IEP PGTA Teaching Excellence Awards 2020-2021

Usually, at the end of term 3, the entire faculty comes together to celebrate and recognise the work of more than 300 members of staff involved in the day-to-day running of the Integrated Engineering Programme (IEP), from teaching fellows, researchers and postgraduate teaching assistants to student ambassadors and administrators.   

While the in-person celebration will have to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was important for the IEP team to highlight the essential role the IEP Postgraduate Teaching Assistants (PGTA) play in the delivery of the programme.  

PGTAs were nominated by teaching staff and every single nomination highlighted the outstanding work PGTAs do within UCL Engineering.  

And the winners are …   

Best Assessment and Feedback and Best Overall PGTA Contribution: Oliver Kiersnowski 

Oliver is a researcher in UCL Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering. He was nominated for his outstanding work on the Mathematical Modelling and Analysis module this academic year.  

His nomination highlighted his fantastic assessment and feedback support in UCL Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, through his work as a workshop assistant and a moderator for all student-submitted e-coursework. Thanks to his exceptional communications and leadership skills, Oliver was able to engage with students during the workshops by adapting his approach to keep them engaged online every week. 

IEP Director, Professor Emanuela Tilley, said that Oliver’s “relentless work effort and commitment to the delivery of the e-coursework as part of this module is greatly appreciated. [His] nomination reads of [his] excellence in all aspects of the PGTA role and offers insight into [his] great leadership skills.”  

We are very pleased to announce that Oliver also won Best Overall PGTA Contribution. Congratulations Oliver!  

Best Leadership: Daniel Mannion 

Daniel is a researcher in UCL Electronic & Electrical Engineering. He was nominated for his outstanding work on the ENGF0002 Design and Professional Skills module this academic year. Daniel has been teaching on this module for a couple of years now, and this award is a well-deserved recognition for his remarkable work. 

His nomination highlighted his exceptional leadership skills, not only in his excellent relationship with students but also in his work with fellow PGTAs. Daniel has shown true leadership by proactively solving issues in assignments and identifying areas of improvement among the teaching team to provide a better experience for students in UCL Electronic & Electrical Engineering.  

Congratulations Daniel!  

Best Team Contribution (to their associate teaching team): Solomon Bawa 

Solomon is a researcher in UCL Chemical Engineering. He was nominated for his fantastic work on the Mathematical Modelling and Analysis module this academic year.  

His nomination highlighted his exceptional contribution to the Chemical Engineering workshop teaching team: Solomon’s relentless efforts and assistance contributed to the smooth delivery of the workshops. Solomon was a crucial part of the Chemical Engineering teaching team, proactively engaging with the preparation sessions by suggesting improvements and sharing ideas on how to further promote students’ engagement.  He has become a role model for what true teamwork looks like.     

Congratulations Solomon!  

Best Student Engagement: Yiota Victoria Phakoukaki 

Yiota is a researcher in UCL Chemical Engineering.  She was nominated for her fantastic work on multiple teaching roles within the IEP framework, including the Engineering Challenges module, Scenario Design Projects and Design and Professional Skills. 

Her nomination highlights how her incredible work and contributions throughout the year became an essential element of the project-based, design-focused thread directly bridging the different IEP elements she taught on. Yiota has stepped forward for additional responsibilities to support students’ discussion and engagement and improve their experience at UCL. Yiota’s award is a recognition of her passion for student engagement and her wonderful contribution in supporting students in their academic development.

Congratulations Yiota!

Links

• How we teach undergraduate engineering at UCL.