Teaching Excellence Award Winners 2016
The Teaching Excellence Awards ceremony for the 2015-16 academic year was held in Parliament Hall on Tuesday 19 April 2016. The awards ceremony celebrated excellence in teaching across the University.
Four University awards were made this year to the following teachers who have all contributed significantly to learning and teaching over many years:
Dr Sonja Heinrich (School of Biology)
Sonja received her award for her inspirational research-led teaching philosophy and innovative assessment methods. Sonja is also involved in the development of the highly popular expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula, where students are given the opportunity to collect primary data in a unique learning environment, leading to the production of research publications. The judging panel were also impressed by Sonja’s original style of teaching, where quantitative and analytical skills are taught, providing students with the opportunity to gain vital employability skills.
Dr Jon Coulston (School of Classics)
Jon was given this award for his engaging lectures and imaginative assessment formats, which were hugely successful with his students. Jon’s involvement in the production of materials to support learning and teaching, which include the use of his book in the ‘City of Rome’ module and his remarkable website containing images of Trajan’s column, have had a tremendous impact on Honours level teaching. In addition, the judging panel were also impressed by Jon’s dedication to fostering a sense of community within his School by providing a welcoming and supportive environment for students.
Dr Ian Smith (School of Economics and Finance)
Ian was a Teaching Excellence Award recipient for his inspirational teaching on a broad range of modules in the School of Economics, but notably on the EC1002 ‘Introduction to Microeconomics’ module, where Ian introduces difficult topics, whilst persuading students that economics is an interesting and worthwhile field of study. The judging panel were particularly impressed by the success of the Burn Undergraduate Retreat Weekend Ian organised for junior and senior Honours students, which helped to foster a positive student community spirit, whilst providing an engaging learning environment.
Dr Elizabeth Sinclair (School of Medicine)
Elizabeth received her award for her dedication for learning and teaching, combined with the tremendous enthusiasm she has for her students. During Elizabeth’s sustained long-term service to pedagogy in the School of Medicine, she has been involved in the development of numerous course materials to assist fellow staff to deliver complex course content in original and exciting ways, particularly, the ‘Spiral Medical’ curriculum design, which receives such positive feedback from both staff and students, and has been adopted in other institutions.
The winner of the 2016 Proctor’s Award was Eleanor Mullin. Eleanor was presented with this award for her hard work, persistence and dedication to academic representation in her roles as both Philosophy School President and Arts/Divinity Faculty President. Eleanor invested a great deal of time in improving the educational experience of others, and demonstrated exceptional commitment to her duties as Arts/Divinity Faulty President, providing support for others whilst pursuing various learning and teaching enhancements.
Student-led Teaching Awards
The Students’ Association also recognised teachers and support staff who contributed significantly to students’ learning and teaching experience. Further information about those awards can be found on the Your Union website.