Board Lead for Education
The BAA Board Director for Education provides strategic leadership in this portfolio area, supported by relevant subcommittees. They are responsible for representing the BAA on education matters and advising the Board and wider stakeholders (as required) on education issues. The Director works closely with Higher Education Institutions and other training providers to support and strengthen audiology education. Additionally, they lead the development of a work plan for the Education subcommittees (as outlined below), aligning their activities with BAA’s annual and strategic objectives. The Director may also represent the BAA on external groups as appointed by the Board.
Sub-Committees Overview:
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The Education Team includes four active sub-committees:
Early Professionals, Work-Based Learning, Research and a Hearing Therapy Committee.
Key Objectives:
Objective 1: Strengthen education and training resources for early professionals
Supporting Actions
- Continue development of Early Professional resources across website and magazine platforms.
- Explore progression pathways from Early Professional to Graduate Full Member – identifying support needs and liaising with PD and e-learning to provide relevant content.
Objective 2: Provide leadership across education sub-committees
Supporting Actions
- Lead the Work-Based Learning, Hearing Therapy and Research Group sub-committees.
- Support development of educational initiatives including e-learning content.
- Provide support to Rob for the new Promoting Audiology Sub‑Committee.
Objective 3: Ensure BAA represents the profession in education and regulatory discussions
Supporting Actions
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- Provide strategic input to regulatory, accrediting and professional bodies.
- Contribute to the development of effective regulatory frameworks and high educational standards.
About Saira
Saira graduated with a BSc (Hons) Audiology from the University of Bristol in 2013, and the STP MSc Clinical Science in 2016 from the University of Manchester. Saira is a registered Clinical Scientist and Principal Fellow of Advance HE. She works in Higher Education at Aston University, Birmingham, teaching across the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes offered. Saira also leads Aston’s Audiology Interprofessional Learning (IPL) activities within the College of Health and Life Sciences. Saira is engaged with university pedagogy networks and research, having completed her Masters in Education in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. She has a particular focus on student engagement and learning, paediatric audiology experiences, and lived experience of hearing loss.
Saira is undertaking a second term as BAA Board Director, where she wants to ensure that students, young professionals, and those underrepresented in the audiology field have a voice and benefit from BAA membership. Outside of audiology, Saira enjoys travelling and completed the ’30 countries by 30’ challenge!