39 members of the university were recognised for their excellent contributions to teaching.
39 members of the university were recognised for their excellent contributions to teaching.

Standout teaching recognised

Dozens of University staff members have received awards in recognition of their excellent teaching.

The certificates were presented by Professor Andrew Hamilton, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, at a ceremony in Rhodes House on Monday 24 November.

Launched in 2006, the Oxford University Teaching Awards recognise different ways of engaging students and helping them learn, from creating new courses and delivering exceptional lectures and demonstrations to the innovative use of audio and video podcasts.

In all, 39 members of staff from across the University were recognised for their contributions with awards, while fifteen of the awards were grants for the development of new courses or teaching resources.

The Teaching Awards scheme, which is coordinated by the Oxford Learning Institute, recognises excellence in college and University teaching, with the winners selected by their divisions. In addition to academic staff, the award winners include a number of administrative and support staff, including library staff, who were recognised for their contributions to the success of University courses.

Among those receiving awards were Dr Judith Wolfe, Mr Oliver Bridle, Professor Elspeth Garman, Dr Vili Lehdonvirta, Dr Robert Simpson and Ms Sian Owen.

Dr Judith Wolfe of the Faculty of Theology & Religion was recognised for her exceptional contribution as co-ordinator of graduate teaching in the Faculty, including taking responsibility for the design and implementation of a new Graduate Teaching Training Scheme.

Dr Martin Ruhs of the Department for Continuing Education was awarded a project grant it support the development of his tool InfoMap as part of his online course on international labour migration. InfoMap will allow students to post notes on their findings on a map at the relevant geographical location.

Mr Oliver Bridle, Subject Librarian for Biology and Forestry at the Radcliffe Science Library, was recognised for his library induction mobile app which is making an important contribution to teaching new students about library services and resources.

Professor Elspeth Garman of Life Sciences Doctoral Training Centre and the Department of Biochemistry was given an award in acknowledgment of her dedication in education at every level. She works with undergraduates and postgraduates and is known for encouraging young researchers to teach, and is internationally known for her activity in public outreach in the sciences through public lectures and media.

Dr Vili Lehdonvirta of the Oxford Internet Institute received a project award for updating and improving a workshop giving participants hands-on experience in the use of crowdsourcing data for analysis as part of the Social Sciences Division's Doctoral Training Centre.

Dr Ropert Simpson and Dr Sian Owen were both winners of an OxTALENT Podcasting Award from the University’s IT Services: Dr Simpson for 'Stargazing' and Dr Owen for 'Physics Flash Talks.'

A separate scheme, run by the Oxford University Student Union, rewarded 10 members of academic staff for innovation and excellence in teaching. The winners were nominated by students.