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IntroductionFollowing a successful bid for funding from NUS and HEA this year the University of Northampton Students’ Union hosted the first Student Led Teaching Awards in partnership with the University. The Student Led Teaching awards have been a way of engaging students in meaningful dialogue about pedagogy, as co- creators of the learning experience and partners at the institution. As such the awards have been entirely student driven with a committee of Course Representatives establishing the following categories and judging criteria.

Outstanding Lecturer of the Year: The lecturer is stimulating, enthusiastic and consistently challenging, stemming from expert knowledge in the subject. The lecturer is always available with regular contact hours and goes above and beyond in their role. Discussion, debate, co-operation and peer to peer assessment amongst students are encouraged. Exceptional knowledge and understanding of his/her subject area. The lecturer provides prompt, detailed and formative feedback.

Innovative Teaching Award- The lecturer uses new, interesting and flexible techniques/methods to engage and educate students. The lecturer uses teaching methods and assessments that are stimulating which distinguishes them from other lecturers. Enhancing the reputation of the University’s learning anf teaching internally, nationally or internationally.

Contribution to Outstanding Support- The academic staff is able to go beyond the requirements of the job by providing a wide range of support such as academic, pastoral, administrative and career support. Excellent understanding of the needs a student has when seeking out a member of support staff and addresses any concerns positively. Respectful of students, with flexible working hours to help students to develop personally and/ or academically.

The committee also established the time frame, the logo and supported the promotion of the awards. The awards were promoted through emails, social media, leaflets, stands on both campuses and a promotional video was also made. The awards evening was planned and executed by students from the events management course to provide practical experience in the field in which they would want to enter. The awards and trophies were designed and made by final year students in on the graphics design course. The main objectives of the SLTA were to

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Engage all students, including part-time students, distance learners and partner colleges, about what they believe constitutes good teaching

Showcase this best practice to the University and students, through a series of follow up events, as currently this is not carried out at the University of Northampton

Condense this evidence into a format where other academics are able to learn from these example of good academic practice

Embed the student voice into learning and teaching and demonstrate the impact it can have

ResultsThis year there were248 nominations, with 94 academics nominated, which shows that students were highly engaged with the process. The awards have been seen as prestigious by staff, with the awards being a prominent feature of the Learning and Teaching Conference 2014, showing an institutional wide appreciation of the exceptional work that academics do. The pie chart below demonstrates the number of academics nominated in each category, as to be expected the largest number of nominations were made to the category for the Outstanding Lecturer of the year. One of the possible reasons for the popularity of this category is that a lot of nominations feature admiration for the academic such as ‘the best lecturer I have had’, which relate to an academics overall excellence. Also within this category many of the lecturers nominated were also nominated in the other categories, demonstrating the rounded nature of being regarded as outstanding.

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Number of Nominated Lecturers in Each Category

Outstanding Lecturer of the YearInnovative Teaching AwardContribution to Outstand-ing Support

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The chart below demonstrates the level of response across the six academic schools. It should be noted that a large number of academics (74) were nominated in more than one category in the awards. It should also be noted the poor response rate from the School of Science and Technology with only 3 lecturers being nominated within this school. Although the research design used ensured reliability, one of the possible reasons for low responses was the way the nomination form was presented in that it relied upon a detailed written nomination, a style in which students in this school rarely use. Therefore going forward perhaps other methods of submitting a nomination should be explored such as video or audio nominations. Taking this low turnout into account, the validity of analysis of the results is brought into question as the analysis focuses on what students at Northampton view as good teaching, therefore the results do not fully represent all six schools. Although the good practise outlined can be extracted and applied to all schools it should be taken into consideration that response rates significantly differ between schools.

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Number of Lecturers Nominated in Each School

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Analysis of DataThe nominations for all the categories have been analysed by the Student Voice Coordinator in the Students’ Union through thematic analysis, as the criteria can be viewed as leading questions, therefore this was the most appropriate technique. As this has been the first year of the awards, grounded theory was used to establish themes based upon the coding of the data, rather than identifying evidence for a pre- established theme. After several rounds of coding key themes emerged in each category, detailed below.

Innovative Teaching Method of the YearInteractive Teaching Students want lecturers to be creative with their approach to teaching and value academics who employ a variety of teaching strategies and interactive activities. Interactive teaching was a prominent theme in nominations. Creative approaches keep students interested in topics and make dry, abstract content come alive. Students indicated it was the academic staff who developed their teaching styles to be more engaging, interactive with use of props that made the subject more accessible and interesting. An example of this is the lecturer who had a successful University innovation fund bid, transformed a classroom into a whiteboard room with students able to write on the walls during seminars and group work.

