Faculty of Humanities
Title: The Dean’s Student Nominated Teaching Award & Students’ Teaching Award
Author/Enquiries: Lisa McAleese, Senior Taught Programmes Administrator;
Ext 50251;
Date: 2 November 2010
Action: For approval
Circulation: Dean’s Advisory Group
Background
1. The Vice-President & Dean wishes to recognise those members of staff[1] who make an outstanding contribution to teaching and learning (both at undergraduate and taught postgraduate level) by establishing an annual Award.
2. Following consultation, at the Faculty’s Teaching & Learning Committee, 13 October 2010, on two proposed schemes (staff & student nominated process and student only nominated process) it was agreed that the preferred option would be for students only to nominate members of staff for such an award.
3. The Students’ Union Academic Affairs Officer has been consulted and fully supports the proposed Scheme.
Below is the proposed process for the Scheme.
Advertising the Award
3. The Award will be advertised to students at the beginning of semester II (31 January 2011) via the following:
· an announcement on ‘Today’s Announcements’ on the student portal[2].
· an announcement in The Mancunion[3]
· targeted emails from the Students’ Union to undergraduate and postgraduate taught students
· inclusion in the student representatives training sessions[4]
· a ‘banner’ on the Faculty’s student facing web pages
Reminders will be issued monthly to students prior to the deadline for receipt of nominations.
4. The Students’ Union’s Academic Affairs Officer and the Faculty Officer will provide the wording for the advertisements to encourage students to nominate staff.
5. Schools will also be asked to remind students of the nomination process / timescale for the Award via their staff/student liaison meetings.
Single Round Process – Student Nominated
6. Nominations should be submitted, on the application form, from a minimum group of ten students which includes a statement (maximum 800 words) describing the teaching practice being considered and why it meets the criteria.
7. The application form will be available from the Faculty’s student facing web pages.
8. The Students’ Union’s Academic Affairs Officer and the Faculty Officer will provide guidance notes for completing the nomination form.
9. The Students’ Union’s Academic Affairs Officer and the Faculty Officer will also be available to advise the nominating students as appropriate.
10. The completed nomination forms will be submitted to the Students’ Union and will then be forwarded to the Faculty’s Senior Taught Programmes Administrator for consideration by the Awards Committee.
Selection Criteria
11. The Awards Committee will be looking for teaching which challenges and motivates students towards academic excellence and where the member of staff’s enthusiasm is evident to his / her students. The selection criteria[5] will be teaching which possesses some or all of the following qualities:
· inspires and encourages student interest in the subject / discipline
· challenges and motivates students towards academic excellence
· enjoys and recognises the importance of working with students and enhancing their education out of the classroom
· enthusiasm for the subject / discipline is highly evident to his / her students
Selection
12. Membership of the Awards Committee will be:
· Associate Dean, Teaching & Learning (Chair)
· Senior Taught Programmes Administrator
· Senior Quality Assurance & Enhancement Administrator
· Students’ Union Academic Affairs Officer
· Students’ Union Faculty Officer
13. The Awards Committee will decide which nominees will be selected.
14. Only one member of staff from each School can be selected for recognition and will receive the ‘Students’ Teaching Award’.
15. Of these ‘finalists’ one will receive the ‘Dean’s Student Nominated Teaching Award’.
16. If the Awards Committee determines that the nominees from a particular School do not meet the required standard then no ‘finalist’ will be selected from that School.
Proposed Award
17. Each of the finalists selected will receive a monetary award, with the member of staff who the Awards Committee deem the most outstanding also receiving the accolade of the ‘Dean’s Student Nominated Teaching Award’.
18. The recipient of the ‘Dean’s Student Nominated Teaching Award’ will receive a personal prize of £5,000 (subject to tax and NI) and a certificate.
19. The other finalists will each receive the ‘Students’ Teaching Award’ which will consist of a personal prize of £2,000 (subject to tax and NI) and a certificate.
20. The Awards will be issued to the recipients at the relevant Graduation Ceremonies[6] (July for undergraduate & December for postgraduate Taught).
21. The Students’ Union Academic Affairs Officer will present the Awards to the recipients at the Graduation Ceremonies.
22. An article on the Award winners will appear in the September issue of the Faculty’s Teaching & Learning News.
23. The Award winners and brief details of why they were selected will also be placed on the Faculty’s Teaching & Learning web pages.
Proposed Costs to the Faculty
24. 6 x £2,000 (1 per School)
1 x £5,000 (Dean’s Award)
Total: £17,000 / annum
NB. these costs represent the maximum annual commitment (there may not be any nominations received from a School or any nominees who meet the standard).
Proposed Timescale
25.
31 January 2011 / Dean’s Award launched & advertised8 April 2011 / Deadline for receipt of applications
w/c 2 May 2011 / Awards Committee to meet
w/c 9 May 2011 / Successful nominees notified
By 29 June 2011 / Student Services Centre to be notified
July 2011 / Dean’s Award (if UG) presented at Graduation Ceremony
Sept 2011 / Article to appear in T&L News
By 1 Dec 2011 / Student Services Centre to be notified
Dec 2011 / Dean’s Award (if PGT) presented at Graduation Ceremony
26. The process for the Scheme will be reviewed following the first round; if deemed successful it will be continued on an annual basis.
1
[1] Staff on permanent contracts (academic / academic-related)
[2] aannouncements displayed on the Student Portal can be targeted to different student groups and be time specific.
[3] The Students’ Union Newspaper
[4] In subsequent years
[5] Taken from the HEA’s Student Nominated Teaching Award for the Economics Network
[6] Mike Mercer, Deputy Head Student Services Centre, has agreed that we can do this.