Showcasing award-winning teaching: Natasha Todorov 

What does it take to win a learning and teaching award? In this series of Teche posts we showcase our award-winning teachers and uncover the methods and approaches behind their award-winning practice.

Natasha won the Teaching Excellence Award in the 2023 Vice Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Awards.

I modified my units to minimise learning barriers and decrease the cognitive load for students with executive function challenges. I changed the way I presented information and encouraged students to learn and practice relevant academic skills such as time management and self-reflection. I made changes to the iLearn page that were distinctly low-tech, but very successful.

Editors note: You can observe one of Natasha’s classes as part of the Open for Observation program. Read more.

A 6-step approach to reducing learning barriers and enhancing student success

The ‘structure and scaffold’ approach employed in the psychology first-year units comprised:

1. Chunking information on iLearn to decrease executive function load

Natasha reviewed the way information and learning materials were presented on iLearn. Rather than provide information in long documents, information was chunked into book chapters starting with a summary page listing important information, preventing students getting buried in detail. These booklets are downloadable and printable.

2. Explicitly teaching organisation

Students were provided with:

• a recommended timeline for success.
• weekly to-do lists with tickable boxes to explicitly teach task management.
• a 4-step schema to help them scaffold and progress through each topic
• weekly announcements to integrate the unit’s many parts and encourage an active, integrated approach to learning.
• a reminder to use MyLearn to obtain an overview of due dates for assessments, learning activities and forum posts across all of their current units.

3. Publishing learning objectives for lectures and tutorials

This is crucial for helping students focus attention on lecture structure and filter important content. Learning objectives are an important scaffold for first-year students who are still practicing notetaking.

4. Explaining the rules, not just listing them

Students appreciate knowing the WHY of the administrative rules that are in place. This is important for students who have executive function difficulties.

5. Providing a clear plan on how to succeed at university

Students were provided with a ‘3 steps to success’ plan which encouraged them to:

• Build connections: Tutorial Guides offered tips on becoming an active learner and encouraged students to connect with their tutor and classmates.
• Practice self-reflection: Specific instructions were provided, along with a “how to do academic self-reflection” guide and video.
• Seek assistance: Easily accessible and comprehensive resources were provided to make it easier for students to seek support when they most needed it because it is known that help seeking behaviour in students is reduced when their cognitive load is high.

6. Creating a Student Support Hub 

A Student Support Hub was created within the unit’s iLearn site. It was designed as a comprehensive, diverse, and integrated resource. It comprised: 

• An online booklet of student support services with clearly signposted links to university-provided (and off-campus) technical, academic, personal and crisis support resources.
• A video outlining resources specifically aimed at first year students (created by MQ Student Wellbeing) as an alternative way to seek support for students who may become so symptomatically anxious that they are unable to sift through online information to find help.

Key outcomes

• By taking steps to assist neurodiverse learners, all students were empowered to perform at their best.
• A significant impact was noticed in the OUA (Open University) cohort who study wholly online and rely on the iLearn site for accessing information and learning materials. The overall results for the OUA students improved and for the first time, their results approached the on-campus student cohort.
• A reduction in the number of late assignments (only 6% of essays late)
• A lower overall rate of unsuccessful students
• An increase in the average unit mark

Feedback from Natasha’s students

Here’s what her students say:

“The unit was the most organised so far. It helped to keep me on track and on top of my learning”. 

“I appreciate how she checked in on us and the resources she provided to support our mental health”. 

Enhancing student learning and pastoral care are important aspects of my teaching philosophy: I aim to create a respectful, warm and inclusive learning environment that prioritises student needs and encourages them to be active participants in their learning. 

Further reading

• Applying UDL principles to the design of a very large unit
• The power of asking students ‘Do you know what you don’t know?’
• In focus: iLearn workbooks

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Are you considering applying for an award in the future?

Start gathering your evidence now so you will be ready to apply for a Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in the future.

• Read this post on 15 ways to evidence your teaching achievements at university
• View these resources for informal evaluation of teaching – Explore other approaches to collecting feedback from students and peers
• Set a reminder to order an LET survey next session to gather student feedback on your teaching.
• Read about our other award winning teachers
• Visit the Awards for Excellence in Education site for details of awards and guidance on writing an award application.

Banner image: Image by freepik
Post compiled by Kylie Coaldrake