From College to College

About From College to College

From College to College — Host Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly explores innovative teaching, creative learning, and measuring quality in Further Education (UK) and community college (US). Each episode, she shares her own experiences as a history professor, innovation fellow, and quality lead. She also talks with amazing college professionals from the United Kingdom and the United States to highlight incredible practice in the college sector. All views her own.

Publisher

Lauran Kerr-Heraly

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

24 Apr 2026

Latest episode

13 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

12 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   13 Oct 2026

   Creating Culture on Purpose in Further Education and Community College with Dr. Stephanie Duguid

   In this episode of From College to College, Dr. Stephanie Duguid of Do Good Leadership joins Lauran Kerr-Heraly to explore workplace culture in further education and community college settings. They discuss why culture shapes college education for students and staff alike, and how leaders and lecturers can create culture on purpose, especially when change arrives daily. Stephanie shares her route from athletic training to dean, how Mississippi’s fifteen community colleges aligned their curriculum, and the story behind Do Good Leadership. Whether you are a lecturer or tutor in a UK college or a faculty member or instructor in North America, you will take away practical ways to bring clarity, communication, connection, and consistency to your learning space. You will hear how to support colleagues who arrive from industry, how to check that your message has actually landed, and how to organize cross campus conversations that support teaching and learning and show what innovative teaching can look like across a whole institution. These ideas work on your campus or in your college straight away, in a classroom, a department meeting, or a leadership team. What We Cover in This Episode 02:37 Why a community college is rooted in its local area, from Mississippi’s railroad towns and agricultural high schools to tutoring, childcare, and transport support for students 05:58 How one curriculum alignment day brought fifteen colleges together on titles and learning outcomes, and why standardisation can help lecturers and instructors who join further education from industry 11:16 Why workplace culture affects student choice, first generation students, and the everyday moments that shape teaching and learning across a college 16:26 Creating culture on purpose during change with clarity, communication, connection, and consistency, and how to keep trust steady throughout college education when change is constant 25:23 A practical example of innovative teaching and leadership working together, as departments shared resources, centralised policies, and aligned timetables for students Links, Resources and Offers People and organisations mentioned: Dr. Stephanie Duguid, Do Good Leadership Do Good Leadership Skool community Creating Culture on Purpose, Stephanie’s podcast and upcoming book The Mississippi community college system Welcome Wagon Free resource + Newsletter: https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop (https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop) Speaking engagements, coaching and executive function support at https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop (https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop) About Your Host Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly is an award-winning educator and author who has dedicated her career to transforming lives through education. As a speaker and coach, she helps educators, leaders, and students build skills for creativity and success drawing on experience in American community colleges, British and international schools in England, and her current role as Quality and Innovation Lead in an English college. She shares a nerdy and adventurous life full of books, board games, and travels with her spouse, daughter, and dog. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altering.course/ (https://www.instagram.com/altering.course/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurankerrheraly/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurankerrheraly/) Website: https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop (https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop) About the Guest Dr. Stephanie Duguid is a Leadership Culture Strategist and the founder of Do Good Leadership. She is also a speaker and author with more than 30 years of experience in K to 12 and higher education, including serving as a dean and senior leader. Today she partners with organizations to strengthen communication, leadership alignment, and workplace culture so teams feel supported, connected, and motivated to thrive. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drstephanieduguid/ (https://www.instagram.com/drstephanieduguid/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drstephanieduguid/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/drstephanieduguid/) Website: https://www.drstephanieduguid.com/ (https://www.drstephanieduguid.com/) Email: stephanie@drstephanieduguid.com Other: https://www.drstephanieduguid.com/skoolcommunity (https://www.drstephanieduguid.com/skoolcommunity)

2. 

   29 Sept 2026

   Metacognition Is Not Common Sense: Teaching Students How to Learn in Further Education and Community College

