LONDON’S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY
Provost’s Teaching Awards and Student Choice Teaching Awards 2013/14
UCL Institute of Child Health, 9 June 2014
The Provost’s Teaching Awards
Introduction
Professor Michael Arthur UCL President & Provost
UCL is a leading world-class university and its teaching reflects that quality. The Provost’s Teaching Awards provide powerful public recognition for those whose performance has been outstanding – and, in many cases, inspirational. I extend my warmest congratulations and thanks to the prize winners.
Professor Anthony Smith UCL Vice-Provost (Education)
This year marks another special year for the Provost’s Teaching Awards. It is the eighth year that they have been awarded but this year by new President and Provost, Professor Michael Arthur. Over eight years the awards have recognised and celebrated outstanding teaching across UCL. This year is no exception. The awards recognise those staff who have shown extraordinary commitment to innovation in teaching and whose work has already had significant impact on students’ learning. They are amongst our finest teachers and there is much we can all learn from them. This year is the second year of the Student Choice Teaching Awards. These are awards for outstanding staff nominated by students and chosen by students.
Provost’s Teaching Awards 2013/14 • Page 1
The Student Choice Teaching Awards
Introduction
Keir Gallagher Education & Campaigns Officer, UCLU
UCLU is delighted to recognise the outstanding staff at UCL through the Student Choice Teaching Awards. We are particularly proud that these awards have been completely developed by students – from determining the categories and criteria, to nominating staff for the awards and judging who should be the winning nominations. I am pleased that these awards are being run alongside the Provost Teaching Awards and have the same level of accolade. Students have told us they want to reward and celebrate our outstanding members of staff. This puts teaching at the heart of UCL and recognises those who do outstanding pedagogical work with students.
Award Winners
Staff at the beginning of their teaching careers* Dr Daven Armoogum MAPS – Physics and Astronomy
Daven was appointed as a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Physics & Astronomy in 2011. His primary teaching role involves the delivery of Practical Physics courses to Physics & Astronomy undergraduates and Natural Sciences students from the MAPS faculty. Daven’s innovative and user-friendly approach to assessment for large undergraduate cohorts has been praised by students and staff alike, whilst his use of video tutorials provides easily accessible and consistent feedback. In 2013 he was awarded a Teaching Innovation Grant to develop his “Traffic Light Feedback” e-learning tool for wider dissemination at UCL, and his control peer marking exercise has been effective in developing students’ scientific writing skills.
Dr Elisabete Cidre Built Environment – Bartlett School of Planning
Elisabete’s pedagogical research is closely linked to her teaching practice and managerial leadership duties and, as such, her educational research projects aim at creating a better and more appropriate learning environment for our students as well as supporting their learning experience. She has developed a strong research agenda and expertise in phenomenological pedagogy and innovation in (urban design) learning and teaching which aim to promote and foster the use of e-learning resources and technology tools that enhance the visual literacy and build self-directed reflective learning capacity in undergraduate planning students. These resources were developed with tutors and students as active partners and participants, whilst acknowledging students as agents of change. * Normally within the first 8 years of appointment to a university position
“...developed a strong research agenda and expertise in phenomenological pedagogy and innovation...”
Provost’s Teaching Awards 2013/14 • Page 2
Provost’s Teaching Awards 2013/14 • Page 3
Dr Hannah Fry Bartlett – The Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis
In 2012, Hannah was asked to design a key component of UCL’s new Arts and Sciences degree programme: the Quantitative Methods core module. Given the enormous range of mathematical ability within the cohort, Hannah quickly realized that a traditional, technique based course would not be relevant in this setting and so set about designing a researched-based module. Students are asked to define and explore their own research question and encouraged through tutorials, e-learning materials and one-on-one supervision to tackle their question using techniques relevant to their ability. The module has seen some fantastic successes, demonstrating how much students can achieve when given the room to be creative and ambitious, and the support to do so. Dr Mathew Skinner Social & Historical Sciences – Anthropology
Dr Matthew Skinner is a lecturer in Paleoanthropology in the Department of Anthropology and received his PhD from George Washington University, USA in 2008. Dr Skinner studies the evolutionary past of the human species through examination of fossil bones and teeth. He conducted fieldwork in Kenya and used imaging techniques such as computed tomography to unlock secrets from fossils that have been preserved for millions of years in sediments in Africa and Europe. Most recently, Dr Skinner has been researching how the inner structure of hand bones can reveal whether our ancestors climbed in treesand when we started to use stone tools. As much as possible, Dr Skinner attempts to get the evidence of human evolution (in the form of fossil replicas) into the hands of students and the public as he believes this to be the best method of engaging their interest. Additionally, the incorporation of practical skills and techniques into his graduate teaching is at the heart of Dr Skinner’s teaching philosophy.
