Wales DTC Student Michael Scott Evans (Cardiff School of Psychology) was shortlisted for the Most Effective Teacher 2016 at the Enriching Student Life Awards hosted by Cardiff University Students Union. The awards ceremony celebrates the commitment and dedication of Cardiff University staff and students who have made a real difference to the student experience. This year there were a record-breaking 545 nominations (almost 200 nominations higher than last year) with Michael being one of the five finalists selected.

Michael was nominated by level 5 student Becca Louch:

“Michael continuously seeks to make his postgraduate tutorials engaging and insightful for the class. He shows an excellent consideration of his students’ needs, both individually and as a group, and goes out of his way to meet these needs and facilitate personal development. His feedback on work and contribution is always highly detailed, clear, and constructive, inclusive of what the students have done well, and not just how they could improve. This exceptionally high standard of feedback allows for the continuous progression and development of students work. In class, he structures his tutorials in a manner so as to include, and show consideration for, every individual in the group discussions and activities. Outside of class, the preparation time he puts into each tutorial is obvious through his provision of the necessary and well-presented materials and handouts which he provides to further the learning of his students, while his availability to discuss personal concerns demonstrates that he genuinely cares about his students. His dedication and enduring professionalism allows for him to explain complex topics in a manner which turns them into manageable discussions, and he expresses both himself and complex ideas in fashion which demonstrates his personal interest in seeing the students he is teaching to develop as critical thinkers. It is with the highest enthusiasm that I recommend Michael to you, as he is as deeply invested in the success of his students as they themselves are, and persistently goes above and beyond the call of duty in ensuring that every member of his tutorial group reaches their full potential.”

Michael described being shortlisted as a remarkable honour, and said “this would not have been possible without the support and funding from the ESRC Wales DTC”.

Professor David James, director of the Wales DTC, said “There’s a great deal of overlap between the capabilities of the best teachers and those of the best researchers. This is a terrific achievement, and I congratulate Michael on his nomination”.