Centre for Online and Distance Education

Awards and funding

The Centre for Online and Distance Education (CODE) provides funding, annually, to support research activities in the University of London and member institutions and for awards for student achievements.

Roger Mills 2020 Award winners with Vice Chancellor Wendy Thomson

Awards and funding

Our Teaching and Research Awards (TRAs) are aimed at supporting original pedagogic research studies that can provide evidence for innovative and effective practice in distance, on-line and technology-enhanced learning, teaching and assessment.

TRAs provide support for research activities that enhance knowledge about, and methods of implementing, distance learning and teaching. They are open to staff throughout the University of London Federation and to CODE Fellows. TRAs have a value of up to £5000.

Successful Teaching and Research Award studies comprise original enquiries that will advance knowledge and improve the student experience in the field of distance and flexible learning and are normally followed by publication.

Team members	Member institution	Project
Roslyn Taplin	SOAS	Action research supporting change in graduate skills via online distance learning for the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Michele Milner	RVC	Blended learning frameworks in healthcare curricula: Supporting innovation and success
Matthew Yee-King, Mark D'Inverno	Goldsmith	Evaluating an innovative approach to teaching artificial intelligence and creativity
David Baume	CODE Fellow	In what particular ways does UoL ODL work well?

We made the following Teaching and Research Awards in 2020/21:

Team members	Member institution	Project
Dr Elizabeth Armitage-Chan, Kirsty Fox, Prof Stephen May	RVC	Distance learning through necessity or choice? Examining the impact on students’ engagement and achievement of learning outcomes.
Dr Tony Cornford, Dr Magda Hercheui, Dr Steve Smithson	LSE, UCL	Global syllabus local learning (Gloslo)
Dr Jane Secker, Peter Kogan, Thomas Hanley, Sarah Ney, Geraldine Foley	City, University of London	Exploring the student experience of asynchronous individual and collaborative online learning in International Politics undergraduate and postgraduate programmes
Dr Simon Katan, Edward Anstead	Goldsmiths, University of London	Exploring video streaming solutions for tutor-facilitated synchronous social learning sessions in the online environment Final report

We made the following Teaching and Research Awards in 2019/20:

Team members	Member institution	Project
Liz Wilkinson	The Careers Group, University of London	Evaluating the learning design of a career learning online micro-module, focusing on the impact of ipsative assessment, self-evaluation and self-reflection in increasing learning gain and depth.
Tierney Kinnison Claire Vinten Ruth Serlin Ayona Silva-Fletcher	Royal Veterinary College	Is there a difference in student experience and learning on the PGCert VetEd when comparing blended and online only delivery models?
Alan Tait Gwyneth Hughes	Centre for Online and Distance Education; UCL	Evaluating reforms in assessment practices in University of London Transnational programmes
Oscar Mwaanga Reetu Kansal	University of London Worldwide	Decolonising University of London Worldwide Curricula and Pedagogies: Towards a ‘Collaborative’ and ‘Transformational’ model for Decolonisation Project Report

We made the following Teaching and Research Awards in 2018/19:

Team members	Member institution	Project
Alberto Asquer Dr Inna Krachkovskaya	SOAS	Using chatbots to improve student progression and achievements in distance learning
Jennie Golding	UCL Institute of Education	METEA (Mathematics Education to Empower Africa) teacher educator development Project report
Dr Dionisia Tzavara Dr Ioannis Gkliatkis Dr Dimitrios Koufopoulos	University of Liverpool University of Hertfordshire University of London	Exploring students' perceptions about the effectiveness of simulation games in Business and Management Education
Justin O'Brien Dr Alex Reppel	Royal Holloway, University of London	"Can a multi-media, Moodle based critical analysis skills intervention encourage final year undergraduates to engage more deeply with the University of London library's digital learning resources?"

