We’re absolutely delighted to announce that Unitu in partnership with Swansea University won Technological Innovation of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards. These awards, now in their 15th year and widely referred to as the “Oscars of higher education”, shine a spotlight on the exceptional achievements of individuals, teams and institutions working in our sector today.
An online platform that has “revolutionised” how students engage with their university has been recognised as Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year. – Times Higher Education
The judges praised Unitu for revolutionising “the way the university engages with learners about key issues, such as well-being and transport”. They added: “Unitu itself is an edtech start-up product that has been significantly enhanced in response to feedback from the university.”
The acknowledgement is a wonderful feeling and full credit goes to our talented and committed team for their constant hard work!
This award is also in recognition of the authentic partnership between two organisations and how together, Swansea University and Unitu innovated to create a digital platform that has the potential to serve the students and staff globally.
Sophie Leslie, student partnership and feedback development officer at Swansea University, said:
“Unitu has been transformative, challenging the cultural norms around feedback and positively disrupting staff and student views of how they engage with each other. It has also been instrumental in providing a voice for students who are often hard to reach.”
“The close working relationship we have built with the Unitu team is key to the success of the tool. We would happily work with similar small edtechs in the future as a result of this work.”
We want to thank the staff members at Swansea University (both current and former) who made this award possible. Your perseverance and dedication to putting students at the heart of everything you do is inspiring. Thank you for putting your trust in us to support you in delivering a world-class student experience, we’re honoured to be part of it!
It all began in 2015, when Swansea University requested Jisc to undertake a short overview appraisal identifying suitable options to address their student feedback challenges. Out of a number of options they felt Unitu was best suited to support them in achieving their student experience goals. Forward to 2019, Over 14,000 students have access to the system and there are over 70,000 interactions from the students.
The Institution has been delighted with Unitu, describing it as “transformative” and praising the way it challenges the cultural norms around feedback, positively disrupting staff and student views of how to engage with each other.
Debbie Ricci-Jones, Head of Student Partnership and Engagement Services, said:
“Unitu has been an ally in driving positive campus changes, from student wellbeing to catering and from sustainable transport to study and social spaces. It has also helped to increase NSS metrics, with improvements seen in the Learning Community and Student Voice categories.”
