► SSTAR Awards

The UPSU SSTAR Awards have been organised by students with the support of the Students' Union to reward the many excellent university staff members and dedicated course reps we have here at the Plymouth University.

We want to hear why your lecturers are great and how they make your educational experience as a student an exceptional one. Or why you think your course rep has done a fantastic job this year in ensuring that the voice of students is heard by the university.

The awards will highlight what we as students consider to be excellent and inspirational teaching and support and fantastic representation. This really is your chance to give something back to those staff and students that go the extra mile for you and to celebrate those that make the subject or course that you study a special one.

Most Inspirational Teaching

This category celebrates an engaging and inspirational teacher who demonstrates great levels of enthusiasm and passion about their area of expertise and ensures that students are engaged by creating an inspiring and exciting learning environment for their students. Students will be motivated by this individual’s dedication to involving students in their own learning, innovating methods used to engage students and by the maximisation of the academic potential of individuals through the dedication, care and inspiration they bring to their teaching.

Most Dedicated Dissertation/ Project Supervisor

Writing a dissertation or completing your final year project can be a long and often difficult, stressful and even tedious task. Students are assigned a member of academic staff to provide them with advice and support throughout this period and this category is for the supervisors that go above and beyond to encourage students to provide the best dissertation or project possible. If your dissertation/project supervisor is very responsive and proactive when it comes to identifying and addressing your concerns with your project, or they go the extra mile to support you, and offer constructive advice then this award is for them.

Outstanding Personal Tutor

Personal Tutors are an important support role in a student’s time at university. Excellent personal tutors maintain regular contact with their students and help students effectively to resolve any major problems they face in their journey through university. If your personal tutor makes themselves easily available, maintains regular contact, and goes above and beyond your expectations to support you in your academic progression then nominate them for this award.

Most Innovative Use of Teaching Methods

This category hopes to recognise those lecturers that are not afraid to use new and innovative methods of teaching in order to engage students. The winner will have adopted different styles of teaching that support learning and are refreshing for students. One example of a strong candidate would be an individual who has demonstrated innovative ways of using e-learning to improve the learning experience of students with demonstrable positive results. However, this should be not be seen as limiting the category to technology enhanced learning.

Excellence in Supporting Employability and Personal Aspirations

Some members of staff (including module leads, tutors, career supervisors to name a few) are excellent at outlining and emphasising the skills and subject knowledge required to make students more employable and identifying transferable skills students are gaining. Other individuals may offer students development outside the parameters of the course description to transform students in to the best possible graduates. If this sounds like a staff member you know then fill out a form to nominate them.

Outstanding Support Staff (Individual)

Have you been supported by a team or individual throughout your studies that you truly believe you could not have done without? Have you received a dedicated service, which has increased your understanding of processes within the university or a particular subject area required for you to complete an area of your course.? If so then this nomination is for recognition of excellent support offered to students – so get nominating!

Outstanding Support Staff (Team)

Have you been supported by a team or individual throughout your studies that you truly believe you could not have done without? Have you received a dedicated service, which has increased your understanding of processes within the university or a particular subject area required for you to complete an area of your course.? If so then this nomination is for recognition of excellent support offered to students – so get nominating!

Most Useful Feedback

Feedback is vital in order for students to improve their understanding and build upon the quality of their work (exams, coursework, presentation or placement). Good feedback is not a simply a percentage or a grade but should be constructive fair and clear in explaining both the strong aspects of a students work also indicating how a student can build upon the work to achieve a better mark in the future. If you have received feedback that is both timely and of high quality, which has helped not only explain your mark but also helped you to achieve a higher mark in subsequent work then why not thank the marker by nominating them for this award.

Course Reps of the Year Awards

Presented to one course rep from each faculty within the university. The panel for this award will differ from other UPSU Awards, being made up of representatives from each faculty as well as UPSU Staff.

This award will be based on the following Criteria:
• Attending UPSU events, Student Parliament and course rep network meetings
• Engaging with their Faculty through Faculty Board, Programme Committee and other meetings as relevant
• Evidence of progressing/resolving fellow students’ issues within their course
• Interacting with students in their year and other course reps

Parliamentarian of the Year Award

Presented to a parliamentarian who has shown commitment to student parliament and has:

• actively engaged with parliament (written motions etc.)
• interacted with a range of students to carry out their role
• Shown enthusiasm to progress their role and Student Parliament
• Led campaigns based on the views of students and Student Parliament.

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► SSTAR Awards