Two academics awarded National Teaching Fellowships for their excellence

Outstanding academics from the University of Sheffield have today (Thursday 26 July 2012) been recognised with the most prestigious award for excellence in higher education teaching. Brendan Stone, from the School of English, Literature, Language and Linguistics and Tony Cowling, from the Department of Computer Science, were two of 55 academics from across the UK chosen by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) for National Teaching Fellowships. More than 180 academics were nominated for the highly acclaimed fellowship by higher education institutions across England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Successful nominees were backed by their institutions for their individual excellence, raising the profile of excellence and developing excellence. Each award-winner will be presented with £10,000 which may be used for their professional development in teaching and learning or aspects of pedagogy. Senior University Teacher Brendan Stone left school at the age of 16 with few qualifications and returned to education in his mid-thirties on a university access course. He has personal experience of long-term disability and unemployment, and views his non-traditional background as an asset and major influence in shaping his approach to work.