   Metacognition in further education and community college settings is the focus of this episode of From College to College, which asks why two students with the same lessons, assignments and resources can reach completely different outcomes. Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly looks at whether metacognition is simply common sense with academic jargon attached, or a skill that lecturers and faculty members rarely teach explicitly. She draws on the MIT Teaching and Learning Lab, Bloom's taxonomy and her own experience in college education to separate everyday judgment from the habit of monitoring and adjusting how you learn. She also covers vocational learners, feedback, wellbeing and the common errors students make when they judge their own understanding. The second half is practical. You will hear how to build planning, reflection prompts, exam wrappers, learning logs and self assessment into your teaching and learning routine without adding a heavy marking load. You can try these on your campus or in your college straight away, whether you are a tutor organising a vocational programme in England or an instructor in a US learning space. The episode ends with three questions you can ask any class to start small. What We Cover in This Episode 0:50 Why students in the same classroom get different results, and how metacognition differs from common sense in everyday teaching and learning 4:45 What expert learners and expert teachers do differently, and how Bloom's taxonomy shows the gap between recognising information and using it in college education 8:10 Why competence matters more than familiarity in vocational courses across further education, plus how metacognition connects to decision making, feedback and student wellbeing 11:00 Practical strategies for innovative teaching: KWL charts, reflection prompts, exam wrappers, learning logs and self assessment 16:00 Familiarity bias, the "I know this" illusion and retrieval practice, and why self awareness matters for community college learners as AI supplies more answers Links, Resources and Offers People and institutions mentioned: Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly, host MIT Teaching and Learning Lab Ideas and tools mentioned: Metacognition and executive function Bloom's taxonomy KWL charts (what do you know, what do you want to learn, what did you learn) Exam wrappers Journals, learning logs and video logs Retrieval practice, self testing and delayed recall ‘Metacognition (https://tll.mit.edu/teaching-resources/how-people-learn/metacognition/)’ by the Teaching + Learning Lab at MIT ‘Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning (https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/metacognition)’ by EEF Free resource + Newsletter: https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop (https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop) Speaking engagements, coaching and executive function support at https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop (https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop) About Your Host Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly is an award-winning educator and author who has dedicated her career to transforming lives through education. As a speaker and coach, she helps educators, leaders, and students build skills for creativity and success drawing on experience in American community colleges, British and international schools in England, and her current role as Quality and Innovation Lead in an English college. She shares a nerdy and adventurous life full of books, board games, and travels with her spouse, daughter, and dog. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altering.course/ (https://www.instagram.com/altering.course/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurankerrheraly/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurankerrheraly/) Website: https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop (https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop)

3. 

   28 Jul 2026

   Evidence Based CPD and Teaching Quality in College with Dr Martin Rigby

   What does it actually take to design professional development that further education staff find useful, credible, and worth their time? In this episode, Lauran Kerr-Heraly is joined by Dr Martin Rigby, who draws on over fifteen years at Runshaw College and a background in academic research to explain how his team built a flexible, evidence informed CPD model that staff actually choose to engage with, and why that matters for teaching and learning across a community college or further education setting. You will come away from this conversation with practical ideas you can take back to your own college, whether you are a tutor, lecturer, or leader. Martin and Lauran talk through how to move beyond whole staff sheep dip training days, how advanced practitioners can act as critical friends rather than evaluators, and how to keep the focus on two simple questions: is learning happening, and how do you know? There is also a genuinely entertaining example of innovative teaching involving a digitally immersive Dragon's Den experience that your students will not forget. This is an honest, grounded conversation about what good college education quality looks like from the inside. What We Cover in This Episode 0:49 How Dr Martin Rigby ended up in further education: from academic researcher and lecturer across three countries to writing to Runshaw College and proposing they start a geology course, and what has kept him there for fifteen years. 5:05 Why further education occupies a uniquely important position: the argument that FE is where tutors and lecturers still have the most influence over a young person's direction, and how that differs from both secondary school and university. 8:00 Building an evidence based CPD menu at Runshaw College: how Martin's team reviewed around two hundred research publications, grouped them into themes, consulted staff, and created a flexible programme of Monday and Wednesday sessions that faculty members can dip in and out of across thirty five weeks of the year. 13:10 Redesigning whole college staff development days: why Runshaw moved away from large hall training toward a hybrid model with guest speakers followed by small classroom based sessions led by advanced practitioners, and how reflection time and informal follow up observations make the learning stick. 20:36 Keeping CPD focused and simple: the reductionist approach to identifying what is not working in teaching and learning, how advanced practitioners contextualise sessions for different curriculum areas, and the immersive Lizard's Lair project as an example of innovative teaching that gave students an entirely new way to pitch their work. Links, Resources and Offers Runshaw College (https://www.runshaw.ac.uk) Free resources (https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop) and newsletter Speaking engagements, coaching and executive function support here (https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop) About Your Host Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly is an award-winning educator and author who has dedicated her career to transforming lives through education. As a speaker and coach, she helps educators, leaders, and students build skills for creativity and success drawing on experience in American community colleges, British and international schools in England, and her current role as Quality and Innovation Lead in an English college. She shares a nerdy and adventurous life full of books, board games, and travels with her spouse, daughter, and dog. Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/altering.course/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurankerrheraly/ ) Website (https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop) About the Guest Dr Martin Rigby is Deputy Principal at Runshaw College, responsible for quality, curriculum, and continuing professional development, and he brings to that role a background as an academic researcher and lecturer at institutions including the University of Manchester, the University of Bayreuth in Germany, and the University of Pretoria in South Africa. He has been at Runshaw for over fifteen years, moving through roles as teacher, Advanced Practitioner, and Curriculum Manager for Science before stepping into college leadership. You can find him at the link below. LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-rigby)

