2021. ‘40 miles apart: Exploring the impact of locality in university admissions’. British Sociological Association Early Career Researcher event: ‘Situating Austerity’ (online). 
• May 2021. ‘Disinvesting in Critical Pedagogy: Redundancies and Academic Freedom at the University of Leicester Business School’ (with Gareth Bramley). EdD study school weekend, University of Sheffield (online). 
• June 2021. ‘Using 'Listening Rooms' methodology to support under-represented students’. CABS LTSE Conference (online). 
• July 2020. ‘Bridging the gap between leadership and success for under-represented students’. Advance HE Learning and Teaching Conference (online). 
• February 2020. ‘Business degrees, transferable skills and the future’ (with Sarah Barksby and Kate Scott). UCAS Annual Conference for Teachers and Advisers. Brighton.
• June 2019. ‘Personal tutoring models: attendance and engagement’ (with Anna Viragos). British Academy of Management MKE Conference, ‘Teaching and Learning for Impact’. York St John University. 

Responsibilities

• School Ethics Lead for Business, Environment & Social Sciences

Research interests

I have a wide range of research interests, including: 

• Under-representation, imposter phenomenon and challenging deficit thinking in HE, with a specific focus on social class.
• Career decisions, journeys and trajectories of academics from working-class backgrounds.
• Personal tutoring policies and practice.
• Authenticity in the classroom and if/how this links to sense of belonging.
• Innovative qualitative methods in research, including listening rooms, photovice and story circles. 

I have peer reviewed articles for a range of journals focused on pedagogy and scholarship, which includes but is not limited to, the International Journal for Students as Partners, the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, and a UKAT special edition of Frontiers in Education, ‘Academic Advising and Tutoring for Student Success in Higher Education: International Perspectives’. 

Qualifications

• PG Diploma and QCD, Career Development - Nottingham Trent University
• MA (Hons) Political Theory - University of Sheffield
• BA (Hons) Philosophy - University of Sheffield

Professional memberships

• Career Development Institute (CDI)
• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
• Recognised Senior Adviser (RSA), UK Advising and Tutoring (UKAT)

Student education

Since joining LUBS in September 2018, I have taught on a range of modules covering academic and employability skills, business ethics, CSR and sustainability. I have also supervised both undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations. In 2021 I won the Faculty Early Career Teaching Award and came runner-up in the Personal Tutoring category. In 2023 I won the Faculty Global Award for my contribution to Leeds International Summer School.