About

I am a senior lecturer in education studies and programme leader for BA (Hons) Education Studies with optional SEND and TESOL pathways at the University of Derby. 

Before that, I worked as an education researcher at the International Centre for Guidance Studies (iCeGS) at the University of Derby. I also gained experience in applied research while working as a pedagogic research assistant at the Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development (OCSLD) and at the Centre for Diversity Policy Research and Practice (CDPRP) at Oxford Brookes University.

I also taught for five years in the Swiss further education sector and was a programme leader for languages. My overseas experience includes an exchange year at the University of Costa Rica and three months of voluntary work in Bulgaria.

Teaching responsibilities

BA (Hons) Education Studies with optional SEND and TESOL pathway

• Education through the Ages
• Lessons from History of Education
• The Future of Education
• Curriculum Frameworks
• Contemporary Debates in Education
• Research Methods for Independent Study students
• Independent Study for Education

Professional interests

I am a senior lecturer in education studies at the University of Derby and I was an executive committee member of the British Education Studies Association (BESA) from 2016-2025.

My publications include a Civitas Report on The Racialisation of Campus Relations in which I examine and reject the practice of grouping higher education students by their skin colour and ethnicity in current and future policies and practices. 

I am also the main author of World-Class Apprenticeship Standards: Report and Recommendations a study commissioned by Pearson Education UK.

Research interests

• Knowledge-based education
• Academic freedom
• Higher education policy and practice
• Vocational education and apprenticeship training

(I particularly welcome expressions of interest for research projects at the doctoral level exploring the history, impact and future of knowledge-based education in the UK.)

Doctoral supervisions

• Su Wall: Children and their relationship with nature
• Sheena Bevitt: A longitudinal exploration of the lived experience of a year in work placement through a change management lens
• Suzanne Barham: Headteachers' understanding and experience of autonomy in converted academies and the impact on their professional identity

Completed doctoral studies

• Louise Pidgen: An Exploration of Employment Outcomes and the Contributing Factors for Joint Honours Graduates in the United Kingdom
• Folasade Lamikanra: The Educational Legacy of Colonialism in South-Western Nigeria 

Doctoral examinations

• EdD Examination: Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills of Arab Public High School Students in Israel: A Case Study. Derby: the University of Derby, Institute of Education

Membership of professional bodies

• Executive Committee Member of the British Education Studies Association (BESA) 2016-2025
• Member of the Society for Educational Studies (SES)
• Member of the History of Education Society (HoE) 2019-2022
• Member of the Free Speech Union (FSU)
• Advisory Board Member of Academics For Academic Freedom (AFAF)

Qualifications

• PhD in Higher Education, University of Derby
• MSc Social Policy Research, London School of Economics and Political Science
• MSc Social Policy and Planning for Developing Countries, London School of Economics and Political Science
• BA (Hons) Latin American Studies, Middlesex University
• Diploma in Higher Education Teaching, Akademie für Erwachsenenbildung, Switzerland

Recent conferences

• Mieschbuehler, R. (2025) Labour Schools Reforms, panel discussion, Birmingham: Birmingham Salon, 8 February.  
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2025) A Very Short History of British Education, Education Lecture for visitors from Han University of Applied Sciences in Holland, Derby: University of Derby, 27 February.
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2024) Skills and knowledge in tension: What should the curriculum teach?, Reclaiming Classical Education: Hannah Arendt Classical Education Conference, Brussels: MCC Brussels, 13 February
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2023) Research with Children and Young Adults, College of Business, Law and Social Sciences (BLSS), CREC Webinar, Derby: University of Derby, 27 February
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2021) The Racialisation of Campus Relations, Online, Midlands Higher Education Policy Network, 17 February
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2022) Letters on Liberty: The liberating power of education, Buxton: Battle of Ideas Festival Buxton, 5 November
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2021) Transforming the Economy Post-Pandemic, Buxton: Battle of Ideas Festival Buxton, 30 October
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2020) The Racialisation of Campus Relations, Online, Don't Divide Us, 23 November
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2019) By Erasing the Past, Are Universities Racialising the Campus?, Derby, Brunswick Inn, East Midlands Salon, 28 November 
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2019) From Zero Hours to Apprenticeships: Young People at Work, Battle of Ideas Festival (BoI), 2-3 November
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2019) How to Promote Real Equality in Higher Education, Higher Education Institutional Research (HEIR) Conference, Wolverhampton: the University of Wolverhampton, 11-13 September
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2019) Equality in Higher Education, 15th Annual Conference of the British Education Studies Association (BESA), Swansea: University of Wales Trinity St David, 27-28 June
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2018) The Appeal of Relativism: Antidotes from Socrates to Siegel, 14th Annual Conference of the British Education Studies Association (BESA), Bolton: the University of Bolton, 28-29 June
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2017) The Minoritisation of Higher Education Students, 13th Annual Conference of the British Education Studies Association (BESA), Liverpool: Liverpool Hope University, 29-30 June
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2016) You're hired! Who Wants to be an Apprentice? Battle of Ideas, London: Barbican Centre, 22 and 23 October
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2016) How Can Schools Help Build the Northern Powerhouse? British Educational Suppliers Associations, Wakefield, 15 September
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2016) Developing World-Class Apprenticeship Standards, Pearson Hot Breakfast Policy Seminar, London: Pearson UK, 23 May
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2016) Higher Apprenticeships: Benefits and Barriers, 4th Annual Apprenticeship4England Conference, London: Emirates Stadium, 25 and 26 February
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2015) The Minoritisation of Higher Education Students, Annual Staff Development Conference, Buckinghamshire: Buckinghamshire New University, 17 September
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2015) Employers’ Experience of Higher Apprenticeships: Benefits and Barriers, 11^th Journal of Vocational Education and Training Conference: Researching Policy and Practice in Vocational Education and Training, Oxford: Worcester College Oxford, 3-5 July

