Higher Education Academy National Teaching Fellowship Award Scheme

2012 Lancaster University Guidance

Each year Lancaster supports a small number of colleagues to submit applications for the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS). Worth £10,000 to each winner, the NTFS aims to raise the profile of learning and teaching, recognise and celebrate individuals who make an outstanding impact on the student learning experience, and provide a national focus for institutional teaching and learning excellence schemes.

There are no categories of nomination and no minimum experience requirements. The Scheme encourages nominations from individuals at any stage of their career and fulfilling any role in an eligible HE and FE institutions.  Institutions are invited to nominate up to three individual members of staff who can demonstrate excellence in supporting the student learning experience.

The National Teaching Fellowship Awards is a competitive national scheme. Fifty five awards were made in 2011, with a similar number expected in 2012.

Step 1: Selection of Lancaster University candidates

The University invites potential NTFS nominees to create and submit the following documentation to allow identification of the institutional candidates for 2012:

1.      1500 word text

This should provide evidence of how you meet each of the 3 NTFS criteria (given overleaf) – this is essentially an outline of your potential nomination, and should clearly demonstrate how you meet each of the criteria, giving a selection of examples of the evidence you would amplify in a full nomination document. The document should avoid presenting a career history or simply listing a set of assertions.

2.      A brief one-page curriculum vitae

This should present relevant aspects of your record in support of your nomination proposal. It is helpful to the selection panel if this abridged CV focuses on evidence of the impact of your teaching excellence – for instance projects & grants gained, conference presentations & publications, engagement with relevant professional networks etc.

Colleagues who wish to be considered for the Lancaster NTFS nomination are encouraged to talk to recent award winners. Previous successful Lancaster NTF winners are listed at: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/celt/celtweb/ntfs

All nominees should submit an electronic copy of their proposal to the Lancaster selection panel by the 2^nd December 2011 via s.armitage@lancaster.ac.uk.

An internal selection panel will review the submitted proposals and identify a short-list for nomination.  The panel will include representatives from Associate Deans for Teaching, previous NTFS winners, and members of the Organisation & Educational Development team. Up to three colleagues will be successful in being put forward from the Institution. Successful nominees will be contacted as soon as possible after the selection panel has met.

Step 2: Preparation and submission of full NTFS application

NTFS applications will be judged rigorously by a National panel and evaluated on the strength of evidence in meeting the set criteria.

Lancaster NTFS nominees will be asked to submit the items below, in line with HEA guidance.

·        Claim for NT Fellowship: a statement of how the individual demonstrates excellence relevant to each of the three headline individual award criteria (maximum 5000 words)

·        Brief Curriculum Vitae (maximum 1,500 words)

·        Brief document with factual information (name, job title) and consents (for publicity purposes etc)

·        Equality & Diversity Monitoring Form

·        Personal profile (150 words – not assessed)

The candidate submission is accompanied by a

·        Signed Statement of Support from the institution’s senior manager (maximum 1,000 words).

For full details on the process see http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/professional/ntfs/individual

Organisation and Educational Development is available to provide support to the Lancaster nominees throughout the process. 

Successful applicants will

·        Receive £10,000

·        Be included in publicity generated by the HEA

·        Be granted the status National Teaching Fellow

·        Be invited to attend a black-tie award ceremony in Central London

Before the monies are released, successful National Teaching Fellows will be required to submit

·        Personal profile (350 word) and at least three high quality photographs

·        Hard copy pro-forma confirming their application

Institutions are also required to submit hard copy confirmation of support for candidates.

Higher Education Academy NTFS Criteria

All nominees at any stage (Lancaster selection panel and at the HEA stage) will be assessed on evidence provided in the core nomination documents in relation to each of the three selection criteria listed below. Please note that:

a) Nominees should address and make a claim for each criterion.

b) Each of the three criteria below will be given equal consideration.

c) It is the intention of the Scheme to recognise impact and engagement beyond a nominee’s immediate academic or professional role (at institutional and sector level).

Criterion 1

Individual excellence:  evidence of promoting and transforming the student learning experience.

For example by: arousing curiosity to stimulate and inspire learning, organising and presenting resources cogently and imaginatively, recognising and supporting diversity of student learning needs, drawing upon the results of relevant research, scholarship and professional practice, engaging with and contributing to the established literature or the nominee’s own evidence base.

Criterion 2

Raising the profile of excellence: evidence of supporting colleagues and influencing support for student learning in (and, if appropriate, beyond) the nominee’s institution, through demonstrating impact and engagement beyond the nominee’s immediate academic or professional role.

For example by: contributing to the development of colleagues in promoting student learning, contributing to departmental/faculty/institutional/national initiatives to facilitate student learning, contributing to and/or supporting meaningful and positive change with respect to pedagogic practice, policy and/or procedure.

Criterion 3

Developing excellence: the nominee’s commitment to her/his ongoing professional development with regard to teaching and learning and/or learning support.

For example by: ongoing review and enhancement of individual practice, engaging in professional development activities, engagement in the review and enhancement of individual practice, contributing to improvements in the student learning experience.

Further details on the criteria are available in the ‘Award Guidelines’ document available here:

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/ntfs/ntfs_individual_awards_2011_nomination_documents

For support from Organisation and Educational Development, please contact

Susan Armitage

Organisation & Educational Development

Human Resources

s.armitage@lancaster.ac.uk