On Wednesday, staff from across the University were invited to attend the HEFi Teaching & Learning Awards, which celebrate teaching excellence in the context of our contemporary, research-intensive university.
The HEFi Awards are peer-nominated, and the aim is to recognise academic and professional services colleagues who design, deliver and/or support exceptional student learning
Emma Flint, Birmingham Fellow, was shortlisted for the Teaching Innovation Award. Emma has introduced a highly innovative module into a very traditional subject, in the form of a Legal Communication and Writing module. The students produce creative interpretations of legal cases in many different modalities, including blogs, songs, dance and art, as well as more traditional forms, and also complete reflective commentaries. She led its development into a core module, ensuring that these creative approaches are fully embedded into the programme. She is now sharing her expertise with Law Schools around the country interested in replicating her work, recognising its important role in skill development and employability.
And Ben Atkins, Natasa Mavronicola, and Ben Warwick together, won the Inclusive Education Award. The team has worked on transforming pedagogy to decolonise teaching and learning practices and to ensure the Law School is inclusive of Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority (BAME) students. The team has been active in sharing best practices across the University of Birmingham and other law schools around the country. They have sought to empower BAME students by recognising the achievement of BAME student leaders through a commendation and prize at graduation. Their work has been instrumental in making Birmingham Law School a more just, equal, fair and inclusive space for all students.
All at BLS congratulate Emma, Ben A, Natasa, and Ben W. and thank them for their hard work in making the Law School an innovative and inclusive place to learn.