Experience in industry

Universities and Further Education

• Programme Leader for Education Studies, Institute of Education, the University of Derby
• Education Researcher, International Centre for Guidance Studies iCeGS, the University of Derby
• Pedagogic Research Assistant, Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development Oxford Brookes University
• Research Assistant, Centre for Diversity Policy Research and Practice (CDPRP), Oxford Brookes University
• Research Assistant, Quality Enhancement Department OED, the University of Derby
• Programme Leader for Languages, Benedict Hotel Management College, Switzerland
• English Language Teaching, Sprachfix Language College, Switzerland

External examiner

• External examiner: MSc Educational Studies and MEd Educational Studies, University of Glasgow, 2021 - 2024
• External examiner: BA (Hons) Education Studies, University of Winchester, 2020 - 2024
• External examiner: validation BA (Hons) Education and SEND programme, Newman University, Birmingham, 2023
• External examiner: revalidation BA (Hons) Education Studies programme, School of Education, Roehampton University, 2017
• External examiner: revalidation BA (Hons) Education and Professional Practice programme, Havering College. An Open University accredited programme, 2017

Internal examiner

• Internal examiner: Revalidation, FdA Athlete Professional Development programme, University of Derby, 2022

Reviewer

• Reviewer British Journal of Educational Studies 
• Reviewer British Educational Research Journal
• Reviewer International Journal of Training Research
• Reviewer Educationalfutures Journal, British Education Studies Association
• Reviewer Transformations Journal, British Education Studies Association
• Reviewer of education book proposals for Sage Publishing, Education and Routledge Education

Other

• Advisory Group Member for the QAA Education Studies Benchmark Statement review 2024-2025
• School Governor, St. Martin's Catholic Academy, Stoke Golding, 2023 - present
• Judge for the BETT Awards, British Educational Suppliers Association, 2017 - 2021
• Delegate at the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Education Inquiry, London 2016

International experience

• Programme Leader for Languages, Benedict Hotel Management College, Lucerne, Switzerland
• English Language Teacher, Sprachfix Language College, Sarnen, Switzerland
• Voluntary work for the Cooperation for Voluntary Services (CVS-BG), Sofia, Bulgaria

Additional interests and activities

• Associate Member of the Academy of Ideas
• Associate Member of the International Centre for Guidance Studies (iCeGS), Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, University of Derby

I am also one of the organisers of the East Midlands Salon and a session producer for the Battle of Ideas, two of which organise public discussions and debates.

Recent publications

• Mieschbuehler, R. (2020) The Racialisation of Campus Relations, London: Civitas
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2020) How to bring about real equality in higher education, in Bartram, B. Understanding Contemporary Issues in Higher Education: Contradictions, Complexities and Challenges, London and New York: Routledge
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2018) The Minoritisation of Higher Education Students: An Examination of Contemporary Policies and Practice, London and New York: Routledge
• Mieschbuehler, R. (2017) Beyond the student experience, in Hayes, D. (Ed.) Beyond McDonaldization: Visions of Higher Education, London and New York: Routledge
• Mieschbuehler, R. and Hooley, T. (2016) World-Class Apprenticeship Standards: Report and Recommendations, Derby and London: International Centre for Guidance Studies, University of Derby and Pearson Education UK
• Mieschbuehler, R., Hooley, T. and Neary, S. (2015) Employers’ Experience of Higher Apprenticeships: Benefits and Barriers, Derby and Melton Mowbray: International Centre for Guidance Studies, University of Derby and Pera Training
• Mieschbuehler, R. and Vickers, R. (2015) Research update 2014, Journal of the National Institute for Career Education and Counselling. April (34): 55-58
• Hayes, D. and Mieschbuehler, R. (2015) The refuge of relativism, in Cottle, V. A. and O’Grady, A. (Ed.) Exploring Education at Postgraduate Level, London: Routledge
• Mieschbuehler, R. and Dodd, V. (2015) New Model of Employer Driven Postgraduate Provisions in the Engineering Sector: Evaluation Report, Derby: International Centre for Guidance Studies, University of Derby. (Unpublished Report)
• Hutchinson, J., Neary. S, Hooley, T., Hewitt, D., Mieschbuehler, R., Dodd, V. and Langley, E. (2015) Evaluation of the NAHT Aspire, Executive Summary. Derby: International Centre for Guidance Studies, University of Derby