Head of Teaching and Learning Enhancement Kate Coulson named National Teaching Fellow

A University of Northampton (UON) academic has been awarded a prestigious title in recognition of her commitment to excellence in learning and teaching.

The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) celebrates and recognises individuals who have made an outstanding impact on student outcomes and teaching in higher education.

The new National Teaching Fellow from UON is Kate Coulson, Head of Learning and Teaching Enhancement, who joins 54 new Fellows across the country. The Learning and Teaching Enhancement team is part of Library and Learning Services.

Successful individuals also demonstrate impact and engagement beyond their immediate academic or professional role and a commitment to, and impact of, ongoing professional development with regards to teaching and learning and/or learning support.

Kate receives the fellowship for her outstanding contribution to academic skills development through her work at UON, in particular her research showing the impact of learning development on student achievement.

She is also recognised for her national leadership in this area through the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education and other forums.

Kate said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be named as National Teaching Fellow for 2022 for my work at the University of Northampton. Enhancing the excellent learning and teaching practice at UON is something my team and I are deeply passionate about, so I feel the Fellowship is also a reflection of their dedication and hard work.

“I’m already building on this through my leadership of Learning and Teaching Enhancement across the University and look forward to developing this further to better support our students and staff.”

Also receiving a Fellowship is Dr Nick Cartwright, former Senior Lecturer in Law at the University, for his leadership in equality, diversity, and inclusion, especially his amplifying of minority voices, his work with deprived communities in Northern Ireland, and embedding global justice into teaching and learning.

Alison Johns, Chief Executive, Advance HE said: “Congratulations to each and every new National Teaching Fellow and CATE team on this fantastic achievement.

“At Advance HE, we run the prestigious NTF and CATE awards for the UK higher education sector with enormous pride. The challenges of offering an outstanding teaching experience in recent years have been very demanding, but the sector has risen to the challenge.”

The 2022 awards ceremony will take place on 29 September in Liverpool.