Sally Smith
Sally Smith

Prof Sally Smith PFHEA FBCS

Head of Graduate Apprenticeships and Skills Development and Professor

 0131 455 2742

  S.Smith@napier.ac.uk

   

Biography

Professor Sally Smith MA MSc DBA PFHEA

Sally is Head of Graduate Apprenticeships and Skills Development at Edinburgh Napier. She has an MA (Hons) in Mathematics from Aberdeen University, Scotland, an MSc in Computer Science from City University, London and a DBA from Edinburgh Napier University. Sally is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has previously worked in the telecommunications and aerospace industries in the UK and Europe.

She is the Director of the Centre for Higher Education Research at Edinburgh Napier University and Project Director of e-Placement Scotland, creating paid placements for computing students across Scotland.

Sally leads the Data Education in Universities workstream of the Data Skills Gateway of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland Region City Deal.

Sally’s research focus is on the impact of work placements and graduate apprenticeships, especially on under-represented groups.

Previously, Sally was Dean of Computing 2008-2020. Between 2011 and 2018 she was on the committee of the UK Council of Professors and Heads of Computing, serving as Chair between 2014 and 2016.

Research Groups

Themes

Research Areas

News

Events

Esteem

Advisory panels and expert committees or witness

  • SQA Advisory Council
  • Sally Smith has been appointed to the Shadbolt Review Group

 

Conference Organising Activity

  • Horizons in STEM Higher Education Conference: Making Connections, Innovating and Sharing Pedagogy
  • Horizons in STEM Higher Education Conference: Making Connections, Innovating and Sharing Pedagogy
  • Conference Chair Horizons in STEM Higher Education
  • UK STEM Conference June 2016: A new conference for teaching and learning research in STEM subjects.

 

External Examining/Validations

  • External at Birmingham City University

 

Fellowships and Awards

  • Connect Tech 100
  • Fellow of the British Computer Society
  • Sally Smith and Bill Buchanan in Tech 100 for Scotland
  • Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

 

Media Activity

  • Graduate Apprenticeships - doubling of places
  • Edinburgh Napier gets major funding to teach digital skills
  • Scottish Business News Network
  • Edinburgh Napier University – Bridging the digital skills gap
  • Times Higher Article
  • The code for future success is investing in our graduates
  • Edinburgh Napier takes over as parent organisation to GGS

 

Membership of Professional Body

  • Principal Fellowship of Higher Education Academy
  • Fellow of the British Computer Society

 

Filter by

Date


85 results

An exploration of academic identity through the COVID-19 pandemic

Journal Article
Smith, S., Plum, K., Taylor-Smith, E., & Fabian, K. (2022)
An exploration of academic identity through the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 46(9), 1290-1303. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2022.2072194
The COVID-19 global pandemic precipitated migration to online learning and teaching for students and universities. This study explored the change in self-identification in an ...

Identifying factors influencing study skills engagement and participation for online learners in higher education during Covid-19

Journal Article
Fabian, K., Smith, S., Taylor-Smith, E., & Meharg, D. (2022)
Identifying factors influencing study skills engagement and participation for online learners in higher education during Covid-19. British Journal of Educational Technology, 53(6), 1915-1936. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13221
The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted education across the world as campuses closed to restrict the spread of the virus. UK universities swiftly migrated to online delivery. The exp...

How are we positioning degree apprenticeships? Analysis of adverts

Conference Proceeding
Fabian, K., Taylor-Smith, E., & Smith, S. (2021)
How are we positioning degree apprenticeships? Analysis of adverts. In SRHE International Conference on Research into Higher Education
Degree apprentices are recruited by employers, rather than universities, reflecting their status as paid employees, first and foremost. This study analysed job adverts for IT ...

Computing students' attitudes to environmental sustainability education

Presentation / Conference
Smith, S., Egan, C., & Plum, K. (2021, June)
Computing students' attitudes to environmental sustainability education. Paper presented at Horizons in STEM Higher Education, Online
Students have voiced concerns that their university courses do not equip them with sufficient information to understand the challenges of environmental sustainability. Althoug...

A multi-institutional exploration of the social mobility potential of degree apprenticeships

Journal Article
Smith, S., Taylor-Smith, E., Fabian, K., Zarb, M., Paterson, J., Barr, M., & Berg, T. (2021)
A multi-institutional exploration of the social mobility potential of degree apprenticeships. Journal of Education and Work, 34(4), 488-503. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2021.1946494
This mixed-method study at six universities asked degree apprentices about their trajectories into the apprenticeship, to better understand the social mobility potential of ap...

Earn as you learn: Widening participation through apprenticeships as debt-free degrees

Presentation / Conference
Meharg, D., Smith, S., Taylor-Smith, E., & Khristin, F. (2021, March)
Earn as you learn: Widening participation through apprenticeships as debt-free degrees. Presented at Advance HE Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Conference 2021, Online
Apprenticeship Degrees provide opportunities to study for a degree without incurring debt. Collaborations between employers and HEIs enable new or established employees to ear...

An exploration of degree apprentice perspectives: A Q methodology study

Journal Article
Fabian, K., Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., Meharg, D., & Varey, A. (2022)
An exploration of degree apprentice perspectives: A Q methodology study. Studies in Higher Education, 47(7), 1397-1409. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2021.1897094
Degree apprenticeships have recently been introduced in the UK, representing a significant shift in approaches to degree-level study: from traditional models of higher educati...

The Effects of UTAUT and Usability Qualities on Students’ Use of Learning Management Systems in Saudi Tertiary Education

Journal Article
Alshehri, A., J Rutter, M., & Smith, S. (2020)
The Effects of UTAUT and Usability Qualities on Students’ Use of Learning Management Systems in Saudi Tertiary Education. Journal of Information Technology Education, 19, 891-930. https://doi.org/10.28945/4659
Aim/Purpose This study proposes a theoretical framework that amalgamates Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) variables with usability metrics to investi...

Computing degree apprenticeships: An opportunity to address gender imbalance in the IT sector?

Conference Proceeding
Smith, S., Taylor-Smith, E., Fabian, K., Barr, M., Berg, T., Cutting, D., …Zarb, M. (2020)
Computing degree apprenticeships: An opportunity to address gender imbalance in the IT sector?. In 2020 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE). https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE44824.2020.9274144
This paper explores the potential for new work-based apprenticeship degrees to encourage more women into computing degrees and the IT sector. In the UK, women are currently un...

An Exploration of the Professional and Leader Identity of IT Professionals Transitioning to a Permanent Hybrid Role: A Longitudinal Investigation

Journal Article
Smith, S., Garavan, T., Munro, A., Ramsay, E., Smith, C., & Varey, A. (2021)
An Exploration of the Professional and Leader Identity of IT Professionals Transitioning to a Permanent Hybrid Role: A Longitudinal Investigation. Information Technology and People, 34(2), 789-811. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-02-2019-0084
Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the role of professional and leader identity and the maintenance of identity, through identity work as IT professionals trans...

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