Professor Fiona Saunders
Director of LEED
My profile
Biography
I am Professor of Project Management Education and Director of the Centre for Learning Enhancement and Educational Development (LEED) at Manchester Metropolitan University. LEED brings together the University Teaching Academy, Digital Education Team and our Education Innovation and Initiatives Unit. Our expertise ensures that pedagogic scholarship and innovation are at the heart of our curriculum enhancement, educational policy and practice. This enables us to grow the capability and reputation of our educators.
From 2017 to 2022 I was Faculty Director of Education in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University. Working closely with the Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor, I led on all aspects of the Education Strategy from teaching, learning and assessment to student experience and graduate outcomes.
Prior to joining Manchester Met in 2017, I was a Senior Lecturer in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering at The University of Manchester. I have a PhD from The University of Manchester, am a Principal Fellow of AdvanceHE (PFHEA) and a Chartered Engineer (MIET). I also have an MBA with Distinction from Lancaster University Management School and completed my undergraduate studies in Applied Physics and Electronics at the University of Durham. A later convert to academia, in my previous life, I enjoyed a successful career in manufacturing engineering, project management and consultancy at UMI3, PA Consulting and Autobar.
Words of wisdom
Enthusiasm is the real secret of success
” Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eye, the swing in your gait, the grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of your will and your energy to execute your ideas. Enthusiasts are fighters. They have fortitude, they have staying qualities. Enthusiasm is at the bottom of all progress. With it there is accomplishment. Without it there are only alibis”. Walter Chrysler (1875-1940)
Academic and professional qualifications
Academic Qualifications
PhD in the Management of Projects, The University of Manchester, 2016
Master of Business Administration (Distinction), Lancaster University Management School, 1999
Institute of Linguists Diploma in German, 1997
Bachelor of Science (Hons) Class 2(i) in Applied Physics and Electronics, University of Durham, 1991
Professional Qualifications
2020 Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
1997 CEng Chartered Engineer
1997 MIET Member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology
Personal website address
Impact
International expert on the management of complex engineering projects, and in project management education. International track-record of pedagogic research centred on technology enhanced teaching and learning, both in large class, blended and distance learning environments (Saunders et al., 2019, Gillie et al., 2017, Saunders and Hutt, 2014, Saunders & Gale, 2012) . Expert on the use of video (Saunders et al., 2020, Gellen et al., 2020, Gillie et al. 2016) and other rich media materials (Saunders & Hutt, 2014 and 2012) to enhance student learning (Saunders et al., 2010), on online learning, innovative technology based assessment practices (Rubner & Saunders, 2014) and student engagement (Saunders et al., 2019). The impact of my scholarship and innovative practices has been through changed practices across the teaching of engineering and the management of projects at The University of Manchester, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and Manchester Metropolitan University. Body of work in international pedagogy and disciplinary journals and the organisation, co-chairing and delivery of seminars, workshops and conference tracks nationally and internationally. Led a number of funded Scholarship in Teaching and Learning projects at The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University
Projects
My project management expertise is currently shaping two international Project Management research collaborations (one UK-US and one UK-Austria) to investigate the application of high reliability organising to large-scale projects involving (1) external consultants and (2) those in the US oil and gas sectors. These projects build on my research expertise in large scale engineering project; specifically the management of projects in safety critical large scale engineering projects, undertaken in partnership with Sellafield, Rolls-Royce, EDF, National Nuclear Laboratory, AMEC (now Wood Group) and UTC Aerospace (see Saunders et al. 2016a, 2016b, 2016c, Saunders 2015, Saunders et al. 2014).
Teaching
2019 – Present Unit Leader: Design and Delivery of L7 Unit 6E7Z2126 Project Delivery – 15 credits
2022 - Present MSc Management of Projects Dissertation Supervisor
2022 - Present PhD Co-Supervisor Estar Bennett “Identifying and eliminating Project Management Barriers to the Acceleration of Technology and Innovation in the Post COVID-19 era”
Research outputs
Books
Saunders, F.C. (2012). Project Finance Casebook, Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education.
