The winners of the 2024 WELS Student and Tutor Awards were recently announced in a virtual awards ceremony. In total, 24 awards were made across the two categories, which recognise the achievements of some of the OU’s outstanding students, and the tutors who support them to succeed.
The WELS Student Awards, nominated by tutors, recognise students from the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS) who have achieved a significant career milestone, or overcome challenges and barriers to succeed in realising their aspirations. The WELS Tutor Awards provide students with the opportunity to nominate their tutors, recognising their dedication and skill. The OU’s tutors, also known as Associate Lecturers (ALs), provide essential support and guidance that enable students to succeed. The judging panel included representation from students, tutors and central academic staff.
WELS Student Awards
The WELS Student Awards saw twelve students recognised for their achievements. The nominating tutors spoke of accomplishing results beyond expectations, overcoming difficult personal circumstances, and making a difference to others.
Dr Claire Saunders, WELS Associate Dean for Students and Teaching said “Awards ceremonies like this are a great reminder of how inspirational Open University students are. I never cease to be impressed at their achievements, challenging us as educators and pushing themselves to succeed.”
The 2024 WELS Student Award winners* are:
- Beatrice (Access course). Beatrice studied whilst in a secure environment. Her tutor said “Beatrice took every opportunity to speak with me so that she could get as much advice and feedback as possible. She then took it all on board to produce increasingly fantastic written work. Our conversations were always both fruitful and enjoyable, because her personal insights were interesting, and they informed her work. Given the circumstances under which she was studying, I think she deserves extra recognition for her eventual distinction.”
- Binia, Jaspreet, Linda and Natasha (School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport- ECYS- postgraduate). Jointly nominated by their tutor, this group of students all dedicated a substantial amount of time and effort to achieve their module results. They embraced the complex ideas and theories in this challenging module, which did not always translate comfortably to their setting. Their tutor said: “These students have reminded me of the importance not only of the ideas discussed and why they matter in a range of settings, but also of my role as a tutor supporting students who are remarkably enthusiastic about ideas of inequality and difference in educational practice.”
- Karen (Nursing- Level 3). Karen is a very hard working, conscientious student, who carried out her placements and studied through breast cancer treatment, and is a single parent to a young daughter. During her studies, she transformed the life of a young person who collapsed in public, due to her quick action in an emergency situation.
- Kirsten (ECYS- Level 1). Due to several significant family challenges that she faced this year, Kirsten fell behind with her studies, but she kept going; her grandmother had made her promise not to give up. Extensions were given, and new targets met; the work was of a high standard signifying strong efforts rather than a “that will do” mentality. Kirsten is a powerhouse of resilience, extremely capable in terms of academic abilities and will do well with the remainder of her modules in this degree pathway.
- Lorraine (School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care- HWSC- Level 2). Lorraine managed a busy family life and chronic pain to achieve excellent work. Through her studies she has developed an interest in research and policies and is committed to furthering her studies with the OU. Friendly and supportive to other students, Lorraine went on to be a peer mentor, supporting other students to maintain focus and morale, helping to support them to complete the module.
- Mollie (ECYS- Level 1). Mollie has serious medical conditions that affect her ability to study and previously had to defer her studies because despite her full commitment and best efforts, it was not possible to continue. She resumed her study in 2024 and completed the module despite ongoing barriers to learning. Mollie is an example of a student that has showed true resilience and an overriding commitment and enthusiasm to learn despite the barriers that are present in her life.
- Samantha (HWSC- Level 3). Samantha has three children, two with additional needs, is a carer for her elderly disabled husband and has her own multiple and complex health conditions. Her nominator said she “deserves a student award for her determination and efforts to continue to reach her full potential and having a positive mindset." Samantha supports a WhatsApp group of students, some of whom also have disabilities. She patiently advocates for her needs and the needs of others and as a result, it has been recommended that she be offered a place at the table to support better the OU’s EDI activity in relation to disabled students.
WELS Tutor Awards
In the Tutor Awards category, over 100 nominations were submitted by students, with twelve tutors receiving a WELS Tutor Award, and a further fifteen highly commended.
Dr Saunders continued: “As a former Tutor, I know what hard work and dedication goes into supporting our students, helping them navigate challenges, both academic and personal, so that they can progress and achieve. Only a small number of our Tutors are represented in the award winners, but we also acknowledge the efforts of the whole OU team who are dedicated to student success.”
Student nominations spoke of the support and encouragement they received from their tutors, expressing gratitude for their input, and the difference their tutors have made to their OU journey. One student said their tutor had “helped them to find the confidence to believe in myself. I don’t think I’d be at this stage without their encouragement”. The winners* are listed below.
The 2024 WELS Tutor Award winners from the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care (HWSC) are:
- Julian Seal
- Dr Ros Weston
- Dr Sharif Haider
- Tanya Andrewes
- Alyson Blamey (Highly Commended)
- Jim Hill (Highly Commended)
- Dr Katharine Jewitt (Highly Commended)
- Louise Jones (Highly Commended)
- Maddie Hooton (Highly Commended)
- Moira Godfrey (Highly Commended)
- Nick Warren (Highly Commended)
- Sian Devlin (Highly Commended)
- Warren Law (Highly Commended)
The 2024 WELS Tutor Award winners from the School of Languages and Applied Linguistics (LAL) are:
- Dr Janet Wilson
- Nicole Bailey
- Michael Hepworth
- Patrick Andrews
- Dr Susanne Winchester
- Beatriz Bond (Highly Commended)
- Dr Darron Board (Highly Commended)
- Sam McKiernan (Highly Commended)
The 2024 WELS Tutor Award winners from the School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport (ECYS) are:
- Emma Jones (Highly Commended)
The 2024 WELS Tutor Award winners from the Access, Open and Cross-curricular Innovation (AOCcI) team are:
- Sonja Coiffait
- Damien Kelly
*Please note, only those winners who have agreed to publicity are featured.