Academy announces Senior Fellows
- Date: 11-06-2009
The Higher Education Academy has announced the names of six new Senior Fellows. Part of the Academy’s Professional Recognition Scheme, Senior Fellowship recognises outstanding champions of teaching and learning in higher education. The scheme is part of the Academy's commitment to raising the status of teaching in HE.
The six new Senior Fellows are:
Dr Ross Hobson
Newcastle University
Dr Iain Mac Labhrainn
National University of Ireland, Galway
Professor Gill Marshall
University of Cumbria
Professor John O'Donoghue
University of Central Lancashire
Professor Tina Overton
University of Hull
Dr Martin Talbot
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Senior Fellowship provides national recognition for individuals who have shown a sustained commitment to professionalism in teaching and learning. It facilitates their participation in professional networks and provides them with many opportunities to become engaged in the Academy's work of improving the student learning experience. For example, Senior Fellows:
- act as specialist reviewers for the Academy and sit on key advisory boards, including those for the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme and the Academy’s research and evaluation advisory group;
- perform key roles at the Academy's Annual Conference. This year, Senior Fellows are chairing track themes at the conference
- contribute to and benefit from the discipline-based work at the Academy's Subject Centres, including sitting on Subject Centre advisory boards;
- act as members of editorial panels for Academy publications.
Professor Paul Ramsden, CEO of the Academy comments: "The experience and expertise of Senior Fellows is highly valued by the Academy. We believe that excellent teaching should be recognised and rewarded in the sector - good teaching is one of the most important aspects of the student experience. As an organisation we also benefit greatly from the input of our Senior Fellows into various aspects of our work.”
The Academy has conferred over 30 Senior Fellowships since 2007. These academics have come from a range of disciplines, including Medicine, Law, Anthropology, Social Work, and Geography. At various stages in their academic careers, they are drawn from HEIs across the UK as well as from overseas, including universities in Australia and Hong Kong.
Underpinned by the UK Professional Standards Framework, applicants for Senior Fellowships must show that they:
- lead colleagues by personal example
- facilitate and influence networks of colleagues
- impact positively beyond their institution, at national and international level, within their discipline or more generally
- make a sustained contribution to the student learning experience
- champion learning and teaching in higher education
The title of Senior Fellow is conferred by a committee of Vice-Principals, Deputy Vice-Chancellors and Pro-Vice Chancellors, chaired by Professor Simon van Heyningen, Vice-Principal (Teaching and Learning) at the University of Edinburgh.