Rewarding good practice in education and pedagogy

As I leave the University of Portsmouth for a new role at the University of Buckingham, I want to use this last Education Matters blog post to celebrate how at Portsmouth we recognise and reward good practice in education and pedagogy.

This year it was fantastic to see the promotions of a number of academic colleagues via the education pathway. Forty-two staff were promoted to Associate Professor and Professor based on their contributions to the institution, our students and society in general, and seven specifically with teaching and learning in their profiles. 

In addition, we were delighted that Professor Ale Armellini was recognised with a National Teaching Fellowship (NTF) for his outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession in UK higher education (full story here). The call for expressions of interest for this year’s round of Portsmouth applicants for the NTF and the sister Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) scheme has just closed, and it is wonderful to see such enthusiasm and excellent practice in support of our students.

I have also been honoured to chair the University of Portsmouth Principal Fellow (PFHEA) network, the reins of which I have handed over to Ale. Should you wish to explore applying for PFHEA and need a mentor then please contact pfhea@port.ac.uk and also join the national Aspiring PFs network that I co-chair for Advance HE. During my time at Portsmouth a number of colleagues have achieved Principal Fellowship and then mentored others to do so. At Portsmouth I am proud to say that we celebrate our PFs and SFHEAs, and we ensure that their expertise is put to good use in the projects and initiatives that enhance the student learning experience. This is not something that we found was the case in institutions across the sector when we researched this in 2021.

With teaching and learning benefitting from an ever-growing profile across the institution following the launch of the University Education Strategy, and of course, this Education Matters blog (with nearly 30 contributors overall), it is an exciting time for L&T colleagues.

Author: Professor Harriet Dunbar-Morris, Dean of Learning and Teaching, Professor of Student Experience, University of Portsmouth