Student Led Awards

Student-Led Teaching Awards (SLTAs)

The Higher Education Academy (HEA) and the National Union of Students (NUS) are working together on a major new Student Led Teaching Awards Project for 2011-12. The project builds on a highly successful HEA/NUS Scotland initiative which, last year, saw 11,000 students’ nominations submitted over a wide range of categories and institutions. The 2011-12 project will see a benchmarking of current practice, support for the development of SLTA schemes already in place, and will support a further 21 students’ unions across the UK to create and develop their own award schemes.

What are SLTAs?

SLTAs are a positive way to build good relationships between the student body and their institution, to find out more about students’ conceptions of excellence in teaching, and to bring staff and students together to celebrate success. Students’ unions design and develop their own awards, deciding on categories and criteria suitable for their institution. They then invite the student body to nominate staff they feel have made a real difference. With many staff from the Scotland initiative valuing student-led awards even more highly than those from colleagues, the SLTAs have proven immensely popular with both staff and students.

SLTAs also provide an excellent opportunity to gather data on what students see as good learning and teaching practice. The data can then be used to disseminate good practice at an institutional level and across the sector, and to raise the profile of teaching in general. Findings from the rich body of data gathered through the initiative in Scotland have formed the basis for a report “Lessons from the Student-Led Teaching Awards" to be launched early in 2012. The report highlights student perceptions of learning and themes emerging from the initiative.

HEA and NUS will be working together in the current year to ensure that the findings from the UK-wide project will continue to help inform the sector on what students value most in teaching.

SLTA Project 2011-12

HEA and NUS are supporting 21 students's unions, who do not already have SLTAs, to create SLTAs in 2011-12. A grant of up to £1500 has been made available and a series of group meetings planned to help unions deliver their SLTAs. The first meeting was held on the 17 November 2011 with further meetings planned for February and May 2012.

HEA and NUS are also interested in hearing from students' unions who already have an SLTA schemes. Two national fora will enable unions experienced in running SLTAs to share ideas and good practice, and to look at ways to make their schemes even more valuable. The first will be held at the Higher Education Academy in York on 5 December 2011, with the 2nd scheduled for February 2012.

How to get involved

Applications for unions with no current SLTA scheme are now closed for this round. Interested unions were asked to fill in an application form (DOC, 1MB) by 5pm on 31 October 2011. Applications were received from a good spread of different types of institution from across the UK with a strong representation from the Nations. The successful applicants were informed on Friday 4 November 2011.  

We are still interested in hearing from those already running SLTA schemes, and interested in being a part of the 2011-12 project. Please see the information below.

For more information

Unions interested in being part of the 2011-12 SLTA scheme, or who would like more information should contact Oliver Williams who will be happy to help with your enquiries oliver.williams@nus.org.uk

Please also visit the SLTA website. More resources and information will be added throughout the year.

www.studentledteachingawards.org.uk