Five academics are to receive awards at the graduation ceremonies in July in recognition of their excellent teaching.
Dr Mick Frogley and Dr Dom Kniveton
Senior Lecturers in Physical Geography, Dr Mick Frogley and Dr Dom Kniveton joined Sussex in 2001 following posts at Cambridge and Leicester respectively. They are commended for their outstanding commitment to team teaching and engaging approaches to non-classroom-based learning.
Their common enthusiasm for researching climate change issues has led to dynamic delivery of their two courses - 'Environmental and Climatic Change' and the Seychelles field class - which recently received student satisfaction scores of 4.53 and 4.8 out of 5.
Mick and Dom aim to make the subject relevant to the real world by adopting non-traditional teaching methods such as podcasting and field-based experiments. Podcasting - which makes audio material available to download from the internet - in particular has been hugely popular with students and is now being introduced to all their other taught courses.
Professor Alan Lester, head of the Geography department, said: "Mick and Dom are both exceptionally stimulating, charismatic and popular teachers.
"They have pioneered innovative approaches to lecture, laboratory and field teaching and new media of communication such as podcasting.
"Their SEQ (Student Evaluation Questionnaire) scores are consistently outstanding."
They are both committed to constant review of their courses and teaching methods, and obtain detailed feedback through timetabled interactive sessions with staff and students. Recently, this led to developing peer-to-peer discussion groups in place of tutorials while on field trips and, in the future, they hope to be able to offer downloads of student-led video podcasts of lab and field techniques.
Jacqui Shepherd
Jacqui Shepherd, an adviser in the Career Development and Employment Centre (CDEC), has been instrumental in developing an innovative Career Development Course. She is also actively involved in research into educational practice, investigating the effectiveness of the course as part of her MA in Education Studies.
She is currently undertaking research into the graduate skill-set and knowledge profile required to work in the digital-media industry.
Jacqui is commended as an excellent teacher and facilitator of student learning, showing energy and enthusiasm in her approach to student engagement.
Linda Buckham, Director of CDEC, said: "Creating a course from scratch delivered through workshops, online Study Direct resources, careers forum and assignments illustrates Jacqui's creativity, knowledge of pedagogy, e-learning, determination and enthusiasm for students' learning."
Her main objective is to engage students in career management at a relevant and sensible point, aiming to challenge and extend students' perceptions of their futures without being judgemental or directive.
She enjoys developing new ways of doing things and is constantly motivated to try new approaches, with a particular interest in harnessing e-learning technologies and relevant teaching methods for different student groups (such as dyslexic, international and mature students).
Jacqui has also worked very closely with the Higher Education Summer School, running team-building workshops for 'gifted and talented' teenagers. This demands a very active teaching approach using engaging group sessions to ensure the learners benefit fully from their short time at Sussex.
She has also worked as a research assistant within Sociology and Education, most recently exploring the employment experiences of mature students.
Simon Thompson
Simon Thompson came to Sussex in 2002 after spending 11 years teaching History in schools and colleges. At Sussex, he ran the History PGCE programme as a Lecturer in Education and is currently Director of Initial Teacher Education (ITE).
He was nominated for his award for his excellent teaching and student feedback and for his innovative approach to implementing the government's 'Every Child Matters' agenda.
Since his arrival at Sussex, Simon has had very clear teaching aims: to provide an inspiring, enjoyable and successful learning experience that responds to individual needs and encourages learners to realise their potential. A previous PGCE student said in his course evaluation: "Simon is an excellent tutor ... He shares his ideas and techniques but not until he gets us to think for ourselves."
As ITE Director he has overseen significant progress in the development of new curriculum models and assessment tools, most notably the overhaul of the PGCE at Masters level. He has also sought to enhance Sussex's reputation as one of the strongest providers of teacher education in the south.
Simon's dedication to strong partnerships has enhanced the quality of professional placements. He has introduced a school mentor support scheme and developed a new University/school liaison post within the department.
Dr Vivienne Griffiths, head of the School of Education, said: "Simon has demonstrated excellent teaching and has led pioneering developments including Masters level PGCE work, the Student Associate Scheme with CDEC and innovative initiatives with Social Work in response to 'Every Child Matters'."
Dr Lucy Robinson
Dr Lucy Robinson started lecturing at Sussex in 2002 while conducting her DPhil research. She is commended as an excellent teacher who is highly innovative and inspirational, with a committed and supportive approach.
At Sussex she has implemented sophisticated but accessible use of new media based on her own research for undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. As a researcher, Lucy has a national reputation for exploring innovative types of evidence, such as her work on Falklands veterans and online communities.
In October 2007, she launched a virtual learning environment - 'Histsyd' - for History DPhil students. Both the Director of the Graduate Research Centre and the Dean of the School of Humanities have praised this work as evidence of teaching excellence and now plan to roll this out across the entire school.
Lucy says that understanding changing student expectations, and the need for flexibility in teaching and assessment, underpins her teaching and course development.
Statistical analysis of Student Evaluation Questionnaires (SEQs) show that her course - '1984: Thatcher's Britain' - and teaching are equal best in the History department. In 2006-07, 100% of students rated her teaching as 'excellent'.
One of her aims, Lucy says, is to get students engaged with different sources such as popular music, television, material culture, computer games, film and theatre. Her teaching critically evaluates the historical significance of new technologies and students are encouraged to explore not just what they do but what they mean.