TALENT shows talents on national stage with Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence

A Faculty team’s outstanding contributions to learning and teaching have been rewarded by a leading national award scheme.

The Teaching and Learning Enhancement NeTwork (TALENT), in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, received the prestigious Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) by Advance HE.

The network of colleagues, which works across all nine EPS schools – including the Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU)-Leeds Joint School – shares and develops learning and teaching practice through scholarly approaches, while also supporting career development.

TALENT was launched in 2018 by founders Duncan Borman, Joanne Shiel, Craig Evans, Hayley Whitefoot, Dan Trowsdale, and Samantha Pugh, and scaled up those impromptu corridor conversations into a thriving network of 150 academics, providing technical and community-based support to enhance and transform student education.

Leaning on the experience of its like-minded, passionate members, TALENT is a friendly, enjoyable and supportive forum for EPS academics that helps to assess, inspire and engage students at Leeds. Everyone is free to contribute ideas and viewpoints, resulting in a diverse range of events that align with personal passions, such as inclusivity, learning design, teaching non-native English speakers and automated marking.

TALENT has improved the sense of community and belonging within the faculty, increased job satisfaction, and sparked a greater interest in pedagogy and scholarship. It has kept the EPS academic community connected throughout key changes and challenges.

The team also embraces an international perspective, benefitting from partnership and collaboration with SWJTU-Leeds. Colleagues from both institutions share their knowledge, experiences and expertise in learning and teaching, fostering mutual respect and understanding.

TALENT team, L-R: Duncan Borman, Joanne Shiel, Dan Trowsdale, Samantha Pugh, Hayley Whitefoot, and Craig Evans.

Dan Trowsdale, an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering who also received a National Teaching Fellowship (NTF) last year, said of his team’s award: “It’s an honour to be recognised alongside my peers for this national award.

“Being part of a such a friendly and collaborative team of people has been enormously rewarding for me personally. I think we all thrive when we’re around like-minded people who are willing to share their ideas and experiences.

“I very much look forward to continuing to learn, not only from the founders but the wider network of colleagues who make up the membership of TALENT and are focussed on developing excellence in teaching.”

He added: “Massive thanks go to the Organisational Development and Professional Learning (OD&PL) team, together with mentors Kate Exley and Peter Hartley for their professional support in writing the claims.”

This year, TALENT was joined in success by the Faculty of Medicine and Health’s Dr Pam Birtill, Associate Professor of Psychology and Academic Lead for Assessment and Feedback, who was recognised for her pioneering work in the field of assessment with an NTF.

Managed by Advance HE – a charity working with partners across the globe to improve higher education for staff, students and society – both accolades celebrate excellent practice and outstanding achievement in learning and teaching in the sector. They also reflect the commitment at Leeds to creating an inclusive student experience and demonstrate our reputation as a leader in student education.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Education, Professor Jeff Grabill, said: “Congratulations to both Pam and the TALENT team. They are exactly that – extremely talented and inspiring colleagues, committed to creating a truly exceptional learning experience for our students.

“These outstanding achievements also demonstrate how crucial collaboration and the sharing of ideas are in students’ academic and personal development, which is at the heart of everything we do here at Leeds.

“Their innovation is something we all aspire to, and I’m delighted their success has been recognised at the highest level.”

Transforming lives

A total of 55 higher education professionals and 17 CATE teams nationally have been recognised for their outstanding contribution to excellent teaching this year.

Alison Johns, Advance HE Chief Executive, said: “We know that higher education has the power to transform lives but this doesn’t happen by default.

“Outstanding teaching is the result of knowledge, commitment, passion, energy and creativity. All of these 2024 winners demonstrate these attributes and put them into practice with excellent results.

“It is vital for student success that we invest in higher education teaching and promote the value of excellence. Congratulations to each and every one of you for this prestigious prize.” As with our own University of Leeds Teaching Awards, the Advance HE accolades are competitive schemes. Both Leeds recipients were winners in last year’s Teaching Awards. Discover more about the NTF and CATE, together with how we select and support our nominees at Leeds.

Further information

• For media enquiries, or for more information about TALENT, contact Faculty Communications Manager Matt Gardner via M.D.Gardner@leeds.ac.uk.