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 (accreditation, including Panel Chair), Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (2016-Present). 
• Curriculum Guidelines for speech and language therapy higher education in the UK (Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists): Higher Education Reference Group member (2024-25) and National Steering Group Member (2016-2017).
• Mentor to new External Examiners: Leeds Beckett University
• External Examiner: Currently Trinity College (Dublin) previously Leeds Beckett University and Newcastle University.

Within University of Strathclyde

• Director of Strategy and Partners (SLT Education): 2023-Present
• Representative of HaSS, Assessment and Feedback Working Group, sub-group of the University’s Education Strategy Committee, including development of Assessment Policies and strategy (2021-2024)
• Leader of a cross-institutional scholarship group, focused on Resilient Learning Communities in Higher Education (2023/24)
• Institutional Assessor for Senior Fellowship/ Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, OSDU, University of Strathclyde (2017-2022).  
• 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 14+ consecutive years. I was shortlisted for Student Community (2021), Most Enthusiastic (2019), Best Overall (2018), Best in HaSS Faculty (2018) 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.