Provost's Teaching Awards 2012-2013
The winners of the Provost's Teaching Awards 2012-2013 were announced at a ceremony in the Provost's House on Wednesday 12th June 2013.
From left to right: The Provost Dr Patrick Prendergast, Dr. Christopher Nicholas, Dr. Robert Armstrong, Dr. Zuleika Rodgers, Dr. Nicholas Johnson, Prof. Luke O'Neill & Prof Veronica Campbell, the Dean of Graduate Studies
From left to right: The Provost Dr Patrick Prendergast, Ms. Jade Concannon, Academic Practice, Dr. Christopher Nicholas, Dr. Robert Armstrong, Dr. Zuleika Rodgers, Dr. Nicholas Johnson, Prof. Luke O'Neill & Prof Veronica Campbell, the Dean of Graduate Studies
From left to right: Prof. Luke O'Neill, Dr. Christopher Nicholas, Dr. Robert Armstrong, Dr. Nicholas Johnson & Dr. Zuleika Rodgers
From left to right: Prof Veronica Campbell, the Dean of Graduate Studies/Chair of the Provost's Teaching Award Review Panel & The Provost Dr Patrick Prendergast
Dr. Robert Armstrong, School of Histories & Humanities
He has high expectations of his undergraduate students, expecting them to be capable of original thought and opinion, and to contribute to discussion rather than simply rehashing material learned by rote. Combined with his outstanding calibre of teaching, this allows his students to truly understand historical material and make real contributions to historical scholarship, whilst igniting a passion for political history many never previously had, making him one of the most outstanding teachers in Trinity College.
Student Nomination
Dr. Nicholas Johnson, School of Drama, Film & Music (Early Career Award)
In the world of theatre, confidence is arguably the most vital for the aspiring director, playwright or actor. Dr Johnson instils his students with the creative lifeblood of confidence, filling them with the belief necessary to pursue their creative and academic endeavours….. Dr Johnson deserves to be rewarded for his extraordinary work in the drama department, his inspirational teaching, and the confidence and self belief he has instilled in students..
Student Nomination
Dr. Christopher Nicholas, School of Natural Sciences
In conclusion, the most essential ingredient to excellent teaching is passion for the subject. This is rarely more true than when faced with the challenge of bringing 'boring' and 'dead' rocks alive. The nominee has demonstrated that he has this skill in spades, he has single-handedly propelled our SF enrolment, is preparing our best SS for a life after College and has done so carrying a very high teaching load. I cannot think of a more deserving candidate to be awarded the Provost's Teaching Award.
Peer Reviewer
Prof. Luke O’Neill, School of Biochemistry & Immunology
He always has new jokes to crack, clever ways of illustrating his ideas and data and a turn of phrase that regularly raises a laugh. People always leave Luke’s lectures chattering and smiling. The undergraduates are always so proud to have been in his classes, and having Luke lecture a module guarantees a full house.
Peer Reviewer
Dr. Zuleika Rodgers, School of Languages, Literatures & Cultural Studies
No-one who has heard Dr Rodgers talk about her subject area or her teaching could doubt her passionate commitment to them. Her knowledge, passion and humanity all flow into her teaching both in the Trinity classroom and in all her outreach activities, and she would be a worthy and very deserving recipient of the prestigious Provost’s Teaching Award.
Peer Reviewer
Those who were shortlisted received a certificate of commendation from the Provost.
Ms. Michelle Leech, School of Medicine
"Michelle’s approach to scholarship is enthusiastic, organised and open-minded. Enthusiastic in that she always tries to make her teaching enjoyable and share her interest in her subject(s) with the students. Organised in that her lectures are well layed out and follow a clear structure. Open-minded in that she always ensures she delivers the most up-to-date information, welcomes questions and criticisms from students and her peers, and always works at improving her skills".
Staff Nomination
Dr. Kathleen McTiernan, School of Linguistic, Speech & Communication Sciences
"Her passion and love of her subject is patent and makes her lectures a joy to attend. Her willingness to devote time outside of her lectures to her students makes her an approachable and extremely likeable professor while maintaining control over her students. Her lectures are fascinating and full of energy as she invites input from her students and invites to form our own thoughts and theories regarding various psychologists and their theories. She has given me a new perspective on life and myself".
Student Nomination
Dr. Ciaran O'Neill, School of Histories & Humanities
"Ciaran takes a level of active interest in his students beyond that of any faculty member I have encountered. Through his informal style he fosters greater participation in his seminar-based classes, even from quieter students, than I have ever seen. His door is always open to students and he is happy to invest time and effort into helping with problems and aspirations".
Student Nomination
Dr. David Prendergast, School of Law
"I have also witnessed Mr Prendergast's lecturing at first hand in the co-taught module on legal philosophy. Here he has designed a module that has become an exemplar for other modules in terms of student participation and innovative employment of online resources. The students in the class regularly cite it as one of if not the most rewarding modules in their third level education".
Staff Nomination
Dr. Ian Sanders, School of Natural Sciences
"Ian Sanders has a devoted following of alumni, extending back to graduates of the 1970s, who have been inspired by his teaching at JF, SF, JS and SS levels. Ian has constantly honed his teaching skills to benefit both the less able student and the potential star".
Staff Nomination
Dr. John Walsh, School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences
"John Walsh is so passionate about educating his students and it’s obvious that he has their best interests at heart. He explains every bit of material very clearly and simply. He even has regular class assessments to see how the class is getting on - if people are not fully understanding the topic he will revise the subject and if all seem in control then he will resume".
Student Nomination
About the Awards
The Provost’s Teaching Award Scheme is designed to recognise and reward those who have made an outstanding contribution in the pursuit of teaching excellence. The prestige of the award reflects the value which Trinity places on promoting teaching as a scholarly activity and the importance placed on enriching the learning opportunities of its students. The scope of the initiative is broad, covering all aspects of teaching, learning and assessment, and seeks to:
- Provide recognition for excellent teaching
- Reward teaching staff who are creative in their approaches to teaching and learning and who use a variety of mechanisms to achieve their learning outcomes
- Share best practice across College and encourage teaching staff to consider other approaches to course design, delivery and assessment
- Reaffirm that curriculum development, teaching, learning, assessment and evaluation, are important activities in College requiring high level expertise
- Encourage teaching staff to reflect critically on their teaching practice
Each award is to the value of €3,000. At least one will be an Early Career Award for nominees with not more than five years full-time third-level teaching experience at the time of nomination (or equivalent as determined by the committee). If an applicant meets the existing criteria and additionally demonstrates in their application ‘evidence of sustained commitment to teaching excellence, supporting learning and it is clear that the scholarship of the nominee has been inspirational and/or influential among academic colleagues within or beyond the institution’ the nominee may also be considered for a Lifetime Achievement Award.
It is requested that the award winners would contribute to the CAPSL programme of events.
- Guidelines 2012 -2013 (Word Doc, 64KB)
- Teaching Excellence Application Form 2012 -2013 (Word Doc, 62KB)
- Peer Reviewer Report Form 2012 -2013 (Word Doc, 46KB)
- Developing a Philosophy of Teaching Statement (PDF, 61KB)
- Preparing your Teaching Excellence Application Form 2012-2013 (Word Doc, 30KB)
- Provost's Teaching Award Winners Archive