Michelle is Associate Professor in Educational Assessment and Course Director for the MSc in Educational Assessment.
Michelle has a PhD in psychology from the University of Manchester. Her research interests span most elements of high stakes assessments and qualifications. For example, she has conducted research into marking reliability, marker recruitment and retention, the maintenance of standards both between and within qualifications, construct validity, malpractice, and the wash back of high stakes assessments on teaching and learning. Michelle has published work in academic books and journals, and has presented at national and international conferences.
Michelle is also a member of the Assessment Committee of the Institute of Directors. The committee is responsible for quality assuring the Institute’s qualifications in business leadership.
Prior to September 2021 Michelle was Deputy Chief Regulator and Executive Director for Strategy, Risk and Research at Ofqual. She was responsible for research to support the development of high stakes assessment; the successful delivery of reliable and valid public examinations; qualification design to stimulate high quality teaching and learning; and the regulation of the maintenance of examination standards.
Before May 2014 Michelle was Director of AQA’s Centre for Education Research and Practice and was a member of AQA’s Executive Board, responsible for ensuring that AQA’s strategy, products and policies were grounded in a robust research evidence base.
