Mr Michael Cole

Michael Cole is an award-winning academic, with National Teaching Fellow (NTF) and Principal Fellow (PFHEA) status. Michael holds a BSc in Sports Therapy, a PGC(H)E, and a PgDip in Sports Pedagogy. He is a Senior Lecturer and (part-time) PhD researcher. Michael leads modules in Sports Injuries and Sports Therapies, and previously designed and led the BSc Sports Therapy to 100% Student Satisfaction (NSS), 93% graduate employability (DLHE), and -2% Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic awarding gap (PowerBi).

Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and Senior Lecturer with 18 years' experience in teaching (primarily in Sports & Exercise Therapy, musculoskeletal physical therapies, and specialising in the role of exercise in performance, rehabilitation, and the treatment of pain and dysfunction) and in interdisciplinary sports medical teams (including with British Swimming and Team GBR).

Michael is a P/T PhD candidate in the School of Education & Communities, a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and a practising musculoskeletal clinician. Michael's professional career began in 2001 in private practice, elite sport, and vocational education.

Michael has been responsible for leading academic delivery of the BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy programmes at the University of East London, whilst developing projects to enhance equity and cultural-competency in learning, teaching and assessment, and engaging in doctoral research in the field of equity pedagogy.

In 2020 Michael was awarded National Teaching Fellowship (NTFS) by Advance HE.

Michael is a past recipient of the 'Extra Mile Award for Inspirational Teaching' and co-recipient of the Pro Vice-Chancellor's 'Excellence Award for Teaching and Learning'.

His areas of interest are primarily exercise therapy, interpersonal skills in healthcare, Critical Race Theory and developing equitable, evidence-informed teaching and learning strategies. Michael teaches and leads across levels 4, 5 and 6, and is an Athena SWAN mentor and a Learning & Teaching 'Champion' for the College of Applied Health and Communities.

Michael grew up in Essex, not far from the London docks that were central to the colonial crimes of empire. He believes that the ways we make sense of who we are and how we got here helps to shape society. Michael is committed to interrogating complicities in educational injustices and is committed to action for its betterment. This has been shaped by experiences in sport and education in Cambridge, USA, Turkey, France, Spain, Belgium, Serbia, and China. It is a commitment that underpins Michael's work as a Sports Therapy clinician, a Senior Lecturer, and as a consultant in education, particularly in quality assurance, anti-racism, and exercise in physical therapies. 

Michael is a member of the Race Equality Charter team at UEL, co-leading on learning and teaching staff developments using critical and equity pedagogy.

He is a member of:

• Access and Participation Plan (APP) Steering Group
• HEA CREST Professional Standards Framework Committee
• Learning and Teaching Quality Committee
• Learning and Teaching Symposiums Steering Group
• Technology Enhanced Learning sub-committee
• Editorial Review Board (Journal of Impact Culture)