Uni up for two THE awards
Thu, 31 May 2012 12:13:00 BST
Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards
ICT Initiative of the Year Category – Paul Youngson, Dave Brignell and Rupert Ward
Outstanding Human Resources Team Category – Human Resources
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ICT Initiative of the Year Category – Paul Youngson, Dave Brignell and Rupert Ward
Pictured (l-r) Rupert Ward, Dave Brignell and Paul Youngson
PIONEERING University of Huddersfield software – which gives students an instant overview of their coursework, their deadlines and when they will receive feedback for their assignments – is in line for a prestigious award.
The system, known as the Module Assessment Timetable, has made the shortlist of six for the latest Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards, in the ICT Initiative of the Year Category.
And the University is going for a double. In the same category in the same awards last year, its system known as GEMS (Graduate Employment Market Statistics) carried off first prize.
GEMS was developed by the University of Huddersfield’s Planning and Statistics Manager, Dr Paul Youngson. And he has also had a large part to play in the development of the Module and Assessment Timetable, based on a system created by Dr Rupert Ward, Head of the Department of Informatics, and Dave Brignell, a Departmental Subject Leader in Informatics.
The result was a system which enables students to go online and navigate to their informatics modules. On screen they see a grid which instantly tells them when their will receive their assignments, when the completed work has to be handed in and when they will receive feedback from tutors. It is a significant aid to planning their workload.
Dr Rupert Ward explains the system further: “The assessment and feedback system has provided both staff and students with an outstanding tool for monitoring and managing their learning. Academics can see the impact of their assessment timings and any changes to these, and can ensure they balance this workload for the benefit of all students. Students can plan, understand and manage their time much more effectively by identifying any potential peaks in their studies and thus employ strategies to manage these. The result should be higher student achievement this year and a true reflection of students’ academic abilities.”
After its success as a pilot project, the aim now is to ensure as many students as possible can effectively plan their workload throughout the year and to build on our already excellent National Student Survey results for teaching and feedback. “We are one of the very first in the country to have such a system in place, and we hope that other universities can follow where we lead,” said Dr Youngson.
Now Paul is hoping that when the Times Higher Education Award winners are announced at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on June 21, he will have a second triumph, after last year’s win with GEMS. He believes that the Module Assessment Timetable is in tune with recent developments in university education.
“With the new fee structure, students will expect to have more information about their workload and to be able to monitor their right to constructive feedback within an adequate timeframe.”
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Outstanding Human Resources Team Category – Human Resources
Pictured are HR team members (l-r) Nuala Murphy, Elaine Eastwood, Helen Walker, Christine Conway, Martin Plant and Yvonne Harding.
THE University of Huddersfield’s Human Resources department is a candidate for honours at the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards. It joins five others on the shortlist in the Outstanding Human Resources Team Category.
“We ensure that HR has an impact,” says Julie McClelland, who is director of the department which deals with areas that include pay, personnel, occupational health and staff development.
“One example is our approach to supporting academic staff line-managers with the management of sickness absence. Clearer reporting processes have resulted in fewer class cancellations and better communication of class changes to students. A proactive approach on return from absence allows intervention to prevent future ill health. Clear rehabilitation programmes allow for both earlier returns and a reduction in subsequent absence.”
In 2011, the University’s HR team won the title ‘Employer of Year’ in an annual awards scheme run by the Huddersfield Examiner newspaper.
“Also in 2011 we were one of the first groups of universities to receive the EU HR Excellence in Research Awards, demonstrating our leadership and commitment to the full implementation of the Research Concordat,” adds Julie.
