University of Essex: award-winning teaching

Studying abroad brings many benefits, including the opportunity to create incredible memories, learn important life skills, and meet people from around the world. The main goal, however, is to gain a fantastic education and feel prepared for the future!

At the University of Essex, staff and students are dedicated to pushing boundaries in education. The University focuses on teaching and research, and it is committed to offering excellence in both areas.

Teaching excellence

The University of Essex has been awarded a prestigious accolade for its teaching. The University won the Teaching and Learning Strategy of the Year category at the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards (THELMA) in 2017.

Then, in 2018, Essex won an even bigger prize — it was named University of the Year in Times Higher Education Awards 2018!

The THELMA award recognises Essex’s efforts to transform your education and student experience. In recent years, the University has introduced a curriculum review, new mentoring schemes, and innovative training to improve student progression. The judges stated that Essex has achieved “impressive results” in terms of the quality of teaching for students.

The University prides itself on challenging traditional teaching methods. The groundbreaking Technology Enhanced Learning programme and in-house Personal Tutor system help you to become a critical thinker and independent learner. Your study experience at Essex will therefore prepare you for life after university.

More recently, University of Essex teacher Liam Jarvis won the Most Innovative Teacher of the Year award at the Times Higher Education Awards 2021.

Jarvis is a senior lecturer in theatre and co-director of the Centre for Theatre Research at the University of Essex, and this well-deserved accolade was awarded to him for how he adapted to the challenges of the pandemic.

When conferences and research trips were cancelled, he redirected departmental funding and negotiated a deal with theatre-streaming service LIVR. This resulted in a unique learning experience for his students who received virtual reality headsets and were able to watch performances and take part in workshops wherever they were in the world.

The judges said that Dr Jarvis “stood out for how he made the rapid pivot from planned face-to-face practice to offer students impactful remote virtual experiences in theatre and drama. This enabled learning communities to be built across the world, inspiring new creations by students which modelled new forms of theatre.”

Great teaching means great rankings

Find out more

If you’re an international student and want to benefit from a great education at the University of Essex, why not get in touch? We can tell you more about the University itself, and how a Kaplan pathway course at the University of Essex International College could help transform your future.