The Herald Higher Education Awards celebrates the extraordinary things that are going on in our universities and colleges, day in, day out.
Now in their fourth year, these awards recognise the high standard of education that is offered throughout Scotland, and the level of learning that is produced every year.
They highlight how institutions develop innovative materials and methods in their teaching and explore how colleges and universities market themselves, engage with employers, support students and their focus on partnership working.
These awards help to build future excellence by facilitating the sharing of good practice and help to raise the status of learning and teaching in Scottish higher education.
This category will recognise a college or university that has demonstrated exceptional performance in the past academic year and is open to all higher education institutions in Scotland. The institutions teaching, research and business performance will be taken into consideration. Judges will be looking for evidence of creative and innovative projects
which have enhanced the reputation during the last academic year.
Please note this award is not open for entry and the award will be decided by the judging panel based on submissions within other categories and the institutions overall performance.
This award will pay tribute to outstanding individual in education who has dedicated their lives to the improvement of an Institution or organisation. J udges will look for evidence of how this individual has advanced the field of education, demonstrated innovation and whose long-term efforts, dedication, and sustained commitment has supported the education industry.
This award will be given to a team, within an institution, that helps students gain the maximum benefit from their study. This could be by providing advice and assistance to students on personal matters, family, health or financial issues and career advice. Judges will be looking for evidence of any initiatives launched to attract more students to the service and provide demonstrable progress or success stories.
This will be awarded to an individual or group of researchers who have undertaken and published and exceptional piece of research in their field. This could be an individual project by an institution or a collaborative project from a number of colleges or universities. Judges will be looking for innovative research that has had significant economic, social, cultural or other public benefit but also which has helped to enhance the reputation of the institution.
In this category we will be looking for an institution to demonstrate their innovative approach to delivering employers’ workforce development needs. This should be through forming partnerships and working with businesses and/or public sector organisations to develop training processes which aid student employability as well as student placement opportunities.
In this category we will be looking for a HE College to demonstrate their innovative approach to delivering employers’ workforce development needs. This should be through forming partnerships and working with businesses and/or public sector organisations to develop training processes which aid student employability and also help develop the student’s softer skills. This includes projects offering real-life work experience to students, running “live” projects as well as shaping, tracking and monitoring the curriculum.
This award will be given to a team, within an institution who assist students with the development of their academic skills. This could be through one to one tuition or drop in sessions which help students with essay writing, referencing, exams and revision. This award will also look for teams who help provide the resources that are important to assist the students with their learning. Judges will be looking for evidence of how the institution is engaging with their students to make the most of these services and/or provide demonstrable progress and success stories.
This award will go to a student who has made an outstanding contribution to the institution and wider community including work on or off campus. Judges will be looking for how this person has inspired and motivated others to act philanthropically or made efforts to improve student experiences and that of the local community. This student may also be specifically connected to a sport or leisure activity or one who has overcome hardship, disability or other personal adversity.
This award will be made to the team which has made a demonstrable contribution to enhancing the student learning experience. The enhancement will be an initiative involving students or which is student-led and which enriches and extends students’ active engagement in learning. We are looking for work that has been evaluated to show how it has enhanced the student learning experience, and which has been shared or adopted more widely, across an institution or by other institutions.
This award will recognise how an institution is using innovative technology to accomplish new forms of student delivery, learning or research. This could be through a variety of methods, including but not restricted to: innovative teaching techniques; enhanced digital student experience; improved digital literacy; widening access to scholarly communications; use of technology to be more effective and efficient; generation of new business; research data management tools and techniques; and the creation of technology-led spaces to improve learner outcomes. Judges will be looking for demonstrable evidence of innovation and how this has achieved significant impact in particular to students and also how this has supported the goals of the institution.
This award will be given to the individual, team or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the local community. Judges will be looking for evidence of commitment to areas such as local employment, community volunteer schemes, charity work, environmental initiatives and local product sourcing.
