Dr Anthony Cook

National Teaching Fellow 2009 Tony Cook is a well respected Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Life and Health Science at the University of Ulster and is currently Faculty Co-ordinator of Teaching and Learning. He was awarded a University Distinguished Learning Support Fellowship for his widespread and innovative support for pedagogic practice across the university. An enthusiastic teacher of Biology, Tony was an early implementer of peer tutoring and computer-based teaching in his practice and further facilitated change among his colleagues. Finding common cause with colleagues in the School of Art and Design, he co-founded the VIRGIL (Visual Image Resources for Generic Independent Learning) Centre which was funded through TLTP2 and promoted computer-based teaching across all schools and faculties of the University of Ulster. This continued through the Educational Development Unit when he became assistant director responsible for the promotion of innovative projects in a wide range of teaching practices. Tony is the Director of The STAR (Student Transition and Retention) project originally funded through FDTL4. This work grew from surveys of students which clearly showed that they had serious misconceptions about what life and learning was going to be like at university. He is in great demand as a speaker at meetings related to student retention and has recently changed the emphasis of the work from retention of students at risk to student success. He says that the promotion of success applies to all students and does not require us to label any students as potential failures. "Focusing on those at risk merely changes who is at the bottom of the pile. We need to raise the whole pile". Dissemination of the STAR project outcomes has been widespread and deliberately provocative and feedback from colleagues from a range of universities has been very supportive. "The STAR project has been very ably run by Tony Cook who has shown outstanding leadership in this area and I believe it has had a significant effect on policy and practice throughout the UK especially at the vital grass roots level". Ormond Simpson (Open University).