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Vice-Chancellor's Teaching Awards 2017

Congratulations to colleagues who have been awarded Vice-Chancellor's Teaching Awards this year.  The scheme recognises and rewards colleagues (academics, learning support staff, teaching 'teams' and postgraduates/postdocs who teach) who demonstrate excellence in teaching and/or learning support at York.

The panel, chaired by John Robinson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Teaching, Learning and Students, was looking for three key qualities:

  • Evidence of sustained excellence across a range of teaching/support activities and over a reasonable period of time;
  • A creative approach to teaching and/or learning support, focused on student learning needs;
  • Evidence that nominees make an impact on colleagues as well as students.

17 awards were made from a field of 33 applications and will be presented at this summer's graduation ceremonies.

Andrew Kardasz, Hull York Medical School: for the significant contribution made to the HYMS curriculum, his level of engagement and effective teaching across a range of courses and diverse student body, resulting in excellent endorsements from students and staff; and for supporting and guiding PBL tutors and NHS consultants new to teaching.

Andy Hunt, Electronic Engineering: for his consistently high quality teaching and excellent student feedback over a sustained period of time; for long-standing and whole-hearted commitment to students and the teaching community in Electronic Engineering; and for sharing best practice with the wider University community.

Bryan Radley, English and Related Literature: for the range of activities he undertakes in his department, encouraging the use of digital resources, collaborative teaching, and flipped classroom techniques, securing participation of more reticent students and positive feedback from them; his effective contribution to teaching and module leadership, and for promoting interdisciplinary teaching; and mentoring PGWTs.

Chris Wilkinson, York Law School: for his work with students, developing their employability skills and understanding of their abilities, empowering them in their career choices; the support and careers knowledge he gives to colleagues, and his impact on the York Employability Tutorial; establishing mentoring schemes with local employers, and networking events with alumni.

Gill Chitty, Archaeology: for creative teaching across a broad range of activities, resulting in excellent student feedback; for module innovation, drawing on practice-based experience with great potential for student learning and employability; and her pedagogic leadership, driving the York Pedagogy.

John Bone, Economics: for his sustained teaching excellence across a range of activities, including module development, teaching governance, programme leadership and strategic development; for his creative approaches to teaching, adapting his teaching to students' needs in modules regarded as challenging to teach; and for the impact on his colleagues and the wider community.

Laura Fitton, Hull York Medical School: for her pioneering development of Masters programmes in HYMS both organisationally and pedagogically, as well as her innovative teaching on undergraduate programmes; the use of active learning resulting in excellent student feedback; and for the positive impact on her colleagues, sharing best practice in departmental workshops.

MA Online Team, SPSW (Sally Brooks, Kevin Caraher, Helen Chan, Angela Chapman, Jane Lund, Samantha McDermott, Emma Piercy, Enrico Reuter, Ellen Roberts and Helen Story): for the team's creative approach to building an online community; for engaging teaching drawing on work experience, resulting in 100% satisfaction scores; for the reflective approach the team takes, and sharing best practice with colleagues in the department and wider University community.

Márton Sóskuthy, Language and Linguistic Science: for the important contribution he has made to departmental teaching and supporting students, being responsive to their needs and taking a learner-oriented approach to creating stimulating class activities, resulting in very positive comments and high evaluation scores from them; for the impact he has made improving the skills of colleagues and doctoral students through tutorials and workshops.

Mike Dunn, Information Services: for his reflective and focused approach to the development of his teaching, ensuring students have an excellent learning experience; his task based approach to applications training, and the numerous online sessions he has developed to support his classroom teaching, resulting in students recommending his programme to their peers; and for his sharing of best practice with colleagues, and the wider community.

Moray Stark, Chemistry: for the significant impact on his department and beyond, making safety a key strand in programmes and creating popular and effective teaching on the subject, and for establishing the University as a national leader in this area; for the sustained creative and innovative approach to teaching, resulting in excellent student feedback; and for the support he gives to colleagues, especially junior members of staff.

Patrick Gallimore, York Law School: for the thoughtful and reflective approach he takes to his teaching, constantly seeking to improve and develop his practice, informed by personal experience; being sensitive to the student experience, encouraging independent thinking and reflective learning, resulting in excellent student feedback; and for the positive contributions he has made to the design of programme materials, mentoring PGWTs, and supporting departmental colleagues.

Paula Mountford, Education: for establishing the department with a national reputation; her sustained creative excellence in programme development and design; for her innovative teaching, engaging and responding to students resulting in outstanding feedback from them; leadership and engagement with the external environment; and for supporting trainees and school mentors, and sharing good practice with colleagues.

Phil Hasnip, Physics: for his sustained excellent level of teaching across a wide range of modules and activities; for his creative approach to his practice, and for the thoughtful way he supports and responds to students' needs, resulting in excellent feedback scores from them; and for the in-house support and training he provides for staff and postgraduate students.

Sethina Watson, History: for her sustained excellent teaching across a broad range of activities, having a student centred and creative approach, focussing on group work and on students forming and developing their own views; and for revamping the support for PGWTs in History, serving as a model for other departments.

Shirley-Ann Rueschemeyer, Psychology: for the excellent contribution she has made across a wide range of learning and teaching activities in Psychology; for the innovative development of an online text book, facilitating interactive and peer-to-peer learning, resulting in sustained excellent student feedback; the introduction of a new video feedback technique; and for her engagement with the dissemination of good practice in Psychology and the broader University community.

Tony Tew, Electronic Engineering: for the consistently excellent student feedback across a range of modules, reflecting his longstanding commitment to students; for his outreach and widening participation activities; and for his influential role in developing learning and teaching at University level.