Ms Rachael Miles

Position:

Director of Learning ＆ Teaching - School of Arts

Department:

College of Arts, Technology and EnvironmentFaculty of Arts, Creative Industries, and Education (ACE)School of Arts

Telephone:

+441173284847

Email:

Rachael.Miles@uwe.ac.uk

About me

Rachael Miles is Director for Learning & Teaching in the School of Arts at UWE Bristol, where she leads the strategic development of learning, teaching and curriculum across one of the UK's largest multidisciplinary arts schools. She has led a significant programme of curriculum renewal, redesigning undergraduate provision to create more connected, interdisciplinary and future-focused learning that responds to the changing needs of students, employers and the creative industries.

Her work focuses on curriculum transformation, creative pedagogy and assessment innovation. She has led developments in assessment and feedback, including the introduction of pass/fail assessment, stepped marking and standards-based approaches that improve consistency, transparency and student understanding while supporting authentic, inclusive and evidence-based assessment. She is committed to designing curricula and assessment that develop creative, critical and adaptable graduates who are equipped for an evolving workplace.

Rachael has a particular interest in the relationship between higher education, the UK's creative industries and the government's skills agenda. Her work explores how universities can prepare students for careers that are increasingly interdisciplinary, technologically enabled and shaped by rapid change. She is also interested in the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, and how these can be integrated into creative education while strengthening the distinctly human capabilities of imagination, judgement, collaboration and ethical thinking.

Central to her work is a commitment to widening participation in arts education and ensuring that creative education remains accessible, inclusive and relevant for all. She believes everyone should have the opportunity to engage with the arts and is passionate about creating learning environments in which students from all backgrounds can thrive, develop confidence and realise their creative potential.

Alongside her academic leadership, Rachael is a practising artist whose work spans performance, socially engaged practice and contemporary visual art. Her work has been exhibited nationally, including selection for the John Moores Painting Prize 22 at the Walker Art Gallery. Performance works such as The Depravation Indices explore the relationship between economics, identity and everyday life through participatory performance. She has also developed and curated public programmes, bringing together performance, discussion and community engagement to create spaces for dialogue within LGBTQ+ communities.

Working collaboratively with Tom Marshman, Rachael co-created Deuce (2018) and Deuce 2 (2022), performances exploring gender non-conformity, queer histories and the legacy of Section 28 through autobiographical storytelling and popular culture.

Deuce was shown at the Arnolfini on 4th June 2018 as part of an event that included a talk by Jack Halberstam Trans: a quick and quirky guide to gender variability

Deuce 2 was performed at the Arnolfini on 29^th April 2022 as part of an event that included a talk Beyond the Buzzwords by Del LaGrace Volcano 

Research and Professional Interests

• Contemporary Arts Practices
• Curriculum transformation in arts higher education
• Creative pedagogy and interdisciplinary learning
• Assessment reform, standards-based assessment and authentic feedback
• Creativity, AI and emerging technologies in higher education
• Creative skills, graduate employability and the UK's creative industries agenda
• Educational leadership and curriculum innovation
• Widening participation and equitable access to arts education

Area of expertise

• Contemporary Arts Practices
• Curriculum transformation in arts higher education
• Creative pedagogy and interdisciplinary learning
• Assessment reform, standards-based assessment and authentic feedback
• Creativity, AI and emerging technologies in higher education
• Creative skills, graduate employability and the UK's creative industries agenda
• Educational leadership and curriculum innovation
• Widening participation and equitable access to arts education

Publications

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