Principal lecturer from The Cass, Architecture, amongst the best higher education teachers in the UK

Sandra Denicke-Polcher, Acting Head of the School of Architecture, has been made a National Teaching Fellow in honour of her outstanding impact on student outcomes and higher education.

Date: 7 September 2018

Sandra Denicke-Polcher, Acting Head of the School of Architecture at The Sir John Cass School of Art, Architecture and Design, one of London Met’s six Schools, has been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship.

The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) celebrates and recognises individuals who have made an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession in higher education. This year, 54 National Teaching Fellows (NTFs) have been announced across the UK.

Sandra commented: “I feel great satisfaction in being validated in my teaching approach and honoured to have won this award. I was fortunate enough to benefit from the gifted and dedicated people around me who contributed equally as co-creators and co-learners, as well as co-educators to the projects which formed the argument for this award.”

This award will further enhance Sandra’s constructionist and inclusive teaching philosophy working on a live project entitled “Crossing Cultures” sited in Italy. This project creates an international educational environment, initiating a holistic collaboration between undergraduate and postgraduate students, recent graduates, tutors, inhabitants, refugees, and other stakeholders - an innovative contribution to the ontology of architectural practice.

The NTFs are announced by AdvanceHE, a unit who work towards advancing the professional practice of higher education to improve outcomes for the benefits of students, staff and wider society.

Alison Johns, AdvanceHE’s chief executive, said: “The award of a NTF is an outstanding achievement and I know that the whole sector will join me in congratulating the 54 new NTFs.

“AdvanceHE is very proud to run these awards on behalf of the sector. A key part of our role in this programme is to work with NTFs to show-case their work so that others can learn and benefit from their success.”

The NTF scheme is open to all higher education providers in the UK. There are currently more than 860 NTFs. AdvanceHE also award the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) and this year have announced 15 CATE winners.

Sandra will collect her award in November.