Honours for those who make learning come alive

By Jack Grove. Outstanding lecturers and learning-support staff within higher education have been recognised by the sector.
Fifty-five individuals have been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy, which supports excellence in teaching. The winners will each receive £10,000 to help continue their professional development in teaching and learning or other aspects of pedagogy. More than 180 academics from England, Wales and Northern Ireland were nominated for the sector's most prestigious teaching prize.
The successful nominees, who were backed by their institutions, had to show that they performed well on three criteria: individual excellence, raising the profile of excellence and developing excellence. This year's fellows include academics working in a diverse range of subjects, from neuroscience to photographic art, while a member one university's student affairs team has also been recognised. One of the new fellows is Brendan Stone, from the School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics at the University of Sheffield.
Dr Stone left school at the age of 16 with few qualifications. He was in his mid-thirties when he returned to education on a university access course. He was nominated for the fellowship for his work on several innovative initiatives, including the Storying Sheffield project - a degree module in which undergraduates and residents of the city study together.
"It's been incredibly heartening to see how participants on Storying Sheffield have built on and used the experience of the course to benefit their careers and lives," Dr Stone said.
"I have worked a great deal with people who have serious mental health problems, and many people who have taken the course have gone on to make positive changes in their lives, including returning to education, taking up volunteering opportunities and gaining employment."
Craig Mahoney, chief executive of the HEA, said the awards helped to recognise and reward excellence within higher education.
"Students deserve - and expect - the best possible learning experience during their time in higher education, and fantastic staff such as the National Teaching Fellows help to deliver this experience," he said.
"I am extremely proud of the HEA in delivering this programme, and I congratulate all successful recipients."
The new teaching fellows will officially receive their awards at a ceremony in London on 10 October.