Teaching excellence awards for Leeds

Academics at the University have been recognised with a National Teaching Fellowship and Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence.

Dr Alison Voice has been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship (NTF) and the School of Biomedical Sciences’ Capstone Experience Team, led by Dr Dave Lewis, received a Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE).

The awards – managed by Advance HE –  further strengthen the University’s position as a leader in student education. Leeds has one of the highest numbers of National Teaching Fellows in the UK and was awarded Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework. The new ten-year University Strategy builds on strong foundations, highlighting a deeper partnership with students, embracing new inclusive and active educational approaches.

Congratulations to Alison and the Capstone Experience team on their achievements, which highlight the role we can all play in enhancing students’ education and experience at Leeds.

Professor Jeff Grabill, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Education, said: “Congratulations to Alison and the Capstone Experience team on their achievements, which highlight the role we can all play in enhancing students’ education and experience at Leeds. 

“Alison’s commitment to innovative pedagogy, as well as to the employability and engagement of students throughout her career, is an inspiration. It is wonderful to see her recognised for the impact she has had on both her peers and students. 

“Empowering students is at the heart of our inclusive educational approach at Leeds and the Capstone team's work is a model of co-creation and partnership. 

"These successes are timely reminders of the positive impact that sharing ideas and working together as a community can have on students’ education and development, and why it is at the heart of our strategy for the next 10 years.” 

National Teaching Fellow – Dr Alison Voice 

The NTF scheme celebrates and recognises individuals who have made an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession in higher education.  

Throughout her career, Dr Alison Voice, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Physics and Astronomy and leader of the University’s Physics Education Research Group, has combined scientific research with innovative developments in the teaching of physics.

The NTF scheme is recognised nationally and internationally and I am excited to join this ever-growing community of practitioners who are passionate about making a difference to the education and futures of students everywhere.

Dr Voice said: “I am honoured and delighted to receive this award.  

“The NTF scheme is recognised nationally and internationally and I am excited to join this ever-growing community of practitioners who are passionate about making a difference to the education and futures of students everywhere.” 

As a national leader in physics education, the impact of her work has been felt well beyond her own discipline thanks to her support of vast numbers of students and staff through creative reflective processes, encouraging the development of professional skills and instigating a system of peer support.  

She has also helped develop national and international policy through work with a number of organisations such as the Institute of Physics, Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (OFQUAL) and the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), where she was a member of the team invited to write the Benchmark Statement for Physics and Astronomy from scratch.

Dr Voice is also a role model and mentor, having been appointed the school’s first female lecturer in 1995. In addition, she also involved in the creation of the Leeds-South West Jiaotong School of Engineering in Chengdu, where she now mentors three staff to teach in innovative ways. 

CATE Award Winner – Capstone Experience Team 

The CATE, first Introduced in 2016, highlights the role teamwork plays in enhancing teaching and learning through collaborative approaches.

This is the first time the University has won the award.

The Capstone Experience Team in the School of Biomedical Sciences received the award in recognition of its work with internal and external partners, along with the exceptional student experience and sector-wide impact its projects have provided.  

Capstone projects are offered as a final-year undergraduate module and give students an opportunity to focus on personal and professional development instead of working on a more traditional research project.  

Industry-focused projects are available for those wishing to use their science outside of research, while civic and society options are offered for those wishing to use their skills in the wider community.

Receiving this award is a fantastic achievement and recognition for the team and University of the exceptional student experience we strive to provide.

The team’s leader, Dr Dave Lewis, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology and Scientific Ethics said: “Receiving this award is a fantastic achievement, and recognition for the team and University of the exceptional student experience we strive to provide. I want to personally thank everybody for their contributions.

“This is just the start of a journey for both ourselves and colleagues globally.”  

During the current pandemic, with limited access to research facilities, bioscience educators globally struggled to conduct traditional research projects, so the team ran online workshops and supported them through the introduction of Capstone projects as an alternative. 

Their work has informed the revision and broadening of both UK bioscience accrediting bodies’ project accreditation criterion, and Dr Lewis has also been awarded a Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence Fellowship to work with educators across the University seeking to introduce Capstones into their own programmes. 

Further information

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