4. 

   14 Jul 2026

   Course Sharing, Agentic AI and Innovative Teaching in Community College and Further Education

   Episode Description Further education and community college leaders share more in common than you might think. In this episode, Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly speaks with Marina Aminy, Associate Vice Chancellor at Foothill-De Anza Community College District and Executive Director of the California Virtual Campus, about how course sharing removes barriers to college education for students on both sides of the Atlantic. This conversation offers something for every lecturer, tutor, faculty member and instructor working in teaching and learning today. Marina explains why agentic AI is creating a new kind of academic integrity challenge, one that moves well beyond the concerns of a few years ago, and shares practical strategies for identity verification, incremental assignment release and workload management. Lauran and Marina also discuss the barriers that block students from college education, from registration holds to transcript fees, and consider what online learning can offer toward a more open and inclusive learning space. Whether you work on a campus in the UK or in a college in the US, this episode gives you fresh thinking for your own institution. What We Cover in This Episode 00:01:01 Marina describes her path into community college leadership, from teaching English as a second language through school and university settings to her current role in the California Community College system. 00:05:47 Marina explains how the California Virtual Campus removes the cognitive burden that many further education and university transfer students face when a class they need is not offered at their own college. 00:11:44 Marina and Lauran discuss agentic AI fraud rings and ghost students, and share innovative teaching strategies like live identity checks and incremental assignment release to protect academic integrity online. 00:21:03 A look at metacognition, AI disclosure statements and how honest conversations about tools support stronger teaching and learning relationships between faculty and students. 00:29:00 Marina outlines simple policy changes, from ending collections referrals for library fines to removing registration holds, and explains how expanding access to college education is part of decolonizing the classroom. Links, Resources and Offers Marina Aminy on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmarina/) Free resource and newsletter: https://www.alteringcourse.com/podcast (https://www.alteringcourse.com/podcast) Speaking engagements, coaching and executive function support at https://www.alteringcourse.com (https://www.alteringcourse.com) About Your Host Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly is an award-winning educator and author who has dedicated her career to transforming lives through education. As a speaker and coach, she helps educators, leaders, and students build skills for creativity and success drawing on experience in American community colleges, British and international schools in England, and her current role as Quality and Innovation Lead in an English college. She shares a nerdy and adventurous life full of books, board games, and travels with her spouse, daughter, and dog. Social links: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/altering.course/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurankerrheraly/) Website (https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop) About the Guest Marina Aminy is the Associate Vice Chancellor at Foothill-De Anza Community College District and the Executive Director of the California Virtual Campus, which provides technology, courses and professional development for the California Community Colleges. She holds a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley and has over 25 years of experience in higher education. Marina lives in Orange County, California with her husband, two adult sons and their cat, Shadow. Social Link: LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmarina/)

5. 

   30 Jun 2026

   Active Learning in Further Education and Community College: Five Simple Swaps That Work

