University News Last updated 03 May 2012
A high-flying group of staff and students from Birmingham City University have been rewarded for going the extra mile in their efforts to provide students with a great University experience.
The ‘Extra Mile’ Awards - organised by Birmingham City Students’ Union - were designed to give students the opportunity to recognise members of staff who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to deliver an outstanding service. They also included the University’s annual Student Rep Awards, which gave staff and students the chance to recognise those Course and Faculty Reps who go ‘the extra mile’ on behalf of the students they represent.
The award categories were set by Birmingham City University students, were based on what students believe good teaching to mean, and included awards for ‘Extra support for students’, ‘Innovative use of Technologies’ and ‘Creative and Engaging Teaching’.
Oeiisha Williams, Education and Welfare Officer at Birmingham City Students Union, said: “We think that it is important to celebrate the great work that happens within the University, sometimes unrecognized. Students appreciated the chance for their voices to be heard in this way, which was seen in many of our glowing nominations. Staff who had been nominated were overwhelmed by students taking the time to nominate them. Some were genuinely surprised by the nomination as they ‘were just doing their job’, which showed that going the extra mile for students was part of their daily work.”
The Birmingham City University ‘Extra Mile’ Awards form part of a national project supported by the National Union of Students and the Higher Education Academy.
Oeiisha added: “We firmly believe that students are the most important people to take into consideration when it comes to recognising what constitutes good teaching. Unlike other awards, our Extra Mile Awards are entirely based on student nominations, and as such we believe that they recognise those staff members who are making a difference where it really counts.
“As well as recognising those outstanding individuals who have been nominated by the students they teach, we believe that these awards help us to understand and recognise what exactly constitutes good teaching at Birmingham City University. We therefore hope to use the information we have gathered from the nominations we received to continue to work with the University to ensure good teaching practice is encouraged and shared.”
For further information, including details on all the winners, log on to www.bcusu.com/extramile/