Book Chapters
Saunders, F.C., and Gale, A.W. (2021) Dualities and Dilemmas: Managing uncertainty in nuclear projects. In K., Devgun and J. Boucau (Eds) Fundamental Issues Critical to the Success of Nuclear Projects. Cambridge, UK: Woodhead Imprint
Journal Papers
Gellen, S., Saunders, F.C., Stannard, J., McAllister-Gibson, C. and Simmons, L. (2020) Can video support improve attainment? Evaluating the impact of teaching videos on student performance. ETH Learning and Teaching Journal, 2, 2 (2020): Special issue: ICED 2020 proceedings. Available from https://learningteaching.ethz.ch/index.php/lt-eth/article/view/128
Saunders, F.C, Brooks, J. and Dawson, M. (2019) Exploring staff attitudes to distance learning – what are the opportunities, challenges and impacts on engineering academics and instructional designers. European Journal of Engineering Education, 45, 5, p675-690 https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2019.1677562 (Impact Factor 1.5)
Saunders, F.C. and Townsend, E.A. (2018) Delivering new nuclear projects: a megaprojects perspective. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, Vol 12, 1, p144-160 https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMPB-03-2018-0039 (Impact Factor 2.09, citations 2)
Gillie, M., Dahli, R., Saunders, F.C. and Gibson, A. (2017) Use of rich-media resources by engineering undergraduates. European Journal of Engineering Education. 42, 6, p1496-1511 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2017.1306488 (Impact Factor 1.5, citations 6)
Saunders, F.C., Gale, A.W. and Sherry, A.H. (2016) Responding to uncertainty: evidence for high reliability practices in large-scale, safety-critical projects. International Journal of Project Management, 34, 7, p1252-1265 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2016.06.008 (Impact Factor 6.62, citations 23)
Saunders, F.C., Sherry, A.H. and Gale, A.W. (2016) Dualities and dilemmas: contending with uncertainty in safety-critical projects, Construction Management and Economics. 34, 9, p657-675 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2016.1196824 (Impact Factor 2.45, citations 7)
Saunders, F.C., Gale, A.W. and Sherry, A.H. (2016) Mapping the Multi-faceted: determinants of uncertainty in safety-critical projects, International Journal of Project Management 34,6, p1057-1070 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2016.02.003 (Impact Factor 6.62, citations 18)
Saunders, F.C. (2015) Toward high reliability project organising in safety-critical projects, Project Management Journal 46, 3, p25-35 https://doi.org/10.1002/pmj.21498 (Impact Factor 3.5, citations 33)
Saunders, F.C., Gale, A. W. and Sherry, A.H. (2015) Conceptualising Uncertainty in safety-critical projects: a practitioner perspective, International Journal of Project Management, 33, 2, p467-478. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2014.09.002 (Impact Factor 6.62, citations 64)
Saunders, F.C. and Hutt, I. (2014) Enhancing large-class teaching: a systematic comparison of rich-media materials. Higher Education Research and Development, 34, 6, p1233-1250, https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2014.911261 (Impact Factor 2.13, citations 33)
Saunders, F. C. and Gale, A. W. (2012), Digital or didactic: using learning technology to confront the challenge of large cohort teaching. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43, 6, p847–858. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2011.01250.x (Impact Factor 2.95, citations 56)
Peer Reviewed Conference Papers
Saunders, F.C., Gellen, S., Stannard, J., McAllister-Gibson, C., Simmons, L., and Gibson, A. (2020) Educating the Netflix Generation: Evaluating the impact of teaching videos across a Science and Engineering Faculty. SEFI 2020, Enchede, Holland, 22nd -24th September 2020
Saunders, F.C., Gellen, S., Stannard, J., McAllister-Gibson, C. and Simmons, L. (2020). Exploring the use of teaching videos to improve educational outcomes: A cross-Faculty study. Ádvance HE Annual Teaching and Learning Conference, Milton Keynes, 9th -10th July 2020
Munro, L.J. Coulthwaite, L. Saunders, F.C. and Marshall, J. (2020). Transforming Student Aspirations: Embedding 5-year Plans in the Curriculum. Advance HE STEM Conference, Manchester, 30-31st January 2020
Saunders, F.C., Laville, H.J, Follon, L., Hamshire, C. and Dearden, N. (2019). Engaging with the Executive: Embedding student engagement throughout the university hierarchy (Researching Advancing and Inspiring Student Engagement) RAISE Conference, Newcastle, 5th -7th September 2019
Fowler, M., and Saunders, F.C (2018) Reinventing engineering curricula around relevance, accessibility and quality, International Society for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Symposium, Banff, Canada, 6th -8th November 2018
Gillie,M., Dahli,R., Saunders, F.C. and Gibson, A. (2016). How engineering undergraduates use rich-media resources. 6th International Symposium for Engineering Education, Sheffield, July 2016
Saunders, F.C. (2015). Illuminating the unknown: mapping project uncertainty in civil nuclear infrastructure. European Project Organising Conference, Edinburgh, 24th –26th June 2015.
