Dr Judy Chandler

Professional Biography

Judy Chandler joined the OU in 2018 working in a pan-university role engaged in evaluation projects on OU modules and systems. Judy also engaged in accessibility testing both working directly with students and carrying out independent accessibility testing and reporting. Subsequent to this, Judy worked in the Faculty of Business and Law as a Student Experience Manager, where she line managed Practice Tutors on the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship.

In addition, Judy was the Accessibility Lead for the OU Business School, providing accessibility advice and guidance to modules across the business school. This role also included representing the Business School at Cross Faculty Accessibility Working Group meetings and serving as a critical reader on Accessibility Guides for a large number of modules who produced guides in compliance with the 2019 accessibility legislation.

Judy is currently Programme Lead for the Masters in Education and Masters in Childhood and Youth. She was previously the module team chair of the Stage 2 Masters level module EE812 and was previously the module team chair of the Stage 3 dissertation module EE813. Judy has also led authoring the remake of the Stage 2 module which focuses on Educational Leadership contexts, values and strategy, which launched in October 2023. Judy is a member of Senate, an academic reviewer and is also a Digital Champion in the School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport. Judy was a co-author on the advanced level OpenLearn Course Engaging with Postgraduate Research: Education, Childhood and Youth, and also co-authored an introductory level OpenLearn Course The benefits of social media in academia. Judy is also a co-convenor for the Emergent Research RIG (Research Interest Group) at the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society (BELMAS) and is a chair of governors at an Upper School.

Research Interests

Her research interests lie in Educational Leadership and Management in Higher Education, which is the context of her EdD study. Her thesis centres on the complexity of HE administration and the leadership displayed by those in administrative management roles during curriculum delivery, particularly in the Third Space. In addition to Higher Education, her interest also extends to leadership and management in Schools, as Judy works closely with a local school where she is a chair of governors and a member of the National Governance Association. Educational Leadership and Management is a research interest that stems from Judy’s prior professional experience as Programme Lead in a Further Education College, subject leader in a secondary school and whole-school mentoring coordinator.

Teaching Interests

Judy’s early experience as a classroom teacher formed the basis for her interest in pedagogical approaches. Her work as a whole-school mentoring coordinator sparked her commitment to and interest in leadership development as she was able to contribute to the development of staff and later student leaders. As Programme Lead in a Further Education College, Judy co-authored a Management Diploma qualification and incorporated her passion for developing Managers with a broad range of knowledge and skills. In Leadership and Management, Judy currently teaches at the Masters Level and has previously edited teaching materials at the Undergraduate Level in the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship. She combines her experience as a practitioner and breadth of knowedge of Leadership and Management literature to inform the authoring of the module remake she is leading on. Other teaching interests include digital pedagogies, which build on Judy’s experience as a Media Studies subject leader and Assessor of a Studio Management Diploma and is complemented by her work accessibility testing a range of module tools at the Open University and collaboration with fellow Digital Champions in the School of Education Childhood Youth and Sport.

Impact and Engagement

Engaging with students as part of accessibility testing and reporting was a foundational experience, which gave Judy an insight into student experience, particularly those with declared disabilities. Her commitment to accessibility extends beyond her work at the Open University to her responsibilities as SEND Governor at an Upper School where Judy works closely with Senior Leaders, Pastoral Support and SEND leadership.

While working as a Student Experience Manager, Judy co-created staff development workshops for Practice Tutors in preparation for working with students preparing professional practice portfolios as part of their Undergraduate Apprenticeship Programmes. Judy also worked directly with students in support of their portfolio preparation.

Judy is currently working on a scholarship project with colleagues which uses a change laboratory methodology to explore the perspectives of minoritised students in relation to Taught Postgraduate assessmentl. The project involves students on the Master's in Education and the Master's in Childhood and Youth.