This category is about innovative collaboration between institutions with a transformative impact. We are looking for a college or university who have developed strategic approaches in partnership to effect change and enhance the student experience. This may be through joint initiatives around learning and teaching priorities or development of strategies, policies or governance. This award may also be for a formal research or enhancement project, or innovative working practices.
This award will recognise an institution that can demonstrate the success of a marketing and communications campaign which has engaged with its target audience. Judges will be looking for entrants to demonstrate how their campaigns used a variety and combination of media, technologies and platforms to deliver relevant messages to the target audience.
This category will explore how institutions are using innovative methods of widening access to target students from disadvantaged backgrounds to provide opportunities in higher education. Judges will be looking for tangible evidence on how institutions have engaged with a specific target group and also how they are providing continued support to the students.
This new category for 2017 aims to recognise the heroic working going on in the HE sector by colleges in (a) identifying individuals without qualifications or much aspiration, building up their confidence and skills, and then (b) convincing universities that they can articulate, sometimes straight into second year. Judges will be looking for curriculum teams who have the skills to recognise individuals, work with them but also have the networks and contacts with universities.
Chair of the judging panel
I joined The Herald’s London office in 1980 as a news, business and politics reporter. I joined The Herald’s Glasgow team of reporters after a couple of years in London, working in the newsroom. I was appointed education correspondent before becoming a leader writer, then chief leader writer, then managing editor, then assistant editor, senior assistant editor before becoming deputy editor, and now my current role Executive Editor. I also duty edit the Sunday Herald in the absence of Editor Neil Mackay. I am looking forward to seeing all your submissions and recognising all the great work happening in the Scottish Higher Education sector.
John Kemp is currently Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council. His previous post was Director of Access Skills and Outcome Agreements at the Council, responsible for outcome agreements for universities and colleges, leadership of its work on access, skills and quality as well as supporting mergers and collaborations. He has been with the Council in a variety of roles since 2000. Before working for the Funding Council he worked in publishing and local government. He has also taught and served on governing bodies in both the college and university sectors.
Ailsa Crum is Head of Quality & Enhancement at QAA Scotland having worked with QAA since 1998, first as Assistant Director and later as Head of Reviews. Her current role involves designing and implementing the Enhancement-led Institutional Review method and leading an exciting programme of enhancement and development activity in close association with the Scottish university sector and its students. Ailsa’s previous Higher Education posts were at the organisation now known as Universities Scotland and at The Robert Gordon University. Ailsa went to school in Wick and consequently was one of the few students to travel south to study at the University of Aberdeen. She has a love of learning and promoting student engagement having also studied at the Robert Gordon University and both Strathclyde and Glasgow universities. Over the last fifteen years, she has developed an academic interest in creative education and has recently completed a PhD at the University of Glasgow. Ailsa is on the editorial board for the literary journal, Mulberry Fork, and has performed stand-up comedy with The Bright Club.
As head of Jisc Scotland and Northern Ireland, Jason has responsibility for ensuring outstanding service for Jisc customers and communities in both nations. Jisc provides Scotland’s universities and colleges with digital infrastructure and services (such as the superfast Janet Network), saves the sector time and money by negotiating sector-wide deals with IT vendors and digital resource publishers, and offers expert and trusted advice on digital technology for education and research. Through teams of account managers, Jason works to ensure Scottish universities and colleges get the most out of their Jisc membership.
With a background in law, Jason’s passion for education began with a lectureship at the University of Abertay in Dundee. Whilst specialising in European law, consumer law and then IT law, he became an enthusiastic adopter of technology in teaching, including use of online self-assessment with large classes, delivering learning material through a virtual learning environment and use of video for teaching and feedback. He also gained valuable experience through undertaking a secondment as head of law. In 2004, Jason became service manager at Jisc Legal, and in January 2015, he took up his present role as head of Jisc Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Beyond his enthusiastic evangelism for good use of technology in education, he enjoys running, cooking (haggis wontons are a speciality), judging school debates, gadgets, travel and music.
