Professor Suzanne Young

Profile

I am a Professor of Crimnal Justice Education, specialising in undertaking scholarship on pedagogies in criminology, student engagement, and learning design. I use innovative methods of teaching and learning, with a particular focus on technology enhanced learning and communities of practice. My leadership expertise in these areas led to me being awarded the 2017 Inspiring Teacher of the Year Award at Leeds Beckett, Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2018, winner of the University of Leeds Positive Impact award 2021, and awarded the University of Leeds Sustained Excellence Teaching Award in 2022. I joined the School of Law in 2018 and was the BA Criminal Justice Programme Leader from 2019 – 2022. 

I am Chair of the BSC Learning and Teaching Network and Director of the Centre for Innovation and Research in Legal Education. In these roles I support and champion pedagogical research in legal and criminal justice education. I have published a variety of books, journal articles, and blogs disseminating best practice in student education  and am regularly invited to speak at learning and teaching events and undertake curriculum reviews and external examining. 

Responsibilities

• Director of the Centre for Innovation and Research in Legal Education
• School of Law Co-Ordinator for Curriculum Redefined

Research interests

I undertake projects on learning and teaching in criminology with a focus on engagement, learning spaces and digital pedagogy. I have carried out a range of pedagogy projects and listed below are the current projects I am working on:

• Evaluating the use of digital interactive learning tools
• Exploring lecture preferences for enhancing student experience
• Understanding the landscape of UK criminology

I completed a LITE Fellowship in 2020/21 on The Expectations and Motivations of Criminology Students 

• Transitions through university: Exploring expectations and motivations of undergraduate students

Qualifications

• PhD Social Policy, University of Stirling
• MSc Applied Social Research, University of Stirling
• BA(Hons) Sociology and Criminology, University of Stirling
• PG Certificate in Academic Practice, Leeds Beckett University

Professional memberships

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• British Society of Criminology

Student education

I coordinate modules and deliver teaching across several modules on the BA Criminal Justice and Criminology degree. I also contribute to the delivery of the MSc Criminal Justice and Criminology and MSc Security, Conflict and Justice postgraduate degrees. I supervise undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations and PGR studies.

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Criminal Justice Studies
• Centre for Innovation and Research in Legal Education