Director of Educational Development Awarded a National Teaching Fellowship

(NOTE: This is an archived press release.)

Writtle College's Liz Warr has been awarded a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship (NTF) from the Higher Education Academy in recognition of her outstanding contribution to learning and teaching. Liz, who is Director of Educational Development at the College, is the second member of staff to be awarded a NTF, reinforcing the College's reputation for delivering high quality education to its students.

Liz started her career at Writtle as a lecturer in Agricultural Science almost thirty years ago and has progressed to roles embracing research, management and now educational development.

In the 1990's Liz led the development of Equine Studies courses at Writtle and has since played a key role nationally in establishing the subject as a respected academic discipline, adopting an innovative approach to curriculum design, delivery and assessment.

Liz also established the Horse Units at the College to provide horses for practical instruction and opportunities for student inquiry and research. The College's stud was one of the first to be set up purely as an educational resource for students to gain hands-on experience in breeding stock management.

Key to Liz's success has been her ability to take theoretical learning into the practical dimension and to relate scientific principles to current commercial practice. Throughout her career Liz has made the learning experience her key priority and ex-students have described Liz as a truly inspirational lecturer. Liz said: “I have always tried to inspire learners by being able to explain 'how things work' and 'why things happen' in a language students understand. I believe this has been the hallmark of my teaching success.”

Liz has also been responsible for appointing and supporting junior staff at Writtle, many of which have progressed to senior roles within the Institution and across the wider education sector. Liz has also established a Teaching and Learning Fund at the College, enabling staff to bid for money to develop innovative teaching methods.

The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS), launched in 2000, recognises and rewards teachers and learning support staff in higher education in England and Northern Ireland for their excellence in teaching. Funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland, the scheme was re-launched in 2006 and comprises an individual strand which recognises and rewards excellence of fellows and a project strand which enables further larger scale development of their work. Having an individual fellowship, Liz will now be eligible to bid within the project strand to gain further recognition for her work in Equine Higher Education.