We made the following Teaching and Research Awards in 2017/18:

Team members	Member institution	Project
Dr Anna Foss Rebecca French Jenny Fogarty Alexandra Conseil	London School of Tropical Hygiene and Medicine	Development of a Virtual Peer Mentorship Scheme for Public Health MSc Students Undertaking a Research Project via Distance Learning Interim summary report Journal publication
Daksha Patel Atrid Leck	London School of Tropical Hygiene and Medicine	Assessment of Value Creation from MOOC Based Learning Towards Global Elimination of Trachoma 2020 (GET 2020)
Dr Kathleen O’Reilly Anne Tholen Jenny Fogarty Dr Anna Foss Professor Graham Medley	London School of Tropical Hygiene and Medicine	Supporting Distance Learning Students’ Needs when Learning 'Quantitative Skills; Application to Modelling the Dynamics of Infectious Diseases
Dr Myrrh Domingo Dr Amos Paran Dr Andrea Révész Alessandra Palange	UCL Institute of Education (IoE)	Exploring factors that influence the impact of MOOC learning on participants’ professional practice Summary Final Report

We made the following Teaching and Research Awards in 2015/16:

Team members	Member institution	Project
Stylianos Hatzipanagos	King's College London	Designing Peer Formative Assessment with Open Badges in Online Learning Environments
Tim Neuman	University College London	Next generation blended learning
Sally Parsley	London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine	Exploring the use of text mining to support effective social learning in an international, open, online course
Lee-Ann Sequeira	London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine	Formative Multiple-choice Questions: how can technology-enhanced learning to be used to promote deep learning among distance learners?

We made the following Teaching and Research Awards in 2014/15:

Team members	Member Institution	Project
Dr Steven Warburton	Kings College London	Design patterns for Massive Open Online Courses
Dr J Simon Rofe	SOAS	“The Motivation and the Medium”: Understanding the student’s perspective on their choice of learning medium
Dr Clare Brooks	IoE	Exploring the experience of learning on a MOOC
Maylyn Tan	Singapore Institute of Management	Investigating the benefits of a mentoring-based induction programme

We made the following Teaching and Research Awards in 2013/14:

Team members	Member Institution	Project
Clare Brooks	IOE	Integrating library literacy through distance learning module design
Jonathan San Diego	KCL	Learning Analytics, students’ Online participation and academic performance
Christine Thuranira-McKeever	RVC	Sponsored/scholarship students: Does additional support in the form of teaching and in-country institutional support have an impact on their retention, progression and level of achievement?
Patricia McKellar	Laws	An e-publishing platform for legal education: Phase II: A study to explore the use of e-books, e-readers and tablet computing in the delivery of learning materials to enhance the student learning experience.

We made the following Teaching and Research Awards in 2012/13:

Team members	Member institution	Project
Niall Winters, Olajide Jolugbo, Micah Matiangi, Caroline Mbindyo, Chris Joynes	London Knowledge Lab	Peer Learning and Knowledge Sharing for Distance Learning Students using Mobile Phones
Gwyneth Hughes, Kaori Okumoto, Elizabeth Wood	IOE	Implementing Ipsative Assessment
Jacqueline Bloomfield, Anne Jones	Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, KCL	Using E-Learning to support Clinical Skills Acquisition: Exploring the Experiences and Perceptions of Postgraduate First Year Pre-Registration Nursing Students
Alexander Finlayson, Molly Fyfe, Susannah Whitwell	King’s Centre for Global Health, KCL	Distance Peer Education for Global Mental Health: How and what are Students Learning?
Stylianos Hatzipanagos, Charles Kasule, Patricia McKellar, Steven Warburton	King’s Learning Institute, KCL	Open Educational Resources in Distance Education: Adopting a Model of Open Learning in Academic Practice
Jane Pritchard, Neil McLean	Teaching and Learning Centre, LSE	Developing a PG Certificate in Higher Education for Teachers at ICEF Moscow

Follow the link below to read summaries of the outcomes from a selection of research projects conducted on behalf of the CDE and funded through the Teaching and Research Awards scheme between 2005 and 2010.

Teaching and research awards 2005-2010

The Roger Mills Award for innovation in learning and teaching is sponsored by University of London Worldwide, and is named in memory of Roger Mills, longstanding and well-loved former Fellow of the Centre for Online and Distance Education and Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Open University UK. Roger made a major contribution to the support of innovation in learning and teaching in the University of London through his contribution to projects and academic policy development. This prize commemorates his contribution. It is awarded each year to the best completed University of London project related to online and distance education. It is open to members of staff of all kinds throughout the University of London and its constituent institutions.

