Professor Sarah Montano has been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship (NTF) by Advance HE, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to teaching and inspiring her colleagues in higher education.
The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme celebrates and recognises individuals who have made an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession in UK higher education.
Professor Sarah Montano is an experienced academic with a 21-year history of working in the higher education industry and programme management. She has taught at both an undergraduate and postgraduate level at the University of Birmingham, where she has been for her entire career.
During her time at the University Professor Montano has held several leadership positions including Programme Director of Business Management, School Director of Transnational Education, and Senior Lecturer in Marketing. She is currently Deputy Director of Education (Digital) for the College of Social Sciences, where she leads in the use of digital education resources and the development of distance learning programmes.
As well as this new Fellowship Award Professor Montano holds the award of Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, for her performance in teaching, design, and leadership and her work on digital learning has been used to demonstrate digital excellence internationally.
As a first-generation student, I am acutely aware of how I lacked social capital, this inspired me to begin my work in digital pedagogies and much of my work in digital innovations has been to ensure equality of access for all students and I am delighted that this work has been recognised. Being awarded an NTF is such a privilege, and I am thrilled to be in the company of my fellow award winners.
Professor Sarah Montano, University of Birmingham
Professor Montano commented “I am honoured to have been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in recognition of my outstanding contribution to teaching, particularly my unique industry-led experiential learning approach and pioneering digital innovations.
“As a first-generation student, I am acutely aware of how I lacked social capital, this inspired me to begin my work in digital pedagogies and much of my work in digital innovations has been to ensure equality of access for all students and I am delighted that this work has been recognised. Being awarded an NTF is such a privilege, and I am thrilled to be in the company of my fellow award winners.”
55 new National Teaching Fellows have been awarded along with 15 teams winning the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE). This takes the total number of awards to 1143 for NTFs since the scheme’s launch in 2000, and 119 for CATE since the first awards in 2016.
This year, the awarded National Teaching Fellows represent all four UK nations and cross a broad range of disciplines including Nursing, Medicine and Paramedic Science, Sports Science, Architecture, Art and Design, Marketing, Music and the Performing Arts, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Degree Apprenticeships, Careers and Employability.
Congratulations to all of the new National Teaching Fellows and CATE teams on this prestigious accolade which recognises and rewards their commitment to teaching and learning and the impact it has on student success.
Alison Johns, Advance HE
Alison Johns, Chief Executive of Advance HE, said: “Congratulations to all of the new National Teaching Fellows and CATE teams on this prestigious accolade which recognises and rewards their commitment to teaching and learning and the impact it has on student success.
“It is with great pride that we run these awards for the UK higher education sector designed to celebrate these passionate people who make such a difference to students’ education and to the practice of their colleagues. We look forward to working with the new NTFs and CATE winners and sharing their excellent practice with colleagues around the sector.”
Professor Becky Huxley-Binns (NTF, PFHEA), Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education at the University of Hull, and Chair, UK Teaching Excellence Awards Advisory Panel 2023, said: "Every year as we select the NTFS and CATE winners, we are in awe of these extraordinary and gifted people who are teaching with such professionalism, passion and commitment in higher education. This year was no different.
“These awards are incredibly important in recognising and celebrating these people and in sharing 'what works' so that colleagues can build on their expertise too and students can enjoy the benefits of great practice in teaching and learning."
