Julian Molina and Fransisco Palma Carvajal, Lecturers in the School for Policy Studies, were among the three shortlisted in the Social Sciences and Law Faculty category for the prize at yesterday's Bristol Awards Ceremony after both being nominated by students for their inspiring and innovative teaching.
In the end the award was presented to Julian, who joined the School in 2022 and teaches on the MSc Public Policy. He was praised especially for his policy simulation exercises which help students think about complex policy issues.
Extracts of the nomination statements:
“They let us try to think about things as policymakers, stakeholders, and analysts. In this role-playing situation, a policy problem is identified, possible outcomes are analysed, solutions are proposed, the policy is drafted and its future development is estimated. The simulation provides insight into the challenges and complexities of real-world policymaking.”
“To ensure the active participation and satisfaction of all students in the classroom, Molina always provides frequent opportunities to each student. If they found that a student is worried about language problems and cannot express clearly, he will give the greatest affirmation and support. This made me feel relaxed and content in his seminar.”
“Students are divided into groups and given an analysis of the entire process from policy formulation to policy solutions. Each team must analyse the selected policy each week against a skill set required in policy analysis, such as cost-benefit analysis, expected outcomes, and future megatrends. Each group then presents their policy to the class. This activity promotes critical thinking, persuasive communication, and understanding of the complexities of policy development.”
Francisco was nominated for this passion for his subject and inclusive teaching practices;
“Francisco’s content and teaching on Grass-root organisations and the importance of supporting them within our local communities inspired me to volunteer at the Julian Trust night shelter! His passion for supporting such organisations inspires me and made me more aware of ones more local.”
“The participatory activities in classes encouraged us to participate even when most of us are not native English speakers and many times we have problems expressing ourselves. Also the fact that he positioned himself as non-native English inspires us to participate despite language barriers.”
“The seminars especially are a very safe and inclusive place where anyone is free to share and contribute without worry of being wrong or alienated, this makes for enjoyable and useful discussions that are greatly helpful for my learning, especially assessments.”
“Francisco sends a lot of interesting articles and uses real life examples to explain the theory. He also adds links at the bottom of his slides in case we would like to learn more about a certain case study, which encourages curiosity and allows us to explore what interests us.”
Congratulations to both on being nominated - it's wonderful to have this recognition of the excellent teaching we have in the School for Policy Studies.