Dr Frances Myers

Consultant

fran.myers@open.ac.uk

Biography

Professional biography

Professional Biography

I am a Lecturer in Management at the Department of People and Organisations (DPO), Faculty of Business and Law, where I am currently working on the Apprenticeships programme. I have twenty years experience in teaching and learning roles at the Open University and University of Greater Manchester and have taught on a wide variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in business and politics via face to face, hybrid and online platform methods, with domestic and international students and via partnerships. I hold a Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), am an external examiner at the University of Staffordshire and Wolverhampton and have also advised as a subject specialist for QAA quality reviews in business and management education.

My PhD is in Political Economy from the University of Manchester Alliance Business School and I have an MBA from the Open University Business School alongside an undergraduate degree in History from the University of Birmingham.

Prior to working in higher education I worked in the corporate sector in a vaiety of roles as manager, project manager and trainer in telecoms and FMCG environments.

Research interests

My research interests are in a) public and organisational storytelling and mythmaking, reputation management and presentation of public narratives via mediation and mediatisation, b) digital enclosure and associated identity work undertaken by those inhabiting digital workplaces, c) development of work-based learning initiatives in higher education and impact from policy shaping on educational trajectories.

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3872-3581

Teaching interests

I have a broad range of teaching and learning interests and have substantial experience facilitating students from Higher Education Access modules right through to MBA dissertation supervision, where I have a particular interest in the translation of political policies to workplace outcomes. I am working with two current PhD students on work-based learning topics.

Impact and engagement

You can access my most recent invited lecture for University of Lancaster Educational Research department via YouTube at Fran Myers & Hilary Collins: "Uberising’ HE? Teaching identity work behind the digital curtain" - YouTube (22 March 2021) I've also been an invited speaker at Liverpool Hope University education department, and at the University of Sharjah. I am a member of the editorial board for Journal of Further and Higher Education, and you can find my conference papers on the publications link.

Projects

Better Learning?: Developing line managers at the nexus of degree apprenticeship support

Apprenticeships are a major initiative in UK skills development since 2015, and continuing to be increasingly popular with both organisations and their apprentices. However, their very ‘newness’ means there is lots we as higher education providers, employers, and the government still don’t know about what’s working, working well, and areas for improvement. The initiative has brought fresh stakeholders into traditional dyadic teaching and learning relationships between university and student. Employers, line managers and the government all have a say in learning design, how learning takes place, and what apprentices need to be successful. We know that large, established employers who are used to running training and development in-house are doing well in supporting apprentices, especially where a dedicated apprenticeship lead person is appointed. This is often less so for smaller employers lacking resources and supporting personnel. However, we also know that whilst the organisation may be confident, individual line managers aren’t always sure about how to get the best out of the programme – even if it is well established. Given that they are responsible for much of that 80% of on-the-job learning, it is important to support them. Typical areas we as providers might be able to support is in providing knowledge about what works, and building their relationships with Practice Tutors. They also need support on understanding how this role fits within the organisation, and the time commitment needed to guide an apprentice through. This British Academy funded project is using interviews at a case study organisation to investigate what’s working well for line managers to try and share good practice in apprenticeship delivery further – supporting development for both line managers and other employers.