Sharon Davidson

I tutor B100, B302, B328, B870 and BB842: three undergraduate and two postgraduate (MBA) business study modules.

I obtained my MBA with the Open University in 1999, subsequently working in the public and private sectors as an Organisation Development (OD) Consultant. I ran my own OD consultancy business for over a decade.

I have been an Associate Lecturer with the OU since 2014. Committed to lifelong learning, I’m also still a student myself. I achieved Senior Fellowship with Advance Higher Education in 2024, featuring module authorship and a higher education change and development project in Myanmar, as case study evidence. Additionally, since 2021, I have been undertaking a Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD) with the Open University. Thesis title: Unlocking Tomorrow: signifying the unique role of OU prison tutors through profound narratives.

I became an AL because I vividly remember the wonderful student experience I benefitted from when studying my MBA with the OU. I really wanted to replicate my experience for others and when the OU were recruiting ALs for a postgraduate module called Leadership in Healthcare, I thought that was an area where I could translate both my professional experience in OD and leadership into a tutoring experience for this module, bringing practice and theory together. I was accepted, thoroughly enjoyed the module tutoring experience and grew my OU tutoring portfolio from there, to the five modules it is today.

Additionally, when I did my own OU MBA I had a bit of an epiphany insofar as it was often crystal clear that what I was learning about was instantly applicable to what I was doing at work. It saved my bacon a few times through the power of its instant application. The short gap between what I was learning and where I was applying it was a real added value to the whole experience.

The OU generally, and now tutoring specifically, has become a real passion for me. OU students are the best, they juggle many life challenges and are hungry for self-improvement. Teaching students who really want to learn and improve is the essence of tutoring. It’s very gratifying when module results come in and the emails arrive from students thrilled by their results. Those are the best days of the year! Being a small part of that student success story is the payback of many years doing in the field what I now teach in real and virtual classrooms.

So here I am, living the dream!

I’m a passionate cyclist—despite living on the edge of the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) in South Wales, where the hills are more 'epic challenge' than 'casual ride.' On Day 1 of a brand-new shiny bike, I took it for a spin, promptly took a tumble during a shower, and earned myself a fractured elbow. Twelve weeks out of the saddle when I couldn’t ride it, but at least I could admire how stunning that bike looked. It was a beauty, and I eventually got back on it!