A Star is Born: Dr. Sara Budinis recognised for teaching excellence

In June, Sara Budinis, an SGI researcher, was awarded the Higher Education Academy (HEA) Associate Fellowship Award through the STAR Framework

The STAR Framework was developed to reward and recognise all staff at Imperial who demonstrate an ongoing commitment to developing their professional practice in teaching within the higher education sector.

To date over 65,000 individuals have become Fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), which is the national body that supports the higher education community in order to enhance the quality and impact of learning and teaching.

On receiving the award, Dr. Sara Budinis said:

“I am delighted that I have been accepted as an Associate Fellow. I have been teaching and supervising students for the past few years and I thought it would be a good opportunity to help me progress in my career.

The application was straightforward. I had to submit a form with evidence of my experience in teaching and student supervision. You also need  a written commentary from two referees based on a face-to-face meeting. It also does not cost anything to apply, and it is recognised internationally. Anyone at Imperial College who has teaching or supervisory experience can apply and there are three different levels of recognition (Associate, Fellow and Senior Fellow). For example, to be a full Fellow you need to have contributed to a course.

I also think it is extremely useful for the college so they can quantify and continually improve their teaching standards. Universities have the Research Excellence Framework (REF) for recognising research and this is an important initiative to recognise and reward people for teaching excellence.”

If you would like to find out more visit the STAR Imperial Framework website pages.  Imperial College also run a number STAR introductory workshops which start in September.