MIC Lecturer Dr Anne Dolan has been selected as the recipient of this year’s Mid-West Regional Teaching Excellence Award. The Galway native, who is a Lecturer in Geography Education, has been chosen for the award in recognition of her outstanding practice in higher education teaching.
The annual awards are a collaborative competition between MIC, UL and TUS Mid-West, with academics from the three institutions entering detailed teaching portfolios which demonstrate evidence of their own excellent practice.
Speaking after being announced as this year’s awardee, Dr Dolan said: “I am honoured and delighted to be the recipient of this award. MIC has a long history in teaching excellence and it is a privilege for me to be part of this tradition. As a lecturer in primary geography, I engage with my students in discussions about the great challenges facing society today, including war in Ukraine, climate change and a loss in biodiversity. My teaching is informed by student feedback, enquiry-based approaches and active based learning. I have taken students to many outdoor sites around Ireland in the hope that children in primary schools will have many opportunities to engage with their locality as a site for geographical exploration. I am grateful to colleagues in The Learning Enhancement and Academic Development Centre (LEAD) for their ongoing support and guidance and to my colleagues in the Department of Learning, Society and Religious Education. This award is dedicated to my amazing students”.
Congratulating Dr Dolan on her award was President of MIC, Professor Eugene Wall: “The Mid-West Regional Teaching Awards showcase and champion outstanding teaching practice in higher education. On behalf of everyone at MIC I wish to congratulate Dr Dolan on this much deserved recognition of the dedication and expertise she devotes to her teaching. I also commend our colleague Seán de Brún on being one of six others across the three institutions who were shortlisted in this very competitive award, which is a welcome recognition of his dedication to teaching throughout his career.”
While Dr Laura Costelloe, Acting Director at LEAD said: “Warmest congratulations to Anne for her richly deserved recognition. The portfolio that Anne submitted to the review panel demonstrates her passion as an educator and her commitment to supporting student learning through active and engaged pedagogical approaches. Anne has made an enormous contribution to the teaching of geography at primary level and I am delighted that she has won this award.”
Dr Costelloe also congratulated MIC’s Seán de Brún, Head of the Department of Language and Literacy Education, on being shortlisted for the award. The review panel commended Seán’s evident commitment to his students and his contributions to the teaching of Irish. Also shortlisted for the award were: Dr Eleanor Giraud (UL), Dr Florence Le Baron-Earle (UL), Dr Jean McCarthy (UL), Dr Noëlle O'Connor (TUS) and Edith O'Leary (TUS).
The judging panel comprised of Dr Rachael Carkett (University of Bath), Dr Martina Crehan (RCSI), Rhiannon Kavanagh (National Forum Student Intern Associate), Ken McCarthy (SETU), with Dr Sharon Flynn chairing the meeting.
The award ceremony to acknowledge Dr Dolan’s achievement, and the achievements of all of the short-listed candidates, will take place at a virtual event hosted by the three Presidents at 2.30 pm on Tuesday 31 May, 2022, details of which are to follow.
Last month, Dr Dolan was also highly commended at the Geographical Association’s 2022 Conference in London for her new book, Teaching Climate Change in Primary Schools: An Interdisciplinary Approach. The publication is an important asset for curriculum designers and education policy as the primary curriculum undergoes review. Dr Dolan is also the Programme Coordinator of the M Ed in Sustainability and Global Citizenship. The two-year, part-time, Level 9 blended programme offers a focus on climate justice, outdoor learning, biodiversity, intercultural and citizenship education, peace studies and children’s agency. You can find out more about the programme by clicking here.