‘he also managed to get a class room painted in whiteboard paint so that we could do group work on the walls in whiteboard markers.

This has made the lecture VERY different from other lectures as its more fun and interactive!’ School of Health

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This form of interaction allowed for a more collaborative approach to learning and peer to peer learning to take place. Such exercises include the use of mind maps, also identified by students in other nominations, which is a simple technique for drawing information in diagrams instead of writing it in sentences. Although mind maps may not be considered innovative, they can be effective mnemonics and remembering their shape and structure can provide the cues necessary to remember the information within it allowing students to remember information more clearly. As mentioned above, students are most responsive to a range of possible learning methods rather than one or two prescribed options, with flexibility in the course design to allow different learning styles to be catered for especially those who respond to visual learning. Other aspects of interactive teaching included the use of group work, which is also linked to motivation in nominations.

‘Group sessions also acted as a family meeting in that as a group we were able to discuss deeply what was being discussed and also talk at

ease and gel further as a group due to the teaching methods’ School of the Arts

One possible reason for this is when a lecturer asks students to work together in small groups to solve a problem, a discussion ensues that not only serves in itself to build more robust knowledge structures, but also to motivate. The anticipation of immediate feedback in the form of reaction from their peers, or from the lecturer is a very strong motivator. A lot of the nominations refer to the use of role playing and applying real life scenarios to learning. One main advantage of role-playing is the ability to evaluate the subject matter, while allowing students to learn in a practical setting in a fun way.

‘Very interactive interesting lectures on theory and practice and about exploring and reflection on our selves. Theatre and role play and activities help us to

learn in a different way and makes it fun.’ School of Education

The person who won this category employs the use of The Old Bailey Online, a resource of historic trials and makes use of the university moot rooms for students to create mock trials in groups, as well as an individual essay both with equal waiting. This approach to an assessment allows students to develop their team work skills, argumentation, research skills, and to practically apply their knowledge of the court room to real life. Students described this approach to an assessment as ‘ a breath of fresh air.’Another strong nomination in this category also changed the way that the assessment element would be carried out, rather than opting for a traditional essay, the lecturer used the assessment criteria to create something innovative and truly creative.

‘As one of first year assignments we were supposed to write an essay. This has changed to completely something else!Firstly, Kardi decided to "sacrifice" her

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own car and to let us wrap it (like those Sky vans) in an advert of the university that we would create ourselves. After a few days Kardi decided to go even further.

She decided that we should wrap a black-cab taxi and have it run around Northampton for a year.’ Northampton Business School

This example of innovative teaching draws upon the creative aspect by allowing marketing students to have experience in the field they wish to enter from the beginning, allowing them to gain bidding, networking and pitching experience. The element of using her personal car also demonstrates a personal investment in the students and willingness for them to succeed and exemplifies her passion for the subject.

TechnologyIn order to communicate effectively with students, a number of nominations centred on the use of technology to enhance learning. A good lecturer, from the student's view, needs to take advantage of using technologies to its full potential.

‘Assessment through the use of new technology making computer based resources which are shared with other FDLT students and implemented in the

wider context of our own school settings.’ School of Education

The use of Prezi was praised by students providing a more visual and interactive version of a presentation than PowerPoint which allows more creative and memorable lectures.A lot of nominations centre on the use of NILE, with many praising lecturers who put slides and resources up onto NILE which should be a common practise across all disciplines and stages, however this indicates that this is not currently the case. Several nominations praise lecturers who use NILE to hold journal reading groups and discussion forums prior to lectures. This notion of blended learning and flipping of the traditional classroom allows for peer to peer discussion, allowing students to learn from each other and to have time in the classroom for more practical activities and application of knowledge. In nominations academics are praised for their use of social media, in particular Twitter to answer queries and to hold discussions. This use of technology is powerful as it allows lecturers to connect with students in a wider way, interaction can be taken beyond the classroom, resources can be easily signposted, and the nature of twitter allows for brief rapid broadcasts of information.

‘her official twitter page by engaging students with the latest research, knowledge and articles of social work theory and practice.’ School of Health

This use of technology allows a new form of accessibility and contestability of academics and a revision source for students.

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It should be noted that students nominations often referred to aspects of teaching as what we would assume as standard practise but they noted as being innovative. For example an aspect which is mentioned in this category is the use of humour, which is a personal attribute; however it relaxes students and allows them to relate to subject matter further. From the nominations it is clear that students concept of innovation is linked to their level of enjoyment in the experience, the extent they are engaged and whether they feel challenged. A lot of nominations referred to practises which allowed them to ‘step outside their comfort zone’ and challenge and question their knowledge from a new angle or technique.

