Teaching Excellence Awards

Teaching Excellence Awards are made in recognition of significant and sustained commitment to excellence in the delivery and/or support of teaching and learning at UG or PGT level. Academic, Technical and Professional Service colleagues are eligible for the award. Reflecting the evolution of our practice and ways of working, we have reshaped our Teaching Excellence Awards to celebrate the strength and diversity of practice in our University of Manchester community.

Strategic themes

Submissions should demonstrate how the nominee’s activities contribute to one or two of the following strategic themes:

Educational Leadership
Inclusive Education
Flexible Learning and Digital Delivery
Assessment and Feedback
Student Voice

All submissions should consider the extent to which students are engaged in a form of partnership.

Award winners are

Celebrated:

Gifted a commemorative trophy
Invited to a formal awards ceremony

Invited to play a role in teaching and learning development at University level:

Gain the permanent title of Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Teaching and Learning and access to the Fellows Network
Be encouraged to act as ambassadors for teaching and learning within the University and beyond

Offered personal development opportunities:

(Optional) access to the national AdvanceHE Teaching Excellence Awards pipeline (National Teaching Fellow / Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence) run by the Institute of Teaching and Learning
Opportunity to contribute guest post(s) on the Institute of Teaching and Learning blog – TEA: Teach, Explore, Apply

Who is eligible?

Nominations are invited from:

academic, technical and Professional Services staff
individuals or teams (up to 15 members per team)*

Individuals and teams may:

self-nominate (in which case you will need ONE senior colleague to contribute a supporting statement to your submission form)

be nominated by a colleague. If you wish to nominate someone else for a Teaching Excellence Award you will need at least TWO other colleagues to add their support to the case that you make on the nominee's behalf.

The panel will take into account that 'a significant and sustained commitment to the delivery and/or support of teaching and learning' will look different at different stages of a person’s career and in different disciplines or roles, and we look forward to receiving nominations from across the University.

*if your team has more than 15 core members please contact the Institute of Teaching and Learning (ITL) at teaching.learning@manchester.ac.uk

How do I nominate?

Formats

All nominations must be submitted on the Teaching Excellence Case for Award proforma (as a word.docx), and uploaded via the online submission portal. The case for award will be accepted in the following formats*:

850 word written submission (Section 2 of the proforma)
a 5 minute pre-recorded presentation e.g. narrated slides, a video or other approach (just add a hyperlink to your presentation within Section 2 of the proforma)

Colleagues are encouraged to make submissions using the format which best allows them to highlight the reach, value and impact of the nominee’s work.

*alternative formats may be agreed – please contact the ITL team at teaching.learning@manchester.ac.uk in advance of submission if you would like to discuss this.

Evidence

The case for award must incorporate evidence to back up the claims made throughout. The evidence should be backed up by the Senior Supporting Colleague's statement/nominating signatories.

Evidence may include (but is not limited to):

Survey data/feedback
Feedback received through Peer Review of Teaching
Commitment to ongoing professional development with regard to teaching and learning and/or learning support
Dissemination / contribution to pedagogy: a journal article, conference paper, a webinar or workshop delivered by the nominee
Contribution to local / faculty / institutional / discipline-wide initiatives to facilitate students' learning
Contribution to meaningful and positive change with respect to pedagogic practice, policy and / or procedure
Specific contributions to enable significant improvements in students' outcomes and / or experience
Recognising and actively supporting the full diversity of student learning requirements
Organising and presenting high quality resources in accessible, coherent and imaginative ways which clearly enhance learning
Drawing upon the outcomes of relevant research, scholarship and professional practice in ways which add value to teaching and students' learning

Submitting your nomination

Nominations should be submitted using the Teaching Excellence Case for Award proforma (see above), including all necessary signatures and/or statement of support as required.

Deadline for nominations: 19:00 BST on Wednesday 24 July 2024

The panel and the core criteria

The panel

The award winners will be decided by a panel of representatives from each Faculty, plus the Head of SAS (or nominee) and co-chaired by Dr James Brooks and Dr Jen McBride, Academic Leads for Teaching Excellence & Quality.

Core criteria

The core criteria against which applications will be judged are:

Reach	The scale of influence. For example, some nominees may demonstrate reach at a departmental, faculty or institutional level, while others might provide evidence of how their practice has reached different groups of students and/or organisations (e.g. commuter students, online learners, students living with a disability etc.)
Value	The benefit derived for students and staff. Demonstrating value may include qualitative evidence, for example how the work being described has added value to the student learning experience or to teaching practice. Some nominees may also be working in settings where there are explicit positive ethical elements to their practice.
Impact	Explicit evidence of positive change taking place in policy, practice and/or student outcomes as the result of the activity.
Plus (Team Awards only): nominations for a Team Award should consider the following questions and relate them to the core criteria: How do they work together to support student learning? How does their approach influence others?