Awards to uncover the stars of Warwick

This term sees the launch of the first STARS at Warwick award ceremony, a student-led event that allows students to nominate their academic teaching staff for an award where they have gone above and beyond for the benefit of their students.

Successfully piloted in Scottish universities, Warwick Students’ Union said that the awards will differ from the University awards on the basis that STARS at Warwick is a student-led awards scheme, with more awards given out, and is focused on different aspects of teaching.

Students’ Union Education Officer Sean Ruston said, “What we are working towards is something that works together with the University awards, not in competition with it.”

He added, “The awards are important as we need to incentivise good teaching in the University.”

Ruston claimed that current academic incentive structures in terms of career progression and pay are focused around research. The awards bring in a way to further incentivise teaching and will make sure that good teaching becomes a more rewarded and recognised practice at Warwick.

The awards will be given on the basis of qualitative nominations as opposed to quantitative, meaning that it is not the numbers of nominations that is important, but the substance of them. The Students’ Union thus urge that it is not a popularity contest, but a genuine awards scheme to reward good teaching.

Over one hundred nominations have been submitted so far, indicating good student support for the awards. Students can nominate a teacher by going on the Students’ Union website or posting a nomination form into one of the ballot boxes around campus.

Nominations close in week five and the awards ceremony will be held on March 8 later this term in the Chancellors Suite in the Rootes Building.