Teaching excellence rewarded

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 Tuesday 12 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, 34 members of staff from across the University were recognised for their contributions with awards, while eight project grants were given to help develop new courses or new approaches to teaching and learning.

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 Helen Brookman, Mr Matthew Kimberley, Dr Christina Goldschmidt, Dr Proochista Ariana, Dr Adam Ritchie and Miss Ida Persson.

Dr Helen Brookman of the Faculty of English Language and Literature was rewarded for the high quality of her teaching and the important contribution she makes to the teaching of English Literature. Dr Brookman was also awarded a project grant, jointly with Dr Liv Robinson, for an initiative that will see students take part in trialling a new strategy for teaching translation.

Mr Matthew Kimberley, the Clay Sanskrit Library Programme Officer within the Oriental section of Bodleian Libraries Special Collections, was recognised for developing the Outreach Programme for Sanskrit Studies. Mr Kimberley has delivered evening classes and a summer school for current members of the University, as well as outreach sessions to support student recruitment.

Dr Christina Goldschmidt of the Department of Statistics was rewarded for her teaching on probability, which has been consistently well received by staff and students both via feedback in departmental surveys and through individual commendations.

Dr Proochista Ariana of the Nuffield Department of Population Health and the Department of International Development designed and developed the Health and Development module for students on both the MSc in Global Health Science (Medical Sciences Division) and the MPhil in International Development (Social Sciences Division). Dr Ariana is widely regarded by students in both disciplines as a 'facilitator' of learning and is an exemplary proponent of interdisciplinary teaching.

Dr Adam Ritchie of the Blavatnik School of Government was recognised for his outstanding and innovative contributions towards teaching and learning on the Master of Public Policy programme – in particular, his approach to group work that encouraged students to spend more time working together as well as allowing for consultation with external experts. These approaches have been lauded by students in feedback.

Miss Ida Persson of the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) received an OxTALENT award from IT Services for producing a series of more than 80 podcasts showcasing and disseminating the research activities of the COMPAS group to a global audience.

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.