Susan McCool

Since 2006 I have held increasingly senior leadership roles in Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Higher Education, within the University of Strathclyde and nationally. Before that, I held national clinical, research and professional advisory roles as a specialist in communication, mental health, and complex neurodevelopmental conditions.

My teaching, scholarship and research focuses on an overarching theme of resilience. This combines two main strands of activity: resilience in child mental health and resilience in Higher Education, especially in education for the professions. Outputs from both strands are reaching international audiences.

• Leadership of Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Higher Education
• Resilience: in Higher Education, especially for the professions
• Resilience: in childhood and adolescence
• Communication in child and adolescent mental health and trauma
• Communication in neurodevelopmental complexity, especially Autism

Increasingly, leadership roles allow me to influence the adoption of quality and research-informed teaching and learning practices across the higher education sector.

National influencing roles

• Education Representative, Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, representing the professional body in its accrediting role in higher education across the UK (2016-Present). 
• External Examiner, MSc Speech and Language Therapy, Leeds Beckett University (2019-Present).
• External Examiner, MSc Language Pathology, Newcastle University (2015-2019).
• National Steering Group Member: Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists - Curriculum Guidelines for the accreditation of speech and language therapy higher education in the UK (2016-2017).
• External Course Reviewer, representing Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists: the MSc Speech and Language Therapy at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh (2015).

Within University of Strathclyde

• Institutional Assessor for Senior Fellowship/ Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, OSDU, University of Strathclyde (2017-Present).
• Representative of HaSS, Assessment and Feedback Working Group, sub-group of the University’s Education Strategy Committee (2021-Present).  
• Director of Teaching, School of Psychological Sciences and Health (2018-2021). 
• Adviser to the Dean of HaSS, Strategic Review of Speech and Language Therapy (2017-2018).
• Strategic Adviser to the Head of School: Scoping taught Masters/ CPD options in Speech and Language Therapy (2016-2017). 
• Course Leader, BSc Hons Speech and Language Therapy: led transformation to achieve 100% Student Satisfaction in National Student Survey and top place in national rankings (2010-2016).

I’m a highly accomplished university educator. Delivering on Strathclyde’s strategic goal for outstanding education and student experience, I have been mutliply nominated in the Teaching Excellence Awards for 12+ consecutive years. I was shortlisted as Best Overall (2018), Best in HaSS Faculty (2018), Student Community (2021), Most Enthusiastic (2019) and Most Supportive (2018).

PG Cert in Advanced Academic Practice, University of Strathclyde (2006-2008)  

PhD Professional training to work in partnership with parents of young children with disabilities), University of Strathclyde (Part-time; 1993-1997)  

BSc (Hons of the First Class, with Distinction), Speech Pathology and Therapeutics, Glasgow University (1987-1991) 

My research and scholarship focuses on an overarching theme of resilience. This combines two main strands of activity: resilience in child mental health, and resilience in Higher Education (especially in education for the professions). Outputs from both strands are reaching international audiences.