Mrs Suzanne Corcoran

Professional biography

Suzanne (Suz) Corcoran joined the OU as an AL in 2014. In September 2021 she joined the OU full time as a Lecturer and Student Experience Manager in the Faculty of Business and Law. 

Suz is recognised as a FHEA, and obtained her PostGraduate Certificate in Academic Practice in 2023. Suz also holds a BA (hons), GdipL and whilst she stopped practising law in 2021, she remains on the Roll of Solicitors

Suz leads on the Belonging in Business project within the Business School, working with colleagues to create a belonging space which will positively impact upon students' outcomes and their identity with the School.

Suz has recently been appointed as Retention Lead for the Business School .

Research interests

Suz's research interests focus on two areas: how a sense of belonging can impact positively on student outcomes, and ways in which awarding gaps for students with APS characteristics can be reduced. Her scholarship work has led to the creation of a checklist of interventions academic and administrative staff can use on their modules to reduce awarding gap levels. 

Unlocking potential: Scholarship reveals student success strategies | The Scholarship Centre for innovation in online Legal and Business education (SCiLAB) (open.ac.uk)

Corcoran, S., Comfort, C., Ellis, N., Gandhi S. and Graham, K. (2023) Final Report: OU Knowledge of Causes and successful interventions for addressing awarding gaps. The Open University Scholarship Exchange. Report. https://hdl.handle.net/10779/ou.se.25334737.v1 

She is currently working on a proposal for a pan-university project focusing on reducing awarding gaps for students with mental health declarations

Suz is also part of a team looking in to reducing barriers to Scholarship of Teaching and Learning  

The ‘Carousel of Scholarship’: how to ride its ups and downs | The Scholarship Centre for innovation in online Legal and Business education (SCiLAB) (open.ac.uk)

Teaching interests

As well as being an AL for the OU since 2014, Suz has experience as employability and EDI lead on modules in production. Her focus on tuition delivery is creating an inclusive environment that supports all students to succeed in their study journey.