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National Teaching Fellowship Scheme

The Advance HE National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTF) celebrates excellent practice and outstanding achievement in learning and teaching in higher education.

NEW: A vision for education and skills at Newcastle University: Education for Life 2030+

About NTF

The Advance HE National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) celebrates excellent practice and outstanding achievement in learning and teaching in higher education. The awards support individuals’ professional development in learning and teaching and provides a national focus for institutional teaching and learning excellence schemes. 

LTDS support applications to the NTFS, and work with the National Teaching Fellows in the University to promote their work and teaching excellence. Each institution can nominate three colleagues to each round of the scheme. 

Newcastle University now has a total of 13 National Teaching Fellowships, which reflects our shared commitment to the importance of the educational experiences we enable.

Professor Ruth Valentine

2025 National Teaching Fellowship Scheme

The call for 2025 NTF nominations is now open and the deadline for nominations is Monday 4th November 2024 at 12.00 noon.

Application to be an institutional nominee

Nominations will be considered at a panel meeting in November, chaired by the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education and consisting of current Newcastle NTFs and members of the Learning and Teaching Development Service. To nominate yourself please submit a 1000 word maximum application outlining how you meet the 3 NTF criteria to ltds@newcastle.ac.uk

All higher education providers are eligible to enter three nominations to NTF. Following this panel meeting the 3 successful nominees will work with NTF mentors to develop their full claim submitted to Advance HE in March 2025.

The Advance HE Criteria

Eligibility: nominees need to be a Fellow of the HEA (any category)

1. Individual excellence

Evidence of enhancing and transforming the student learning experience commensurate with the individual’s context and the opportunities afforded by it.

This may, for example, be demonstrated by providing evidence of: 

  • stimulating students’ curiosity and interest in ways which inspire a commitment to learning;
  • organising and presenting high quality resources in accessible, coherent and imaginative ways which in turn clearly enhance students’ learning;
  • recognising and actively supporting the full diversity of student learning needs;
  • drawing upon the results of relevant research, scholarship and professional practice in ways which add value to teaching and students’ learning;
  • engaging with and contributing to the established literature or to the nominee’s own evidence base for teaching and learning.

2. Raising the profile of excellence

Evidence of supporting colleagues and influencing support for student learning; demonstrating impact and engagement beyond the nominee’s immediate academic or professional role.

This may, for example, be demonstrated by providing evidence of:

  • making outstanding contributions to colleagues’ professional development in relation to promoting and enhancing student learning;
  • contributing to departmental/faculty/institutional/national initiatives to facilitate student learning;
  • contributing to and/or supporting meaningful and positive change with respect to pedagogic practice, policy and/or procedure.

3. Developing excellence

Evidence of the nominee’s commitment to her/his ongoing professional development with regard to teaching and learning and/or learning support.

This may, for example, be demonstrated by providing evidence of:

  • ongoing review and enhancement of individual professional practice;
  • engaging in professional development activities which enhance the nominee’s expertise in teaching and learning support;
  • engaging in the review and enhancement of one’s own professional and/or academic practice;
  • specific contributions to significant improvements in the student learning experience. 

Thinking about applying

Find out what motivated some of our NTF winners to apply, what it meant to them to learn of their success, and what advice they would give colleagues thinking of applying.

Please contact us if you'd like to speak to the team (apt.lts@newcastle.ac.uk) and we'll be happy to help you get started.


2023 NTF Winners

Congratulations to Dr Joanna Matthan and Professor Ruth Valentine, who have been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship. This award recognises exceptional colleagues who are committed to teaching, learning and student outcomes.

NTF Winners

Previous Winners

2021

Dr Paul Fleet - School of Arts and Cultures

2020

Dr Clare Guilding - School of Medical Education
Professor Simon Tate - School of Geography, Politics & Sociology
Dr Iain Keenan - School of Medical Education

2019

Dr Lindsey Ferrie - School of Biomedical Sciences
Dr Lee Fawcett - School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics
Dr Helen Webster - Writing Development Centre