SEFS Student-Nominated Teaching Staff Award

5 Jun 2017

The Seventh Annual Student-Nominated Staff Teaching Awards across SEFS Programmes have been selected for 2016-2017.

Award recipients were blindly selected by the College of SEFS Teaching Learning & Student Experience (TLSE) Committee following a two stage process organised through the College of SEFS Office, whereby students across the College were initially invited to nominate teaching staff they deemed worthy of the award from which an initial shortlist was drawn, followed by a second stage whereby (other) students taking modules of the teaching staff on the shortlist were randomly selected and invited to provide additional feedback.

Below are the winners and runners up, along with a small selection of their respective student comments:

Winner: Dr. Stuart Collins, Department of Chemistry

• Dr. Collins is one of the most outstanding lecturers I've come across during my degree. He is very friendly and approachable and as a lecturer he is very organised and prepared. His courses are always challenging and stimulating, helping to deepen your understanding and broaden your perspective of chemistry as a whole. A recommendation for this award for Dr. Collins is justly deserved and if selected he would make a worthy recipient.
• Dr. Stuart Collins is by far the best lecturer I've had. His explanations are clear and thorough and his teaching method of carrying the class through each procedure step by step on the board makes understanding the content so easy. His exam prep and the effort he puts into his lectures is beyond anything I've experienced from any other lecturer. This award was made for him, he is my inspiration for wanting to pursue organic chemistry.
• Dr. Collins is undoubtedly an outstanding lecturer. He is enthusiastic and concise in his presentation and explanation of the material and is always willing to answer any questions. His lectures are always enjoyable.

Runners-Up (Joint):

Dr. Simon Harrison, School of BEES

• I was very fortunate to have Simon as a mentor for a literature review essay this year, from the outset he was always happy to meet with his students to discuss their respective topic in detail. His knowledge of a very wide range of topics is evident and he was a great help in the layout of the project, as well as giving general advice on the topic. In addition, the quality of his lectures in both content and presentation goes a long way to keeping his students interested and engaged in their studies.
• He was the best lecturer I had this year and shows a passion for the subject matter and easily makes the content enjoyable through his approachable and relaxed demeanour during lectures.
• His lectures were informative and interesting, using examples that made it easier for first years to understand and comprehend the subject being taught.

Mr. David Waldron, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences

• Mr. David Waldron was extremely helpful before exams, he did a pre-exam review and made out simple review notes for the class. He was also very helpful to myself individually as he helped extremely in advising what I should do for an upcoming presentation for a job interview.
• David is a very enthusiastic lecturer who goes above and beyond to ensure that all students understand topics. His passion and the fact that he is so approachable definitely makes him a worth recipient of this award. His capability to make complicated topics easier to understand has certainly helped me throughout the year, I would have otherwise really struggled!!!
• Mr. David Waldron is excellent at his job and it is clear that he cares for his students and is willing to give up as much time as possible in order to ensure students understand and are happy with the module content. I think David is very deserving of this award and would be delighted to be taught by him again in the future. He is very helpful and thoughtful and it's clear he is very passionate about his job.