Students honour excellence in teaching and support for learning.
A Student-led awards scheme has recognised the work of University staff.
The Cambridge University Students’ Union (CUSU) Teaching Excellence Award (TEA) celebrates excellent teaching and student engagement.
Students were given the opportunity to nominate lecturers, supervisors, administrators and other staff who are exemplary teachers and mentors.
The project was completely student-led, funded by a grant from the National Union of Students (NUS) and the Higher Education Academy (HEA).
Award nominees were celebrated for their abilities to generate enthusiasm in a subject matter, engage students in the development of the course, as well as nourish intellectual curiosity and talent.
A lecturer in a Faculty, a supervisor in a College, or a non-academic staff member (such as a librarian, custodian, lab demonstrator, or porter) were all eligible for nomination.
Eilish Hughes, who was a member of the Awards selection committee and is the Access & Academic Officer at Girton College, said of the awards: “I think the TEA is great because it not only recognises great academics but is encouraging students to think about what a good teacher is, and to highlight what elements make a successful educational experience at Cambridge.”
Jia Hui Lee, CUSU Education Officer, said: “The Awards are a great way to improve student engagement and feedback.
“Students have been submitting extremely high quality nominations, identifying best practice in teaching and support, which is the best sort of feedback mechanism the University can ask for.”
Almost 200 nominations were made with nominees coming from a diverse range of faculties and disciplines. The selection committee then chose 15 winners and 10 special mentions out of 50 shortlisted nominations.
The Awards ceremony was held this month (June 2014) in the Combination Room in the Old Schools.
Alice Benton, Head of Educational and Student Policy at the University of Cambridge, said: “The University considers that the student-led teaching awards are a novel initiative that demonstrates positive student engagement, and fully supports such recognition of the hard work and dedication of teaching and support staff across the collegiate University.”