BULLETIN BOARD

2010 University Teaching Fellowships launched

This year’s round of University Teaching Fellowships is now underway! Over the last six years the competition for the Fellowships – which come with a £2000 reward – has increased, indicating the breadth and depth of high quality teaching performance in the University. The Fellowships are an important element in the University’s recognition and encouragement of good teaching. Pro-Vice Chancellor for Students, Christine Fyfe said “The University puts great store by the University Teaching Fellowship Scheme, and it is always fascinating and invigorating to read about the dedication, engagement and sheer professional commitment that Leicester staff put in to their teaching. It is little wonder that the University performs so well in external measures of quality such as the National Student Survey.”

Over the last six years the Fellowships have been awarded to a wide range of staff across a very wide spread of teaching interventions. Along with Fellowships for academic staff, they have also been awarded to support staff in AVS; and for distance learning teaching as well as on-campus teaching. Some have been awarded for consistent excellence, and some for innovative projects.

As the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Bob Burgess commented “We are committed to the idea of the Teaching Fellowships as a reward and recognition of teaching prowess. I would personally encourage any member of staff to register their pride in their teaching achievements and apply for this prestigious award. Hearing the tumultuous applause from students and colleagues as the Teaching Fellows receive their awards is one of the highlights of our Degree congregations”.

The University Fellowships have also been a staging point for staff to work towards sector-wide recognition through the National Teaching Fellowships awarded by the Higher Education Academy.

As the 2010 UTF round gets underway, the last word goes to PVC Christine Fyfe “We are sure that choosing between the 2010 applicants will be as difficult for the Panel as in previous years. However, this is an area in which we would actually like to make things more problematic; the more great applications from our excellent staff the better!”

Details of the 2010 competition can be found at http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/staff-development/teaching/fellowshipscheme