Buckinghamshire New University is among 15 winners of the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE), announced by Advance HE this week.

The University’s Academic Enhancement Team has been recognised for work developing higher and degree apprenticeships and will receive the award at a ceremony in Manchester on 16 October.

Advance HE has also announced 54 new National Teaching Fellows (NTFS) and is recognising the outstanding impact of individuals and teams who teach or support learning in UK higher education, marking their success and providing a platform to share the learning from their practice.

Professor Nick Braisby, Vice-Chancellor of Bucks New University, said: “This success in winning such a prestigious national award is a great endorsement of the work of our Academic Enhancement Team.

“They have helped the University develop a high-quality apprenticeships offer and do so more quickly than many other higher education institutions.

“We are delighted to have our achievements recognised in this way by Advance HE and I offer my sincerest congratulations to all of the team.”

Julie Irwin, Director for Student Success at Bucks New University, said: “The Academic Enhancement team at Bucks feel we have led the way in developing higher and degree apprenticeships in the HE sector."

“Through effective collaborative working practices, we have developed powerful tools to support the apprenticeship curriculum development process and establish a growing community of practice around apprenticeships at Bucks and beyond.

“Collaboration has been the driving force behind the successful development of this work-based learning framework, and is a vital ingredient in our employer-side discussions, and in programme development with academic teams.”

Bucks New University currently offers 12 Apprenticeship programmes and Julie paid tribute to the work of team members Rebecca Rochon, John Knight, and Heather Boyd-Savidge in the programmes’ success.

Alison Johns, Advance HE’s chief executive, said, “Congratulations to all our 2019 winners of these two prestigious, national awards.

“Becoming a National Teaching Fellow or winning CATE team 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, said: “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.”
 

Picture caption: The Academic Enhancement Team of Heather Boyd-Savidge, John Knight, Julie Irwin, and Rebecca Rochon.