Prf Eric Addae-Kyeremeh

Associate Dean (Strategy and Partnerships)

School of Education, Childhood, Youth & Sport

eric.addae-kyeremeh@open.ac.uk

Biography

I am Professor of Educational Leadership and Development and Associate Dean (Strategy and Partnerships) at The Open University. With more than 20 years’ experience across further and higher education, I have built a career dedicated to transforming educational systems, strengthening institutional capacity and creating opportunities through innovation, inclusion and strategic collaboration.

My professional journey began in the Further Education sector in England, where I led provision across Science and Mathematics, Computing and IT, and Business, Administration and Law. Since joining The Open University in 2011, I have held progressively senior roles, including Associate Programme Director, Associate Head of School, Head of School and Academic Lead for Academic Promotions. Through these positions, I have shaped strategy, led organisational change, advanced student success and championed equitable and inclusive cultures.

My research and scholarship centre on educational leadership, evidence-informed practice, teacher professional development, digital education and system reform. Through international collaboration, knowledge exchange and professional learning, I seek to strengthen leadership capacity, improve educational practice and support sustainable institutional change. My work connects research, policy and practice, particularly across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the United Kingdom.

I am an experienced speaker, advisor and partnership builder, working with governments, universities, development agencies and professional bodies. My work is distinguished by a commitment to translating ideas into practical impact and building partnerships that expand opportunity, improve quality and deliver lasting public value.

My principal areas of interest for doctoral research supervision include:

Leadership and management of education

Learning and development of education practitioners

Professional and practitioner networks and how they contribute to organisational development

Educational change

Education policy

Professional recognition

Senior Fellow, Advance HE (formerly Higher Education Academy)

Fellow and Chartered Manager - Chartered Management Institute (CMI)

Fellow and Chartered IT Professional – BCS, The Chartered Institute of IT

Membership or offices held in learned societies and professional bodies

Member, Deans Forum, European Association of Distance Teaching Universities

Executive Committee Member, Universities' Council for the Education of Teachers

Management Forum Member, Universities' Council for the Education of Teachers

Member, British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society

Member, Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management

Academic editorial work

Editorial Advisory Board Member, Open University Press

Subject Expert Reviewer, IGI Global

Subject Matter Expert, Sage Campus

Reviewer, International Journal of Gender Science and Technology

Reviewer, Open Learning: The Journal of Open and Distance Learning

Reviewer, Management in Education

Specialist Reviewer, Routledge Education Publications

Reviewer, European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning

Recent international roles

Expert Mentor in Digital Education (2022 – date), European Digital Education Hub

Esteemed Member (2023 – date), Body of Practitioners Knowledge (BOPK), Adhyayan Foundation,India

Academic Advisor to the University of Ghana (2022 – 2024) on the revision of their Teaching and Learning Policy

Projects

A European Inclusion Reference Framework for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity

The IncluDE project creates an Inclusion Reference Framework for higher education institutions along with practice-oriented instruments to assess and enhance inclusion policies and practices. This enables leaders, intermediary educational support services, teaching staff, and students to improve inclusion across all levels - course, curriculum, and institutional. In all successive phases of the project, institutional partners develop synergies, will leverage their expertise and experience. The project aligns with the concepts of inclusion, equity, diversity and inclusion challenges as defined by the European Commission, reinforcing the shared European language and approach. Inclusion challenges encompass disabilities, health problems, educations system barriers, cultural differences, social barriers, economic barriers, discrimination and geographical barriers (Erasmus+). These challenges are encountered by individual or groups of students throughout their entire academic journey, from pre-access preparation, fair admission, personalised learning and study progression, equitable assessments and examinations, and adequate preparation for their future careers. The Inclusion Reference Framework includes indicators rooted in principles and recommendations derived from research literature, international and national policies, existing institutional guidelines, and best practices. It offers a diagnostic Inclusion Evaluation Instrument, based on these indicators, that allows institutions to assess their current status, identify what should be done next, and determine what is realistically achievable within their institution. It also includes an Inclusion Monitor that helps institutional actors in structuring discussions and action planning at all levels. All is integrated in the Inclusive Higher Education Resources Panel, and the IncluDE CPD course, which provides stakeholders with tools and educational resources for managing and enhancing inclusion.