Welcome Remarks on behalf of University of Derby

Dr. Rawlinson joined the University of Derby 20 years ago after a career in the travel industry where she specialized in group travel. Sarah is passionate about experiential learning and making sure that her students have the... [ view full abstract ]

Dr. Rawlinson joined the University of Derby 20 years ago after a career in the travel industry where she specialized in group travel. Sarah is passionate about experiential learning and making sure that her students have the skills and knowledge that employers are seeking in today’s graduates.

Sarah’s specialist teaching areas are in rural tourism development, MICE markets and curriculum development. She is passionate about supporting students from a wide and varied background to succeed at university and is involved in undergraduate and postgraduate courses as well as supervision of a number of PhD students.

Sarah’s professional interests include the development of curriculum models that support vocational learning and provide opportunities for students to learn how to transfer knowledge in a context that allows them to bring theory alive and link it to practical application. Sarah has been involved in developing opportunities for students to gain experiential learning as part of their degree, to support their professional development through experiences that support employability, therefor providing better prepared graduates for industry.

Sarah’s research interests include teaching and learning, especially the development of “real world learning” and “experiential” teaching and learning strategies, and she is currently working with two PhD students on aspects of
research related to the demands for talented young people in the hospitality industry.

Sarah led the development of spa management as a subject area in higher education and the University of Derby is now a world leader in spa management degrees, providing graduate to some of the most prestigious spas in the
world. Sarah works closely with the Swiss Education Group in providing world class education for students from around the world, and also works with partners in Botswana, China, Holland and Greece.