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Dr Alison Hill has won the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Excellence in Higher Education Prize
Exeter lecturer wins Royal Society of Chemistry Education Prize
University of Exeter lecturer Dr Alison Hill has won the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Excellence in Higher Education Prize.
Nominated by her peers, Dr Hill was chosen by the RSC’s panel of judges as one of the most inspirational, innovative and dedicated people in education.
The prize recognises inspirational teaching and making a positive difference in curriculum design, implementation, assessment and to the wider community.
Dr Hill said: “I am delighted to receive this prize and to have teaching innovations recognised.
“I started pedagogical research in 2017 when I became a University of Exeter Education Incubator Fellow and started work on embedding mathematics into the curriculum.
“This led to the development of unique data sets when examinations moved online during the pandemic.”
Dr Hill added: “I have invented, with my colleague Professor Nic Harmer, a way to create unique exam papers for my students so that in an open-book, online exam, every student has a different answer; we also make corresponding answer files for the marker to use.
“This approach discourages students from sharing their answers.
“I created resources to help my students with the mathematics and data processing skills they need to succeed in Chemistry and Biochemistry.
“I created an online tool that allows students to process their data which provides instant feedback and can even solve a step if they get stuck.”
Dr Helen Pain, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “It’s of vital importance that we recognise the crucial role that educators play in the advancement of the sciences, and that we commend their ability to inspire and nurture the next generation of bright young minds, so that they can go on to make new discoveries and innovations.
“Society faces many challenges, and educators give us the tools we need to advance our understanding of the world around us and solve many of the problems we encounter.
“Dr Hill’s work demonstrates an outstanding commitment to chemistry education, and it is our honour to celebrate her considerable contribution.”
Gill Reid, President of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “For many of us as chemists, our teachers were our inspiration – their influence in driving the next generation of amazing scientists cannot be underestimated.
“That’s why I’m so proud of the winners of the Education Horizon Prizes, each of whom demonstrates an infectious passion for learning that sparks young minds to do amazing things.
“This year’s winners set exemplary examples of the impact this can make; it’s no exaggeration to say their successes will be felt for generations to come.”
The Royal Society of Chemistry’s prizes have recognised excellence in the chemical sciences for more than 150 years.
The Excellence in Education Prizes celebrate inspirational, innovative, and dedicated people working in primary, secondary, further education and higher education – including teachers, technicians and more.
Date: 22 November 2022