2022 Award	Topic	Institution	Submitted by
Winner	Dissection at Distance: Interactive Live-Streaming of Practical Anatomy via MS Teams	RVC	Sarah Channon, Sarah Nicoll, Andrew Crook, Emma Boardman, Stephen Frean, Saira Khurshid Akhtar, Emma Driver, Michael Frill, William Stewart, Thomas Burt, Renato Previdelli, Raymond Macharia
Commended	Bayes Digital Learning	City University of London	Bayes Digital Learning Team
Commended	Professional Graduate Certificate (PGCE): Teacher Development	UCL	Kim Insley
Commended	Fostering interdisciplinary researchers: PhD training and support at SOAS	SOAS	Yenn Lee
Commended	Enhancing doctoral supervision in UCL IOE and beyond	UCL	Jennie Golding

2021 Award	Topic	Institution	Submitted by
Winner	Digital Skills Awareness courses for students and staff	Bloomsbury Learning Exchange	Sarah Sherman, Nancy Weitz
Commended	Using escape room approaches to support personal development planning at a distance	QMUL	Faith Nightingale
Commended	Reimagining the BSc Business Administration Programme	RHUL	Paul Dudley
Commended	Innovation in action: From institutional emergency response programme to ‘blended by design’ future	UCL	Sam Smidt, Jo Stroud, Martin Compton

2020 Award	Topic	Institution	Submitted by
Joint Winner	Developing a blended programme of online careers and employability support for University of London distance education students	University of London Careers Group	Laura Brammar
Joint Winner	Designing and running a fully online Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education	Centre for Online and Distance Education, University of London	Gwyneth Hughes
Commended	Development, evaluation and transfer of an innovative alumni-peer mentorship scheme for MSc students undertaking a research project via distance learning	London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine	Anna Foss
Commended	Facilitating coding practice in the context of online teaching on an undergraduate computing degree	Goldsmiths, University of London	Simon Katan Edward Anstead

2019 Award	Topic	Institution	Submitted by
Winner	Students with Diverse Educational Backgrounds: Special Support for Online Learning in the MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies	School of Advanced Study	Nicolas Maple
Commended	Development of an innovative alumni mentorship scheme for Public Health MSc students undertaking a research project via distance learning	London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine	Anna Foss
Commended	Design of UoL Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education	Centre for Online and Distance Education and University of London	Gwyneth Hughes
Commended	Innovative practice: Introduction to Who Wrote Shakespeare, the world’s first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on the Shakespeare Authorship question	Goldsmiths, University of London	Ros Barber
Commended	Global MBA Programme Actions/ Initiatives from April 2018 to end of January 2019	University of London	Dimitrios Koufopoulos

2018 Award	Topic	Institution	Submitted by
Joint winner	Get Interactive: Practical Teaching with Technology - Massive Online open course	BLE	Sarah Sherman
Joint winner	Formative Assessment in Undergraduate Laws Distance Education programmes	UoL Laws	Patricia McKellar
Commended	Opening up LSE to EMFSS students	LSE	Steve Bond
Commended	Employability in teacher education (input into the PG Certificate Learning and Teaching in Higher Education)	UoL Careers Group	Laura Brammar
Commended	Postgraduate Laws	UCL	Helen Xanthaki
Commended	Organizational Psychology and Human Resource Management International Programme	Birkbeck	Duncan Jackson
Commended	Philosophy Programme Seminars	Birkbeck	Florian Steinberger
Commended	Icarus Simulation in the Masters in Professional Accountancy	UCL	Lynsie Chew
Commended	Fostering an online community of students and professionals in the refugee and forced migration field	School of Advanced Study	Sarah Singer

The Centre for Online and Distance Education Learning Gain Award is for students on the UoL Postgraduate certificate Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. It is awarded by the Board of Examiners for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education to one participant from the programme in each graduating cohort. Unlike many awards that acknowledge top levels of performance, this prize is awarded to students who demonstrate the most significant improvement in their performance over the course of their study, recognising that some students start much further back in the field than others.

Dr Thando Loliwe, Senior lecturer in Financial Accounting, University of Limpopo.

Daniel Linton, Programme Leader (Foundation Year), Point Blank Music School, London.

Awards and funding

Awards and funding

Jump to

Teaching and Research Awards

About the awards

2021/22

2020/21

2019/20

2018/19

2017/18

2015/16

2014/15

2013/14

2012/13

2005-2010

The Roger Mills Awards for Innovation in Learning and Teaching

About the awards

2022 Awards and applications

2021 Awards and applications

2020 Awards and applications

2019 Awards and applications

2018 Awards and applications

Student Learning Gain Award

About the award

2021 winner

2020 winner