Saunders, F.C., Gale, A.W. and Sherry. A.H. (2015). Mapping the multifaceted: identifying the determinants of uncertainty in safety-critical projects. European Academy of Management, Warsaw, 17th -20th June 2015.
Rubner, G. and Saunders,F.C. (2014). Student perspectives on formative feedback: An exploratory comparative study. 5th International Symposium on Engineering Education. Manchester, 13th-14th September 2014
Saunders, F.C., Gale, A.W. and Sherry. A.H. (2013). Confronting uncertainty: perceptions and practices of project managers in safety-critical industries. EurOMA Conference, Dublin, 7th-12th June 2013.
Saunders, F.C., Gale, A.W. and Sherry. A.H. (2013). Understanding project uncertainty in safety-critical industries. PMI Global Congress, Istanbul, 22nd -25th April 2013.
Saunders, F.C. and Hutt, I. (2012). Richness, responsiveness and relationship: Using rich media materials to enhance teaching of core concepts. Innovation Practice and Research in Engineering Education: at Engineering Education 2012, Coventry University, UK, 18th -20th September
Saunders, F.C., Jasper, M., Whitton, P. (2010). Promoting collaborative learning in engineering management education through the use of wikis: at Engineering Education 2010, Aston, UK, 6-8th July.
Saunders, F.C. and Gale A. W. (2010). Using Web 2.0 in Large Cohort Project Management Education: Panacea or Empty Promise: at PMI Research and Education Conference 2010, Washington, USA, 12th-14th July
Invited Thought Leadership Pieces and Practitioner Guides
Saunders, F.C. (2017) Putting the Community into eLearning. Higher Education Academy Learning and Teaching Blog, 10th January 2017. Available at
https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/blog/putting-community-elearning
Saunders, F.C. (2016) The Management of Uncertainty in Large-Scale Safety-Critical Projects: A Practitioner Guide. Available at http://fionasaunders.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Managing-Uncertainty-in-LargeScale-SafetyCritical-Projects.pdf
Saunders, F.C. (2016) What is Risk and What is Uncertainty? A Practitioner Guide. Available at http://fionasaunders.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Differentiating-b…
Saunders, F.C. (2016) Different Disciplinary Perspectives on Uncertainty: A Short Guide. Available at http://fionasaunders.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Disciplinary-pers…
Saunders,F.C. (2015) Designing Assessments that are meaningful, manageable and equitable. Higher Education Academy Learning Enhancement Blog, 19th August 2015. Available at https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/blog/designing-assessments-are-meaningful- equitable-and-manageable-uk-higher-education
Saunders, F.C. (2015) Successful Large class teaching. Higher Education Academy Learning Enhancement Blog, 17th April 2015. Available at https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/reflections-large-class-teaching
Saunders, F.C. (2014) Treating your PhD as a project: lessons from the world of project management. Thesis Whisperer Blog, 5th November 2014. Available at https://thesiswhisperer.com/2014/11/05/how-can-you-treat-your-phd-like-…
My professional blog has significant international reach (www.fionasaunders.co.uk).
-
Books (authored/edited/special issues)
Saunders, F.C. (2012) Project Finance Casebook.
