The Department of English congratulates Professor Jessica Allen Hanssen on receiving Nord University’s Accredited Teacher award. Hanssen received formal recognition for the award at Nord’s annual academic awards ceremony, which was held at Stormen Concert Hall on September 27, 2022.
The Accredited Teacher award recognizes faculty who have demonstrated excellence in their teaching, as assessed by an external committee of pedagogy experts, in the following three categories:
- A focus on student learning
- A systematic and reflective development of teaching and supervision over time
- A collegiate attitude and focus on collective development
Prof. Hanssen received this prestigous distinction along with five other Nord University colleagues. The intention behind the award is to increase peer-to-peer mentorship among Nord’s teaching faculty, and to promote student-centered learning across the university. Accredited teachers will serve as advisors to the university administration, and are encouraged to help other instructors develop their pedagogical competence.
The Accredited Teacher award is part of Nord University’s strategic educational quality objectives as stipulated in Strategy 2030, which is Nord University’s long-term strategy plan laid out in collaboration with the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research. Other Norwegian universities have also implemented similar awards in the last couple of years, but 2022 marks the first year that the prize was awarded at Nord.
Prof. Hanssen, who has been teaching English at Nord since 2007, was lauded in the committee’s assessment report for her “teaching practice, which is clearly anchored in research and theory,” and for encouraging “feedback from students, both during and after ongoing teaching, to form an important basis for reflection.” Citing her “extensive experience as an educational leader,” including having served as Programme Coordinator for Nord’s Bachelor of English degree since 2012, the report concludes by noting that “she has contributed to stimulating the development of collective competence and culture in her teaching environment.”
Congratulations to Prof. Hanssen!
Further news coverage (in Norwegian): https://www.nord.no/no/aktuelt/nyheter/Sider/Rekordmange-priser-til-Nord.aspx
Photos: Sebastian Lorass, SL Media
