Annelise Ly, Iver Bragelien, Kjetil Bjorvatn, Stig Tenold and Herbjørn Nysveen have received the status as Excellent Teacher Practitioner at NHH. "As a business school with high ambitions, NHH will strive for teaching at the top level. That we now have five new Excellent Teacher Practitioners is therefore very gratifying", says Rector Øystein Thøgersen.
To be awarded the status as ETP, the applicants must, among others, demonstrate clear focus on student learning in all his/her teaching activities, have consciously and systematically endeavoured to further develop the form and content of the teaching to support students’ learning, and reflect on his/her own teaching activities in light of educational theory at university level and knowledge of subject didactics.
Jan Ubøe (Excellent Teacher Practitioner NHH)
Arild Raaheim (University of Bergen)
Øyvind Fiksen (University of Bergen)
Gustav Kvalsund (NHH student)
"The five who have earned the status have a great commitment to the development of their teaching and insight into how students' learning is affected. Being appointed as an Excellent Teacher Practitioner shall be an award that is difficult to achieve", Øystein continues.
The assessment committee writes:
Her practice here is textbook examples of excellent and modern student-focussed teaching practice. Ly clearly demonstrates that she has good knowledge of the pedagogical literature. The way she implements this in her own teaching is commendable, and all what she does is rock solid. Ly has consciously and systematically endeavoured to further develop the form and content of the teaching to support students’ learning.
Annelise comments:
"I am happy and proud to have been appointed Excellent Teacher Practitioner. My teaching is based on theory and inspired by best practice from colleagues. In addition, continuous dialogue with the students plays a central role in the adaptation of my teaching to the individual student group and to the individual subject over several years."
"I also find it incredibly rewarding to share experiences with colleagues through, among other things, good discussions, conferences and articles. This has helped me to further develop my teaching practice over time."
The assessment committee writes:
His teaching philosophy and his teaching and assessment repertoire are outstanding. Of particular interest is the way he draws a parallel between teaching and work as a consultant. It is the students (clients) who is responsible for their learning (change). The teacher contributes with inspiration, a platform for learning by introducing theories, models, and techniques.
Iver comments:
"I learnt a lot while I was writing the application. I was forced to think through the choices I have made about my teaching methods, and I had to relate my teaching to the pedagogical research. It was thus an excellent opportunity to also reflect on how I want to develop my teaching in the years to come.
I still have a lot I can change, to encourage more effective learning processes. In my teaching, I try to stimulate the students to become active learners throughout the course, adapting my teaching methods to the subject area and the student characteristics."
The assessment committee writes:
His courses and teaching philosophy emphasize structure, flow and nudging as an integral element of making students do what is needed to succeed. Here, he also defends the classical school exam as a strong motivator for students, although it must be ‘used wisely’. His development of pedagogical materials is outstanding. Of particular interest are his very original textbook (written as a story, in a novel-like format) and his handling of podcasts.
- It is very inspiring to receive such an award, says Kjetil, and continues:
"I think it is a great privilege to get to teach a compulsory course in the bachelor's programme, in my case microeconomics, with so many good and committed students.
Economic theory can be abstract and difficult, and my ambition is to make the theory as simple as possible to understand, and to create interest through relevant and hopefully engaging cases.
Teaching is about more than lectures, and I would like to send a special thank you to my fantastic student assistants, who make a great effort with group teaching, case work, and the daily communication with the students."
The assessment committee writes:
His teaching philosophy and his teaching and assessment repertoire are outstanding. The committee is particularly impressed by the deep levels of reflections we find throughout his portfolio and his social commitment towards students. The way Tenold has handled his teaching and assessment repertoire is brilliant. His reflections display a deep concern for pedagogical questions, and how teaching is developing over time.
“The process of thinking through and documenting how my teaching methodology has developed during the 25 years I have been teaching, has been incredibly useful. I teach in a completely different way now than when I started.
One measure I have taken is to bring my teaching out of the classroom: I have no doubt that students learn a lot through company visits and city walks.”
The assessment committee writes:
His teaching philosophy, his dissemination and his reflections on his own educational development are all outstanding. Nysveen has written an insightful teaching philosophy which demonstrates that he is well acquainted with the pedagogical literature. His main ideas are centred around learning by doing, and his main teaching framework is active learning. His presentation is enthusiastic with a clear personal twist demonstrating that he has advanced beyond what he has studied in the literature.
"I am interested in engaging the students in my teaching. I do this through various forms of active learning - especially collaborative learning and problem-based learning. I organise my courses as flipped classroom. In this way, I give the students great flexibility, but also a lot of responsibility."
Herbjørn Nysveen
The Academic Appointment Committee adopted the decision at the committee meeting on 26 April.
