News
Thursday 26 June 2008
Top teaching honour for university director
A top teaching accolade aimed at recognising individuals who make an outstanding impact on the student learning experience will be awarded to a member of staff at Nottingham Trent University. The University’s Director of Libraries and Knowledge Resources, Sue McKnight, will today receive a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy.
Sue – who is responsible for library services across all three campuses and leads the University’s developments in e-learning and knowledge management – will collect her award at a ceremony in London on 24 September.
The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) aims to recognise and celebrate excellence in teaching and learning in higher education. This year’s winners receive an award of £10,000 which can be used for their personal and professional development in teaching and learning.
Since Sue’s appointment research has been undertaken to redevelop the University’s library and e-learning provision, leading to the introduction of new student and staff support services.
Sue promotes the enhancement of student learning through her roles as Chair of the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) eBooks Working Party; Vice-Chair of the JISC National eBooks Observatory Project; and member of the international Pearson Education Strategic Advisory Board.
She also Chairs the Academic and Research Libraries Section of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and is a Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) and the Australian Institute of Management.
Born in Australia and educated at the Queensland Institute of Technology and the University of Queensland, Sue was named the Australian Library and Information Association Manager of the Year in 1999.
Sue said: “It was a great honour to be selected by the University as a candidate for the National Teaching Fellowship. I feel immensely proud to be selected. While this is an individual award, I have a wonderful team of staff who really care about the student experience, so it reflects positively on the whole team.”
Professor Shirley Pearce, The Chair of the Advisory Panel for the Individual Awards, said: “These Fellows represent a diversity of disciplines and specialisms from a wide range of institutions. Their achievements in promoting excellence in teaching and learning are hugely impressive and of great benefit to students and staff across higher education.”
ENDS
Notes for editors: The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme is part of an overall programme to raise the status of learning and teaching in Higher Education. Funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland (DELNI), the scheme comprises two strands, Individual National Teaching Fellowship Awards and Projects.
The Higher Education Academy works with universities and colleges, discipline groups, individual staff and organisations to help them deliver the best possible learning experience for students. It has a triple focus on national policy, institutional support, and subject and staff development.
For more on the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme contact Prue Jeffreys on telephone +44 (0)1904 717548, or via email prue.jeffreys@heacademy.ac.uk, or visit www.heacademy.ac.uk/ntfsindividual
Press enquiries please contact Dave Rogers, Press Officer, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8782, or via email dave.rogers@ntu.ac.uk, or Therese Easom, Press and Media Relations Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8774, or via email therese.easom@ntu.ac.uk.
