Biography

Charlie Watts SFHEA is Associate Head of Global Engagement and Educational Partnerships within the School of Film, Media, and Creative Technologies at the University of Portsmouth, where he provides strategic leadership across international engagement, educational partnerships, employability and curriculum innovation.

Prior to entering higher education, Charlie worked within the UK broadcast television industry as a professional editor and post-production specialist, collaborating with broadcasters, production companies and commercial organisations. Since joining the University in 2003, he has combined professional practice with educational leadership to develop authentic, industry-engaged approaches to teaching and learning that connect students with employers, community partners and cultural organisations.

His work has focused on employability, authentic learning, curriculum design and industry collaboration, supporting the development of educational models that prepare students for rapidly evolving creative industries. He has led numerous strategic partnerships with broadcasters, cultural institutions and international higher education providers, creating opportunities for collaborative learning, live production and knowledge exchange.

Charlie is Principal Investigator for the University’s archive digitisation partnership with the Mary Rose Trust, leading research into digital preservation, metadata and paradata creation, archival workflows and the application of emerging technologies to safeguard vulnerable audiovisual collections. His research explores how digital heritage, artificial intelligence and educational practice can combine to preserve cultural assets while creating new opportunities for research, public engagement and commercial innovation.

His broader research interests include authentic learning, digital pedagogy, professional identity, employability, educational decision-making and the design of technology-enhanced learning environments. He is particularly interested in the relationship between professional practice and curriculum design, and how universities can develop graduates who are adaptable, reflective and capable of working across interdisciplinary creative environments.

Charlie is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA), an experienced External Examiner, and an Avid Certified Instructor. His work has received national recognition through multiple industry awards, the University of Portsmouth Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence, and a HEIF-funded programme of research and innovation in digital heritage.

Research interests

1. Development of Web Decision Trees to Aid Pedagogy

Purpose

• Scaffold student decision-making rather than task completion

• Make tacit professional judgement explicit

• Support independent, reflective learning at scale

Pedagogic Applications

• Learning pathway navigation (e.g. “If your project is stalled → choose X / Y / Z”)

• Assessment readiness checks (threshold vs aspirational pathways)

• Reflective prompts tied to action (“Why did you choose this route?”)

• Ethical and professional judgement scenarios

• Risk assessment and mitigation planning

• Team dynamics resolution trees (non-engagement, conflict, leadership gaps)

• Accessibility and inclusion routing (alternative evidence, pacing, formats)

Design Characteristics

• Branching logic aligned to learning outcomes, not content delivery

• Embedded reflective checkpoints

• Multiple valid routes (non-linear progression)

• Progressive disclosure of complexity

• Designed for reuse across levels (L4–L6 scaffolding)

Digital Implementation

• Web-based interactive tools (Forms, no-code platforms, LMS embeds)

• Mobile-first, low-friction access

• Data capture for pedagogic insight (common decision bottlenecks)

• Versioned and iterative (students see evolution of practice)

Educational Value

• Encourages metacognition

• Reduces dependency on staff intervention

• Models real-world professional decision-making

• Supports neurodivergent learners through structured choice

2. Pedagogy Involving Real-World Learning & HE Collaborations

Core Principles

• Learning through authentic responsibility, not simulation

• Trust-based pedagogies with real consequences

• Learning framed around professional identity formation

Forms of Real-World Learning

• Live industry briefs

• Civic and cultural commissions

• External client-led projects

• Cross-institutional collaborations

• International HE partnerships

• Work-related learning embedded in credit-bearing modules

Collaborative Structures

• HE–industry–civic triads

• Cross-school and cross-faculty delivery

• Vertical integration (L4 observation → L6 leadership)

• Peer-mentoring across cohorts

• Shared delivery with partner institutions

Assessment Alignment

• Reflection on impact, not activity

• Professional judgement and decision-making

• Evidence of adaptability and resilience

• Thresholded capability-based assessment

• Flexible evidence submission models

Graduate Capability Development

• Professional communication

• Accountability and reliability

• Negotiation and expectation management

• Ethical practice in live contexts

• Confidence operating under uncertainty

Institutional Value

• Strengthens employability metrics

• Enhances civic impact and reputation

• Builds sustainable partnership pipelines

• Scales experiential learning without placements alone

3. HE Live Broadcasting Transmission

Pedagogic Rationale

• Live transmission as a high-stakes learning environment

• No pause, undo, or safety net → authentic accountability

• Forces rapid decision-making and teamwork

Teaching & Learning Features

• Students operating in defined professional roles

• Live editorial judgement under time pressure

• Real audiences beyond the classroom

• Immediate feedback loops (success/failure is visible)

• Emotional regulation and resilience development

Technical & Creative Components

• Vision mixing and directing

• Audio engineering

• Camera operation

• Live graphics and playout

• Signal routing and transmission

• Redundancy planning and fault recovery

Curricular Integration

• Embedded within taught modules

• Used as assessment artefacts

• Progressive responsibility across years

• Cross-course collaboration (production, journalism, tech)

Professional Outcomes

• Broadcast-ready graduates

• Clear articulation of responsibility and accountability

• Confidence in complex technical environments

• Evidence of leadership under pressure

Pedagogic Distinction

• Learning through consequence, not rehearsal

• Authentic stress inoculation

• Aligns closely with industry norms and expectations

4. Digital Archiving via Media Creation

Conceptual Shift

• Archiving as active media creation, not passive preservation

• Students as cultural custodians and interpreters

Core Activities

• Digitisation of analogue media

• Metadata and paradata creation

• Contextualisation and narrative framing

• Quality control and versioning

• Rights awareness and ethical handling

Pedagogic Value

• Teaches patience, precision, and responsibility

• Long-term thinking beyond immediate assessment

• Exposure to fragile and irreplaceable media

• Develops respect for provenance and authenticity

Skill Development

• Technical digitisation workflows

• Archival standards and best practice

• Descriptive and technical metadata literacy

• Critical contextual writing

• Ethical decision-making in heritage contexts

Institutional & Civic Impact

• Preservation of vulnerable cultural assets

• Scalable student contribution to heritage organisations

• Creation of future-facing digital collections

• Pathways to commercialisation and public engagement

Assessment Opportunities

• Reflective analysis of preservation decisions

• Evaluation of archival impact

• Professional documentation and reporting

• Portfolio-ready outputs with lasting value