   Active learning is one of the most talked about ideas in further education and community college teaching, and one of the most overcomplicated. In this solo episode, Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly cuts through the noise and makes a straightforward case: you do not need to redesign your entire course or spend half your week planning elaborate activities. You need to make one small change at a time. Lauran defines active learning, addresses the myths that put instructors off trying it, and explains why passive teaching simply does not serve the diverse learners in our colleges. This episode gives you five concrete, low-effort swaps you can try straight away in your classroom or learning space, whether you teach in a UK further education college or on a community college campus in the US. From chunking your lecture into five-minute segments to replacing a study guide with a game-based review, each idea is grounded in real teaching and learning practice and comes with clear examples across different subject areas. Lauran also covers the common pitfalls, including over-planning and losing the learning focus, so you can avoid the mistakes and get straight to what works. If innovative teaching feels out of reach right now, this episode is a good place to start. What We Cover in This Episode 0:44 What active learning actually is and why it matters for college education: a clear definition, the contrast with passive learning, and why diverse learners in further education and community college settings benefit most from approaches that build critical thinking and collaboration. 4:10 The myths that stop tutors and faculty members from trying active learning: why it does not require a total redesign, why giving up some lecture time is worth it, and the concept of simple swaps instead of full course overhauls. 7:00 The first three swaps in practice: chunking a long lecture into five to ten minute segments with structured discussion, turning worksheets into problem-solving stations that get learners out of their seats, and using structured peer feedback on drafts to build feedback literacy and reduce instructor workload. 10:40 Swap four and five: student-created presentations as a way to build higher order thinking from early in the year, and game-based review as an alternative to passive revision, including how to manage mixed attainment groups and keep the energy up in long teaching days. 16:30 Common pitfalls and how to avoid them: keeping your learning objectives central, not gamifying everything, and the importance of building routines around new activities so students know what to expect and the activity does not lose its value. Links, Resources and Offers Free resource and newsletter: www.alteringcourse.com/shop (https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop) Speaking engagements, coaching and executive function support: www.alteringcourse.com (https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop) About Your Host Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly is an award-winning educator and author who has dedicated her career to transforming lives through education. As a speaker and coach, she helps educators, leaders, and students build skills for creativity and success drawing on experience in American community colleges, British and international schools in England, and her current role as Quality and Innovation Lead in an English college. She shares a nerdy and adventurous life full of books, board games, and travels with her spouse, daughter, and dog. Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/altering.course/⁠ ) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurankerrheraly/⁠ ) Website (https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop⁠)

6. 

   16 Jun 2026

   Using AI to Reduce Teacher Workload Without Losing the Human Side: Esam Baboukhan on Innovative Teaching in Further Education and College

   Episode Description What does it look like when AI genuinely supports teaching and learning rather than replacing it? In this episode of From College to College, Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly speaks with Esam Baboukhan, an educator and co-founder of TeacherMatic, about how further education and community college professionals can use AI tools to cut through the paperwork and get back to what matters most. Esam brings over twenty years of experience in further education, where he worked as a lecturer, Advanced Practitioner, and e-learning manager before co-founding TeacherMatic, an AI platform built by educators for educators. He also holds a Silver Award from the Pearson National Teaching Awards for Digital Innovator of the Year. This is a conversation about what great college education looks like when technology is done right. Esam and Lauran discuss the 80/20 rule for working with AI, why the human qualities of teaching are becoming more important rather than less, and how innovative teaching can help lecturers, tutors, and faculty members stay energised and effective over a long career. Whether you work in a UK further education college or a North American community college, you will find practical thinking here about preparing learners not just for jobs, but for an unpredictable world. What We Cover in This Episode 00:01 Esam introduces his background in further education, from teaching BTec qualifications to working as an Advanced Practitioner coaching staff on teaching and learning improvement through non-graded lesson observations 05:00 Why further education and community college are uniquely innovative environments, and how the freedom to experiment with new technology kept Esam engaged in teaching more or less the same subjects for over twenty years 07:30 How TeacherMatic came to be, the 80/20 rule for working with AI in education, and why the teacher's twenty percent, the human review and refinement of AI outputs, is the most important part of the process 10:50 What great teaching looks like in an AI-driven world, including the role of passion, storytelling, empathy, and helping students navigate an unpredictable future through college education that builds adaptable, resilient learners 19:10 Esam's most profound moment in twenty years of innovative teaching: introducing Microsoft Teams for a student with a hearing impairment, and what happened when that student found his voice Links, Resources and Offers TeacherMatic (AI platform for educators): https://teachermatic.com/ Microsoft story about Kabir (referenced in episode): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm3fwUd7P14 Free resources and newsletter: https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop Speaking engagements, coaching and executive function support: https://www.alteringcourse.com About Your Host Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly is an award-winning educator and author who has dedicated her career to transforming lives through education. As a speaker and coach, she helps educators, leaders, and students build skills for creativity and success drawing on experience in American community colleges, British and international schools in England, and her current role as Quality and Innovation Lead in an English college. She shares a nerdy and adventurous life full of books, board games, and travels with her spouse, daughter, and dog. Website (https://www.alteringcourse.com/) Instagram: ⁠⁠@altering.course⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/altering.course/) ⁠⁠Lauran Kerr-Heraly, Ph.D. | LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurankerrheraly/) About the Guest Esam Baboukhan is a co-founder of TeacherMatic and a Silver Award winner in the Pearson National Teaching Awards for Digital Innovator of the Year, with over twenty years of experience in further education as a teacher, Advanced Practitioner, and e-learning manager. He has contributed to international blended learning projects and been recognised in the UK EdTech 50 list, and now works with TeacherMatic to help educators use AI to reduce workload while improving teaching and learning. LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/esam-baboukhan) Website (https://teachermatic.com) Email: esam@teachermatic.com

