Top teachers win £10k for making an outstanding impact

England's and Northern Ireland's top 50 university teachers and learning support staff were announced this week, writes Jessica Shepherd.

The Higher Education Academy chose the winners from 242 nominees from universities and higher education colleges.

The 50 winners have become National Teaching fellows and will each receive £10,000 towards helping students to learn.

Lecturers and support staff within the education and health science disciplines were the best represented, with 17 winners. Leeds University had three winners, the most of any institution.

Judges chose the fellows for their "outstanding impact on the student learning experience".

The winners include Dan Lloyd, a pharmacology lecturer at Kent University, whose undergraduates have turned research projects into magazine articles, CD-Roms and websites.

Simon Sweeney (pictured), head of the masters in international studies at York St John University, was given the award for excellence in teaching and an innovative use of the curriculum.

Peter Weigold, a music professor at Brunel University, encouraged his students to perform in schools, hospitals and residential homes.

The awards were open to all higher education staff involved in student learning. There were a maximum of three entries per institution.

Paul Ramsden, HEA chief executive, said: "The awards aim to raise the profile of learning and teaching; recognise and celebrate individuals who make an outstanding impact on the student learning experiences; and provide a national focus for institutional teaching and learning excellence schemes."

NATIONAL TEACHING FELLOWS 2006

• Guillaume Alinier , Hertfordshire University;
• Alasdair Blair , Coventry University;
• Michael Bradford , Manchester University;
• Elizabeth Davenport , Queen Mary, University of London;
• John Dickens , Loughborough University;
• Timothy Dornan , Manchester;
• Andrew Folkard , Lancaster University;
• Gregory Garrard , Bath Spa University;
• Graham Gibbs , Huddersfield University;
• Melanie Gibson , Northumbria University;
• Kathleen Green , University of London;
• Mary Hartog , Middlesex University;
• Fraser Hatfield , Liverpool University;
• Deirdre Heenan , Ulster University;
• Anne Hill , University of Central England;
• Andrew Hugill , De Montfort University;
• Keith Johnstone , Cambridge University;
• Indra Jones , Hertfordshire;
• Helen King , Plymouth University;
• Robert Lambourne , Open University;
• Daniel Lloyd , Kent University;
• Mary Luckhurst , York University;
• George Macdonald Ross , Leeds University;
• Julia Magill-Cuerden ,Thames Valley University;
• Christopher Megone , Leeds;
• Mark Miodownik , King's College London;
• Jenny Moon , Bournemouth University;
• David Morley , Warwick University;
• Nicholas Morton , UCE;
• Jenny Naish , Middlesex University;
• Gill Needham , Open University;
• David Oddie , College of St Mark and St John;
• John Phelps , Goldsmith's, University of London;
• Jill Raggett , Writtle College;
• Catherine Reynolds , Sussex University;
• Trudie Roberts , Leeds;
• Carolyn Roberts , Gloucestershire University;
• Gillian Salmon , Leicester University;
• Christopher Sangwin , Birmingham University;
• Kim Scarborough , University of the West of England;
• Michael Sosabowski , Brighton University;
• Susan Starkings , London South Bank University;
• Simon Sweeney , York St John College;
• Peter Thompson , York University;
• Cecile Tschirhart , London Metropolitan University;
• Rogelio Vallejo , Bristol University;
• Simon Walker , Greenwich University;
• Helena Webster , Oxford Brookes University;
• Evelyn Welch , Queen Mary, University of London;
• Peter Weigold , Brunel University.