Doctor Paula Beesley is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work and Academic Practice Lead at Leeds Beckett University, Practice Educator and lead-author of Developing your Communication Skills in Social Work (2024), author of Making the Most of Your Social Work Placement (2020) and co-author of Practice Education in Social Work (2023). Her teaching interests include communication skills and placement modules. She is a member of the Practice Education stream of the Leeds and Wakefield Social Work Teaching Partnership and the Leeds Beckett University Practice Learning group.

Her doctoral study identified a model of Collaborative Experiential Learning (Beesley, 2023) to support students on practice placement develop knowledge and skills. More recently, she has undertaken research exploring the learning experience and environment for students with a reasonable adjustment plan, inclusion of role play- in teaching, and the experiences of both ASYEs and OSPEs.

As a Practice Educator and social work educator, she has developed a keen interest in research into enhancing the experiences of social work students, particularly on placement.