Support Staff of the YearAvailabilityStudents described how nominees made them feel they belonged, would know them personally, would be helpful and most importantly would be accessible if a student had a query or concern. It was an important characteristic that academics are available to talk to students whether virtually or face to face. Being able to contact the academic is one of the aspects of being available with a variety of methods available to them, however more important is academics being responsive to student needs.

‘She is always just an email away and responds quickly with support and guidance’ School of Education

An aspect of this highlighted in nominations is where academics are flexible with the times they meet students, arranging meetings and appointments around student’s circumstances and understanding the needs of students.

‘Margaret will put herself out to accommodate students who require additional support and flexibility. If you inform her of your restrictions such as childcare or work she will be extremely flexible to accommodate you, including

coming into work for course related meetings on her day off or earlier than usually required.’ School of Social Sciences

Many of the nomination in this category were from students in their final year completing dissertations or from those on placement, where support is a crucial component of a student’s success.

‘is always understanding when it comes to people on placement, mature students with family issues and other family issues

students have.’ School of the Arts

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‘They understand that being on placement is very tiring, especially for those of us who have not been exposed to this kind of work before, and

they will help you to manage organising your university workload in with your placement. They are interested in what your doing whilst on placement and whether your enjoying it, and will come and see

you on placement to ensure you're following all the relevant guidelines.’ School of Health

It is a common theme in many of the nominations that it is the academics who go ‘above and beyond’ by sacrificing their own time to support students. Although it is not expected that academics should undertake such practise, students recognise the commitment and compassion of the academic in understanding the unique and challenging situations that students sometimes experience when enrolled on a course. An element of this is where academics are open- minded and non-judgemental of students, able to offer support when students need it in an accepting manner.

‘Patrick is always there for us when we need him whether it be academic or pastoral. I have been to him many times with

problems for both and he has not judged or turned me away. ‘School of Arts

Students who identified approachable as a characteristic of support describe these behaviours using adjectives such as, friendly, personable, helpful, accessible, happy and positive. Although this is a personal attribute, being approachable is the first part of being able to offer advice. A lot of nominations spoke about the caring nature of lecturers and how they were genuinely listening to their concerns, with phrases used such as being the ‘mother of the course’, which demonstrate the caring nature needed by lecturers.

Guidance and AdviceNominations in this category hinge upon academics who are aware of student need, and able to identify when a student needs help rather than the student having to approach them and making the time to see how a student is progressing, this on-going support, rather than one of advice is recognised by students as academics caring about their needs.

‘She always backs this up by checking in with students who have come to her with concerns and tries to help the student overcome these

concerns as best she can so that they do not affect the students studies.’ Northampton Business School

Outstanding support doesn’t necessarily mean that an academic must have all the answers, students praise academics who are able to refer them to the correct person and ensure they get

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the advice they need. For students being there to listen to concerns and allow the students to share the problem before signposting them to where they can access the information they need is seen as just as valuable.

‘He is there for any student on our course and provides every support he can even if it is pointing you in the right direction to

another member of staff.’ School of the Arts

Being able to give a variety of support was highlighted in the nomination, not just purely academic guidance. For students’ academic support was seen as where lecturers provided direction for further reading, valuable feedback on assignments and dissertations and encouraging them to progressIn nominations an emphasis was given to personal development and improving employability skills, demonstrating an interest not only in the student succeeding academically but also progressing in their chosen career path. Personal Development Planning (PDP) is central to providing support for students and from the nominations the area of advice that had a lasting impact upon their time at Northampton and reflected upon with admiration

‘He knows I am an international student, lack of confidence and lack of friends in a new environment. He encouraged me to find

other nation teammates for the presentation groups and to experience the cross-cultural teams. He also suggested me to

set up a Global Society with a multicultural committee. I therefore was able to share my Chinese culture with others, celebrate other’s

festival, whilst making friends from across the world.’ Northampton Business School

Emotional support was cited in a number of nominations, as personal circumstances have a huge impact upon student’s studies. Also in some cases students have moved away from home for the first time and often need a person to approach. In describing personal advice given by lecturers, students praised academics who were sensitive to their problem

Employability ‘Mark keeps in touch with his previous students and uses his connection

to help us find job, also if you come to him with basically any problem he always helps.’ School of Science and Technology

Being able to provide support for students no longer resides in the traditional model of purely academic advice but the other factors at play in their academic experience. One of the areas highlighted in nominations is the academics who motivate and encourage students to ‘reach their 10 | P a g e

full potential’, who empower and support them to achieve, not only the best results, but the best results for them.

