Advance HE said: “A hands-on and inspirational teacher with innovative and often radical views about the future of education and creative practice, Gem Barton balances her passion for teaching excellence with her empathy for others. Her research interests lie in the power of imagination and creative communication, centering on the theme of ‘experimental realisms’.”
The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) and the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) showcase the “outstanding impact of individuals and teams who teach or support learning in UK higher education, recognising their success and providing a platform to share the learning from their practice”.
Gem who joined the University in 2010, said: “I’m genuinely delighted and overwhelmed to have been awarded an NTF. My journey from a 23-year-old teaching assistant (during my Masters in Architecture) in 2005 to the course leader of a truly innovative and national award winning Interior Architecture course has not been easy but it has definitely been rewarding.
“The NTFS is a really in-depth and rigorous process and I owe a great deal to the support and guidance of the team from the CLT (Centre for Learning and Teaching) who enabled me to use the writing process not only to highlight achievements but more importantly provided me with space to reflect on my time in academia and helped me focus on what I still have left to do.”
The Fellowship award has been running since 2000 and there are now more than 815 National Teaching Fellows, with up to 55 individuals receiving the award each year.
Gemma took on leadership of the BA(Hons) Interior Architecture course and redesigned the curricula, pedagogic strategies and course identity. She is an author and academic, and has taught and published on the subjects of gender, feminism, film, spatial production, narrative, storytelling, reality, representation, career and enterprise, academia, teaching, interiors, architecture – all directly informing her approach to teaching and learning, centring around inspiring students to develop their potential.
Congratulations Gem!
