April 2024
Sharon Messer-Hills (Registry Officer, Regulations, Policy and Casework)
‘’As the secretary of the Academic Integrity Panel, Sharon has made commendable efforts in improving procedural flow. As panel members, we are pleased to see the progress made over time to ensure that students are not disadvantaged due to procedural irregularities. We're now having more frequent and additional panels with active school participation and efficiently dealing with cases without further delays, which was not usually the case before. Sharon's charming personality has also made the panel members comfortable and confident. She has played a huge role in making the panel members and chair push to be our best. Thanks for the wonderful time, Sharon.’’
March 2024
Carole Tresperdane (Programme Leader for SCPHN (Specialist Community Public Health Nursing))
‘’Carole did a fantastic job of chairing the most recent round of PCMs. She facilitated the hybrid capacity well and included students and other attendees in all areas of feedback and discussion, creating a more collaborative environment and actionable meeting.’’
February 2024
Heather Wilcox (Nursing and Midwifery)
‘’As the class representative for the September 22 cohort and having held this position for two years running, I will say with confidence that Bucks overall has very good lecturers. However, Heather has been supportive by going the extra mile to spend time with students who are struggling with their academic work, giving them the needed guidance on the subject matter and explaining the assignment brief, which has been the needed help that students need. She has many times demonstrated the desire to ask students if there is any difficulty in any of the modules or anything else that we may be struggling with and may need some help with, which I think, as the class rep, has put her slightly above her colleagues.’’
January 2024
Dearbhla Gallagher (Human and Social Sciences)
I feel that Dearbhla Gallagher (course leader of sports therapy) should win the staff celebration because she provides you with the best support and help that you may need course or not course-related. Dearbhla is always there as someone who we can chat to if we are struggling or feeling down and she listens and helps where she can. For example, if a problem has occurred which you address with her she will make sure it is dealt with properly so that, that person has the outcome they hope for. She is also a person that you can walk past in the corridor and randomly start talking as well always being friendly and checking in with us even if we are doing ok.
December 2023
Joanne Roots (Art, Design and Performance)
‘’She's the leader of our course which has only just started up again; Musical Theatre. She makes everything that we do possible and is honestly so caring. She makes her classes fun, teasing us a little by showing off her very cool and swaggy dance moves, and just having a laugh. She deserves this recognition to show how much we love her, how thankful we are for our first semester of this new course, and how lucky we are to have such a wonderful tutor.’’
November 2023
Mike Everett (Creative and Digital Industries)
"I think that Mike Everett should win the staff celebration because he is a great and cherished member of the teaching team. For my software engineering modules like OOAD or Real-Time Systems, Mike has delivered excellent teaching and support to all students to ensure their understanding and success of the course. He aims to enable us to achieve high and develop critical thinking, formal writing, and UML design skills. In class, he will make funny remarks or give interactive explanations of concepts such as hand gestures for entity, boundary, and control, which is a way of specifying software use cases. He is also sociable and knowledgeable when talking to him casually outside of lesson topics. I have seen him put a smile on other staff members' faces as he jokes with them such as the groundskeepers. He is a very involved and treasured member of the university."
October 2023
Sena Quaye (Human and Social Sciences)
"Sena has been fantastic in getting students involved with representation and supporting students. Sena has asked for ways for students to be involved in representation and has encouraged the L4 and L5s to step up and be involved too.
Sena makes every session engaging and fun! I always leave a lecture or seminar having enjoyed it and ready for the next session. She always asked priming questions that really make you think and in the moment of panic, you go away thinking it was a brilliant question and thank her for the experience!
She always puts the students first and will always support them as best as she can. She checks in with students as well and just makes sure that they are understanding and achieving the best they can.
The way Sena teaches is fantastic, she always makes sure that students are engaged and her sense of humour is amazing. She always has the materials up on blackboard (the few times it hasn't been available is due to IT), and posts the lecture recordings too!"
May 2023
Horia Broscatant (Art, Design and Performance)
"Horia is such a good and helpful presence in the workshop. If you have any questions he is always willing to help in any way he can, and if he cant help right away, he tries his best to find time in his busy schedule. He provides both expertise in using the machines and material available, as well as ideas that can further your designs. He explains the machines in a way that makes it easy to understand, and makes sure you know that if you need help you can come to him. Due to his extensive knowledge of almost all the machines in the workshops, he can easily help you find better, faster, or safer ways of doing something. All in all, he works really hard to help us students make the best projects we can."
April 2023
Marco Chan (Aviation and Security)
"A lot of credit deserves to be given to Marco Chan for the excellent teaching he does. Throughout the semester, he displayed an unwavering passion for his subject and demonstrated a strong commitment to his students. We enjoy his lectures not only because they are informative, but also because they are entertaining, with just the right amount of humour, practical examples, hands-on activities, and a sense of curiosity. Known for his approachability and desire to clarify complex ideas, respond to inquiries, and offer feedback on our work, he stands out from the competition. His genuine interest in our success shines through in the way he is accessible outside of the classroom for any concerns or advice we may need."
