National Teaching Fellowship Scheme and Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence 2025
Congratulations to Dr Emma McKenna (Queen's Science Shop), Dr Dave Cutting (EEECS) and Dr Paul Hamilton, (Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences), who each received a National Teaching Fellowship in 2024.
Advance HE has opened this year’s National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) and Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) with a submission date of 5 March 2025 for both Schemes. Advance HE has provided some general feedback on the applications received to NTFS 2024 and CATE 2024 to support the development of this year's applications.
Dr Rachel Scudamore will be leading an online session for Queen's colleagues on 1 November at 2 pm. The session will outline the key criteria for making successful claims to the NTFS and CATE. It will help participants to identify which of their achievements are relevant to the schemes, and explore how they might evidence the reach of their work, its benefits to students and/or colleagues, and the transformative impact that is expected of nominees.
Colleagues wishing to attend should email Liz McDowell on e.mcdowell@qub.ac.uk to register.
The NTFS recognises, rewards and celebrates individuals working in UK higher education who have made an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession. In 2025, the University can nominate up to three individual members of staff who teach and/or support learning in higher education for the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme. The NTFS 2025 Guidance document provides details about the Scheme and the criteria. A set of videos to guide potential nominees through the NTFS Award criteria is available online.
The Association of National Teaching Fellows is hosting virtual roadshows on National Teaching Fellowships: is it for me?, Evidencing excellence: what does it look like? and Getting over the finish line: what are the final steps? These sessions are free to colleagues in Queen's. Dates and further details are available on the Advance HE website.
The CATE scheme recognises and celebrates collaborative work that has had a demonstrable impact on teaching and learning. The Scheme highlights the key role that teamwork plays in higher education. Each award will recognise a team which has enabled a change in practice for colleagues and/or students at an institutional or discipline level. The University can nominate one Team that can clearly demonstrate impact on teaching and learning through collaboration.
Each team should demonstrate direct engagement with higher education students. Although there is no requirement for students to be members of the team, a team should clearly demonstrate how students are directly engaged in their work. The CATE 2025 Guidance provides details about the Scheme and the criteria.
You can book to join one of the CATE Roadshow events which outlines the CATE application process and provides practical guidance and suggestions from previous CATE winners. These webinars are free to colleagues in Queen’s.
Institutional Process for Potential Nominees
To apply to go forward as a Queen’s nominee to either Scheme in 2025, colleagues are invited to submit an expression of interest and detailed bullet points indicating how they would meet the criteria outlined in the Award guidelines. These should be sufficiently detailed and include information on the type of evidence you can provide to support your claims, to allow the internal selection panel to make an informed decision. The Expression of Interest should include a brief opening paragraph setting out what you do that is new or different to the discipline/University.
This should be emailed to Liz McDowell (e.mcdowell@qub.ac.uk) by 9 December 2024. Advice and support to develop and format the applications for submission to Advance HE will be provided to the selected nominees by the Centre for Educational Development. Queries can be directed to e.mcdowell@qub.ac.uk.
Queen's University NTF/CATE Recipients
Queen's University Science Shop, 2023
Professor Lezley-Anne Hanna, 2018
Professor Gerry Gormley, 2018
Professor Philip Hanna, 2017
Dr Joe Duffy, 2014
Dr Tess Maginess, 2013
Prof Brian Whalley, 2008
Mr David Gibson, 2007
Prof B Milton-Edwards, 2004
Professor Vicki Tariq, 2003
Professor Carol McGuinness, 2001