Biography
Dr Charlotte Lewandowski is the Associate Dean (Student Attainment) at Birmingham Newman University. She leads on university-wide initiatives to enhance student success, retention, and progression, with a particular focus on reducing awarding gaps, improving assessment policies, and embedding coaching and mentoring approaches into academic support.
Before taking up this role, Charlotte was Head of Applied Arts and Humanities, where she played a key role in curriculum innovation, interdisciplinary programme development, and student engagement strategies. She was jointly responsible for launching the university’s first accelerated degree programme, leading on widening participation initiatives, and revalidating programmes to improve student outcomes.
Charlotte’s background is in medieval history, applied humanities, and higher education pedagogy. She previously held roles as Interim Head of History and Programme Lead for History, achieving Top 10 rankings in the Guardian University Guide and 100% student satisfaction in the National Student Survey (2020).
Profile
Charlotte has extensive experience in programme leadership, curriculum development, and student-centred learning. She has taught across undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with a focus on medieval history, interdisciplinary humanities, and academic skills development. She has also led coaching and mentoring programmes aimed at improving student attainment and engagement.
Her teaching approach is informed by her research into applied humanities, student support strategies, and inclusive learning practices.
Other Activities
Research Interests
Charlotte’s research focuses on:
- Student attainment and academic success – particularly the impact of mitigating circumstances, resits, and extensions on student outcomes.
- Coaching and mentoring in higher education – exploring alternative models to personal tutoring and their effectiveness in improving retention and progression.
- Interdisciplinary and applied humanities – developing cross-disciplinary teaching models that support student engagement and employability.
She is currently working on a forthcoming publication on academic life coaching as an alternative to traditional personal tutoring (SEDA/Routledge, 2025).
Professional Memberships and Roles
Charlotte was an Advisory Group Member for the QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for History and contributes to national discussions on student attainment and curriculum innovation.
She is a Fellow of Advance HE and an affiliated member of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).
Publications and Conferences
Charlotte regularly presents at national and international conferences on student success, academic coaching, and curriculum development. Recent presentations include:
- Beyond the Grade: Making Assessment Matter, Advanced HE Symposium on Students as Co-Creators (January 2025).
- Applied Humanities: A Success Story for Lifelong and Lifewide Learning, Humanities Now! Symposium, York St John University (January 2025).
- Reimagining the Humanities: Coaching for Collaborative Learning and Teaching, RAISE Conference, University of Leicester (September 2024).
- Lewandowski (2018) ‘Old Saints and New Cathedrals: Expressing Episcopal Power in Durham’s New Cathedral in the Late Eleventh Century’, in (eds.) Peter Coss, Chris Dennis, Melissa Julian-Jones, and Angelo Silvestri, Episcopal Power and Local Society in Medieval Europe, 900–1400. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 221-238.