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July 27, 2021, by khyx2lyn

School of Psychology wins Lord Dearing Award!

The School of Psychology bagged a prestigious Lord Dearing Award for the academic year of 2020/2021! The Lord Dearing Award is presented by the University of Nottingham to staff across all three Nottingham campuses (UK, MY and CN), and recognises the efforts of staff to provide quality education and support to the students. Nominations are sent in by both staff and students.

Here is what Dr Jess Price, former Director of Teaching and Learning for the School of Psychology and team lead on the application for the award, had to say:

We were recently awarded a Lord Dearing Award for providing excellence in the learning environment. To be nominated is an honour in itself, to be awarded one during the pandemic is truly humbling. As part of the nomination process, we were given the opportunity to talk about our practices and what we do to support students. It made us realise that we tend to focus on which aspects we could improve on further without noticing the good things we already do as a school. We have always taken a holistic, student-centred approach, which has enhanced the student experience in real and important ways.

We were pro-active in supporting our students when the pandemic first hit, with regular updates sent via email reassuring students that we will support their learning. In addition to the regular Learning Community Forums, we asked students for feedback after every teaching session when we first moved to online teaching. We added extra Q&A sessions for our international students in different time zones to try and reduce the impact on their learning.

We are very lucky to have such wonderful students, it has not been easy for them. We have tried hard to support their learning but also their wellbeing during these difficult times. We introduced regular “tea breaks” on Microsoft Teams. These informal sessions give staff and students the opportunity to connect and gives us a sense of community.

I am very lucky to belong to a school with such dedicated, supportive academic staff. The adjustment to online teaching was not easy, and we made sure to share any tips with each other. It also helps that we have Markus, our superstar lab technician, his assistance, particularly in practicals has been much appreciated by staff and students alike.

On behalf of everyone in the School of Psychology, we thank the organising committee for recognising the hard work that the staff put in during a year of uncertainty and risk, and we hope to reach new heights in providing impactful education to our students!

The full list of winners can be found via this link: https://pd-systems.nottingham.ac.uk/lord-dearing/results

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