7. 

   2 Jun 2026

   Course Redesign, Belonging, and Teaching History at College with Dr. Amy Powers

   Episode Description What does it take to make a history course relevant to a nursing student, an accounting student, or someone training in auto technology? In this episode, Lauran Kerr-Heraly is joined by Amy Powers, Professor of History and Faculty Development Coordinator at Waubonsee Community College in Illinois, to talk about community college teaching and learning, course redesign, and what it genuinely means to serve students whose lives outside the classroom are complicated. Amy draws on over 25 years of experience and her involvement in the American Historical Association's History Gateways project to explain how she redesigned her introductory history courses to build relevance, belonging, and intellectual curiosity from the very first session. You will come away from this conversation with concrete ideas you can apply straight away, whether you teach in a further education college in the UK or on a community college campus in the US. Amy and Lauran discuss how to balance rigor with flexibility for students juggling work, family, and study, why asking a good question is a teachable skill worth spending time on, and how metacognition has changed the way Amy approaches faculty development. The conversation is grounded, honest, and full of practical examples that transfer across disciplines and college education contexts. What We Cover in This Episode 0:00 Amy Powers introduces her role at Waubonsee Community College and her recent move into faculty development, coordinating professional development for around four hundred full time and part time faculty across all disciplines. 5:20 Why community college is built around more than the individual student: how success for one learner ripples out to families, neighborhoods, and local industries, and why further education institutions in the UK share the same community mandate. 10:30 The History Gateways course redesign project: how Amy worked with the American Historical Association to rethink introductory history courses, and the assignment called Everything Has a History that asked students to connect the subject to their own chosen fields. 16:00 Balancing ambitious teaching and learning with the real pressures students face: why empathy first is not a lowering of standards, and how offering flexibility in assignment choice and deadlines keeps students engaged without reducing the rigor of the course. 23:57 Metacognition as innovative teaching practice: how Amy has introduced reflective assignments into her courses and why helping students understand how they learn has a lasting impact well beyond college education. Links, Resources and Offers American Historical Association (https://www.historians.org⁠) Waubonsee Community College (https://www.waubonsee.edu⁠) Free resources and newsletter: www.alteringcourse.com/podcast (https://www.alteringcourse.com/podcast) Speaking engagements, coaching and executive function support: www.alteringcourse.com (https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop) About Your Host Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly is an award-winning educator and author who has dedicated her career to transforming lives through education. As a speaker and coach, she helps educators, leaders, and students build skills for creativity and success drawing on experience in American community colleges, British and international schools in England, and her current role as Quality and Innovation Lead in an English college. She shares a nerdy and adventurous life full of books, board games, and travels with her spouse, daughter, and dog. Connect with Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly Website: ⁠⁠www.alteringcourse.com⁠⁠ (http://www.alteringcourse.com) Instagram: ⁠⁠@altering.course⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/altering.course/) ⁠⁠Lauran Kerr-Heraly, Ph.D. | LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurankerrheraly/) About the Guest Amy Powers is a Professor of History and Faculty Development Coordinator at Waubonsee Community College, just outside Chicago, where she has been teaching U.S. History, Western Civilization, and World History for over 25 years. She is passionate about the community college model and what it means for local students, families, and the wider community. You can find her at the links below. LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-powers-323230273/⁠ ) Website (https://www.waubonsee.edu/powers-dr-amy⁠ ) Email: apowers@waubonsee.edu

8. 

