In this blog Callum Paterson, Academic Engagement Coordinator at the Students’ Association, turns the spotlight to the winners of the Students’ Association’s 2023 Teaching Awards↗️ for Outstanding Course, Outstanding Innovation in Digital Teaching, and Outstanding Commitment to Social Justice and Sustainability awards. This post belongs to Learning and Teaching Enhancement theme: Students’ Association Teaching Awards 2023↗️.
These final winners of this year’s Teaching Awards are related to students’ learning. We will hear from the winners of our Outstanding Course, Outstanding Innovation in Digital Teaching, and Outstanding Commitment to Social Justice and Sustainability awards.
Outstanding Course
With thousands of courses across the university, this category always shines a light on the courses that are often the most innovative, engaging, and interesting. We ask students to tell us about courses which: introduced them to a new topic or perspective that shaped their academic journey; were delivered in ways which were engaging and made them excited to learn; and helped them develop personally or professionally.
Our winner this year is Scottish Tax Clinic↗️, a course in the Law School organised by Amy Lawton. This course offers the opportunity for students to put their law education into practice, with students saying that the course has ‘revolutionised’ legal education at the university.
On accepting her award, Amy said,
“My thanks go to everyone who has nominated the course and to every single student who has participated in the tax clinic since it started. This course really means the world to me. The Scottish Tax Clinic provides pro-bono tax advice to those who can’t afford it. So, the course really has an impact on the lives of those in our community around us. Whether that’s by helping individuals to understand tax in the UK, by helping to comply with their tax obligations or by appealing penalties and reducing tax debts. All of the actions that students have taken in the tax clinic have had a real benefit to those who live in Scotland and beyond”.
Outstanding Innovation in Digital Teaching
This award was introduced during the pandemic, as we saw an unprecedented shift in the way that teaching is delivered at the university. From many courses going entirely online to the hybrid and blended approaches we see are still maturing now, this award recognises the staff who go the extra mile to use technology to improve students’ experience.
This year’s winner is Katharine Aulton, who is from the Business School↗️ but also lectures in the Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI)↗️. This is the first year that EFI has been up and running, and Katharine and the team around her were nominated for the planning and proactivity that was behind their fusion Strategic Leadership Course in the MSc Service Management and Design programme↗️. Students noted that Katharine’s approach made all her students feel valued and engaged in their learning.
While accepting her award, Katharine said,
“I’m delighted to be nominated for the Innovation in Digital Teaching Award. And firstly, thank you very much to whoever has nominated me. It’s really very much appreciated…We’re bringing together students studying online from different parts of the world, together with students who are studying here in Edinburgh in integrated fusion teaching sessions…I’d like to also say moving to this new approach has been a real team approach, and I would like to recognise and thank other team members involved, both within the business school, within EFI and within the EFI Learning Technology team”.
Outstanding Commitment to Social Justice and Sustainability
This is often the category where we see some of the most passionate nominations, and we’re delighted to celebrate the commitment to these goals in our university community.
The winner of our award this year is Elizabeth Bomberg, School of Social and Political Science↗️. Elizabeth was nominated for introducing her students to new ways of thinking through her exploration of environmentalism and political structures, with students commending her for addressing these, some of the big issues of our time.
On accepting her award, Elizabeth said,
“I am delighted, over the moon, to have been nominated and shortlisted for a EUSA Teaching Award. This particular EUSA Teaching Award is for Outstanding Commitment to Social Justice and Sustainability, and I am indeed entirely committed to both these aims and the fact that my commitment has come through in my teaching is really important and reading some of the nominations from the students which outlined what they got from the course or the extracurricular activities, what they learned, what they liked about the discussion and the activities is so amazing”.
Elizabeth ended on an important note, saying,
“you know, the real commitment to these aims, the real hard work, the real or true inspiration and hope for change is not from me, it is from you, the students. So, what I want to do is thank you, the students, for your commitment and hard work…there is still so much work to be done on these issues of social justice and sustainability. So, we need to continue to work together, to learn together, to find solutions, and then to celebrate together. Thank you ever so much”.
A huge congratulations to Amy, Katharine, Elizabeth and all of those who work with them for their Teaching Award wins this year. As I have done before, I also wanted to thank and shout out the runners-up for these awards: Kirsteen Murray and Stephen Welch in Outstanding Course; James Lamb and Bernhard Wolf in Outsanding Innovation in Digital Teaching; and Véronique Desnain and the Staff Pride Network in Outstanding Commitment to Social Justice and Sustainability.
This post rounds up this mini-series on our 2023 Teaching Awards, so I’d like to say a final congratulations to every single one of our 2,200+ nominees for all ten awards. I sincerely hope that you are all extremely proud of your achievements and know that, in whatever way, you have made a massive difference to your students and to the wider Edinburgh community.
On behalf of the Students’ Association, thank you.
Callum Paterson
Callum Paterson is the Academic Engagement Coordinator within the Student Voice team at the Students’ Association. He works with Programme and School Representatives as well as the Vice President Education, supporting and empowering them to make their voices heard on the issues that matter most to them.