James Dornan MSP has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Cathcart since 2011. Previously James represented Langside ward on Glasgow City Council, and was the leader of the SNP council group. James is currently the Convener of the Education and Skills Committee at the Scottish Parliament and he is completely committed to the development of young people in education from the cradle onwards. James is passionately dedicated to life-long learning across Scotland.
Luke Humberstone was elected President of the National Union of Students Scotland in March 2017, having held the role of President of the Highlands and Islands Students’ Association for two years.
His priorities as NUS President have included mental health, student funding, widening access and building on NUS Scotland’s work developing college student associations.
Alistair is a Regional Manager and has worked in a field based role working with SQA’s customers for 7 years. He enjoys working directly with schools, colleges, the private, public and third sectors in order to grow SQA’s business and reputation. Prior to joining SQA, he worked as Lead Officer with Fife Council.
Kieran Gemmell – University of Strathclyde – Commendation
University of Stirling – The Peter Mackay Archive Crowdfunding Campaign – Commendation
Any representative of higher education institutions which offer degree courses.
Entry is free.
Yes. You can enter as many categories as many times as you like. The overall ‘Institution of the Year’ category is judges upon submissions in other categories so we welcome multiple entries.
Stand out as an exceptional institution and share your successes, best practice and imaginative thinking with your peers and have your university profiled across The Herald.
Along with the kudos of winning an award, you will also receive a trophy and a winner’s logo to use on your website and in press releases. All shortlisted entries will be listed on the awards website, in The Herald and heraldscotland.com.
Just complete the questions on the entry form which can be found here.
Yes you can submit up to 1 x 10 page A4 document or 5 pictures which aid your entry. You can send these to kerry.medford@newsquest.co.uk . Ensure they are named correctly with your institution and category.
We will contact all shortlisted entrants by email in June 2018.
The event takes place on Thursday, June 28, 2018 at The Doubletree Hilton Hotel in Glasgow. Tables are priced at £1000+VAT and tickets are priced at £100+VAT (booking fees apply)
We will contact all entrants to confirm how their application has progressed.
There are still a range of sponsorship opportunities available, for more information please contact kerry.medford@newsquest.co.uk
The deadline for entry is Friday May 4th at 5pm.
Entry steps
Step 1: Confirm you meet the eligibility criteria below:
To be eligible, all entries must be accompanied by a completed entry form.
Any representative of Scottish higher education institutions which offer degree courses.
All work entered into the categories must have taken place in Scotland in the 2015/16 or 2016/2017 academic years.
Projects and initiatives can be any size, but must demonstrate success in terms of end results but can also be ongoing.
Step 2: Guidelines for completing your entry
It is important that your entry is clear, concise and shows how you meet the category criteria as this is the basis on which you will be judged.
You must stick to the word count in order to be judged.
You must include the name of the institution, or individual including job titles, where appropriate.
The Awards are FREE to enter and you may submit multiple entries in more than one category.
Please complete sections 1 and 2 and then select the category from the drop down list which you are entering, this will list the questions for that category you are required to complete.
Step 3: Judging process
Each entry will be viewed and assessed by our expert panel of judges from the Scottish higher education sector.
Judges will assess each entry for:
Innovation– What makes this project/initiative new, unique and inspiring within the higher education sector.
Delivery– They will look for excellence in planning, teamwork, partnerships, delivery and costs.
Impact– They will assess the impact of this project/initiative within the university and the wider higher education sector and community.
Evidence– Supporting documentation backs up claims made in the submission.
If you have any questions regarding submitting an entry please contact Claire Hunter on 0141 302 7319.
The deadline for entry is Friday May 4th at 5pm.
The awards will take place on Thursday 28th June at the Doubletree Hilton in Glasgow. For more information or to enquire about attendance or sponsorship please contact Kerry Medford, Events Manager, 0141 302 7319 or kerry.medford@newsquest.co.uk
