National Teaching Fellowships

Jason Tucker from the School of Law and Politics and Dr Steve Rutherford from the School of Biosciences have been awarded National Teaching Fellowships for their outstanding achievements in learning and teaching.

Awarded by the Higher Education Academy (HEA), a National Teaching Fellowship is the most prestigious individual award for excellence in teaching in higher education.

Jason Tucker is a Reader in Law and Deputy Director of the Centre for Professional Legal Studies (CPLS) at the School of Law and Politics. He worked as a solicitor in private practice, and joined CPLS to teach on the vocational courses for aspiring solicitors and barristers.

Jason’s current focus is translating a traditional law curriculum into a clinical, interdisciplinary learning experience, which enables students to develop the graduate attributes required to make the transition into the world of work.  For this, he is building upon a recent success in developing a unique partnership between students and a national charity, where, using a flipped learning approach, students have produced legal toolkits to support the charity’s advice work, whilst at the same time enhancing their legal knowledge and transferable skills.

Dr Stephen Rutherford is a senior lecturer and Deputy Director of Undergraduate Education at the School of Biosciences. He joined Cardiff University in 2005 after postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford and in the USA. He gained an MA(Ed) in 2009 and is currently studying for an Ed.D.

The main theme of Dr Rutherford’s practice is learner-focused learning and teaching, encouraging active and collaborative learning to develop understanding and critical skills. He also adopts the flipped-classroom approach, delivering factual content prior to face-to-face classes so activities in class can focus on active and collaborative learning tasks.

Professor Marshall, Chief Executive of the Higher Education Academy, said: “I am so pleased the HEA has the opportunity to run these awards, and to help to disseminate the best practice they reveal. Celebrating great teaching, whether by teams or individuals, is really important and highlights just some of the great work in the sector to improve the student experience.  All the awards provide compelling case studies of best practice which we can share around the sector.  It’s also an opportunity for all of us to reflect on our own work, individually and as teams – what are we getting right, what can we learn, what could we do better?”