Wikimedia UK’s Education Organiser, Dr Toni Sant, has received professional recognition as Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. The HEA is the national professional organisation for lecturers in UK universities, and Senior Fellowships are awarded only to experienced staff able to demonstrate outstanding impact and influence in teaching and supporting the student experience, both within their departments and across their university.
This professional recognition relates mainly to work he has done in recent years at the University of Hull’s School of Arts and New Media in Scarborough, which includes his efforts to introduce Wikipedia as an appropriate learning and teaching resource within higher education.
He presented this aspect of his work at the EduWiki conference, which took place at the University of Leicester in September 2012 – you can watch a video of his presentation here – but he has gone on to assign the creation and editing of Wikipedia articles with students across arts and new media courses in Scarborough. Aside from this, he has also imparted the practice to other lecturers within the same institution who now use it with their own students.
Commenting on this prestigious professional recognition award from the HEA, Toni said: “As Wikimedia UK’s new Education Organiser I plan to share the experience I’ve developed at the University of Hull’s Scarborough Campus with others in the education sector. While I’m keen to see Wikimedia projects used appropriately across higher education, I’d also like to ensure that we provide appropriate support for the broader education sector, including school-age children, as well as those in lifelong learning environments and participants in the University of the Third Age.”
If you would like to discuss education-related matters with Wikimedia UK, please contact Toni Sant via the Wikimedia UK wiki.