The University Teaching Fellowships promote, reward and celebrate excellence in teaching and related activities that support and enhance the Leicester student experience.

University Teaching Fellowship awards are open to all those teaching or providing academic learning support for courses approved or validated by the University at any level (foundation, undergraduate, taught postgraduate; campus-based or distance learning), and for postgraduate research supervision. 

University Teaching Fellowships are now well known as a way of promoting and celebrating excellence in teaching and learning. 

• Application and award process
• Workshop: Applying for a University Teaching Fellowship 

Dr Sue Dymoke (School of Education) - University Teaching Fellowship awarded 2008; National Teaching Fellowship awarded 2011

What do you think are the benefits of the scheme? Both for you and your department.

Dr Sue Dymoke - University Teaching Fellowship Award and Nationial Teaching Fellowship Award winner.

The scheme provides an excellent opportunity for you to place both a magnifying glass and a spotlight on your contribution to teaching and learning. It enables you to reflect on your practice in some depth and to highlight the impact you have had on the teaching and learning community.

The scheme definitely emphasizes the status and importance of high quality teaching and support for learning. It draws attention to departments and individuals for whom this is a priority. Currently we have four university teaching fellows in the School of Education and this should encourage others to apply. Our colleagues also seem proud of what we have achieved and that means a great deal to me.

Has the teaching fellowship helped your career? If so, how?

I think it has helped me to raise my profile and to be taken seriously within the University. It has also given me the confidence to contribute to debates about what constitutes effective learning and teaching in Higher Education and to apply for other fellowship schemes and research awards.

Do you have any advice for people applying this year?

The process of applying for a university teaching fellowship might seem very strange at first and perhaps quite alien to the way you are used to writing about your work.

Take plenty of time to think about the different groups and learning situations you have been involved in - in all aspects of your work. Try to draw out some common threads.

Ask a colleague who knows about your work to read your draft application: you are bound to have forgotten to mention something!

Each section of the application is equally important so treat them in equal measure.

Make sure you have evidence to support what you are saying. For example, with their permission, you could draw on feedback from students, external examiners, colleagues, reviewers and many other individuals.

Dr Sarah Graham (School of English) - University Teaching Fellowship awarded 2006

What do you think are the benefits of the scheme? Both for you and your  department.

Dr Sarah Graham - University Teaching Fellowship Award Winner

The scheme encourages lecturers to reflect positively on the how, what and why questions related to their teaching, which is a valuable process. My award was for promoting diversity through my teaching; the application process was interesting and productive as I reviewed how I used primary materials and assessment methods to explore issues around gender, sexuality, disability and ethics within my discipline (American literature and culture). Receiving the award meant a great deal, not least because it showed that the University valued what I was trying to achieve in my teaching specifically, as well as wishing to recognise those with an evident commitment to innovative teaching. This has encouraged me to continue to develop my work in this area. My department has a number of lecturers who have been awarded Teaching Fellowships and I think that this sends an important message to current and prospective students, who can see from the department’s success that we value teaching as much as other areas of our work; this is especially significant to students as teaching is for them the most prominent aspect of lecturers’ work.

Has the teaching fellowship helped your career? If so, how? 

I have not yet applied for a promotion, but I hope the fellowship would show my commitment to teaching in a way that would strengthen my case when I do apply. The award has led to my involvement in “micro-teach” sessions for new lecturers, which I have run for a few years now. I really enjoy this and always learn a lot!

Do you have any advice for people applying this year?

I think that anyone applying might benefit from considering if there is one key aspect of their teaching they can identify and elucidate, rather than trying to gather together a number of smaller aspects that are probably all valuable in themselves but don’t quite show exactly what is at the heart of your approach. It’s useful to ask yourself if there is a thread that runs through your teaching that shows how you approach communicating your subject to students – that might be in seminar teaching, in materials you provide, tasks you set, use of electronic media. What is the main benefit of what you do and how does it improve on what might otherwise be done? Finally, I would say don’t be reticent about coming forward. If you are getting good feedback from students and are always considering and developing your teaching, it’s important that you let other people know what you’re up to, and a great boost to have your efforts recognised by the University. Good luck!

Professor Jeremy Levesley (Head of Department of Mathematics) - University Teaching Fellowship awarded 2005

What do you think are the benefits of the scheme? Both for you and your  department.

Professor Jeremy Levesley (Department of Mathematics)

It is important for the department that there are relative public champions for teaching inside a department. The scheme allows for recognition that would otherwise not happen, and the building of reputation around teaching issues.

Has the teaching fellowship helped your career? If so, how?

Not in the sense of gaining promotion as I was already a chair. However, if I was to apply for a PVC teaching somewhere this would be a good thing to have on my CV. Were I to be appointing new staff then this would single the applicant out. On the whole all people who apply have good research. In this day and age, proven commitment to teaching might make the difference.