-
Chapters in books
Saunders, F., Gale, A. (2021) 'Managing uncertainty in nuclear projects.' In Boucau, J. (ed.) Fundamental Issues Critical to the Success of Nuclear Projects. Woodhead Publishing,
-
Internet publications
Saunders, F.C. (2017) Putting the Community into eLearning. Higher Education Academy Learning and Teaching Blog. https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/blog/putting-community-elearning.
Saunders, F.C. (2015) Designing Assessments that are meaningful, manageable and equitable. https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/blog/designing-assessments-are-meaningful-%20equitable-and-manageable-uk-higher-education.
Saunders, F.C. (2015) Successful Large class teaching. https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/reflections-large-class-teaching.
-
Journal articles
Gellen, S., Saunders, F., Simmons, L., Stannard, J., McAllister-Gibson, C. (2020) 'Can video support improve attainment? Evaluating the impact of teaching videos on student performance.' Learning and Teaching Journal, 2(2)
Saunders, F., Brooks, J., Dawson, M. (2019) 'Exploring staff attitudes to distance learning – what are the opportunities, challenges and impacts on engineering academics and instructional designers.' European Journal of Engineering Education, 45(5) pp. 675-690.
Saunders, F.C., Townsend, E.A. (2019) 'Delivering new nuclear projects: a megaprojects perspective.' International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 12(1) pp. 144-160.
Gillie, M., Dahli, R., Saunders, F.C., Gibson, A. (2017) 'Use of rich-media resources by engineering undergraduates.' European Journal of Engineering Education, 42(6) pp. 1496-1511.
Saunders, F.C., Gale, A.W., Sherry, A.H. (2016) 'Responding to project uncertainty: Evidence for high reliability practices in large-scale safety–critical projects.' International Journal of Project Management, 34(7) pp. 1252-1265.
Saunders, F.C., Sherry, A.H., Gale, A.W. (2016) 'Dualities and dilemmas: contending with uncertainty in large-scale safety-critical projects.' Construction Management and Economics, 34(9) pp. 657-675.
Saunders, F.C., Gale, A.W., Sherry, A.H. (2016) 'Mapping the multi-faceted: Determinants of uncertainty in safety-critical projects.' International Journal of Project Management, 34(6) pp. 1057-1070.
Saunders, F.C., Hutt, I. (2015) 'Enhancing large-class teaching: a systematic comparison of rich-media materials.' Higher Education Research and Development, 34(6) pp. 1233-1250.
Saunders, F.C. (2015) 'Toward high reliability project organizing in safety-critical projects.' Project Management Journal, 46(3) pp. 25-35.
Saunders, F.C., Gale, A.W., Sherry, A.H. (2015) 'Conceptualising uncertainty in safety-critical projects: A practitioner perspective.' International Journal of Project Management, 33(2) pp. 467-478.
Saunders, F.C., Gale, A.W. (2012) 'Digital or didactic: Using learning technology to confront the challenge of large cohort teaching.' British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(6) pp. 847-858.
-
Conference papers
Nicholson, D., Saunders, F., Jones, D., Greenwood, A. (2022) 'Decolonising higher education curricula: Authentic guiding narratives from academic and learner communities.' In European Conference of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Manchester Metropolitan University, 15/6/2022 - 17/6/2022. pp. 137-148.
Saunders, F., Langan, A.M. (2022) 'A tale of two communities of practice: building SoTL across a diverse science and engineering faculty.' In EuroSoTL 2022. Manchester, 15/6/2022 - 17/6/2022.
Saunders, F., Dawson, B., Boyd, S., Lenehan, A. (2022) 'The Many Faces of Science and Engineering.' In Advance HE Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Conference. Manchester, UK, 16/3/2022 - 17/3/2022.
Saunders, F., Gellen, S., Stannard, J., McAllister-Gibson, C., Simmons, L., Gibson, A. (2020) 'Exploring the use of teaching videos to improve educational outcomes: A cross-Faculty study..' In Advance HE Annual Teaching and Learning Conference. Virtual, 7/7/2020 - Advance HE,
Saunders, F., Gellen, S., Stannard, J., McAllister-Gibson, C., Simmons, L., Gibson, A. (2020) 'Educating the Netflix generation : evaluating the impact of teaching videos across a science and engineering faculty.' In SEFI European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI2020). Enschede, Holland, 20/9/2020 - 24/9/2020. van der Veen, J., van Hattum-Janssen, N., Järvinen, H.M., de Laet, T., ten Dam, I. (ed.) SEFI (European Society for Engineering Education), pp. 431-440.
