DCU President’s Awards for Teaching and Learning 2022
Recipients of the DCU President’s Teaching and Learning Awards for 2022 were announced at a ceremony held in The Helix earlier today.
The annual awards recognise the excellence, innovation and commitment of staff involved directly or indirectly with teaching at DCU.
Opening the ceremony, Professor Daire Keogh, DCU President, commended all DCU teaching staff on their efforts over the last year:
“It has been another extraordinarily busy year for teaching staff at DCU, as we returned to face-to-face Teaching and Learning. As illustrated by these awards, DCU teachers and support staff have once again risen to the challenge.
This year’s awards give us a picture of the range of innovative approaches and the depth of expertise among our teaching staff. The nominations also show us that DCU teachers exemplify our “People First” values, going above and beyond to ensure that everyone enrolled at this university has the “transformative student experience” that we promise to deliver.”
Recipients of the 2022 Teaching and Learning Awards, along with a quote on why they were nominated, are as follows:
Teaching Support
The Teaching Support award, which recognises those who make an outstanding contribution to the support of teaching without being ‘frontline’ teaching staff, was awarded to Lisa Donaldson of the Teaching Enhancement Unit.
“I am nominating Lisa Donaldson for the award for Excellence in Teaching as she is the absolute definition of teaching excellence. Having made the Senior Fellowship journey with her, she has guided me in the creation of an Eportfolio, all with patience, professionalism and best pedagogical practice.
Lisa’s work, of course, has not gone unnoticed both within and outside of the university, and she has presented at many conferences in the field of learning technologies.”
Team Award
In the Team Category, which provides an opportunity to recognise core staff teams that provide an exceptional, innovative, or transformational contribution to the student experience, the award went to the DISC project team, which is a collaboration between DCU Business School, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Institute of Education.
“The project directly advances the university’s core commitments to equality, social justice, educational opportunity and ethical behaviour, as well as its values of inclusion identified in its Strategic Plan. The project’s core focus on gender equality, community and interculturalism is very much aligned with the university’s commitment promoting each of these tenets of social justice.”
Distinctive Approaches to Teaching
Dr Alan Gorman from the School of Policy and Practice was the recipient of the Distinctive Approaches to Teaching Award.
“Alan has a great dedication to the module and is always asking for feedback from students. He is so lovely and has such an amazing presence in the lecture halls.”
Distinctive Approaches to Assessment and Feedback
Dr Clare Wilson from the DCU School of Theology, Philosophy & Music was awarded in the Distinctive Approaches to Assessment and Feedback category.
“Clare is always one of the most dedicated lectures I've had through my three years in DCU. As a lecturer, Clare never makes any of her students feel embarrassed to ask question when teaching harmony and always understands what her class needs.”
Distinctive Approaches to Innovation in Teaching
Dr Marina Efthymiou from the DCU Business School received the ‘Distinctive Approaches to Innovation in Teaching’ award.
“Marina’s dedication and determination to see all students succeed in their studies is unparalleled. She works tirelessly to ensure the learning experience is maximised and goes over and above what’s asked of her.”
New Lecturer
The New Lecturer Category recognises relatively new lecturers and tutors for achieving excellence in teaching. This award was presented to Dr Ciara White from the DCU School of Nursing, Psychotherapy & Community Health.
“Using loop as a primary vehicle she is capturing students I feel previously went unheard. She is nurturing to young professionals and accommodating to those who need flexibility at times to balance their commitments. Retention has undoubtedly been affected in a positive way due to her novel approaches”
Overall Winner
Dr Gearóidín Uí Laighléis from Fiontar agus Scoil na Gaeilge was presented with the overall category award.
“Gearóidín’s varied and evolved teaching approaches are evidence of her 35 years of teaching experience. Her creative approach to the material encourages the students to think critically and independently about the issues in the world around them.
Gearóidín has also embraced the possibilities involved in online teaching and technologies. She also believes in sharing her knowledge and expertise and practice with her colleagues as evidenced by in-house formal and informal discussion sessions.”