Outstanding contributions to learning and teaching have seen leading lights at the University of Leeds celebrate success in two major national award schemes.
Dr Pam Birtill (pictured), Associate Professor of Psychology and Academic Lead for Assessment and Feedback, has been recognised for her pioneering work in the field of assessment with a National Teaching Fellowship (NTF).
And the Teaching and Learning Enhancement NeTwork (TALENT) in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS) has been rewarded with a Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE).
A network of colleagues in the nine EPS schools, including the South-West Jiaotong University (SWJTU) – Leeds Joint School, TALENT shares and develops learning and teaching practice through scholarly approaches, while also supporting career development.
Managed by Advance HE – a charity working with partners across the globe to improve higher education for staff, students and society – both accolades celebrate excellent practice and outstanding achievement in learning and teaching in the sector. They also reflect the commitment at Leeds to creating an inclusive student experience and demonstrate the University’s reputation as a leader in student education.
Professor Jeff Grabill, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Education, said: “Congratulations to both Pam and the TALENT team. They are exactly that – extremely talented and inspiring colleagues, committed to creating a truly exceptional learning experience for our students.
“These outstanding achievements also demonstrate how crucial collaboration and the sharing of ideas are in students’ academic and personal development, which is at the heart of everything we do here at Leeds.
“Their innovation is something we all aspire to, and I’m delighted their success has been recognised at the highest level.”
Strong values
Pam is recognised – within and beyond Leeds – as an exceptional and innovative teacher, who achieves results through academic leadership. Her work is guided by strong values of fairness and her collaborative approach, influencing colleagues to support change in the student interest.
As Academic Lead for Assessment and Feedback, Pam has led implementation of the University Assessment strategy, supporting innovation on this area and ensuring assessment is fair, inclusive and authentic.
Pam reinvigorated the Assessment Lead Network at Leeds, ensuring those in post in each of our schools no longer worked in isolation, unable to influence University policies and procedures. She brought this group together, creating a shared space to discuss assessment and initiate leadership training.
Pam also designed, advocated for and implemented a University policy on reasonable adjustments to assessment for disability. Working with experts, she devised a peer-supported train-the-trainer programme. This innovative and sector-leading strategy allowed training to be delivered rapidly and at scale, in a thoughtful, supportive and reflective manner.
“It means a huge amount to receive this award,” said Pam. “It feels like such a validation of the work I’m doing, and of my career, which has sometimes felt a bit disconnected – balancing academia with family, and several changes in direction of my research and teaching.
“My claim was very focused around my sense of fairness and inclusive practices, and it feels like the award reflects the importance of that work within the sector.
“The process of collating the evidence and writing the claim was sometimes painful – having to write about what I do well doesn’t come very naturally. But noticing the patterns and the links between the work I’ve been doing for more than 20 years was quite powerful.”
Best practice
Success in partnership working led Pam to also found the UK Assessment Change Network in 2022 – a group of more than 70 academics, academic developers and professional services staff across more than 30 universities sharing best practice.
Pam now joins a prestigious list of 33 NTF recipients who’ve worked at Leeds since the scheme was launched in 2000.
She added: “Massive thanks to Dr Kate Exley and Professor Peter Hartley for superb mentoring and support in writing the claim.
“Thanks also to Dr Rachel Haworth and Dr Helen Morley, Professor Samantha Pugh and Professor Karen Burland-Clark for support and proofreading. Thanks to Dr Richard Harris and Dr Madeleine Pownall for friendship, encouragement, and being the best collaborators in my research – without them, I wouldn’t be on this path.
“Thanks to my husband, Mike, for endless discussions about pedagogy, assessment and all the support. Thanks also to the University for all the support it has provided, and to all those students who’ve shared their stories with me over the years.”
Thriving network
TALENT draws colleagues from the nine EPS schools to share and develop learning and teaching practice through scholarly approaches, thereby also supporting career development.
Launched in 2018 by founders Duncan Borman, Joanne Shiel, Craig Evans, Hayley Whitefoot, Dan Trowsdale and Samantha Pugh, it has scaled up those impromptu corridor conversations into a thriving network of 150 academics, providing technical and community-based support to enhance and transform student education.
TALENT founders Duncan Borman, Joanne Shiel, Craig Evans, Hayley Whitefoot, Samantha Pugh and Dan Trowsdale. Image: Emily Cooper
Leaning on the experience of its like-minded, passionate members, TALENT is a friendly, enjoyable and supportive forum for EPS academics that helps to assess, inspire and engage students at Leeds. Everyone is free to contribute ideas and viewpoints, resulting in a diverse range of events that align with personal passions, such as inclusivity, learning design, teaching non-native English speakers and automated marking.
TALENT has improved the sense of community and belonging within the faculty, increased job satisfaction, and sparked a greater interest in pedagogy and scholarship. It has kept the EPS academic community connected throughout key changes and challenges. TALENT also embraces an international perspective, benefitting from partnership and collaboration with SWJTU-Leeds. Colleagues from both institutions share their knowledge, experiences and expertise in learning and teaching, fostering mutual respect and understanding.
TALENT is only the third recipient of this award associated with Leeds since the inception of CATE in 2016.
Dan Trowsdale, Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering, received an NTF himself last year and is one of the founding members of TALENT. He said: “It’s an honour to be recognised alongside my peers for this national award.
“Being part of a such a friendly and collaborative team of people has been enormously rewarding for me personally. I think we all thrive when we’re around like-minded people who are willing to share their ideas and experiences.
“I very much look forward to continuing to learn, not only from the founders but the wider network of colleagues who make up the membership of TALENT and are focussed on developing excellence in teaching.”
He added: “Massive thanks go to the Organisational Development and Professional Learning (OD&PL) team, together with mentors Kate Exley and Peter Hartley for their professional support in writing the claims.”
Transforming lives
A total of 55 higher education professionals and 17 CATE teams nationally have been recognised for their outstanding contribution to excellent teaching this year.
Alison Johns, Advance HE Chief Executive said: “We know that higher education has the power to transform lives but this doesn’t happen by default.
“Outstanding teaching is the result of knowledge, commitment, passion, energy and creativity. All of these 2024 winners demonstrate these attributes and put them into practice with excellent results.
“It is vital for student success that we invest in higher education teaching and promote the value of excellence. Congratulations to each and every one of you for this prestigious prize.”
As with the University of Leeds Teaching Awards, the Advance HE accolades are competitive schemes. Both Leeds recipients were winners in last year’s Teaching Awards.
Further details
Discover more about the NTF and CATE, and the selection process.
For more information, contact the University of Leeds press office.