UT awards best teaching staff and gives out the teaching quality award
Every year in December, the university recognises our best teaching staff, programme directors of the year and gives out the the award for improving the quality of teaching.
Best teaching staff of 2014:
Humaniora
Viljandi Culture Academy, Lecturer in Adventure Education SERGEI DRÕGIN
Socialia
Faculty of Social Sciences and Education, Lecturer in Didactics LIINA LEPP
Realia et naturalia
Faculty of Science and Technology, Professor of Analytical Chemistry IVO LEITO
Medicina
Faculty of Medicine, visiting professor PEEP TALVING
Liina Hirv, Vice President for Academic Affairs of the Student Council, finds that in addition to outstanding staff, it is also important to notice and recognise people who might not be on the foreground every day, but who also work consistently towards better teaching and self-development. “Each of the holders of the teaching staff of the year awards is a great example for the others in some respect," adds Hirv.
In addition, three best members of teaching staff of each faculty and college are recognised.
The best teaching staff of the year will be given a silver layered badge, specially designed by the jewellery designer Katrin Veegen. The award comes with a monetary reward in the amount of one minimum monthly salary of a professor at the University of Tartu. The awards will be given at the thank-you event on 16 December 2014 in the fraternity house of Rotalia.
For more information on the recognition of the best teaching staff, see the UT web page (in Estonian).
Award for improving the quality of teaching
In 2014, the award for improving the quality of teaching goes to the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration for designing a system of practical learning experience in order to ensure a stronger link between studies and real work life. The award comprises a financial reward in the amount of 30,000 euros.
According to Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Martin Hallik, the application of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration for the improvement of the quality of teaching award stood out by presenting various systemised activities directed at achieving one particular objective. “The Academic Affairs Committee especially valued the integration of homework of different courses, which definitely supports the integral approach to acquiring a specialisation,” commented Hallik.
The Faculty of Economics and Business Administration started the process of making their teaching and studies more practical in 2011 based on students’ feedback. By the autumn semester of 2014, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration has developed an integral system of practical learning experience that is supported by very diverse activities (Estonian case-studies, homework connecting several courses, global learning networks and competitions, the participation of practitioners in teaching, assignments based on real life and projects, transfer of knowledge between students, selection of thesis topics together with enterprises, wider traineeship opportunities, extracurricular activities related to one’s specialisation).
Also the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Science and Technology, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, the Institute of Social Studies and the Faculty of Philosophy applied for the award for improving the quality of teaching this year.
The best programme directors of the year
2014 is the first time the Programme Director of the Year awards are given to recognise efficient work in developing a degree programme. The reason to establish such an award was the fact that curriculum development is one of the priorities of the University of Tartu and the programme directors’ contribution to ensuring the quality of teaching at the university is enormous.
The best programme directors of 2014:
• Tõnis Karki – Programme Director of the integrated Bachelor's and Master's programme of Medicine (Faculty of Medicine, Associate Professor of Medical Microbiology);
• Aavo Lang – Programme Director of the doctoral curriculum of Medicine (Faculty of Medicine, Associate Professor of Human Physiology);
• Katre Väli – Programme Director of the master’s curriculum of Semiotics (Faculty of Philosophy, Specialist for Foreign-language Curriculum);
• Kadri Simm – Programme Director of the bachelor's, master’s and doctoral curricula of Philosophy (Faculty of Philosophy, Associate Professor of Practical Philosophy);
• Maret Ahonen – Programme Director of the bachelor’s curriculum of Business Administration (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Lecturer in Management);
• Marlon Gerardo Dumas Menjivar – Programme Director of the master’s curriculum in Software Engineering (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Professor of Software Engineering);
• Tiina Viin – Programme Director of the curriculum of professional higher education of Tourism and Hotel Management (Pärnu College, Lecturer in Hotel Management).
The Academic Affairs Committee emphasised that five of the awarded programme directors (Tõnis Karki, Katre Väli, Marlon Dumas, Kadri Simm and Maret Ahonen) have participated in the development of English-taught curricula and are currently successfully leading them.
The best programme directors get a monetary reward that in 2014 amounts to 1000 euros.
Also, recognition letters will be given to the programme directors at the thank-you event on 16 December 2014 in the fraternity house of Rotalia.