Learning and Teaching Award 2004/05

SurreyLearning and Teaching Awards2011-2012

This document sets out the background to the arrangements of the Surrey Learning and Teaching Awards for 2011-2012 and provides information for Faculties, Central Departments and potential applicants about how to nominate candidates or make a bid for such an award.

1. Aims

The aims of the Surrey Learning and Teaching Award Scheme are to:

• provide a basis for recognising excellence in the provision of learning and teaching;
• celebrate and publicise excellence in the provision of learning and teaching both within the University and externally;
• identify good and/or innovative practice that can be disseminated more widely;
• offer a means for individuals and small collaborative teams to further their work in learning and teaching.

In addition, application for a Surrey Learning and Teaching Award offersa vehicle through which individuals can build a profile of excellence in the provision of learning and teaching. This profile might be used as the basis for an application for a National Teaching Fellowship or other external award (holders of these awards will be able to include this accolade as evidence of professional standing within their own institution in future applications for the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme), and/or to support progression in an academic career.

1. Eligibility

Individual staff who teach, or who support learning and teaching, may apply, as may teams of two or three staff. To be eligible applicants must demonstrate that they clearly contribute to the enhancement of the students’ learning experience. It is important to note that applications can come from staff at any stage of their career as there are no categories of award based on staff experience.

Applications will not normally be considered from those who have already succeeded in gaining one of these awards since these individuals would be expected to be accessing external awards and funding. However previous winners of this award may apply again if:

1. they are applying as part of a team of two or three staff;
2. they have significantly changed their role within the university and so are in effect submitting a new application

Any member of staff who has previously applied for a SurreyLearning and Teaching Awardwithout success may submit an individual application or apply as a member of a team.

C. Substance of the Awards

Up to four Surrey Learning and Teaching Award awards of £1,000 each will be awarded. In the case of team applications a single award will be made and divided equally amongst the team members.

Award holders will be able to use funds for personal development in teaching and learning. For example,the money may be used to fund visits to other universities or for conference attendance, to purchase equipment or books, or to fund a potential project.

1. Criteria

Three criteria will be used in the selection process[1]. Please note that these criteria are equally weighted.

Criterion one: Individual (or team) excellence in teaching and supporting learning.

Applicants will be expected to provide evidence of enhancing and transforming the student learning experience commensurate with their context

This may, for example, be demonstrated by providing evidence of:

• stimulating students’ curiosity and interest in ways which inspire a commitment to learning,
• organising and presenting high quality resources in coherent and imaginative ways which in turn clearly enhance students’ learning,
• recognising and actively supporting the full diversity of student learning needs,
• drawing upon the results of relevant research, scholarship and professional practice in ways which add value to teaching and students’ learning,
• engaging with and contributing to the established pedagogic literature or to the nominee’s own evidence base for teaching and learning.

Criterion 2:Raising the profile of excellence in learning and teaching

Applicants will be expected to provide evidence of supporting colleagues within their Department and more broadly across the University and of influencing support for student learning; of demonstrating engagement in furthering learning and teaching beyond the nominee’s immediate academic or professional role.

This may, for example, be demonstrated by providing evidence of:

• making outstanding contributions to colleagues’ professional development in relation to promoting and enhancing student learning,
• contributing to departmental/faculty/institutional/national initiatives to facilitate student learning;
• contributing to and/or supporting meaningful and positive change with respect to pedagogic practice, policy and/or procedure.
• specific contributions to significant improvements in the student learning experience.

Criterion 3: Developing own excellence in teaching andsupporting learning

Applicants will be expected to provide evidence of commitment to their ongoing

development with regard to teaching and learning and/or learning support.

This may, for example, be demonstrated by providing evidence of:

• ongoing review and enhancement of own professional/academic practice,
• engaging in professional development activities which enhance the applicant’s expertise in teaching and learning support,
• systematic and sustained strategies to obtain and use student/peer/other stakeholder feedback to enhance own professional/academic practice,
• collaborative endeavours designed to enhance own practice.

1. Application/Nomination Process

E1How can staff apply?

Individuals/teams may self nominatefor a Surrey Learning and Teaching Award and apply directly to the Awards Committee Coordinator ().Alternatively a Faculty or Central Department may nominateindividuals or teams for the award. Each Faculty may nominate up to 4 candidates in total; each of the Central Department groupings may nominate up to 2 candidates each. There are two broad groupings of Central Departments (see Appendix 2)

Where an individual or team has been nominated by a Faculty or Central Department, the nomination can be used as evidence of institutional regard irrespective of the outcome of the nomination. Such evidence can support individuals in appraisal and/or promotion.

A University Awards Committee will consider all candidates whether nominated by a Faculty or Central Department or self-nominated. Based on the information provided, the Awards Committee will make a decision on up to fourAward Winners.

E2What does an application/nomination consist of?

Each application should comprise 3 elements:

• Case for the award

Each applicant must present a case for the award based on current excellence in learning and teaching. The case must be presented in three sections; one section addressing each of the criteria detailed in D above. The case in each section should consist of both argument and evidence (an academic case).Applicants should not feel limited by the illustrative examples provided for each category. The case in each section should not exceed 1,000 words; a maximum of 3,000 words in total.

Each of the criteria will be given equal weighting in the assessment process..

• Referee

The name and contact details of one referee.

• Signed cover page

The pro forma in Appendix 1 should be completed by the applicant, signed by the candidate's Dean of Faculty/Head of Administrative Department, and attached to the front of the case for the award.