   19 May 2026

   Executive Function in Further Education and Community College: What Every Educator Needs to Know

   Whether you work in further education or a community college, you have almost certainly watched a capable student freeze. They understand the content, they want to do the work, and then they cannot start, cannot organise their time, or cannot follow through. This episode is about why that happens and what educators can actually do about it. Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly draws on her own neurodiverse household, two decades in classrooms and colleges on both sides of the Atlantic, and her current role as Quality and Innovation Lead to explain what executive function is, how it breaks down for learners and staff alike, and why it is a teaching and learning issue as much as a personal one. You will leave this episode with a clearer framework for understanding working memory, mental flexibility, and self-regulation, and with practical ideas you can implement straight away in your college or classroom. From milestone-based assignments to start-here checklists and formative checkpoints, these are strategies that work in further education contexts and transfer directly to community college settings. Lauran also makes the case that supporting executive function is not just good innovative teaching practice; it is an equity issue, and one that leadership has a responsibility to design for. What We Cover in This Episode 0:00 Why executive function is a teaching and learning issue, not just a student problem: Lauran introduces the episode through her own experience of two ADHD diagnoses in one year and explains what drew her to the language of executive function in her college work. 4:15 What executive function actually is: A practical breakdown of working memory, including why the post-it note analogy helps educators and faculty members understand why students lose track of tasks before they complete them. 8:30 Mental flexibility and self-regulation in further education: How cognitive flexibility shows up in lesson planning, team meetings, and the moment a neurodiverse learner has to move between classrooms or adapt to an unplanned change in their college day. 13:00 Teaching executive function skills inside your course: Why Lauran went back to giving learners a month-by-month study calendar, how to build milestone plans into assignments, and why formative checkpoints reduce the strain of executive function challenges for students in any college education setting. 17:30 What leaders can do to support innovative teaching and staff: Reducing cognitive load through standardised templates and clearer systems, training support staff in executive function, and designing working environments that make it easier for everyone on your campus or in your college to do their best work. Links, Resources and Offers Free resource and newsletter: https://www.alteringcourse.com (https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop) Speaking engagements, coaching and executive function support: https://www.alteringcourse.com (https://www.alteringcourse.com/shop) About Your Host Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly is an award-winning educator and author who has dedicated her career to transforming lives through education. As a speaker and coach, she helps educators, leaders, and students build skills for creativity and success drawing on experience in American community colleges, British and international schools in England, and her current role as Quality and Innovation Lead in an English college. She shares a nerdy and adventurous life full of books, board games, and travels with her spouse, daughter, and dog. Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/altering.course/⁠ ) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurankerrheraly/⁠ ) Website (https://www.alteringcourse.com⁠)

9. 

   5 May 2026

   Innovation Starts Here: Creative Teaching Across Disciplines in Community College and Further Education [Episode 2]

   What does a 3D printed cookie mold have to do with biology, history, and career transformation? In this episode, Lauran sits down with Dr. Nazanin Hebel, biology professor and innovation fellow at Houston City College, to explore how cross-disciplinary projects are reshaping what's possible in community college and further education settings. From the award-winning “Back to the Foodture” competition to a faculty-led TED-style initiative called “The Intersection” and “The Huddle”, Dr. Hebel shares how even the smallest creative idea, when nurtured at the intersection of disciplines, can lead to lasting student transformation. Whether you’re a lecturer in a UK further education college or a faculty member at a North American community college, this episode is packed with practical, easy-to-implement ideas you can bring to your campus or programme straight away. What We Cover in This Episode 00:00: Introduction Meet Dr. Nazanin Hebel from dentistry to 25 years in community college biology teaching 05:20: The power of the “light bulb moment” and why diverse, underserved learners thrive when educators take their success as a personal challenge 11:45: Public health, medical humanities, and ethics in the classroom connecting science and the humanities to broaden career pathways for students 18:30: Back to the Foodture and how a 3D cookie mold idea became a cross-campus, multi-disciplinary competition that changed students’ career trajectories 29:00: The Intersection and the Huddle, a faculty-led TED-style talk and podcast initiative designed to showcase innovation happening quietly across college departments Links, Resources & Offers Free Newsletter & Episode Resources: Subscribe at www.alteringcourse.com (http://www.alteringcourse.com/podcast) Free Resource: Pathway to Foster Independent Students with Executive Function Skills www.alteringcourse.com/ (http://www.alteringcourse.com/podcast) Speaking Engagements, Coaching & Executive Function Support: www.alteringcourse.com (http://www.alteringcourse.com) About Your Host Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly is an award-winning educator and author who has dedicated her career to transforming lives through education. As a speaker and coach, she helps educators, leaders, and students build skills for creativity and success, drawing on experience in American community colleges, British and international schools in the U.K., and her current role as Quality and Innovation Lead in an English college. When she's not championing college education, Lauran shares a nerdy and adventurous life full of books, board games, and travels with her spouse, daughter, and dog. Connect with Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly Website: www.alteringcourse.com (http://www.alteringcourse.com) Instagram: @altering.course (https://www.instagram.com/altering.course/) LinkedIn: Lauran Kerr-Heraly, Ph.D. | LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurankerrheraly/)

10. 