Outstanding Lecturer of the yearEnthusiastic and Engaging TeachingThis was the most commonly referred to factor in students nominations, with students leaving extensive comments relating to the lecturers extensive knowledge of the subject area motivating them to develop a passion in the area. A significant aspect of the data is that nominations rarely separated content knowledge and the ability to teach well indicating that they believe effective teachers have strong content knowledge, and knowledge and expertise on how to teach what they know. Many students referred to their academics knowledge of the subject with awe and admiration

‘Bernadette really seems to know everything in her field... however, not in a 'teacher kind of way' but as an educator manages to relay her knowledge contextually and through critical thinking. With her

exceptional knowledge and experience our learning is just given that extra boost that I don't get from any other lecture or

lecturer in this same way’ School of Health

The nominations indicate that to be an Outstanding lecturer it is not the knowledge of the subject alone that influences their learning but the lecturers passion and willingness to share this which engages students, ‘this passion and excitement is contagious’. Nominations indicate that students value academics who are reflective practitioners with the ability to keep reviewing and improving one's teaching practice:

‘He is constantly trying to develop his own knowledge to learn from us as much as we do from him.’ School of Education

‘(She) is fully aware she can also learn more, not just from her colleagues, but also the students who she teaches’ School of Health

This openness with students about the willingness to learn from each other is a valuable form of peer learning and allows students to feel like partners in their education and equal with academics in the learning environment. Students perceive an outstanding lecturer to not only have the specialist knowledge in the subject area which she or he teaches, but also the necessary skills to pass on this knowledge to students. In particular, students considered an outstanding lecturer to have the ability to relate

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the academic theories to real-world scenarios or draw on their own personal experiences in the sector, to aid understanding in the subject area.

‘His extensive knowledge of his subject areas and pool of real-life examples really helps to support us in understanding such

complicated modules.’ Northampton Business School

Several nominations mention the academic being funny and using humour to demonstrate a point, which although these are personal attributes, symbolises a wider point of the academic feels confident enough with the material to do so. Two adjectives that are consistently used to describe a humorous lecturer are “happy” and “positive”. The use of humour is also a way of the academic balancing professionalism with being informal and approachable. This level of informality allows students to feel comfortable in the lectures and able to ask questions, this is particularly evident in the use of class discussions where students feel able to formulate opinion and challenge one another.

‘Gill makes us feel valued, comfortable and safe so that open, honest discussion and debate can take place during her seminars.’

School of Education

As previously mentioned in the innovative teaching the adoption of a variety of teaching methods are preferred by students to stimulate them and engage them in the subject content.

‘No two lectures are the same, even in theory classes he makes sure that we are stimulated by making discussions and focus groups over tasks

instead of just reading out a PowerPoint.’School of the Arts

Feedback and GuidanceStudents nominated lecturers who provided them with signposts and indications around their progression and where they needed to improve their work, particularly around forthcoming assessments.

‘Students praised academics who delivered feedback promptly prior to completing other assessments. Work is always marked on time and easy

to understand the feedback she gives.’ School of the Arts

Good practise was identified where students were provided with the opportunity to discuss marks and feedback with their lecture to and how they can improve.

‘She is always happy to answer any questions on feedback in person.’ School of Social Sciences

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‘ If we need to ask him something we can email it to him but if he feels the answer will get too complicated he will arrange a meeting so that he can discuss it

personally to make sure we understand.’ School of Science and Technology

This availability to meet with students to discuss feedback presents a dedication from lecturers and genuine interest in students to ensure the feedback is clear and understood. Good feedback is seen to be fair, honest and clear, (sometimes student reoffered to it as kind), with the feedback wording, the mark and the aspects of the work the feedback refers to, are all aligned or consistent. A large number of nominations referred to this approach to feedback commenting on the critical nature of it and the constructive criticism that allows them to build on their knowledge and technique in the subject.

‘His feedback is always constructive and guiding towards improvement and other sources’ School of Education

Nominations praised lecturers who provide feedback promptly, with students aware of the University assessment policy that work should be returned in the 4 week turnaround time

‘assignment feedback is always within the 4 week allocation time, but if you want any instant feedback on your work you can

easily organise tutorials with him or drop into his office for a chat.’ School of Education

Having work returned within this time frame allows students to benefit from feedback before they move onto their next assignment, creating feedback as part of a process of continual development. Nominations often referred to academics who were constructive in their critique of work, both assessed and in lectures and how important this was to enhancing confidence in students. Students view constructive criticism as a link to more effective evaluation. Constructive criticism provides a student with encouragement of how to improve rather than merely citing the weaknesses in work.

