Best UT teaching staff members are Reet Alas, Liina Lepp, Marko Murruste and Ivo Leito

Based on students’ feedback, the recipients of the 2016 Best Teaching Staff Award of the University of Tartu are Reet Alas, teacher of French of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Liina Lepp, lecturer in didactics of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Marko Murruste, lecturer of surgery of the Faculty of Medicine, and Ivo Leito, professor of analytical chemistry of the Faculty of Science and Technology.

In addition, the ten best teaching staff members of each faculty are recognised (see the names of all the recognised faculty members below).

President of the University of Tartu student body Reelika Alunurm finds it extremely important to give praise to people, and points out that recognising the teaching staff is humanly positive and necessary. “It is easy – and definitely also necessary – to speak about problems and things that need improving, because how else we would develop. But if something has been done well and it is recognised, it gives people motivation and confidence,” said Alunurm.

Recognition of teaching staff also inspires students. “Bright ideas and flashes of thoughts often come out of discussions between people and in this way, a teacher can guide students to do great deeds and change the world. This is why the recognition of these teaching staff members will be passed further on to the students who are inspired by them,” Alunurm added.

The best teaching staff of the year will be awarded a specially designed layered silver badge by jewellery designer Katrin Veegen. In addition to the badge, the recipients will get a bonus in an amount equal to the minimum monthly salary for professor of the University of Tartu. Also the award for improving the quality of teaching is issued. The awardee will be announced at the appreciation event on 13 December.

In 2016, the Programme Director of the Year award for effective development of degree programmes is issued for the third time. The reason this award was established in 2014 was the fact that curriculum development is one of the priorities of the University of Tartu and the programme directors’ contribution to ensuring the quality of teaching at the university is enormous. 

The awards will be handed over at the appreciation event in the Rotalia fraternity house on 13 December 2016. Read more about the best teaching staff award on UT home page.