Essex named as finalist in Global Teaching Excellence Award 2017

An international panel of judges has selected the University of Essex as a finalist in the Higher Education Academy’s first Global Teaching Excellence Awards.

Just 27 universities from around the world were selected as finalists – including institutions from the UK, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa and Switzerland.

A place in the final is recognition of institution-wide approaches to teaching excellence. The awards, in partnership with Times Higher Education, were open to all providers of higher education around the world and an overall winner will be announced at a special ceremony in London on Monday 4 September.

Professor Aletta Norval, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education), said: “Students are at the heart of everything we do and being selected as a finalist in these awards underlines our global reputation and is another tribute to the transformational education we deliver at Essex.

“We’re in a very select group of universities that are recognised for excelling in teaching and research - having received a gold rating in this year’s Teaching Excellence Framework having won the THE Leadership and Management Award for the Teaching and Learning Strategy of the year - and in research, with a top 20 ranking in the Research Excellence Framework.

“We are proud to be a dual intensive university, equally committed to delivering excellence in education and research, and thus providing a truly world-leading research-led educational experience for our students."

Judges reviewed the University’s approach to delivering a transformational educational experience including the embedding of research knowledge in the curriculum and the encouragement of students to develop a research mind-set. They also noted the close working relationship with the Students’ Union and the focus on both the academic and extra-curricular elements of education including employability.

Svava Bjarnason, chair of the GTEA judging panel and a former member of the World Bank Education Sector Board, said, “Our panel was looking for robust evidence of excellence in three areas: leadership, teaching and in student support.

Professor Stephanie Marshall, HEA Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are delighted by the response to the inaugural GTEA and I add my congratulations to all the finalists.

“The HEA’s mission is about improving learning outcomes by raising the status and quality of teaching in higher education, and these awards help do that by highlighting outstanding practice wherever it is happening in the world.”