Dr Rebecca M. Ellis Background & CV

I live in rural Norfolk, between Attleborough and Watton, with my husband and toddler daughter. I have spent my career combining research and teaching, and initially started out with a BA(Hons) degree in Geography. I always tried extremely hard to get good qualifications, and expended a lot of time working out how to get top grades. At A-Level I came 5th (out of 7418) for AEB A-Level Economics in the summer of 1994, and was awarded the 'Waring Prize for Outstanding Achievement at A-Level' by the Hewett School in Norwich. I gained a first in my undergraduate degree at the University of Sheffield, and the 'Hart Human Geography Prize for the Best Performance in Geography by a Single Honours Geography Student' plus the 'Alice Garnett Prize for Best Dissertation'. I also completed my PhD in three years with no corrections. I have very much enjoyed tuition on a one-to-one basis, and would like to share the skills and knowledge I have acquired in the course of my academic career with other students. I’ve always been very interdisciplinary in my approach, and my subject knowledge includes Human Geography, Sociology, Material Culture Studies (Anthropology) and Media Studies.

I am a very approachable person according to my PhD students, and enjoy a very rich and varied life outside of academia and research.

I have taken a keen interest in teaching and improving my professional practice throughout my career. This culminated in me taking a two year qualification in higher education teaching in 2006: the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Practice (PGCHEP), which is a key recognised teaching qualification at university level. I am also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, an independent organisation dedicated to sharing effective teaching practices in order to provide the best possible learning experience for all students. My PGCHEP involved a considerable amount of theoretical and practical work to improve my teaching practice.

My teaching experience began by tutoring PhD students on a one-to-one basis from 2004 onwards at Chimera: Institute of Social and Technical Research, University of Essex, and I have taught four PhD students in my career to date. PhD tuition is intensive and one-to-one, and has provided me with excellent experience for one-to-one tuition across all levels of university education. I have also been an undergraduate tutor in the Department of Sociology, University of Essex in the courses 'Youth Cultures' and 'Media, Culture and Society', and a dissertation supervisor. In 2009-2010 I both lectured in and provided seminar tuition for the course 'New Media and Contemporary Cultural Change'. During my time as an undergraduate tutor I spent time not only on academic content but also on getting students to understand their grades, feedback and the marking process. I am currently the lecturer/ tutor for 'Sociology and the Modern World', 'Core Dichotomies in Sociology', 'Gender in Modern Society' and 'Applied Studies' at University Campus Suffolk.

I have a number of publications, principally in the area of New Media/ ICTs and Sociology.

I am very happy to provide my CV to potential clients on request. I have an enhanced CRB check, and additional references from former students are available.