Each year, the Arts Awards at University of the Arts shines a spotlight on community members who’ve made a real difference to the lives of students and their experiences. Through nominations from both staff and students, the awards celebrate contributions that particularly stand out across many different categories, and this year we’ve gathered all these insights into the Arts Award 2024 Evaluation and Impact Report.
Read on for a breakdown of the Arts Awards and all of the findings from our first report.
This year’s report is the first of its kind, bringing together over 600 nominations across 17 categories. It’s an exciting milestone in the Arts Awards’ history and will aim to give a detailed look at what aspects of the UAL experience resonate the most with our community.
This report, compiled by Lee Anderson, Education Quality Coordinator at Arts SU, aims to bring together all of the findings of the 2023/2024 Arts Awards nominations. We’ve done this to create a platform to showcase students and staff whose voices have been recognised and nominated whilst also creating a space for recommendations to be brought forth for the improvement of different aspects of UAL, the various aspects of the academic experience and the institution as a whole, too.
Another added benefit of this report is a chance to bring to light all the key themes emerging from the different nominations we receive and transform these into insights needed to put forward proposals to make the student experience the best it can be. This report is a useful tool for shaping future initiatives with all the added benefits that come from fostering a culture of recognition in our community.
The Arts Awards Report gives an overview of the event itself, the nomination process, and all the big ideas and recurring patterns that emerged across UAL’s colleges.
Four main themes stood out: guidance, growth, community, and relationship-building.
These areas are what students and staff consistently focused on as the key to fostering a better UAL experience.
The report explores the 17 award categories, with a focus on the most popular (Outstanding Teaching Award) and least nominated (Social Justice and Sustainability Award). This contrast helps us get a real sense of what people appreciate at UAL and what good practice could look like.
The report also includes testimonials from the students and staff who nominated, so we now have a deeper understanding of what the UAL community consider valuable practices in teaching, community-building and our sustainability efforts.
Finally, based on the findings, the report makes five key recommendations for improving practices at UAL; essentially a change to the areas that received fewer nominations, such as the Social Justice and Sustainability category.
Looking forward, the findings from this year’s Arts Awards report are also an invitation for growth. By acting on the recommendations, we can ensure UAL continues to be a space where everyone feels supported, inspired and valued. Whether you submitted a nomination, attended the awards, or are just curious about what makes the UAL community special, this report is for you.