March 2023
Nicholas Day (Creative and Digital Industries)
"Nick is an outstanding lecturer who deeply cares about improving the student learning experience and delivering it at a consistently high quality. His Computing lectures are engaging and interactive, also producing excellent videos for his lectures that are informative and ensures students can recap the module material at their own pace. As course leader for Computing and a personal tutor, Nick is very proactive in gathering feedback from students on how they are finding their course and modules. He always listens to students' concerns, aims to address them and strives to improve their learning experience. It is clear that Nick takes student and course feedback seriously, and there have already been multiple improvements made to the Computing course as a result, both in its current and future iterations. As a supervisor for the final year Computing project, Nick's guidance and feedback have been invaluable, going above and beyond for students to help them achieve their best work with detailed feedback on the work they have produced, frequent communication to address any queries and providing superb support as a whole. Nick's continuous hard work as a lecturer, course leader and personal tutor is truly appreciated. He is a key asset to the university and fully deserving of this nomination. Thank you so much, Nick!’’
Brett Gordon (Creative and Digital Industries)
"Brett has gone above and beyond helping his students solve issues we are having and is taking his time to listen to our concerns and be proactive in finding solutions, which is a thing that no one else has done. He has taken our concerns to people higher up and got issues solved quickly for example we were having issues with one of our lecturers and we haven't been taught anything. Within the same day of voicing our concerns he raised it to the course lead, and got it taken to the Head of school. Because of this there are already changes to that module despite it only being under a week. Along with this, Brett has offered up time to sit down with some of his students to go through things that will help us with our assignments voluntarily to help catch us up after not being taught properly. He has provided us with PowerPoint and useful tools to help, and is always free to listen to us. During our lectures with him normally he provides the right amount of space to let us experiment with things when we are ahead of other people in our class, while maintaining a safe space for those who are struggling and trying to catch up. One of our lectures has a mix of people who know how to use Pro tools and some media students who have never seen it in their life before our class. During this time he has taken time to explain everything to them while going through everything we need for our assessment. He is available at all times to sit down with us to go through it and answers emails most of the time within a couple of hours including on weekends and evenings. He works to push us to work better and try things if we aren't too sure of what we are doing and to try things and see what happens. He is always happy and encouraging us even if he has been dealing with things he doesn't let his frustrations get in the way of teaching us. He is the best lecturer we have had all year and we are all thankful for the opportunities he's provided us like restarting live sessions where music students can perform and record in the evening to audience after it was cancelled by the old organiser."
February 2023
Rafid Al-Khannak (Creative and Digital Industries)
"Rafid’s innovative teaching technique stimulates students’ learning curiosity and encourages students to better themselves by critically evaluating their knowledge and understanding as well as building their self-confidence. He is strict and demanding but does so constructively; Rafid helps students shift their thinking and unlock their greatest potential. He challenges students making them see they can be successful and reach their dreams if they work hard and believe in themselves. Rafid teaches not just the concepts but underlying mechanisms to equip students in a holistic understanding. He also brings multiple concepts together and explain how they work in practice, specifically in the context of the industry. For all this, the entire MSci Cyber Security L7 cohort wants to say a big thank you and we hope to see Rafid’s dedication being appreciated by the university."
January 2023
Amsale Wamburu – (Nursing and Midwifery)
"Amsale is the definition of calmness and brings out the most in you as a student. She explains clearly and makes you want to learn more and think outside the box. She encourages students to develop their knowledge more and makes you bring practical into theory which develops the evidence-based practice which is all about nursing.
As a nursing student in their final year, it’s that last push which makes you believe in yourself of how much knowledge you have gathered all these years to be ready to face the world and Amsale brings that drive in the School of Nursing."
Christina Ebanks – (Nursing and Midwiferey)
"Christina knows how to bring out the best in her students. She supports them to grow as individuals within their field. Be champions of change. She understands their learning styles and makes learning interesting, challenging and forward thinking. She knows her subject from a knowledgeable and practical perspective. She has good communication skills and works with a team who know and understand the students’ life experiences."
December 22
Geeta Lamichhane (Nursing and Midwifery)
"I believe Geeta deserves this nomination. Over three years Geeta has been a very welcoming presence, she engages with all students and will always try her best to support everyone. She truly values the student's views, and by chairing the Programme Committee Meetings, she listens, engages, and acts on issues that have been raised. For any questions students ask, she will always try her best to answer or guide them to those who will be able to support and respond to the questions asked. She is very approachable and professional; she is fun to be around making learning and gaining knowledge a little easier. Thank you, Geeta!"
November 22
Obiajunwa Ama (Business and Law)
"Obi is an amazing lecturer. He teaches us with lots of passion and supports us with our learning needs – the quality of his teaching is incomparable, going above and beyond. He makes sure we understand the lectures by asking us if we understood them or not and provides a simpler explanation if need be. This is a talent because the core module of Equity and Trust is not an easy module, but the way he teaches us is so enjoyable and makes it easy to understand. Obi even offers us the time to book an online session with him to go over topics that we are not sure of. This is very kind and helpful of him to give us his spare time. He is deserving of this nomination. Thank you, Obi, for being such a great lecturer."
