Ms Jill Cowley

Jill is Pro Vice Chancellor Skills and Training and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Design and Humanities.  Her university-wide portfolio includes the strategic development of higher technical education, including apprenticeships and HTQs.  Within Faculty, Jill is responsible for ensuring alignment of activity with the University Strategy through setting goals and the achievement of corporate key performance indicators in the areas of teaching, research, enterprise and innovation.  She oversees matters relating to quality assurance and enhancement, and contributes to the development of effective governance arrangements and compliance with agreed standards and processes.  As a member of the University Leadership Board, she chairs validations, hearings and appeals, and is responsible for effective, collective institutional leadership, including high level strategic planning and decision-making. 

Jill has been at DMU since 2007, in previous roles  including Head of School of Humanities and Performing Arts, Subject Leader for Performing Arts and Faculty Academic Development Partner.    Jill is a dance practitioner who has worked extensively within a broad range of teaching contexts, including community practice, FE and HE.   She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has worked on a special commission for government around the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.  Her research is in the pedagogy of collaborative and intermedial practices in performance-making, and arts and wellbeing.

Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Dance

COWLEY, J. et al (2015) ‘Will You Play? Implications of audience interventions in improvised dance performance’, Choreographic Practices, 6: 2, pp.297-315, doi:10.1386/chor.6.2.297_1

Collaborations in Choreography and Dance (CiCaDa) (2015) [online]. Available from collaborations.dmu.ac.uk

Collaborative Choreography: An approach to making. (Conversations with New Art Club) (2009) DVD and work booklet.  Created by BRESLIN, J., COWLEY, J.  Leicester, De Montfort University.

BRESLIN, J., COWLEY, J. (2009) Coping in Collaborative Choreography.  Proceedings of the Global Perspectives on Dance Pedagogy: Research and Practice.  CORD Special Conference.

Lifelong Learning Entitlement and higher technical education. Collaborative practices; dance pedagogy; intermedial performance-making; dance and dementia; personal development within HE students

Dance practice; collaborative processes; performance-making; applied arts; dance management; the holistic learner

MPhil in Dance Studies and Public Health, Lancaster University

BA (Hons) in Performing Arts: Dance, Lancaster University  – 1st class

PGCE (pcet) Canterbury Christchurch University

BA Performing Arts (Physical Theatre, Contemporary Music Theatre, Personal Development Planning, Performance Research Project and International Performance Project)

BA Dance (Dance Techniques, Choreography and Promoting Dance)

Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Teacher Award, June 2012.

DMU Teacher Fellow, August 2016

Board Member of Phoenix (Leicester ARts Centre)

Board Member of the National Indoor Climbing Award Scheme (NICAS)

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Senior Women's Leadership and Development Programme

Aurora

CanvavsCon Europe 2024

e.g Conferences/festivals/campaigns

Panel Member: Supporting Degree Apprenticeships at Universities. Westminster Insight Degree Apprenticeships Conference, 7th July 2024

COWLEY, J. Valuing Cultural and Creative Education.  Belt and Road Forum, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30th October 2023

BRESLIN, J, COWLEY, J & DOUGHTY, S.  Keep that, leave that.  Questioning the Contemporary Conference.  Leeds Metropolitan University. 18^th July 2014 (refereed paper)

BRESLIN, J & COWLEY, J. Collaborative Choreography: An approach to making. On Collaboration II Symposium. Middlesex University, 18^th May 2013. (refereed paper)

BRESLIN, J., COWLEY, J. Coping in Collaborative Making: Why coping strategies affect learning.  Theatre and Pedagogy.  IUTA 8^th World Conference. 28^th June 2010.  (refereed paper) 

BRESLIN, J., COWLEY, J. Coping in Collaborative Choreography: Why coping strategies affect learning.  International Conference of Performing Arts Training, Leibnitz, Austria.  May 2010.  (refereed paper) 

BRESLIN, J., COWLEY, J. Coping in Collaborative Choreography: Why coping strategies might affect learning.  Global Perspectives on Dance Pedagogy: Research and Practice.  CORD Special Conference, Leicester, June 2009.  (refereed paper) 

