Two University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) academics have collected prestigious awards which recognise their outstanding impact in higher education teaching.
Dr Clive Palmer, Senior Lecturer in Sport, PE and the Outdoors; and Anna Coonan-Byrom, Lecturer in Midwifery, took to the stage recently to receive their Advance HE National Teaching Fellowships (NTF).
The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme showcases the outstanding impact of individuals and teams who teach or support learning in UK higher education, recognising their success and providing a platform to share the learning from their practice
Clive, who draws upon his varied background in sport, engineering, the arts and philosophy to experiment with teaching innovations, said: “I am delighted and honoured to receive this NTF award. It is recognition for my efforts to promote learning in exciting ways, to challenge the traditional hierarchy of knowledge creation and refocus on the status of authorship in academia – concerning who might be learning from whom.”
After training as an RAF Apprentice Engineer, Clive became a school teacher and since 2000 he has worked as a lecturer/curriculum designer-come-research supervisor in higher education. In 2007, he established the peer-reviewed Journal of Qualitative Research in Sports Studies as an ‘academic window’ for student research and he is also Editor of the Sporting Image series of books.
Recognising the vocational-academic divide in higher education for studying Outdoor Leadership, Sport and Physical Education, Clive has been influential nationally for curriculum change, bridging this divide, specifically by generating a demand for learning through literacy.
Anna, who is a member of UCLan’s Maternal and Infant Nutrition and Nurture Unit, commented: “It is such a privilege to receive this award recognising my desire to transform midwifery education, through dynamic, student-centred approaches, to improve outcomes for all women and babies.”
She led the vision and operational framework for an immersive case-based learning midwifery curriculum, that stimulates social and active learning with ‘real-life’ application. This curriculum approach has had national and global impact.
Alongside her commitment to enabling knowledge translation and democracy, Anna’s passion for digital innovation prompted her most recent work as the Director of All4Maternity.com a global online learning platform. This site offers access to two practice-focused, peer-reviewed journals and multi-media resources to support maternity care workers around the world. As the first midwifery publisher of The Practising Midwife, a global journal for everyday midwives, she recently launched ‘The Student Midwife’, the world’s first journal for students. Celebrating her ethos of students as partners, this journal is written for students, by students, stimulating a global student learning community, strengthening 21st Century skills.
Clive and Anna received their awards at a black-tie event in Manchester alongside 52 other higher education professionals from around the country.
Alison Johns, Advance HE’s Chief Executive, said: “Congratulations to all our 2019 winners. Becoming a National Teaching Fellow is a huge achievement. It can be truly life-changing. Creating ambassadors for innovative and impactful teaching who are valued by institutions and colleagues, and who can set in motion change and enhancements to make a really positive impact on student experience and outcomes across their institution and beyond.
“Advance HE looks forward to working with the winners to help to disseminate their work for the benefit of all.”
Dr Ben Calvert, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of South Wales and Chair of the 2019 Teaching Excellence Awards Advisory Panel, added: “These awards really are the pinnacle of reward and recognition in teaching and learning.
“The 2019 winners are rightly proud of their achievements and I am sure they will continue to share their knowledge as individuals and teams so that their institutions, colleagues and the wider higher education sector can benefit from their expertise.”
