Teaching stars win 'Oscars'

Fifty university and college lecturers and support staff were this week awarded National Teaching Fellowships, dubbed the "Oscars" of higher education.

The winners, who each receive £50,000 for teaching and learning projects, were chosen from 249 nominations submitted by higher education institutions across England and Northern Ireland.

There were new categories this year to mark the achievements of "learning support staff" and "rising stars", alongside those of "experienced staff".

Every eligible institution could nominate one person for each of the categories. Two universities - De Montfort and Plymouth - have winners in all three.

Lancaster University, with two winners this year, is the only institution to have nominated a winner in each of the five years of the scheme, which is run by the Higher Education Academy and is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland.

Sir David Watson, vice-chancellor of Brighton University and chair of the scheme's advisory panel, said: "The expansion of the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme has served to underline the wealth of talent and innovative thinking that characterises UK higher education. Teaching and learning in our universities and colleges is in extremely good hands."

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Full list of winners in Netgazette