Silke honoured with teaching award

A lecturer at Shetland College has been awarded “Most Engaging Video Conference Tutor” in the sixth annual University of the Highlands and Islands Teaching Awards.

Silke Reeploeg delivers lectures for the Centre for Nordic Studies, which are shared with students across Scotland and beyond.

Ms Reeploeg was praised for her highly interactive video conference sessions, which provide a platform for discussion and encourage students to engage with the course topics.

When one student was diagnosed with a hearing impairment, she tried to make the sessions as accessible as possible so this student could continue with their degree.

The student also praised the flexible scheduling of the video conferences and Ms Reeploeg’s overall teaching style.

She said: “I don’t think the video conferences could have been handled any better. Even though I am in Germany and Ms Reeploeg is in Shetland, it felt like a proper one-on-one live tutorial.

“Through her work in the video conferences she made me look at the subject in-depth and I discovered an entirely new research area, which I might now even use as a dissertation topic.”

Ms Reeploeg said she was delighted and proud to accept the award, but above all so pleased that international students had had such a good experience with the university’s virtual learning environment.

She said: “A huge thank you to the student panel at the University of the Highlands and Islands for their work in judging this year’s nominations. It’s great to receive acknowledgement from those who matter most.”

The University of the Highlands and Islands was one of the first institutions to introduce student-led teaching awards, which have now been adopted throughout most of the UK. The teaching awards recognise excellence in seven categories, with other winners spread throughout the region.