The ALDinHE Award
The ALDinHE Annual Award was launched in 2020 to celebrate great practice and dedicated practitioners in the learning development community. The awards are open to everyone working in learning development.
Nominations are invited from colleagues by sending a brief (300 words) account of a practitioner’s contribution to learning development. Tell us how they have made a difference to students and we will celebrate their achievements.
The call for applications is now closed.
Our previous winner and nominees can be found here for: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020
Nomination guidelines:
- You can nominate a colleague at your own institution or a different one. You can nominate yourself!
- The nominations will be reviewed by a small group of our previous Award nominees
- The committee will be looking for a link to the five ALDinHE values and the contribution made to learning development
- We will publicly recognise all nominees and celebrate the shortlisted nominees.
- Neither you nor the person you are nominating are required to attend the conference
- Members of the ALDinHE Steering Group are not eligible for nomination
Congratulations to Kate Normandin (Abertay University), the winner of the 2024 ALDinHE Award, nominated by Kerith George-Briant
I am deeply grateful to ALDinHE for this award, and to Kerith George-Briant for the nomination. It is a tremendous honour to be recognised. I have transitioned through various roles and countries during my career, shifting with change in my personal life and higher education. I transitioned again in March 2023, joining the Learner Development Team at Abertay University and feeling excited for my new role and where it would take me. A little over a year later, this award feels like a symbol of solidification in my place at Abertay, in Scotland, and higher education. Upon reflection of the award, I felt the encouragement that I was ‘moving in the right direction’ within my work. I am driven towards widening access to higher education, but also equaling the playing field to graduation, and I get to explore new ways to do this every day! It is a joy seeing positive outcomes the more I learn and apply to my interactions with students and my colleagues. It is a joy to work with David Seath and our fearless leader, Kerith George-Briant. Their support, along with that of ALDinHE, has made all the difference in feeling connected to a positive community. A community that provides healthy debate, a wealth of resources, and motivation to keep learning and, in turn, help students succeed. Thank you again for this recognition.
What the reviewing panel said:
An impactful and highly pro-active and driven learning developer who is innovating in the area of micro credentials. Responsive to feedback and proactive in making changes to create meaningful learning opportunities for students. Also a keen learner and very much interested in broadening their skills set and knowledge and understanding in new for her areas to inform practice. Excellent!
The LD Team Award
The LD Team Award was launched in 2023. Often our best work is achieved in collaboration with others, and a good team is far greater than the sum of its parts. We want to celebrate those who have gone further together, whether that relates to project outcomes, reach, or innovative working practices.
If you know or are part of a Learning Development team that deserves recognition, nominations are now open. Please send us 300 words outlining how this team has lived the ALDinHE values and made a difference to students, and we will celebrate their achievements at the conference and on our website.
The call for applications is now closed.
Our previous winner and nominees can be found here for: 2024, 2023.
Nomination guidelines:
- You can nominate a team at another institution. You can nominate your own!
- The nominations will be reviewed by a small group of previous ALDinHE Award nominees
- The committee will be looking for a link to the five ALDinHE values and the contribution made to learning development
- We will publicly recognise all nominees and celebrate the shortlisted nominees by publishing on our website
- Neither you nor the team you are nominating are required to attend the conference
Congratulations to University of Northampton, the winner of the 2024 ALDinHE Team Award
Nominated by Sheryl Mansfield:
Receiving the LD team of the Year Award is only just sinking in. Many members of the team correct me when I talk about Learning Development; they pipe up “Awarding Winning Learning Development Team!” which makes me so proud. Our Vice Chancellor wrote a little piece about our achievement in her weekly update which caused a flurry of emails to our inbox with congratulations. One said…“Many congratulations to you and the LD team for your recent award! So well deserved to such a vital, relevant and ‘accessible’ team – you’re all wonderful. I hear nothing but praise from students and working with you last year was the same for us too.”
I know each and every member of the team don’t think they are doing anything special, but the reality is their humble nature is why we are successful as a unit. We energise each other during phases of innovation and offer critical but kind reflections on our own and others practice. We want to thank ALDinHE for recognising our achievements and know we were up against some tough competition. Our journey has been one of growth, collaboration and a shared passion for learning. We acknowledge the countless hours of staff past and present refining content, designing resources and supporting learners. Well Done Team!
Team Awardees:
Alison Loddick ; Amy West ; Anna Shirley ; Anna Smith ; Anne-Marie Langford ; Asanat Kazeem ; Emma Kimberley Ellie Abrahart ; Elliot Lake ;; Helena Beeson ; Holly Griffiths ; Ivelina Cramphorn ; Kate Swinton ; Marlies Shepperdson ; Paul Rice ; Samantha King ; Sarah Mills ; Sheryl Mansfield .
What the reviewing panel said:
What an amazing initiative to have undergraduate students as mentors in the design of resources.
Congratulations to ALDinHE members who received formal recognition of their specialist knowledge and practice in learning development in 2023-24.
The following members were awarded Certified Practitioners (CeP) and Certified Leading Practitioners (CeLP) in Learning Development:
CeP
- Helen Briscoe
- Phil O’Brien
- Jamie Smith
- Adam Paxman
- Maisie Prior
- Jo Briggs
- Ed Powell
- Emma Morrison
- Alex Read
- Mike Scott
CeLP
- Steph Allen
- Claire Olson
- Chad McDonald
