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Economics staff and student winners at Education Awards
9 June 2021
Postgraduate Teaching Assistants Ahmed Saade and Aoife Horan, and Course Rep Ed Collins win in the 2021 Education Awards.
Award for Inspiring Teaching Delivery, Student Choice Awards
Winner: Ahmed Saade, Postgraduate Teaching Assistant
Ahmed joined the department as a Postgraduate Teaching Assistant (PGTA) in September 2020 and is a current Doctoral candidate in Economics at Cranfield University. His research focuses on the determinants of monopsony power in labour markets, with a particular focus on East Asian economies.
Ahmed said of his win,
The students I have worked with this year are among the brightest and most resilient people I have met, to be nominated by them only makes this award more special. This is undoubtedly a highlight of my career!”
The Student Choice Awards give our student body an opportunity to show their appreciation to staff who have gone above and beyond. This year, 1482 nominations were submitted, recognising 731 individual members of staff.
Read: CTaLE feature with Ahmed
Provost Education Awards
Winner: Aoife Horan, Postgraduate Teaching Assistant
Aoife, a former MSc alum, joined the Department as a PGTA in September 2020, managing a course with nearly 800 students and 20 Teaching Assistants. Aoife was an invaluable member of the team, coordinating the First Year Challenge, organising private channels for each of the tutorials and groups across all 800 students, helping them with technical or logistical questions, and introducing them to the tutorial setup run entirely through Teams. It is unthinkable that ECON0002 has run as smoothly as it has despite the sudden explosion in numbers, issues with TA supply, and the crisis, and it would not have happened without Aoife.
On her award Aoife said,
“ I'm so thrilled to have won the UCL Provost Education Award - I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone I worked with in the Department of Economics, and in particular, the ECON0002 Teaching Team of Professor Cloda Jenkins, Professor Parama Chaudhury, Professor Wendy Carlin and Dr Dunli Li. The move to online learning this year brought challenges for all, but through hard work, enthusiasm, and creativity, the team provided First Year students with a fantastic introduction to economics at UCL.”
The Provost Education Award recognises staff making outstanding contributions to the learning experience and success of our students.
Department of Economics Professor Parama Chaudhury commented,
“Ahmed and Aoife's wins are particularly significant given that they both worked on ECON0002, the mandatory first year module which more than doubled in size in 2020/21 in addition to going online, and the challenges presented by this perfect storm highlight the amazing achievements of these two PGTAs.”
Faculty Academic Rep of the Year, Social and Historical Sciences
Winner: Ed Collins, Economics Course Rep
Ed has been commended for his exceptional work as a rep, not only for his year but across all year groups. He has been a key figure this year and has supported all students and staff with remote learning, by creating multiple “how-to” videos. Despite being a 2nd year Rep, Ed has tirelessly helped and provided support for first-year students and final-year students alike.
On his win Ed said,
I’m over the moon with the news! I always love helping out the department and its students in any way I can, so to be recognised for my efforts this past year with the award was a fantastic feeling.”
The Academic Rep of the Year Awards look to recognise and celebrate the work of over 1,900 Academic Reps who have dedicated themselves to improving education at UCL and supporting their fellow students. This year the SU received 310 nominations for 139 individual Academic Reps, a record number of nominations, acknowledging reps who’ve gone above and beyond in their roles.
Key Links
- Education Awards 2021: The Winners
- Academic Rep of the Year 2021 – Faculty Winners
- Feature: Ahmed Saade
- Feature: Aoife Horan