Completed submissions should be sent in both hard and electronic copy to Sue Ponsford, CEAD () who will administer the award on behalf of the Committee. The closing date for receipt of these is 17.30 on Monday May 28th 2012.

Please do not use bindings as submissions will be photocopied.

F Presentation of the Awards

Recognition of the award winners and nominees for an award is made on a number of occasions during the year which may include:

• Formal presentation to the award winners at the annual meeting of the University Court;
• Announcement of the recipient of the Awardsat a meeting of the University Senate.

Each of these events will be publicised.

G Awards Committee

The Awards Committee comprises:

• Deputy-Vice-Chancellor Academic (Chair)
• One Associate Dean of Faculty (rotating annually)
• Director of Centre for Educational and Academic Development (ex-officio)
• A previous Learning & Teaching or NTFS award winner (nominated by the DVC Academic)

HSupport

A guidance sheet can be found in Appendix 3. Further advice is available from Sharon Markless, the Centre for Educational and Academic Development.

APPENDIX 1

SURREYLEARNING AND TEACHING AWARD 2011/12

Cover page for applications

This form should be completed and attached to the submission.

Full name and title of candidate:

Faculty and current post held:

Contact details:

Email:

Phone:

Signature of Dean of Faculty/Head of Central Department

______Date ______

Closing Date May 28th

Completed submissions should be sent by individuals or by nominating Faculties / Central Departments in both hard and electronic copy to Sue Ponsford, CEAD ()

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Appendix 2

Groupings of Central Departments

For the purpose of these awards staff in Central Departments are brought into two groups:

“Corporate Services / Registry” and “Other Central Departments”.

Up to two nominations can be made by each of these groups. In the case of Corporate Services / Registry, nominations will be signed by the Registrar or nominee; for the “Other Central Departments” group, the nomination will be signed by the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic or nominee.

Appendix 3

Guidance notes: building a case for the Surrey Learning and Teaching Awards

1Each section needs to contain a balance of argument and evidence to support your claim for a SurreyLearning and Teaching Award (making an academic case).

This claim should not consist of bullet points outlining everything you have done in supporting learning; each section needs to be driven by arguments that will persuade the Award Panel that what you do is distinctive and outstanding and makes a difference to student learning. You need to be convincing rather than just describing what you do. This means thinking carefully about how each section is structured. What are the key points you want to make?What activities of yours show these points in practice? What evidence have you got to back up your claims? It is no different from writing an academic paper, in which you are marshalling arguments to show that you are an outstanding contributor to teaching and learning at the University of Surrey; arguments that are supported by specific examples from your practice and the difference it makes to student learning.

2Make sure that you look at the difference you make, not only at what you do

Any application for a Surrey Learning and Teaching Award needs to show that what you do makes a difference to the student learning experience. We need to know about your practice and in what ways it is distinctive and excellent within your context, but we also need to know what difference it has made. How have you enhanced (and perhaps transformed) the student learning experience or the quality of student learning? Are students more engaged? Do they display signs of deeper thought/more independent learning/better application of skills etc? Getting at the impact of your practice is very important in each section of the application. If you are an external adviser to any other university have any of your ideas been implemented and improved the quality of student work? If you visit other institutions to develop your own practice, what specific ideas have you used, how have they enhanced your work and what difference have they made to your students?

3 Carefully choose the most appropriate evidence to support your case

Evidence is an important element of your claim and needs to be carefully selected. Judiciously chosen examples to illustrate a point, relevant numbers such as retention rates ornumbers achieving high grades, or quotations from different stakeholders, are all useful and should be integrated into the text of the claim.

A common mistake is to use the detail of what you do as the main evidence in making your case (e.g. describing approaches to assessment, particular ways of lecturing or running seminars, new module development). This is important but only part of the picture. Evidence also needs to show impact (see 2 above).

Usually acombination of quantitative and qualitative data is most persuasive,as is evidence from a variety of people including colleagues, managers, students, employers if appropriate and other stakeholders. Examples of evidence include: peer feedback/ observation comments; student reflections on their own learning and how you have helped; quality of students’ work; employer’s views; improved attendance levels; higher rates of completion and progression; minutes of meetings in which your work is discussed; examples of where your strategies/ideas have been adopted by others; invitations to talk to other departments or faculties in Surrey or at other universities; and any publications/websites developed by you focused on teaching and learning.

MEQs can also figure but will only be convincing if your scores can be shown to be out of the ordinary.

4Make sure that the three sections are evenly balanced.

If you have not done much work to develop leaning and teaching across the institution or at regional/national/international level it can be tempting to weight your claim in favour of criteria one and three. However you need to be able to make a solid case in response to each of the criteria. You must be able to demonstrate that not only have you implemented excellent and innovative practice that has made a difference to the student learning experience, but that you have also systematically worked to enhance learning and teaching more widely for example by helping colleagues in other departments to do things differently or by mentoring new staff, and that you continue to develop your own practice in a thoughtful and planned manner using a range of strategies. You must also have evidence of what you have done and achieved across all these areas of activity.

5. Consider how you can make yourself ‘stand out from the crowd’

What do you do that is different from how others approach the same job? What is distinctive about your practice that enables you to achieve things beyond the norm? Can you show any guiding principles or theories/models that inform your practice and provide coherence acrossyour work? What is outstanding about your practice that makes it deserve recognition?

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[1] These criteria and examples are drawn from the guidelines for the awarding of National Teaching Fellowships by the Higher Education Academy