“The module has seen some fantastic successes, demonstrating how much students can achieve when given the room to be creative and ambitious...”
Award Winners
Staff at the beginning of their teaching careers Dr Riitta-Liisa Valijarvi Social & Historical Sciences – SSEES
Riitta joined UCL in 2007 and is now a Senior Teaching Fellow in Finnish Language at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies. She is very proud of her former students, who, for example, are working as translators, enrolled on the MA in Translation Studies, doing internships at Finnish embassies or conducting fieldwork in Finland. At UCL one of Riitta’s biggest achievements has been organising pilot online courses in beginners’ and intermediate Finnish in the academic year 2013-2014. These innovative global courses incorporated weekly lessons through Blackboard Collaborate, and learning materials and assignments on Moodle. Riitta has also taught and designed exams for the FCO and the EU.
Award Winners
Experienced Staff Dr Alastair McClelland Brain Sciences – Psychology and Language Sciences
Alastair McClelland has been teaching at UCL since 1990 and is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences. He has been the BSc Psychology Tutor since 1993 and Programme Director since 2009, and has overall responsibility for the academic and pastoral care of the students through all three years of the programme. Alastair convenes the Introductory and Core modules on statistics and leads a weekly Third Year seminar group. His pedagogic research is concerned with the development of novel methods to assess students and improve their understanding of assessment literacy and feedback, and more generally with the enhancement of student experience at UCL.
“These innovative global courses incorporated weekly lessons through Blackboard Collaborate, and learning materials and assignments on Moodle.” Provost’s Teaching Awards 2013/14 • Page 4
Provost’s Teaching Awards 2013/14 • Page 5
Award Winners
Experienced Staff Dr Yiannis Petridis Department of Mathematics
Yiannis has been a Reader in Mathematics since 2009. He holds a PhD from Stanford University. He has teaching and research experience in the US, Canada, UK, Denmark, and Germany, where he was a Humboldt Fellow. His research focuses on analytic number theory and the spectral theory of automorphic forms. His teaching contribution at UCL is centred around the modernisation of the curriculum, linking it to current trends in mathematical research, and supporting problembased learning, in order to enhance the learning experience of UCL students, making them globally competitive. He is a truly international scholar, as he speaks English, French, German, Greek and is currently learning Danish and middle Egyptian (hieroglyphic).
Dr Jolene Skordis-Worrall Population Health Sciences – Institute of Global Health
Jolene Skordis-Worrall is a Lecturer in Health and Development Economics, and Director of Postgraduate Programmes at the Institute for Global Health. Jolene specialises in crossdisciplinary teaching, making the theory and application of Economics comprehensible to a wider range of professionals. To improve the accessibility of Economics, she used her research experience to develop three new Master’s modules including a new undergraduate module and the first online Master’s module at the Institute for Global Health. Her teaching has featured on CALT Portal as an example of excellence in innovation. Her students have gone on to shape national and global policy within institutions such as the NHS, World Bank, World Health Organisation and GAVI.
“...supporting problem-based learning, in order to enhance the learning experience of UCL students, making them globally competitive.”
Award Winners
Experienced Staff Dr Adam Smith Social & Historical Sciences – History
Adam Smith specialises in the history of the United States in the 19th Century. He has taught a range of courses in American history at UCL at BA and MA level. He played a lead role in creating a new undergraduate curriculum for the History Department, concentrating especially on creating innovative new modules for first years. One of these, ‘Writing History’, uses very small group teaching to develop students’ confidence and skills as academic writers. Adam is heavily involved in admissions and widening participation at UCL and in the policy and practice of history teaching at primary and secondary school level.
