SRUC shortlisted for Times Higher Education Award
The technology in action at Oatridge
The technological innovation used in teaching at SRUC has been recognised with a nomination for a Times Higher Education Award – the “Oscars” of higher education.
The organisation has been shortlisted in the Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year category.
It is the second time this year that the Equine Studies team at Oatridge has been nominated for a top honour, with its high-tech courses also being shortlisted for a Herald Higher Education Award.
After successfully applying for £6,000 through the Principal’s Teaching Innovation Fund (PTIF), where priority is given to projects that can have an impact at institutional level or higher, the team successfully married the ancient art of horse riding with a unique combination of cutting-edge technology, including robotic cameras to track and record riders’ movements and biomechanical jackets to measure their posture.
Not only has this created a more inclusive learning environment, with technology that makes it easier for those with auditory processing and auditory memory disorders, but it is also helping to tackle skills shortages and access to riding in an industry worth approximately £3.4 billion to the UK economy.
Jennifer Fitzpatrick, who led the project, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be shortlisted for such a prestigious award. The project started with an idea of how to be more inclusive during Covid and it has just grown from there, with the PTIF allowing me to put it into practice. It has supported many students to develop their learning and will continue to do so.”
From a record-breaking haul of entries, 120 – featuring 74 different institutions – have made the shortlist, with the 20 categories spanning the full range of university activity, covering academic and professional services, from front-line staff through all levels of leadership and management.
John Gill, THE’s editor, described the shortlist as “a clear indicator of the great strength in depth of UK and Irish higher education”, noting that it includes “not only some long-established big names, but also younger, aspirational institutions, those with a community-centred civic vision, and others with a much more specialist focus – all of whom deserve wider recognition for their brilliant work”.
SRUC will find out if it has been successful at a glittering awards ceremony in Liverpool on 7 December.
The full list of categories and nominees are on the THE website.
Posted by SRUC on 07/09/2023
