About us

Professor Jacqueline Baxter, Director

Jacqueline is Associate Professor of Public Policy and Management in the Department of Public Leadership and Social Enterprise at the Open University Business School.

She is the author of numerous articles on online pedagogy and Co Editor of the book, 'Creativity and Critique in Online Learning: Exploring and Examining Innovations in Online Pedagogy’ (Baxter et al, 2018), which is in the top ten of Palgrave’s most downloaded books in the subject area. Her research interests lie in the areas of public management and governance, and she has over 30 years of experience in the writing and design of online courses and modules. She is Principal Fellow of The Higher Education Academy, Fellow of The Academy of Social Sciences and Elected Council Member of BELMAS and was Editor in Chief of the Sage journal Management in Education (MiE) for 4 years. Her current funded research projects examine the interrelationship between trust, accountability and capacity in improving learning outcomes; and the strategic management of online learning in secondary schools during and beyond Covid-19. She tweets @DrJacqueBaxter and more of her work can be found on her academic profile. Her latest book is: 'Trust, Accountability and Capacity in Education System Reform' (Routledge, 2020).

Dr Andrew Gilbert, Deputy Director (Law)

Andrew is a Senior Lecturer in Law in the Open University Law School. With interests in the broad spectrum of academic and vocational legal education, Andrew leads the law school's Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) curriculum development work and has blogged on why the SQE can't guarantee competent solicitors and law schools' responses to the SQE. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Law Teachers and a peer reviewer for the leading legal education journal, The Law Teacher.

Andrew’s work uses insights from Bourdieu to examine ways in which legal education generally, and clinical legal education in particular, can develop social and cultural capital, promote social justice and enhance student employability. He has recently researched the use of extra-curricular activities by law students and alumni, including the impact of the pandemic on student activities. 

Andrew tweets @DrAndrewGilber1 and more of his work can be found on his profile. His latest publication is: Gilbert, A. (2022) ‘Capitalising on Clinical Legal Education: Insights from Bourdieu’, in Madhloom, O. and McFaul, H. (eds.) Thinking about Clinical Legal Education: Philosophical and Theoretical Perspectives. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 49-68.

Dr Helen Selby-Fell, Deputy Director (Business)

Helen is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Policing Organisation and Practice (POP), where she is Module Chair and involved in both production design and presentation for a number of policing related modules. In addition, Helen is (co) Lead for Research & Scholarship for the POP Department, and a member of the POP Leadership Team. Helen works closely with the Centre for Police Research & Learning (CPRL) and is currently involved in a number of research endeavours. Helen’s professional career specialised in research and analysis in the police service (where she held the roles of Head of Analysis and Director of Commissioning, Policy & Research for most of her career in the police service). Helen’s academic career and research interests have centred around both ‘evidence based policing’, and forensic (investigative) psychology.