Congratulations to Professor Julie Anderson and Dr Catherine Bateson, whose passion, energy, and commitment to teaching was recognised at Kent Union’s 2023 Above and Beyond Awards.
The awards acknowledge individuals or teams who go the extra mile to ensure that the students they work with are supported as much as possible. This year over 200 nominations were received celebrating the work of over 120 individual members of staff and Student Reps.
Julie was nominated in three categories and won the award for Research-Based Education. Her nomination commends her ‘encyclopaedic knowledge of medical history’ and her creative approach to assignments which allows students to ‘research the subject in numerous different ways – from producing a podcast instead of doing a presentation, to a historiographical review which enables you to practice that one aspect of historical research without being overwhelmed by other elements’.
On winning the award Julie said: ‘I am both honoured and humbled that my students nominated me in three categories for these Awards. Winning was the icing on the cake. Their dedication, intelligence and engagement was inspirational to me, and I am so proud of their achievements’.
Catherine was recognised as an Outstanding Feedback Provider for her dedication to going above and beyond to give feedback regarding students’ work and academic experiences and providing clear opportunities for growth in order to develop a deeper understanding of their area of study. Her nomination praised her feedback as being ‘very, very valuable’ and specifically highlighted the ‘high-quality advice’ offered when submitting work to a scholarship committee.
Catherine responded, saying: ‘I’m thrilled and delighted to have won the award for Outstanding Feedback Provider – to be nominated is always lovely but to actually win is very exciting and I’m deeply honoured to receive it. Enormous thanks to the students who put my name forward, they are the true stars.
‘Clear and constructive feedback is always something I’ve prided myself on in my teaching, and it’s a real pleasure to see students take it on board, engage with it and improve their History studies!’