Munro, L., Coulthwaite, L., Marshall, J., Saunders, F. (2020) 'Transforming student aspirations: Embedding 5 year plans in the curriculum.' In Advance HE STEM Conference 2020. The Studio, Manchester, 29/1/2020 - 30/1/2020.
Saunders, F., Laville, H., Follon, L., Dearden, N., Cannell, S., Hamshire, C. (2019) 'Engaging with the Executive: Embedding student engagement throughout the university hierarchy.' 4/9/2019 - 6/9/2019.
Gillie, M., Dahli, R., Saunders, F.C., Gibson, A. (2016) 'How engineering undergraduates use rich-media resources. 6th International Symposium for Engineering Education, Sheffield, July 2016.' In 6th International Symposium for Engineering Education. Sheffield, 13/7/2016 - 15/7/2016.
Saunders, F.C. (2015) 'Illuminating the unknown: mapping project uncertainty in civil nuclear infrastructure.' In European Project Organising Conference. Edinburgh, 24/6/2015 - 26/6/2015.
Saunders, F.C., Gale, A.W., Sherry, A.H. (2015) 'Mapping the multifaceted: identifying the determinants of uncertainty in safety-critical projects.' In European Academy of Management. Warsaw, 17/6/2015 - 20/6/2015.
Rubner, G., Saunders, F.C. (2014) 'Student perspectives on formative feedback: An exploratory comparative study.' In International Symposium on Engineering Education. Manchester, 11/9/2014 - 12/9/2014.
Saunders, F.C., Gale, A.W. (2013) 'Confronting uncertainty: perceptions and practices of project managers in safety-critical industries.' In EurOMA Conference. Dublin, 7/6/2013 - 12/6/2013.
Saunders, F.C., Gale, A.W. (2013) 'Understanding project uncertainty in safety-critical industries.' In PMI Global Congress. Istanbul, 22/4/2013 -
Saunders, F.C., Hutt, I. (2012) 'Richness,responsiveness and relationship: Using rich media materials to enhance teaching of core concepts.' In Engineering Education, 2012. Coventry University, 18/9/2012 - 20/9/2012.
Saunders, F.C., Gale, A.W. (2010) 'Using Web 2.0 in Large Cohort Project Management Education.' In PMI Research and Education Conference. Washington DC, 11/7/2010 - 14/7/2010.
Whitton, P.D., Jasper, M., Saunders, F. (2010) 'Promoting collaborative learning in engineering management education through the use of wikis.' In Engineering Education 2010. Aston University, Birmingham, 6/7/2010 - 8/7/2010. pp. 6-8.
Career history
2017 - 2021
Reader in Engineering Project Management and Faculty Head of Education, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University.
2014-2017
Senior Lecturer in Engineering Project Management, Head of Project Management Teaching Group, School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Manchester.
2008-2014
Lecturer in Engineering Project Management and Academic Lead for eLearning, School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Manchester.
2001-2007
Project Manager, UMI3, Manchester. Development and Management of University spin-off companies and licence deals for the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Manchester
1998-2001
Principal Project Management Consultant, PA Consulting Group, Manchester, London and Frankfurt. Successful delivery of business change and complex engineering projects at blue-chip clients in the utilities, automotive and financial services sectors in UK, France, Holland and Germany.
1992-1998
Graduate Process Engineer to Project Manager Autobar Group across UK, Holland and Germany.
1996-98 Project Manager/Operations Manager: Successful design, construction, installation, commissioning and then operation of a new 5,000sqm, £6M manufacturing facility on the Durham site
1994-96 Engineering Manager: Fast tracked promotion to responsibility for 45 engineering staff across Durham manufacturing site.
1992-1994 Graduate Process Engineer and Management Trainee