The Education Development team provides expert support to design and develop high quality online and blended programmes for post professional learners. The team offers a full range of services, from developing full postgraduate taught courses to creating bespoke CPD, short course, and micro-credentials. The team also delivers interdisciplinary units for undergraduate students and leads interdisciplinary cross university projects that enhance teaching and learning.

Head of Education Development - Colette Cooke

As Head of Education Development, Colette oversees the strategic direction of online and blended learning for post‑professional learners, ensuring high standards of innovation, pedagogy, and learner experience.

Colette Cooke, Head of Education Development

Head of Digital Learning - Ian Hutt

Ian leads the teams responsible for delivering the Digital Learning offer across Education Development, ensuring colleagues have expert support in designing and delivering high‑quality online learning.

Ian leads the teams who support the Digital Learning offer of Education Development.

University of Manchester academic man standing in front of bookcase — Ian Hutt, Head of Digital Learning

Marketing and Recruitment

The Marketing and Recruitment team work with market insight to support the development of courses. From marketing planning, building webpages, messaging, to developing the full suite of marketing assets, including digital adverts for Google and social media platforms, brochures, videos, PR and student and academic testimonials. Our Course Advisor team work with Programme Directors to host and promote webinars and other online events. We create dashboards to share prospective student data and behaviour, and provide analytics and statistics on a regular basis.

Academic Development

The Academic Development team work with academic colleagues to develop credit bearing interdisciplinary course units that are available to all undergraduates as part of UCIL (University College for Interdisciplinary Learning.) The team also support a range of interdisciplinary projects across the university.

Find out more about UCIL course units here.

Sian Yeowell, Teaching and Learning Manager

Course Delivery

The Course Delivery team provides support for admissions and students, co-ordinates workshops/conferences/masterclasses for blended programmes, and the on-going maintenance and design updates for course units. Each course has a dedicated Student Support Advisor who is the first point of contact for non-academic student enquiries.

Pam Giblin, Teaching and Learning Manager

Design and Development

The Design and Development team work in collaboration with academic teams in schools to design and develop course units for online delivery. We work with colleagues to write the initial NPP, including reviewing ILOs and discussing ideas for authentic assessment, providing a framework for planning an overview of a course unit, and advising on production of content and activities.

Diane Bennett, Teaching and Learning Manager (DL)

Projects and Portfolio

This team supports the full development lifecycle for new programmes and short courses, from initial meetings through to full roll out of the programme.

The team also work closely with our international centres to ensure programmes meet accreditation requirements.

academic woman with blonde hair stood in an office building smiling at the camera — Sarah Thompson, Teaching and Learning Manager

Digital Learning

The Digital Learning team is made up of Learning Technologists and eLearning Support Officers. The team provide elearning support to colleagues across the university who don’t have dedicated elearning support and are also involved in supporting some projects with local partners who are external to the University.

woman with short red hair smiling at the camera — Carlene Barton, Digital Learning Manager

If you are unsure who to contact, please email educationdevelopment@manchester.ac.uk and your query will be directed appropriately.