Award Winners
Post-graduate teaching assistants Emily Lord-Kambitsch Arts and Humanities – Greek and Latin
For Beginners’ Latin Emily developed an anecdotal, immersive approach to language teaching that culminated in a session she co-led at the Wellcome Trust with course convenor Dr Antony Markinos, a session allowing students to encounter familiar grammatical and vocabulary features in a new medium: the medieval manuscript. Having gathered student feedback from this session, she found that ‘anecdotal’, or context-based learning influenced the development of students’ curious, critical, and holistic perspective on the role of Latin language and literature in the ancient world and in later periods. Students also demonstrated enthusiasm and confidence in applying their translation skills to Latin in realms where in most cases only professional researchers work.
“...concentrating especially on creating innovative new modules for first years.” Provost’s Teaching Awards 2013/14 • Page 6
Provost’s Teaching Awards 2013/14 • Page 7
Award Winners
Team Collaboration and Achievement in Teaching Faculty of Life Sciences, Molecular BioSciences team: Dr Andrea Townsend Nicholson, Dr Amanda Cain, Charmian Dawson, Dr Chris Taylorson, Dr Suzanne Ruddy, Professor Elizabeth Shephard
The research department of Structural & Molecular Biology has for many years been an early adopter of innovative technologies to enhance the student experience and they have been strongly supported in these initiatives by their students. In their most recent endeavour, they have implemented novel ways of enhancing the practical experience in the curriculum from entry through to graduation for undergraduate students taking modules in biochemistry and molecular biology. This has been achieved by combining e-learning and wet laboratory experimentation and has helped to help develop and consolidate the experimental skills necessary for young scientists studying biochemistry, molecular biology and biotechnology.
Faculty of Brain Sciences team – Dr Julie Evans, Dr Steven Bloch, Dr Jennifer Rodd, Dr Alex Standen
The Faculty Tutor’s Team has been instrumental in developing and implementing the Faculty’s Teaching & Learning Strategy. The team-led initiatives have addressed important targets outlined in the UCL strategy (e.g. widening participation and enhancing student experience), promoted innovation in teaching and learning and developed best practice. New events such as the postgraduate symposium and undergraduate conference have enhanced a culture of research-embedded teaching and demonstrated how the Faculty can engage in developing the next generation of professionals and researchers. The team’s leadership has been fundamental to the rapid development of a large number of new postgraduate programmes, creating a more balanced portfolio of activities in the research-intensive Institutes.
“...an early adopter of innovative technologies to enhance the student experience.”
Award Winners
Team Collaboration and Achievement in Teaching Faculty of Engineering Sciences: Dr Sarah Bell, Professor Steve Hailes, Tony Overbury, Professor Andrea Sella (pictured below right), Richard Thomas, Andrew Chilvers, Liz Jones
UCL is perhaps the only university in the world that allows first year students to learn engineering by cutting pipes and plumbing water meters into some of its highest profile buildings. Students on the first year Bachelor of Arts and Sciences module Engineering Thinking have so far installed water meters in the teaching laboratories of the Christopher Ingold Building and in the South Junction toilets, and built data networks to transfer the meter readings to a database to inform decision making about water efficiency at UCL. The installation is the culmination of a project which aims to help students to learn how to solve problems and think like an engineer. The module is the outcome of collaboration between staff in Estates, Chemistry, Computer Science and Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering.
Award Winners – CPD and Short Courses Faculty of Laws – CPD and Short Courses: Sir Robin Jacob, Dr Ilanah Simon Fhima, Dr Matthew Fisher, Lisa Penfold, Liz Carter
The UCL Institute of Brand and Innovation Laws’ IP Transactions course focuses on drafting, negotiating, interpreting and advising on intellectual property (IP) agreements – key skills required for the practice of IP law – across different market or practice areas. The course, which is aimed at early career legal practitioners, is designed to cover all the main types of IP (including patents, copyright, database rights, registered and unregistered designs, trade marks and confidential information), the main types of IP transaction (including licensing, assignment, sale of IP products, and IP aspects of corporate transactions), and various areas of commercial law that affect all kinds of IP transactions (including competition law, insolvency and tax).
