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Queen Mary Academy

Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence

Each year we support staff to apply for national recognition through the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence, which recognises and celebrates collaborative work that has had a demonstrable impact on teaching and learning.

Internal processLogo for the CATE Award

The Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) was introduced to highlight the key role of teamwork in higher education. Queen Mary University of London is able to nominate one team for an Award each year.

The process is highly competitive, with 15 teams from around the UK receiving awards in 2023. Nominations are reviewed by members of the wider higher education community, with the review and awards process coordinated by Advance HE.

The deadline for applications to Advance HE is normally early March each year and there are strict criteria for submission. If you are interested in applying for a CATE, you should first review the Advance HE website, including the videos providing insight into the award criteria. We recommend that you also review the profiles of successful teams to find out more about the value, reach and impact which have been evidenced in successful submissions.

Criteria

Teams must demonstrate evidence of:

  • Excellence in the team’s collaborative approach: Evidence of excellence in the team’s approach to working collaboratively, commensurate with their context and the opportunities afforded by it.
  • Excellence in the impact of collaborative working: Evidence of the team having a demonstrable impact on teaching and learning, including beyond their immediate academic or professional area.

Eligibility

It is normally a pre-requisite that at least one of team should:

  • have received a Queen Mary Education Excellence Award and/or President and Principal’s Prize
  • hold Fellowship from Advance HE  

Each team should demonstrate direct engagement with students. Although there is no requirement for students to be members of the team, a team should clearly demonstrate how students are directly engaged in their work. The team should normally comprise between three and 15 key members.

Expressions of interest

The call for expressions of interest for nomination in 2025 is now open.

Stage One: Submission of expressions of interest

Expressions of interest should be submitted using the online form. The deadline for receipt is Wednesday 28 August 2024.

Expressions of interest should include a maximum of 600 words explaining how the team can evidence value, reach and impact in the context of the CATE criteria.

Stage Two: Consideration by Queen Mary Panel

Submissions will be considered by a panel in September 2024. The Panel is chaired by the Vice-Principal (Education) and includes Faculty representation.

The panel decision will be communicated by mid-October. If your team is not selected for submission, you will receive feedback on your submission.

Stage three: Preparing the nomination to Advance HE

The team which is selected will receive advice in drafting their application from the Queen Mary Academy. They will be expected to make time to attend workshops and engage with the support available. It is the responsibility of the applicants to ensure that they meet the requirements of the Advance HE application process.

Please note that the final submission date for 2025 has not yet been announced by Advance HE.

Information Session

We are holding an information session which provide an introduction to the Advance HE Teaching Excellence Awards, the internal nomination process and support offered to nominated individuals or teams. It will help you decide whether you are ready to apply to be nominated for the next round of awards.

Wednesday 19 June 1-2pm MS Teams Book your place

Resubmission to Advance HE

Normally Queen Mary will nominate teams on two occasions. 

If your team has previously been nominated to Advance HE, has been unsuccessful and wishes to be re-considered, this will be considered by the panel. Please submit an expression of interest, attaching your previous application and the feedback received from Advance HE.

Submit your expression of interest

The deadline for expressions of interest is 28 August 2024.

Complete the MS Form

CATE Awards at Queen Mary

A group photo of Queen Mary staff and students from the Legal Advice CentreIn 2020 the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre was awarded a CATE, and you can find out more about their work on the Advance HE website.

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