RUSU Partnership in Teaching & Learning Showcase

The Student-led Teaching Awards were inspired by raising the profile and prestige of learning and teaching at all institutions in the HE Sector, as well as reward best practice for excellent teaching and dedication to Higher Education. The RUSU Excellence Awards provide an opportunity for students to recognise staff at the University of Reading who have gone over and beyond the expectations to improve the delivery of their teaching and learning.

There are eight awards this year: Teaching Excellence (one for each Faculty)

Personal Tutor Support Staff

Technological Innovation in Teaching Research Inspired Teaching

The RUSU Partnership in Teaching and Learning Showcase will announce the winners of each award. This will be followed by a presentation by several members of University staff demonstrating the innovative ways they teach their students. We will also have presentations from two PLanT projects. PLanT projects are small scale initiatives which address the enhancement of teaching and learning priorities identified by students and staff working in partnership.

Event Programme

12:00 Welcome Sara Chandran

RUSU Education Officer

12:05 Opening Remarks Gavin Brooks Pro Vice Chancellor

12:10 Presentation of RUSU Excellence Award RUSU Student Officers

12:35 Teaching Excellence

(Science) Dr Karen Ayres

12:45 Personal Tutor Professor Karin Lesnik-Oberstein

12:50 Technological Innovation Dr Emma Mayhew

12:55 Teaching Excellence

(Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences) Dr Emma Aston

13:05 Research Inspired Teaching Dr Mara Oliva

13:15 Introduction to PLanT Project (Partnership in Learning and Teaching Projects)

Joy Collier

Senior Enhancement Officer

13:25 Building student autonomy, technology-enhanced skills and employability through task-focused

module reform

Dr Clare Wright, Jess Fullam, Emily King, Daria Pominova, Megumi

Kuranaka

13:35 The Online Studio Dr Jeanne-Louise Moys, Peter Loveland, Hannah Tollett,

Melissa Towriss

13:45 Closing Remarks Sara Chandran

RUSU Education Officer

RUSU Excellence Award Winners

Name Award Comments

Emma Aston Arts Humanities and Social Science

‘Emma is always enthusiastic and always introducing new topics

and expanding students' horizons’

Karen Ayres Science ‘Not only has Karen pioneered T&L seminars but also lead careers

talks and has been a point of contact between the course reps and

the department.’

Vesna Stojanovik

Life Science ‘Vesna spends a lot of time preparing her lectures, as she has perfectly tailored the content of each one to ensure that is

applicable to us and our future careers’

Claire Fenton Henley Business School

‘Claire presents clear, concise and professional lectures along with

great lecture notes provided.’

Karin Lesnik-Oberstein

Personal Tutor ‘I would not be here at Reading University if not for the support

Karin offered’

Karon Curran Support Staff ‘Karon’s consistently positive engagement with all students in the

SCME is something that I will always take away from me from

University.’

Emma Mayhew

Technological

Innovation in Teaching

‘Emma’s forward thinking and innovative approach to lectures, and

more importantly, feedback has created a perfect learning

environment’

Mara Oliva Research-Inspired Teaching

‘Mara is a great motivator and made me feel like I could write an

academic paper.’

PLanT Project

Partnerships in Learning and Teaching (PLanT) projects are small scale initiatives which address the enhancement of teaching and learning priorities as identified by students and staff working in partnership with one another.

PLanT projects presentations:

Building student autonomy, technology-enhanced skills and employability through task-focused module reform

Presented by Dr Clare Wright, Jess Fullam, Emily King, Daria Pominova, Megumi Kuranaka

The Online Studio

Presented by Dr Jeanne-Louise Moys, Peter Loveland, Hannah Tollett, Melissa Towriss

Course Rep of the Year 2014/15

Lucy McWhan

‘Lucy has a fantastic relationship with many course staff – meaning that all issues are dealt with in a friendly, speedy and suitable way’

Faculty Rep of the Year 2014/15

Emily Crye

‘Emily is committed, approachable and full of amazing ideas. She should have recognition for her hard work and dedication’