Teaching Excellence Recognition for Employability-Focused Learning

Posted on: 4 March 2026 by Olga Chatzidaki in News, Awards & Insights - blog

A final-year French Studies module at the University of Liverpool has received the Sir Alastair Pilkington Award for Teaching Excellence 2026 at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Learning, Teaching and Student Experience (LTSE) Awards Showcase. The award recognises teaching approaches that support student learning while connecting academic study with broader skills development and real-world contexts.

Innovative teaching that connects academic learning with real-world experience has been recognised at the HSS Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Awards Showcase at the University of Liverpool.

Dr Rebecca Dixon and Employability Officer Matt Jones were awarded the Sir Alastair Pilkington Award for Teaching Excellence 2026 for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. The announcement was made during the showcase event held in the School of the Arts Library, where award-winning teams presented their work to a panel and audience of colleagues.

The showcase brought together seven teams who had already received a Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Award, each accompanied by a £500 prize. They were then invited to present for the prestigious Sir Alastair Pilkington Award, which also includes an additional £1,000 to support further learning, teaching and student experience initiatives.

Bringing Employability into the Curriculum

The award recognised the collaborative work of Dr Dixon and Matt Jones in embedding authentic assessment, active learning and employability into the final-year module FREN335: French Dressing.

The module explores fashion as a lens for understanding French cultural history from the fifteenth to the twentieth century. Working closely together, the academic and employability teams designed an assessment that connects students’ subject knowledge with the kinds of creative and analytical skills used in the cultural and heritage sectors.

For the major assessment, students develop a proposal for a new exhibition focused on French fashion and cultural history.

Students are asked to:

• Select a venue for their exhibition

• Focus on a specific century covered in the module

• Explore an overarching theme such as gender, social change or queer theory

• Identify and target a specific audience

• Justify strategic decisions using relevant datasets and industry research

• Demonstrate their understanding of exhibition content through references to artworks, artefacts and cultural narratives

Through this project, students combine academic research with practical industry thinking, developing skills in exhibition design, audience engagement, storytelling and strategic planning.

A Collaborative Approach to Student Success

A key element of the project has been the contribution of Matt Jones, whose work as an Employability Officer helped shape the assessment so that students could see clear connections between their studies and potential career pathways.

By bringing employability expertise into the design of the module, the collaboration ensures that students gain not only subject knowledge but also transferable skills valued by employers in cultural, creative and heritage sectors.

Recognising Innovation in Teaching

The award highlights the value of collaboration between academic staff and professional services colleagues in enhancing the student experience.

Dr Dixon and Matt Jones presented their work alongside other colleagues recognised for their contributions to teaching and learning across the Faculty.

The team also expressed their thanks to Professor Sophie Fuggle, who nominated the project, and to the panel who selected their presentation as the winner.

The showcase celebrated the creativity, dedication and innovation of colleagues across the Faculty who continue to develop new ways to support students’ learning and future success.