BRESLIN, J., COWLEY, J., FITZPATRICK, M. Assessing collaborative practice in dance. Exploring the Hinterlands: mapping an agenda for institutional research conference,

Southampton Solent University, June 2008.  (refereed paper) 

Other forms of public presentation:

Quick Shifts: Stripped. [24^th January 2016. Attenborough Arts]

Quick Shifts. [15^th November 2015 Attenborough Arts, Leicester]

Quick Shifts.  [26^th April 2015. Embrace Arts, Leicester]

Three ones [11^th March, 2015.  Nottingham Concert Hall]

Quick Shifts: Found in Translation. [27^th February 2015. Cultural Exchanges, Leicester]

Quick Shifts.  [25^th January 2015. Embrace Arts, Leicester]

Quick Shifts.  [16^th November 2015. Embrace Arts, Leicester]

Quick Shifts: Danscriptions [July 6^th 2014. Embrace Arts, Leicester]

Quick Shifts: Lin-gwis-tiks [March 16^th 2014. Embrace Arts, Leicester]

Quick Shifts: Double Take [January 26^th 2014. Embrace Arts, Leicester]

Quick Shifts: Salon #12 [November 3^rd2013. Embrace Arts, Leicester]

What’s The Score?  [March 17^th 2013. Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham]

Quick Shifts. [March 9^th 2013.  Embrace Arts, Leicester]

Quick Shifts. [December 2^nd 2012, Embrace Arts, Leicester]

Three ones. [November 17^th 2012. PACE, Leicester]

07/24 - 10/24     Special Commission Group Member for Lifelong Learning Entitlement review.

03/24    Process Panel Member for validation for The Open University, Foundation Degree Acting and Production, Belfast Met College

29/02/24     Shaping the Workforce of the Future.  Invited contributor to Instructure Roundtable

05/22 – 07/22   Consultancy for Leicester City Council – Cultural and Creative Strategy (Dance in Leicester City)

11/03/22     Process Panel Member for revalidation for The Open University, of BA (Hons) Acting (Top-up), Leeds City College

03/02/20     External Academic Panel Member for revalidation of BA Dance, BA Theatre and Performance and BA Performing Arts, Leeds Beckett University

11-12/11/19     HE Academic Consultant for Pearson International Diploma Performing Arts

15-16/11/16     Process Panel Member for O.U. validation of FdAs and BA Top ups at Leeds City College

15-16/12/15     Panel Member for O.U. validation of degrees in Theatre Arts and Contemporary Dance Practice at Deree College, Athens.

22/10/10     Represented Dance in H.E. at Medway Dance Careers event.

21/10/10     Advisor - Preparation for University Dance Auditions, Mid Kent College

28/07/10     Workshop leader at Foundation House, London for American University students

2010 & 2011   Panel member for Moving Out (graduate choreography platform), Coventry University 

21/05/10     Advisor on FE to HE transition, New College Telford

3-6/09/09     Workshop leader at the International Biennale of young artists, Skopje

External Examiner

09/19 - ongoing    University of Winchester BA Dance, BA Dance and Choreography, BA Dance and Young People

09/16 – 02/22   DEREE: The American College of Greece, Athens BA Contemporary Dance Practice (Open University)

01/14 – 10/17  Canterbury Christ Church University MA Arts and Cultural Management; BA Performing Arts and HNC Performing Arts

09/13 – 10/16  Hull College (Open University) BA Dance

11/12 – 10/14  Hull College (Leeds Metropolitan University) FdA Dance and Level 6 Top Up

Collaborative Practices.  CEPA funded focus groups, buy-out time and the creation of a diary room.  July 2008 – June 2009.  Amount: £1100.  Co-investigator with Jo Breslin.

Making visible an existing paradigm of collaborative choreography in the process of professional practice.  RIT funding used to create educational DVD resource. Amount:  £3,818.23.  June 2009 – September 2009.  Co-investigator collaborating with Jo Breslin.   

Review printed in British Universities Film and Video Council (2010) Viewfinder. December 2010, No 81