Provost’s Teaching Awards 2013/14 • Page 8
Provost’s Teaching Awards 2013/14 • Page 9
Student Choice Teaching Awards
Outstanding Teaching
Professor Jane Holder UCL Faculty of Laws
Jane Holder joined the Faculty of Laws in 1992 as a lecturer. She has since taught and developed courses in Environmental Law at undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD levels. She is now responsible for teaching research methods to students which she describes as a really rewarding part of her work, because she sees students develop their theses over a number of years. Professor Holder has also developed a legal practice course in which law students carry out research and advice work for community groups which has helped them find work in NGOs, charities, and campaign groups. In her teaching, she uses examples of environmental regulation taken from the UCL estate (carbon trading, spatial planning etc.) and takes students on fieldtrips to bring environmental law to life.
Dr Russell Hearn UCL Medical School
Dr Russell Hearn is a proud Alumnus of UCL and now works in medical education and as a General Practitioner in North London. Dr Hearn is a Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine and very much enjoys the outdoors. He runs courses in Expedition and Wilderness Medicine for medical students to help them prepare to offer health care outside of the hospital with a focus on leadership and team work. Russell is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and is currently working towards a Masters Degree in Medical Education. He believes in putting students at the centre of learning and whenever possible aims to inspire learners rather than to teach them.
“He believes in putting students at the centre of learning and whenever possible aims to inspire learners rather than to teach them.”
Student Choice Teaching Awards
Outstanding Support for Teaching Ms Marie Fournier French Department, UCL School of European Languages, Culture & Society
Marie Fournier was born in France, in Burgundy. She completed her education at Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris 3), where she took an undergraduate degree in English Literature and graduate qualifications in the same area (Maîtrise and D.E.A.). While still completing her D.E.A., Marie moved to London to take up a post as lectrice at University College London. She has taught French at all levels in the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education and in the French Department. In 2005, she was appointed Language Coordinator in the French Department where she has taught full-time since then. Marie also does freelance translation, in particular for the Haiti Support Group, whose quarterly Haiti Briefing magazine she translates into French. She has a particular interest in contemporary French and francophone writing and paraliterature (bande dessinée). She also has varied interests outside of academic life: travel, art, music, contemporary dance.
Mr Stuart Laidlaw UCL Institute of Archaeology
Stuart hails from Glasgow where he was educated and came to London because he heard the streets were paved with gold. When Stuart joined the Institute of Archaeology, he worked closely, for a number of years, with the photographer Peter Dorrell. Following Peter’s retirement, Stuart began teaching courses in Archaeological Photography and Illustration and, in recent years, Digital Photography. His work at the Institute has taken him to a variety of countries including Libya, Greece, Belize and Russia amongst others. Most recently he has been teaching courses for UCLQ in Qatar. Stuart is currently working with Georgina Herrmann and Helena Coffey on the final book in the Ivories from the Nimrud series, Nimrud 8, with a view to publication in 2015. Stuart always tells the students that he has been at the Institute of Archaeology for so long that his contract is written in Latin. Whilst probably true, the students say it is equally likely to be written in Sanskrit or Linear B.
Provost’s Teaching Awards 2013/14 • Page 10
Provost’s Teaching Awards 2013/14 • Page 11
Student Choice Teaching Awards
Outstanding Personal Support
Dr Benita Morrissey UCL Institute of Child Health
Benita is a paediatric registrar in London, who currently works as a teaching fellow in paediatrics for the integrated BSc in Paediatrics and Child Health at UCL. She is course tutor for the iBSc in paediatrics, and also teaches UCL medical students at the Whittington Hospital. She has been involved this year in piloting a paediatric simulation programme for UCL medical students. She is passionate about medical education, paediatrics and global child health. She recently spent a year in Sierra Leone as a RCPCH/VSO fellow involved in setting up services for children at a hospital, and training and mentoring local health workers in neonatal and paediatric care. She is a trustee and medical board coordinator for Willing and Abel, a charity working in child health in low-resource countries and is on the executive committee of the International Child Health Group.