    5 May 2026

    Why Further Education and Community College Change Lives: Widening Participation, Skills and Innovation [Episode 3]

    In this episode, Lauran is joined by Rhian Ramsden, Quality and Innovation Lead and professional doctorate student at Wiltshire College and University Centre, to explore why further education and community college are so much more than a second choice. Drawing on over a decade of teaching and quality work across inner city London and rural Wiltshire, Rhian speaks candidly about widening participation, the hierarchy of higher education, and why contextualising learning changes everything for the students schools left behind. Whether you are a lecturer or tutor in a UK further education college or a faculty member at a North American community college, this episode is an honest and energising look at what college education can and should be doing for every learner it serves. What We Cover in This Episode 00:00 Introduction to Rhian Ramsden and how working in psychiatric care set her on an unexpected path into further education 04:30 What a Quality and Innovation Lead actually does and why a supportive presence in learning spaces benefits lecturers and learners alike 09:15 Why further education saves lives and how contextualising learning transforms outcomes for learners that school left behind 15:00 The hierarchy of higher education in the UK and US and why the prestige attached to certain institutions is completely misplaced 20:45 Widening participation and rurality as a barrier to access and what the literature tells us about why learners actively choose further education college 25:30 Skills competitions as safe risk and why putting learners under pressure in a safe environment prepares them for the realities of adult and working life 28:45 Failure as a learning opportunity and the speed dating interview technique that has resulted in every single one of Riann's students receiving at least one university offer Links, Resources & Offers Free Newsletter & Episode Resources: Subscribe at ⁠www.alteringcourse.com⁠ (http://www.alteringcourse.com/podcast) Free Resource: Pathway to Foster Independent Students with Executive Function Skills ⁠www.alteringcourse.com/⁠ (http://www.alteringcourse.com/podcast) Speaking Engagements, Coaching & Executive Function Support: ⁠www.alteringcourse.com⁠ (http://www.alteringcourse.com) About Your Host Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly is an award-winning educator and author who has dedicated her career to transforming lives through education. As a speaker and coach, she helps educators, leaders, and students build skills for creativity and success, drawing on experience in American community colleges, British and international schools in the U.K., and her current role as Quality and Innovation Lead in an English college. When she's not championing college education, Lauran shares a nerdy and adventurous life full of books, board games, and travels with her spouse, daughter, and dog. Connect with Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly Website: ⁠www.alteringcourse.com⁠ (http://www.alteringcourse.com) Instagram: ⁠@altering.course⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/altering.course/) LinkedIn: ⁠Lauran Kerr-Heraly, Ph.D. | LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurankerrheraly/) About the Guest Rhian Ramsden has worked in Further Education colleges since 2012 across a range of contexts, from inner‑city London to rural Wiltshire. Primarily focused on health and social care, Rhian has also taught other subjects in the traditional FE spirit, including functional skills math and English. Currently based in the college quality team at Wiltshire College and University Centre, she still keeps a toe in the teaching water. She is in phase 2 of a professional doctorate in education; her thesis explores the role of the Further Education college in widening participation, with a particular focus on rurality as a barrier to access. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhian-ramsden-9b275364/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhian-ramsden-9b275364/)

11. 

