National award for lecturer

A University of Wolverhampton lecturer has won a prestigious national award in recognition of his innovative approach to teaching and supporting students.

Dr Brendan Bartram, Senior Lecturer in Education Studies, has been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

Dr Bartram’s work focuses on the experiences of international students, and the experiences and support needs of UK students on international programmes in higher education.

He is also a firm believer in ‘transformative’ education and believes effective learning requires students to do something, ideally by working with each other.

Dr Bartram is among 55 lecturers and learning support staff who have been awarded National Teaching Fellowships, the most prestigious awards for excellence in higher education teaching and support for learning. He is the eighth person from the University of Wolverhampton to receive a NTF.

The award winners were chosen from over 180 nominations submitted by higher education institutions across England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Each will receive an award of £10,000 which may be used for Fellows’ professional development in teaching and learning.

Dr Bartram, from the University’s School for Education Futures based at the Walsall Campus, said: “I'm really delighted to have received the National Teaching Fellowship award.

“The more you can take students through interesting experiences and exchanges through a two-way dialogue, the more they will engage.”

As well as working with undergraduates, Brendan teaches international students on the MA in Education and coordinates an international dual degree in Education Studies and English, run in conjunction with the Hogeschool van Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

His research interests include foreign language education, comparative education and international education programmes. Recent publications have examined school pupils’ attitudes to foreign language learning in England, Germany and the Netherlands, and various aspects of pedagogy in higher education.

The National Teaching Fellowship scheme is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, and the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland, and is open to staff whose roles support the student learning experience at institutions in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Successful nominees for the National Teaching Fellowship were backed by their institutions and submissions had to show evidence of three criteria: individual excellence, raising the profile of excellence and developing excellence.

ENDS

Picture: Dr Brendan Bartram For more information please contact Vickie Warren in the Media Relations Office on 01902 322736