October 22
Megan White (Nursing and Midwifery)
"I think that Megan deserves this nomination for always going above and beyond for all of her students. She is always willing to help any of us out when needed and teaches us with passion – she shares her knowledge with us all willingly and no problem is too big. We always look forward to her lectures and seminars as she is great when engaging with us as students and explaining everything in great detail. She truly is a great asset to the University and deserves this recognition!"
March 2022
Karen Johnstone (Student Success)
"I had an excellent experience with Karen Johnstone from the Counselling team. She’s excellent at what she does and helped me view my concerns from a completely unexpected angle. What I really did not expect (and was blown away by) was that being aware of my niche field of study, she was able to use metaphors and comparisons suited to me, which enabled us to understand each other. This also added a necessary levity and openness to our discussion, while also enabling a real understanding of what was going on with me, my mental health, and the situation. This in turn allowed me to achieve my best at coursework. I am very grateful for the help she was to me, and believe such personalisation should be recognised!"
February 2022
Beth Claridge (Creative and Digital Industries)
"Over the first term beth has really helped me and my peers adapt into uni lifestyle her lectures are always light-hearted and enjoyable. I find her stories and anecdotes interesting and educational. I believe she has been a great help into me and my class mates as she always has a smile on her face and a positive attitude and a smile can go such a long way. Beth has really inspired and helped me since starting uni and she continues to do this with every session we have. She deserves this award as she always has a positive outlook on teaching and always comes prepared and with her best foot forward her lectures are never dull."
Carla Avery (Nursing, Midwifery & Allied Health)
"Carla always supports our learning needs and adapts lessons to make sure that we all understand and learn as best as we can. She encourages us to understand and use our strengths to help us academically. She also raises our level of learning far above what is necessary and helps us to develop skills that will benefit us long after we've completed our degrees both professionally and personally. Carla maintains a collaborative, open and diverse learning environment and always demonstrates amazing leadership, patience and communication skills.
We learn far more from Carla than what we need to pass our exams. Carla is an incredible asset to the University and all of us Midwifery students and I'm so very grateful that she's developed such an incredible Midwifery program and that we have a Uni that has supported her to build a team and a course that teaches to such an exceptional standard."
Rafid Al-Khannak (Creative & Digital Industries)
"Rafid deserves a recognition as making a huge difference in students' experience. His quality of teaching is incomparable to anybody else's, it is way above the standard. Every lecture is filled with practical examples and connected directly to the industry, making it clear why the material is being taught and how students can use this knowledge in future employment. Material is discussed in a relation to the opportunities that module opens, Rafid encourages students to dive deeper into the material and certify themselves to improve their value in the job market. Rafid does not avoid difficult questions; he actively encourages students in each session to "put him in the corner" and bring the most difficult questions students can think of. He makes sure everybody understands the discussed points and offers additional explanation if required.
Rafid encourages all students to actively participate in the session by asking them questions, which results in many students discovering their capabilities also students’ self-confidence is improved. A lot of attention is being paid to use of the right vocabulary during discussion, so that students present their knowledge in a professional manner and are ready for entering job market once they graduate. Rafid provides a lot of support. Whenever students have any issue, he promptly helps out if possible, if not, then he points the case to the people who can help. He is an immense help for the entire student group and all of them would like to see university celebrate all the effort he puts in his work."
January 2022
Allison Savory (Human and Social Sciences)
"Allison is an amazing lecturer, she provides really interesting lessons, where we can have debates and discussions, and provides us with lots of interesting information!
When I first started Uni, I wasn't too sure about the criminal law and justice lectures I was going to be having, but Allison has ended up making it one of my favourite lessons to attend! She is an amazing tutor and clearly really passionate about the subject she teaches. I always come out of her classes feeling invigorated and wanting to find out more about what I have just learnt!
Thank you Allison for being an amazing tutor!"
December 2021
Sarah Ireland (Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health)
"Sarah has been amazing throughout this academic year already. Students have described her as consistently helpful and quick to respond to any and every query. No Problem seems to be too big and she is always there to help support students in any way she can. Sarah provides great communication; her responses are prompt and to the point, which students find extremely beneficial. She has also been described as very interactive and engaging in lectures, with students always looking forward to her sessions. Sarah is a great asset to the university and has been consistent support for the nursing students during a few particularly challenging years - this deserves celebrating."
November 2021
Ravi Chawla (Business & Law)
"We would like to say a big thank you to Ravi Chawla an Associate Lecturer who has demonstrated excellence and innovation in student learning support this year through moving around the timetabled teaching sessions to provide extra sessions for students who have teaching on a Wednesday afternoon to allow them to partake in co-curricular activity on a Wednesday afternoon whilst dually enabling students who commute in from a long distance and have caring commitments not being affected by an earlier start. Ravi is providing personal exclusive seminars to students who may miss out on teaching due to partaking in sport on a Wednesday afternoon. Many thanks to Ravi for going beyond what is expected to support the student experience."