Pembroke College Hosts 2022 Teaching Awards

NEWS |

Pembroke College recently hosted its annual Teaching Awards ceremony to celebrate tutors nominated by students for their commitment and dedication to teaching. The Master, Sir Ernest Ryder, presented each winner with a certificate and the event was followed by drinks with students, fellows, and the Academic Director.

The thirteen winners were: Dr Roberto Salguero-Gomez, Dr Ushashi Dasgupta, Dr James Read, Dr Linda Flores, Dr Javier Perez Sandoval, Dr Eloise Davies, Dr Reuben Green, Rob Hatch, Laurence Wroe, Dr Federico Nova, Dr Rebekah White, Dr Simon Hibble and Dr Holger Kramer.

Here are some words said about each tutor in their nomination:

Dr Rob Salguero-Gómez (Tutorial Fellow in Ecology)

“[I nominate] Dr Rob Salguero-Gomez for his support both in tutorials (organising extra sessions, liaising with tutors around Oxford) and out of tutorials, particularly his help in driving the Pembroke Biodiversity Project..”

Dr Ushashi Dasgupta (The Jon and Julia Aisbitt Fellow and Tutor in English)

 “Ushashi’s feedback is meticulous and promptly delivered, balances praise and improvement really well… her feedback always manages to be so encouraging while leaving us clear on what needs to be done in order to improve.”

Dr James Read (Associate Professor of Philosophy and Tutorial Fellow in Philosophy)

Academic Director, Nancy Braithwaite, summarised students comments about Dr Read saying: “Reviews given by students are without blemish, his tutorials and feedback are phenomenal, and his care for students is clearly unparalleled. James is very deserving of recognition.”

Professor Linda Flores (Tutor in Japanese Studies, TEPCo Fellow in Japanese, Associate Professor of Japanese Literature)

“In each tutorial we are given an open opportunity to discuss academic, as well as any other concerns we have. Any work completed in tutorials gets honest, constructive feedback. Rather than being restricted to certain topics, our tutorials allow us to explore all kinds of things from course content and to examination prep, as well as being an opportunity to cascade important information…”

 

Nominated lecturers:

Dr Javier Perez Sandoval (Stipendiary Lecturer in Politics)

The feedback for Javier was unanimously positive, with multiple students describing him as some variation of “the best teacher I’ve ever had”. He was praised for his tutorial style, which facilitates a deep understanding of the subject at hand. His questioning style is constructive and helpful, pushing a broad and deep understanding of the topic, and encouraging students to push their academic boundaries.

Dr Eloise Davies (Stipendiary Lecturer (Career Development) in History)

“Eloise is very approachable and provides helpful advice relating to both immediate and longer-term academic concerns… Her feedback is detailed and clear. She makes it obvious where there is room for development in your arguments, but also highlights parts of the essay that have been written well. This makes it easy to reflect on your work and to improve as the term/year progresses…”

Dr Reuben Green (Stipendiary Lecturer in Mathematics)

“Reuben has been an amazing tutor not only this term but also last. He puts in a lot of effort in terms of preparing for the tutorials with very specific tailored advice for each individual. His tutorials have always been enjoyable and have played a huge role in helping me understand the modules he tutors. His teaching style is also excellent and it has made studying Mathematics at Pembroke exciting.”

Dr Rob Hatch (Retained Lecturer in Medicine)

“He encourages us to engage with what we’re learning […] He’s quite creative in the analogies and examples he gives when he’s teaching and he makes us figure things out …”

Laurence Wroe (Stipendiary Lecturer in Physics)

Students agreed that they felt able to go to Laurence if they had any academic concerns, and that he has a good marking style and gives useful feedback, focusing on specific problems and showing students how to answer questions quicker.

Dr Federico Nova (Stipendiary Lecturer in Physics)

All students agreed that they love Federico’s teaching style, and that he goes through concepts in a very interactive way. One student said “I think Federico is the best physics tutor in Pembroke; I think he has just the correct pace and understands the material thoroughly.”

Dr Rebekah White (Stipendiary Lecturer in Experimental Psychology, Welfare and Wellbeing Co-Ordinator)

Students believed that Rebekah’s role in welfare and friendly/warm character made approaching her very easy. Students liked her method of doing an essay draft before attending the tutorial, and then discussing them in the tutorial and writing the full essay after. Students also reported a good balance between course material and extra reading being discussed in the tutorials.

Dr Holger Kramer (Stipendiary Lecturer in Biochemistry, Chemistry)

“He displayed exceptional commitment to teaching, and even went out of his way to give an extra tutorial (on a weekend!) on a topic I was struggling with in preparation for an upcoming exam.”

Dr Simon Hibble (Departmental Lecturer in Practical Chemistry)

Students commented: “[Dr Hibble’s] tutorials are much more focused on linking topics together…, this, in general makes me a much more well-rounded chemist. Tutorials also feel much more focused on what we feel are the weaker areas, rather than pre-planned, which is very useful.”

“The questions given by [Dr Hibble] have been very helpful… In all honesty, he has rekindled students’ love for chemistry.”

 

Collage of all the tutors that one a teaching award