About
Sarah Winspear is a Principal Teaching Fellow in the Academic Centre for International Students (ACIS), within the School of Humanities, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, at the University of Southampton. She works in close partnership with the University of Southampton Business School (USBS) and other academic units in the design and delivery of progressive in-sessional teaching and learning.
Sarah also provides leadership in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), chairing the School Athena Swan Self‑Assessment Team and leading in the gaining of bronze award. She serves on the School EDI committee as ACIS EDI representative and is an ally in the School’s LGBTQ+ Positive Spaces Initiative. Sarah contributes at institutional level through membership of the University Athena Swan and Race Equality Charter teams.
Sarah is currently undertaking the Multiverse AI for Business Value apprenticeship, reflecting her commitment to developing cutting‑edge educational practice, particularly in Generative AI, technology‑enhanced learning, and assessment innovation.
She is a member of a School‑level team exploring AI‑assisted marking, and contributed to the University’s Advancing Assessment project, supporting sector‑leading developments in assessment design and delivery. Her work aligns with departmental priorities around progressive in‑sessional provision and innovation in teaching and learning. She is also a member of EuroCALL (European Association for Computer‑Assisted Language Learning).
Before joining the University of Southampton, Sarah spent ten years running teaching and training businesses in Hong Kong and the Netherlands. Prior to this, she held a management role in sales and marketing at Guinness PLC (now Diageo PLC), having been recruited via its highly competitive graduate development programme. This industry experience continues to inform her teaching, particularly in relation to employability and knowledge exchange.
Sarah’s own educational journey reflects a strong commitment to progression and widening participation, having completed her A levels at night school in just one year while working full time. She also completed her Master’s degree via distance learning while living overseas and working full time. These experiences inform her approach to teaching and student support, particularly in helping students from diverse backgrounds succeed in higher education.