    5 May 2026

    Why Innovative Teaching Matters for Every College and Further Education Learner

    In this first episode of From College to College, Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly shares her journey from community college student in West Texas to Quality and Innovation Lead in an English further education college and explains what inspired her to start this show. She explores what innovative teaching and learning genuinely means in practice, why the word innovation is so often misused, and why intentional, purposeful change in the classroom is essential for the diverse learners we serve in college and further education. Whether you are a lecturer or tutor in a UK further education college or a faculty member at a US community college, this episode offers an honest framework for reflecting on your own teaching practice and leaves you with one small idea to try in your classroom or learning space straight away. If you've been looking for educational leadership podcasts, experts insight in education, and guest speakers for college, welcome! What We Cover in This Episode 00:00 - Introduction to From College to College and what to expect from Season 1 01:45 - Lauran's story from community college student in West Texas to Quality and Innovation Lead in an English further education college 05:30 - Community college and further education as close cousins and what educators on both sides can learn from each other 08:15 - What innovative teaching genuinely means in practice, what it is not, and why intentional, purposeful change matters more than flashy new ideas 11:00 - Why innovation is essential in further education and community college where learners arrive with vastly different backgrounds, experiences and prior education 13:20 - The ripple effect and why one small new thing in your teaching practice is the right place to begin Links, Resources & Offers Free Newsletter & Episode Resources: Subscribe at www.alteringcourse.com/podcast (http://www.alteringcourse.com/podcast) Free Resource: Pathway to Foster Independent Students with Executive Function Skills www.alteringcourse.com/podcast (http://www.alteringcourse.com/podcast) Speaking Engagements, Coaching & Executive Function Support: www.alteringcourse.com (http://www.alteringcourse.com) About Your Host Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly is an award-winning educator and author who has dedicated her career to transforming lives through education. As a speaker and coach, she helps educators, leaders, and students build skills for creativity and success, drawing on experience in American community colleges, British and international schools in the U.K., and her current role as Quality and Innovation Lead in an English college. When she's not championing college education, Lauran shares a nerdy and adventurous life full of books, board games, and travels with her spouse, daughter, and dog. Connect with Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly Website: www.alteringcourse.com (www.alteringcourse.com) Instagram: @altering.course (https://www.instagram.com/altering.course/) LinkedIn: Lauran Kerr-Heraly (Lauran Kerr-Heraly, Ph.D. | LinkedIn)

12. 

    24 Apr 2026

    From College to College | Trailer

    What if the most innovative ideas in education weren't coming from universities or think tanks, but from the college down the road? Welcome to From College to College, a podcast exploring innovative teaching, learning, and quality in further education (UK) and community colleges (US) with lessons from both sides of the Atlantic. Hosted by Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly, an award-winning American-British educator with over 20 years of experience in college education, this show celebrates the extraordinary work happening in the college sector every single day and amplifies the voices of professionals making a real difference. The college sector serves some of the most diverse, determined, and inspiring learners in the world. The professionals who teach and lead in these institutions deserve a space to share what they know. That's what this podcast is all about. What You'll Learn Why college education is essential to innovators and educators The unique value of further education (UK) and community college (US) sectors Practical strategies for shifting from passive to active learning How to gamify lessons to make learning more meaningful for students Real-world examples of innovation in college education from both sides of the Atlantic Insights from educators transforming the student experience Who is This Podcast For? UK Further Education Professionals: Whether you work in FE colleges, sixth form colleges, or as an educational leader, this podcast brings you fresh perspectives on teaching innovation, quality improvement, and student success strategies from educators on both sides of the Atlantic. US Community College Educators & Leaders: If you're passionate about community college education, dual credit programs, student-centered learning, and practical teaching strategies, you'll connect with real voices and proven methods from innovative professionals across the US and UK. International Educators: Curious about how college education differs and aligns between the UK and US? Interested in comparative education approaches? This podcast explores the best practices, challenges, and innovations in both systems. New episodes coming soon. Subscribe now so you don't miss a single one and get ready because the conversation is just getting started. About the Host Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly is an award-winning educator and author who has dedicated her career to transforming lives through education. As a speaker and coach, she helps educators, leaders, and students build skills for creativity and success, drawing on experience in American community colleges, British and international schools in the U.K., and her current role as Quality and Innovation Lead in an English college. When she's not championing college education, Lauran shares a nerdy and adventurous life full of books, board games, and travels with her spouse, daughter, and dog. Connect with Dr. Lauran Kerr-Heraly Website: www.alteringcourse.com (www.alteringcourse.com) Instagram: @altering.course (https://www.instagram.com/altering.course/) LinkedIn: Lauran Kerr-Heraly, Ph.D. | LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurankerrheraly/) Resources & Offers Newsletter + Free Resource: Pathway to Foster Independent Students with Executive Function Skills: www.alteringcourse.com (http://www.alteringcourse.com/podcast) Speaking Engagements, Coaching & Executive Function Support: www.alteringcourse.com (http://www.alteringcourse.com) Subscribe: Don't miss new episodes!

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