Principal Technician Rob Jefford is among the first group of people to win new Health and Social Care Technicians of the Year awards from the Higher Education Academy (HEA).
Geoff Glover, HEA’s Assistant Director and Head of Health and Social Care, said recipients’ creative and innovative contributions are assuring student learning aids effective patient and client care.
Rob Jefford has been working as a technician in educational institutions since 1981. He joined the 91¶¶Òõ in 1988 as a scenographer for contemporary dance productions and in 1998 was appointed as Principal Technician in the School of Health Professions. He has remained in the school and works closely with staff and students. His interest in supporting learning and teaching has grown over the years and recent developments in online and digital resources are a particular interest.
Rob’s work has included providing IT training for the university’s Occupational Therapy Euromasters course which is based in five European countries; overseeing the development of an interprofessional clinical practice database to support student practice placements in south-east England and working with the local NHS trust to facilitate the sharing of information to enable podiatry students to be involved in patient care.
Rob has also been involved in developing apps that support teaching; using video software to support collaborative online learning and creating online conferences connecting Occupational Therapy students from universities in England, Scotland the USA.
Rob plays a key role in supporting the development of technical staff through initiatives such as the HEaTED conference for technical managers and he continues to work with colleagues to support the 91¶¶Òõ’s digital transformation agenda which promotes the innovative use of technology for learning, teaching and research.