Teaching Excellence Award Winners 2020
This year five Teaching Excellence Awards were made for outstanding contributions to learning and teaching across the University. Unfortunately, we were not able to hold a ceremony this year due to COVID-19, however, a joint ceremony will be held next year to celebrate the achievements of this year’s winners.
A congratulations message from the Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Sally Mapstone:
‘This is the eighth year that the University of St Andrews has made awards for teaching excellence and whilst we cannot mark this occasion with the conventional award ceremony, we must continue to celebrate our excellent teachers. The people whom we individually recognise put teaching at the heart of their professional practice, inspire their colleagues, and enable their students to meet their fullest potential. They each deserve our gratitude for their exemplary work throughout the year.
These awards also remind us to take stock and express appreciation for our teaching staff more widely; the people we award are much deserving of special recognition, but we know that they are just a small example of the many selfless staff who are committed to their students and demonstrate excellence daily. The passion and expertise of our teachers is the foundation of the St Andrews education for which we are internationally celebrated, and their strength and commitment has never been clearer than in recent days when the Covid-19 pandemic necessitated prompt and significant adaptations to long-established teaching methods. In the characteristic St Andrews way, all teaching staff have outstandingly met recent challenges – adapting courses, revising assessment formats, and spending many hours of additional time supporting students. Our warmest appreciation is owed to all of our teaching staff at this time, and congratulations once more to our 2020 Teaching Award recipients.’
The winners of the 2020 Teaching Excellence Awards are:
Dr Alexia Petsalis-Diomidis, School of Classics
Alexia was recognised for her innovative honours teaching methods in which she combines research, outreach and transferable skills development, as well as her dedication to the incorporation of equality and diversity into her teaching.
Dr Tristan Henderson, School of Computer Science
Tristan received the award for his innovative teaching and assessment methods used in the delivery of his modules and his research-led teaching practices in which he exposes his students to the latest developments in both academia and industry.
Dr Tom Cowton, School of Geography & Sustainable Development
Tom’s achievements include an outstanding ability to organise his teaching across pedagogical spaces offering students opportunities to learn in the classroom, the field and the lab at every level, contributing to his students achieving outstanding results.
Dr Lysa Owen, School of Medicine
Lysa’s nomination mentioned her exceptional work in the development and delivery of inspirational teaching as part of the innovative Clinical Interactions Course (CLIC) component of the ScotGEM programme. In particular, her hands-on approach and enthusiasm demonstrated by how students immerse and engage themselves in their learning experience.
Dr Zoe Shacklock, School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies
Zoe’s contribution to learning and teaching include her active and creative, varied and highly engaging teaching practices and assessment, which not only appeal to students, but also to staff who adopt her methods in their own classrooms.
Fourteen nominations were received and the other nominees were:
| Dr Lenia Kouneni | School of Art History |
| Dr David Johnston | School of Divinity |
| Dr Christine Rauer | School of English |
| Dr Sarah Frank | School of History |
| Ms Mary Carr, Mrs Kerith George-Briant, Mr John Hughes and Ms Jane Brooks | International Education Institute |
| Dr Lydia Cole, Dr Faye Donnelly, Dr Laura Mills and Dr Natasha Saunders | School of International Relations |
| Mr Charles Lovatt | School of Management |
| Professor Duncan Mackay | School of Mathematics & Statistics |
| Dr Vicky Turner | School of Modern Languages |