‘Very detailed feedback, supportive and encouraging.’ School of Social Sciences

In the students’ view, a good lecturer appreciates the difficulties students may face in learning and offer as much support as possible. One of the important approaches to being supportive is to create a safe space for students to make mistakes and develop. This is particularly evident in nominations discussing debates in seminars where the academic encourages the group and creates a space space to have open and free discussions.

‘makes us feel valued, comfortable and safe so that open,honest discussion and debate can take place during her seminars.

She encourages fair, constructive peer and self assessment.feedback and guidance’ School of Education

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A lot of the characteristics featured in the Contribution to Outstanding Support were echoed in the nominations outstanding support

Active interest in studentsOne of the aspects of this category was the nature of going beyond imparting knowledge but taking an active interest in students, In particular listening to the student voice which students appreciated and valued. This was shown through comments relating to academics asking for feedback in class, aside from module reviews, indicating an academics commitment to reflect on their teaching and adapt it to improve students’ experience.

‘He is always interested in our opinion on how to improve his lectures and when we give him suggestions he actually tries them

out with us.’ School of Social Science

This comment demonstrates best practise in incorporating student opinion to shape their work, however also highlights that this is not common practise, with the subtext of the word ‘actually’ being that a lot of academics ask for feedback but it is rarely acted upon or communicated to students the outcomes. Several nominations focus upon an academics ability to provide a personalised experience in response to students needs and circumstances.

‘during a tele. conference gave priority to the students who are geographically farthest from University due to the reason that telephonic is expensive from other countries. Although for certain people it can be a normal case but for me it shows

that how much a lecturer is involved with students & how much he/she care for student’ Northampton Business School

This personalised experience and adaption provides the student with a sense of belonging on the course and a feeling of being part of a community. Another aspect of this is where where academics took an interest in students outside of the course and were involved in students’ extracurricular activities such as attending society events.

‘During society meetings he sometimes arranges his old students to come in and talk to us to help give us some advice and tips on how we can also become

successful like they have become under his guidance.’ School of Science and Technology

Of the three themes identified, students valued the personal relationships they developed with their lecturers and the extent of support available to them as the most prominent factors of what constitutes an outstanding lecturer. The ability for the lecturer to provide a personal experience and ensure each student understands the subject through their variety of teaching methods, 14 | P a g e

availability to assist students and provide feedback and guidance so they can improve. Outstanding lecturers are those who produce unique and memorable educational experiences, through a range of challenging and varied techniques, to inspire a passion for the subject while supporting the student to succeed.

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Sustainability and Recommendations for next yearFirstly the project would not have been possible without the support from NUS,M HEA and the University. Being part of the national project this year has meant that there has been a pool of other Students’ Unions and best practise to adapt to our own institution as well as support in up skilling areas such as data analysis. If we had not been part of the project this year, the University of Northampton SLTA would not have been such a success. The success of the pilot this year has meant that there is a budget for the SLTA internally in the students’ Union as well as further support from the University. At the moment the Students’ Union is drafting its strategic plan and the SLTA have fed directly into this process through recognising that activities and events should be inclusive and the importance of strengthening our work in representation and democracy. Having a staff member support the President in the delivery of the process has meant that there has been help in areas such as admin and controlling workload, but also in ensuring that there is continuity in the project with knowledge being easily passed onto the incoming officer through induction. Looking ahead to next year we hope to continue the strong partnership we have established with the University and there are a number of ways that we plan to increase the prestige of the awards. We plan to increase the number of nominations through making the process of nominating more accessible with both paper and electronic forms available with the option of submitting to submit an audio or video nomination. The idea behind creating various methods of nomination is so to break down the barriers for those not on writing based courses and those with a disability. We also want to increase the number of nominations, through wider publicity round campus but also at our partner colleges to recognise the work of all of our academics. The president will also meet with the Deputy Dean of Student Experience for the School of Science and Technology to discuss how the awards can be further disseminated through the school next year. The nominations submitted this year will be used by the Education Committee to inform the criteria for next year’s awards. The committee this year when looking through the nominations recognised that there should be a category for staff at the university who are not directly involved with teaching such as admin support and central services.The amount of student involvement in the awards has been commendable and this is an area that we want to further increase as it is a great way to engage students in the academic standards of learning and teaching as partners in their education.

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