Dr Laurence Wainwright wins Teaching Excellence Award
Dr Laurence Wainwright has been presented with a Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Oxford’s Social Sciences Division. Dr Wainwright is a Departmental Lecturer at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, and Director of its MSc in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment.
The annual awards celebrate “exceptional contributions to education, remarkable commitment and innovative teaching practices” by colleagues across the Social Sciences Division. In a statement on their website, the Division said Dr Wainwright has been recognised for the exceptional levels of group cohesion, trust and camaraderie he has fostered within his MSc cohort. Founded in 2021, the Oxford MSc in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment is one of the most applied to masters programmes per place at the University of Oxford.
Dr Wainwright commented: "It’s very humbling and exciting to have received a Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Oxford. To me, teaching excellence is about three things. First, creating an environment where each individual is able to fully manifest their academic, personal and social potential and unfold their unique journey through both academia and life. Second, fostering a cohort culture where everyone feels supported, valued, included, comfortable being themselves, and able to truly speak their mind with confidence and courage. Finally, developing a classroom culture where deep learning is the norm and critical analysis and nuance is the mindset of enquiry for framing and understanding phenomena."
Professor Mette Morsing, Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, commented: "Dr Laurence Wainwright has taken Oxford’s MSc on sustainability to the absolute global top of interdisciplinary teaching in higher education. He has developed it into a leading example of how to engage future global leaders in creating longterm solutions for our future sustainable world."
