HISA Awards

The HISA Awards are an annual student-led teaching awards that recognise and reward staff and students who have shown excellence in their area of work.

Run by the university and the Highlands and Islands Students' Association (HISA), the awards give students the chance to thank staff and students who have inspired and supported them. Award categories are:

• Most Inspiring Lecturer
• Most Engaging Online Lecturer
• Best Assessment Feedback
• Best Personal Academic / Learning Support
• Best Research or Dissertation Supervisor 
• Best Support Staff (Professional Services)
• Best Student Voice Representative
• Most Inspiring Student - The Students' Choice
• HISA Sporting Club of the Year
• Above and Beyond - Staff Award
• Above and Beyond - Student Award
• Best Student-Led Community Award

Full details of the categories are listed below.

The annual awards are judged by a student panel who decide the winners based on the quality of the nominations, and not by the number of nominations received for a particular individual.

Submit your nomination!

Nominations are open each year during April. To nominate someone, please use the unique link that has been sent to all student. Please check your spam or clutter folders if you are unable to find it in your inbox. If you have any difficulties, please email us at hisa@uhi.ac.uk.

Awards Categories

Descriptions of the awards categories.

Most Inspiring Lecturer

This award recognises lecturers who inspire students to achieve as much as they can through their approach to teaching and their engagement with both students and subject content.

You may be inspired by a lecturer’s enthusiasm, knowledge and their genuine passion for their subject area; you may appreciate how approachable, friendly and helpful they are; feel your input is always valued and respected; enjoy interesting, thought- provoking lectures/tutorials which use new and varied teaching methods enriching your learning experience; your learning experience is fun!

Most Engaging Online Lecturer

This award recognises lecturers delivering learning online, those who engage, motivate and inspire students through their exceptional use of the UHI virtual learning environment (VLE) or Video Conference.

You may feel your lecturer deserves the title of most engaging lecturer as they have kept you motivated and engaged through their use of technologies; your lecturer may have made you feel like you are part of a learning community and not on your own; communicate with you regularly and always respond promptly to questions etc. their teaching methods bring the subject alive and leave you wanting to know more!

Best Assessment Feedback

This award recognises tutors who excel in the provision of assessment feedback to students and recognise its central importance in student learning.

You may feel your tutor excels in providing feedback as they always provide feedback that is detailed, easy to understand and shows clearly how you can make improvements; the feedback is individualised recognising and supporting your particular needs and always constructive.

Best Personal Academic/Learning Support

This award recognises staff who excel in the provision of support and guidance to students, particularly on an individual basis through their role as Personal Academic Tutor (PAT), Learning Development Worker (LDW in Moray), Personal Development Advisor (PDA in Inverness), also sometimes known as Studies Adviser.

Your learning experience may have been enhanced by a PAT/studies support staff member who have taken the time to get to know you; keeps in touch; is available, approachable and responds quickly to your enquires; is supportive and understanding and able to direct you to resources/sources of help; has enabled you to continue with your studies.

Best Research or Dissertation Supervisor

This award recognises supervisors who show exceptional commitment and ability to help students undertake a piece of self-directed research.

You may feel that your supervisor’s academic expertise, knowledge and insight, as well as patience and understanding was crucial in enabling you to conduct and complete your research; you may have benefitted from the regular meetings your supervisor arranged; and felt you were challenged constructively aiding you to develop your critical thinking skills.

Best Support Staff (Professional Services)

This award recognises that there are a whole range of staff that have an impact on your student experience, not just teaching staff. For example: Student Support/Services; Librarians; UHI Helpdesk/VC Master; Finance Office; Learning Centre receptionists – anyone that doesn’t have a teaching or academic/learning role – who is your ‘hidden hero’?

You may feel there is a non-academic/teaching staff member who you want to pay tribute to as they have enhanced your student experience; perhaps they have always provided you with great service and gone out of their way to help you; they may have taken the time to get to know your name and build a working relationship with you; or perhaps their advice/guidance/support has made a real difference to you as student.

Best Student Voice Representative

This award recognises a class rep who has made an exceptional contribution to serving their class through their role as rep.

They may have done this by bringing about positive change to your class/course; ensuring you and your classmates are kept informed; providing you with a strong representation at course committees/student rep meetings; providing effective solutions to problems; making you aware of and encouraging you to get involved in HISA activities.

Most Inspiring Student – The Students’ Choice

This award recognises inspirational practice by a student and sums up what is great about a UHI student.

This is the students’ choice so we want to know how another student has inspired you. This may be through their sporting excellence; difficulties they have overcome to achieve their goals; positive change they have brought about through campaigning/representing the student voice; their academic achievements; their commitment and hard work in voluntary work/supporting charities; they have gone above and beyond to engage students through their organising of events/activities; has positively raised the profile of HISA/UHI in the local and national press.

HISA Sporting Club of the year

This award recognises the outstanding achievements of a HISA sporting club during the academic year.

Achievements could include building and/or sustaining a HISA Sports Club; increase in membership and student engagement; enhancement of the Club’s (and HISA and UHI) reputation locally, regionally or nationally through sporting performance; fundraising efforts to secure match funding and/or securing funding from external sources; commitment and dedication of club members to ensure efficient running of club.

Above and Beyond - Staff Award

This award recognises a member of staff who has visibly gone ‘above and beyond’ in an inspiring way to support and enable students to engage in learning.

We want to know how a staff member has enabled you to engage in your studies. This may be through their support to your learning; by helping you personally overcome any difficulties; positive change they have brought to your learning through listening to the student voice; their investment in your academic achievements; their commitment and hard work to supporting their students; their success in engaging students in coursework.

Above and Beyond - Student Award

This award recognises a student who has visibly gone ‘above and beyond’ in an inspiring way to support and enable fellow students to engage in their learning.

We want to know how another student has enabled you to engage in your studies. This may be through their support to the learning of other students; by helping their peers overcome any difficulties; positive change they have brought to others learning; their commitment and hard work in class and in supporting their peers; their success in engaging students in group work – do you have a class hero?

Best Student-led Community Initiative

This award recognises a class or study group who have found ways to actively support each other during this academic year

We want to know if you were part of a pro-active class or study group and what your group did to support each other, helping the group engage with their studies; taking action as a group to help each other overcome difficulties and get the most from your studies