Profile: Toni Kelly, Birmingham University

She is learning spaces project programme manager at Birmingham University, as well as chair of professional body Standing Conference for Heads of Media Services (SCHOMS).

Having joined the university in 1992 as estate planner, Kelly moved in 1997 to a newly converged Information Services team, which has since grown to provide a wide range of support for internal and external clients.

- What are your main responsibilities?

I ensure that the development of the university’s learning and teaching is in line with our objectives. I project-manage the investment programme and act as co-ordinator between the users of the space, those who support it daily, and the project and design teams.

I try to ensure all our projects take advantage of the latest technologies appropriate for learning.

- How has your role changed over the past few years?

When we started the programme of capital investment, the priorities were to get all our teaching spaces up to a good standard.

We have nearly achieved this, and during the past couple of years, we’re looking more creatively at our space, at how the delivery of learning and teaching within the classroom has changed, and how we can remodel space to facilitate enquiry-based and problem-based learning. Technologies such as lecture capture and personal response systems are beginning to gain traction in classrooms.

As a result, we now have a pool of new and innovative learning spaces and a programme of evaluation of the space and the technologies to establish how they meet expectations.

- What are the key challenges for av in higher education?

The immediate issues relate to the cuts in funding currently being considered, which will obviously affect higher education buying power.

But we’re also under ever-increasing pressure to ensure everything we use to support teaching and learning has been considered in the context of its impact on energy consumption, whether that be power or materials.

We are certainly re-examining our procurement and decision-making in this area.

- What’s the most important thing in your in-tray?

The draft Learning Spaces Strategy document which, when completed and adopted, will inform our long-term development.

- What’s the most impressive technology you’ve used?

My smartpen. I can make notes and upload them to my PC instantly, and if I need to circulate them, they are ready instantly. It can also record audio.

- What makes you tick?

Away from work, you can find me on my allotment. The complete contrast between the day job and the physical work of growing your own is fantastic and extremely satisfying.