Birkbeck Excellence in Teaching Award

Introduction

The Birkbeck Excellence in Teaching Award (BETA) is open to all Birkbeck staff engaged in teaching students within the College.   The Scheme’s main aim is to support and encourage excellence in teaching and learning by providing formal recognition of pedagogic achievement.   BETA is an integral part of the College’s Learning and Teaching Strategy, and up to three awards of £1000 are available annually.

Benefits of participating in the scheme

BETA offers staff the opportunity to gain formal recognition for the development of excellent practice related to teaching, learning or assessment.  Application for a BETA award can also provide a good preparation for applications to the Higher Education Academy's annual National Teaching Fellowship Scheme. 

In addition, achievement of the Award is a valuable addition to a CV when applying for promotion or study leave.  A successful application for BETA can also provide a structured base for bids to the Birkbeck Development Fund if funds are needed to extend the project concerned, and will be taken into account when Development Fund applications are considered.

Applying for a Birkbeck Excellence in Teaching Award

The BETA Award is retrospective, so to apply for an award a staff member must have designed and delivered a teaching/learning/assessment project which demonstrates excellence.   An award application must be submitted, which should comprise a brief overview of the project, including:

The context and academic rationale for the project

Project structure

Project outcomes

How project outcomes can inform College learning and teaching practice and support and enrich the student learning experience

N.B. The application should be no longer than two A4 sides.

The Awards Panel

The Awards Panel will meet soon after the deadline for applications, and the outcome of the meeting will be notified to all applicants as promptly as possible. Membership of the panel is as follows:

Pro-Vice-Master for Teaching and Learning

Director of the Centre for Learning and Professional Development

College e-Learning Coordinator

Staff Development Manager

An independent assessor

Successful candidates will be expected to submit a detailed report on their project to the Awards Panel, and to offer a seminar on the project to academic colleagues (this will be arranged through the Centre for Learning and Professional Development).

Applications will be invited during the spring term 2010.

(Updated Nov 2009)