Ms Judy Medrington UCL Institute of Archaeology
Judy Medrington has been working with students at the Institute of Archaeology for 40 years. She is responsible for the academic administration of the Institute, but regards the pastoral care of students as the top priority. She operates an open-door policy and is particularly concerned with the promotion of student satisfaction and ensuring that students in difficulties receive prompt, constructive support. She stresses to students the importance of volunteering and of becoming involved in a wide range of activities whilst at UCL. She works closely with the department’s elected student representatives who play a very active part in the Institute, as well as with the Director, those who hold Tutorial Posts (especially the Departmental Tutor) and her administrative colleagues in the department and Faculty. She is the Institute’s Disabilities Co-ordinator and an Equal Opportunities Officer, and liaises with UCL’s Student Support and Wellbeing, and Disability Services staff on a regular basis.
Student Choice Teaching Awards
Outstanding Researcher Development Professor Geraint Rees UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience
Professor Geraint Rees FMedSci is Deputy Head of the Faculty of Brain Sciences at UCL and Director of the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, a leading institute for studying mental processes in the human brain. His research focuses on understanding the neural basis of human consciousness in health and disease, using functional and structural brain imaging. Recently he has pioneered new approaches to analysing functional brain images to individuate the contents of consciousness, and has written and spoken on the potential moral and ethical implications of such techniques. Passionate about academic and clinical academic training, he set up and directs the UCL School of Life and Medical Sciences Academic Careers Office. The ACO delivers innovative and original careers advice, mentorship and training; delivers strategic leadership for UCL’s biomedical training portfolio; and actively manages and develops the intellectual talent across UCL’s biomedical students and staff. He is a member of the Francis Crick Institute Executive Team and the Board of Directors of Imanova. His work has been recognised by award of the Royal Society Francis Crick medal and election to the Academy of Medical Sciences.
“Passionate about academic and clinical academic training, he set up and directs the UCL School of Life and Medical Sciences Academic Careers Office.” Provost’s Teaching Awards 2013/14 • Page 12
Provost’s Teaching Awards 2013/14 • Page 13
Student Choice Teaching Awards
Outstanding Researcher Development Professor Robyn Carston Department of Linguistics, UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences
Robyn Carston came from New Zealand to UCL as a student in the early 1980s and has been here ever since. Her main area of research is the theory of linguistic communication and comprehension, with particular emphasis on the way in which speakers can successfully convey thoughts and attitudes that go far beyond anything encoded in the linguistic forms they employ. Her work is highly interdisciplinary spanning linguistics, philosophy and cognitive science. Her book ‘Thoughts and Utterances’ is a central text in the field of semantics and pragmatics. Robyn has taught at all levels of university education but, in recent years, as Graduate Tutor in Linguistics, she has focused in particular on building a strong community of doctoral research students whose environment is intellectually stimulating and provides them with ample opportunities to present their work, receive supportive feedback, and become flourishing members of international research networks.
“...supporting problem-based learning, in order to enhance the learning experience of UCL students, making them globally competitive.”
Programme – Order of Events 4.45 – 5.00pm
Arrival of guests and drinks reception
5.00 – 5.15pm
Welcome by Professor Anthony Smith, Vice-Provost (Education)
5.15 – 5.20pm
Introduction to the Student Choice Teaching Awards by Mr Keir Gallagher, Education and Campaigns Officer, UCLU
5.20 – 6.15pm 6.15 – 6.30pm
Citations and presentation of awards by Professor Anthony Smith Closing comments by Professor Michael Arthur, UCL President & Provost
6.30pm onwards
Drinks reception
www.ucl.ac.uk/teaching-learning/awards-funding/ provosts-teaching-awards
UCL Centre for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching
STUDENT CHOICE TEACHING AWARDS
Design and Photography, UCL Creative Media Services 2014