National College of Ireland is very proud to see so many of its faculty and staff named ‘Teaching Heroes’.
Congratulations to:
April Hargreaves
Caroline Kennedy
Dermot Bradfield
Dermot Killen
Fabián Armendáriz
Fearghal O’Brien
Joe Wilde
Karen Mooney
Karen Murray
Michelle Kelly
Paul Hanly
Pauline Kelly Phelan
Victor Del Rosal
In the coming weeks, our Teaching Heroes will receive a Teaching Hero Award scroll and digital badge in recognition of their wonderful achievement, and we do hope they allow us join in congratulating them by sharing images on social media and tagging @NCIRL.
These awards come from ‘unprompted’ student nominations, so it is very gratifying to see so many NCI people amongst the 870 names from 32 organisations. Particular thanks must go to the students who took the time to enter nominations, and to our own NCISU for encouraging participation.
This is the third time that T&L Ireland (The National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education) and the USI (Union of Students in Ireland) have worked together, along with individual SUs, to celebrate the country’s Teaching Heroes.
This year’s Awards were non-competitive, with all those, who received nominations and were happy to accept an Award, being included in the list of Awardees. The Awards video, featuring the names of all Teaching Heroes – including NCI’s baker’s dozen – alongside examples of the nominations received can be viewed here.
In late 2020, students were asked to respond to the following:
“Tell us about your higher education Teaching Hero in 150 words or less. Don’t just tell us that your Teaching Hero was great ... tell us why.”
Students were encouraged to consider the wide range of those who teach, including lecturing staff, tutors, supervisors, technicians, librarians and any who are involved in teaching students across the sector.
The nomination process provides an opportunity for students to shine a light on some of those who have made a difference to them during their studies. Across the three iterations of the Awards, over 6,500 students have taken time to submit nominations. Data from previous Teaching Hero Awards, published here, show that students who participated in the nomination process valued their teachers for certain kinds of characteristics and behaviour. Typical of these included: generosity with time, approachability, helpfulness, passion for their subject, encouraging of student learning, and skilled communication. Examples of how well those who teach responded to the pandemic context was also mentioned by many students in submissions received in 2020.