The University of Stirling has made the shortlist in three categories in this year’s Times Higher Education (THE) Awards.
The University’s Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) has been shortlisted for Outstanding ICT Initiative of the Year, for the Virtual Care Home - an online resource that demonstrates dementia-friendly design in care home settings or people’s own homes.
Professor June Andrews, Director of DSDC, said: “The brilliant thing about the virtual dementia friendly home is it allows people to access the research based information that previously may have required them to come to our standing exhibition.
“The Design and Technology suite at Stirling is great and has about 1,000 visitors a month, but the day we launched the virtual house we attracted 3,000 visitors from all over the world.
“This year the University is working to create a dementia friendly community locally, as one way of sharing our research and for us to learn from local people what would really make a difference to their lives. Sharing that learning internationally is at the heart of everything we do.”
Also named in the shortlist – in the Outstanding Support for Students category – is the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, for its model to provide tailored support for students with disabilities on placement.
Professor William Lauder, Head of School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health said: “We are delighted and honoured to be shortlisted for a Times Higher Education Award. The School prides itself on the quality of support provided for students and is delighted that this work has been of such benefit to them.”
The University of Stirling has also been shortlisted in the Most Improved Student Experience category.
And also shortlisted is Making the Most of Masters, vying for honours in the Outstanding Employer Engagement Initative category. This project, coordinated by the University of Edinburgh, is an innovative Scottish Funding Council-supported project facilitating a new means of collaboration between employers and taught postgraduate (PGT) masters degree programmes in Scotland. It is a partnership between the Universities of Edinburgh, Stirling and Aberdeen.
Pictured above is Eileen Richardson, Library and Information Services Manager in the Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) at the University of Stirling, demonstrating the Virtual Care Home.