Fellow wins Technology-Enabled Learning Prize

Dr Mairi Kilkenny, Fellow and Director of Studies in Biochemistry at St Catharine’s, has received one of two prizes for excellence in technology-enabled learning awarded by Cambridge University Press.

Following a year in which the importance of digital technologies to the provision of Higher Education has been drawn into sharper relief than ever before, the Technology-enabled Learning Prize aims to reward Cambridge academics and other staff supporting student learning who have either developed their own learning technology solutions or employed existing technology in an innovative way to improve the learning outcomes of students.

The organisers praised Dr Kilkenny's considerable efforts to ensure educational continuity through the recent pandemic:

“Through the informed selection and impressive use of a range of learning technologies, including Articulate 360, iMovie and Bio-render, Dr Kilkenny created an extensive set of educational media, including video, illustrations and quizzes, to enable the delivery of virtual practicals, to the benefit of more than eight hundred students enrolled on the Natural Sciences Tripos. Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many citing the quality and interactivity of the online materials as having contributed substantially to the overall success of the lecture series.”

Dr Kilkenny commented, “It’s been a hugely challenging year for staff and students, and I wanted to do everything I could to support student learning during the lockdown periods. I’ve enjoyed getting to grips with new learning technologies, enabling students to engage with biochemical techniques even though they couldn’t be in the laboratory. I’m really grateful for this Technology-enabled Learning prize, and I will continue to incorporate exciting, interactive online learning sessions into my day-to-day teaching at St Catharine’s”.

Find out more about studying Natural Sciences at St Catharine’s.