Student Award 2008: What makes a good lecturer?

Are you a student studying for a degree in Languages, Linguistics or Area Studies?

Would you like
to win £250 for
a 1,000-word essay?

Well now's
your chance!

Would you like the opportunity to express your views on
"What makes a good lecturer?"

The Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies is giving you the chance to offer your opinions and experiences in a 1000-word essay. This opportunity is open to anyone studying Languages, Linguistics or Area Studies as part of their HE course.

Although we welcome a well-written account, don't be put off if you feel your English writing skills are not perfect. We are more interested in your ability to capture and express your views and relate them to your current course.

The winning essay will be put on the Subject Centre website, will be featured in our magazine and will give you the opportunity of going to the HE Academy Conference, all expenses paid. There, you have a chance to become the overall winner attracting a top prize of a Toshiba laptop.

So, get writing - and share your thoughts in the field of Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies!

NB: We reserve editorial rights for any essays we choose to publish.

Submit your essay

Deadline for submission: 28th March 2008

Please email your essay to Paula Davis (pd2@soton.ac.uk). Please ensure you include your:

• Name
• University
• Department
• Course title
• Year of Study
• Term address/ Home address (please state which one you use as main)
• Contact email address
• Contact telephone number

Click here to download a cover sheet to submit with your essay.

For examples of what makes an award-winning essay, read the 2005, 2006 and 2007 winning essays; it may help you get started. Good luck!

Further details

Criteria

Submitted essays will be assessed against the following criteria. Your work should:

• Answer the question by describing what makes a good lecturer in your discipline.
• Give the reader an overview of the factors that led to your answer.
• Define and differentiate between your expectations and your experience to date.
• Include examples of good and/or innovative teaching, learning and assessment methods you're experiencing in your course.
• Be sensitive to cultural, contextual and institutional differences (i.e. it should not expose particular individuals or openly criticise an individual department. Ideally you should anonymise the essay or, if used, we will.)
• Provide an individual and honest account.
• As far as is possible, see things from others' viewpoints and provide potentially perceptive observations and helpful ideas for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies teaching staff.
• Be entertaining and interesting to read.
• Be well written in terms of structure, grammar and spelling.
• Not vary from the 1,000 word guideline by more than 10% either way.
• Be submitted on the application form in electronic format.

NB A glowing report may be pleasant to read but we anticipate that a thorough, fair exposition of what you found, if critical, fully argued and explained, is the most likely to win high marks from the judges.