Skip course menu sidebar
Press Enter to open widgets. Press ESC to close.
Students and staff with Class in a Bag in Lanarkshire campus

University of the West of Scotland (UWS) has won a major national award for teaching excellence - recognising the University’s pioneering dementia-focused ‘Class in a Bag’ initiative.

In a first for UWS, the University has been awarded an Advanced HE Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE), for its ground-breaking Class in a Bag programme, created by its Adult Nursing Lecturers in collaboration with UWS’s Alzheimer Scotland Centre for Policy and Practice (ASCPP) team and Alzheimer Scotland.

Professor Craig Mahoney, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of UWS, said: “I am delighted that UWS and the pioneering work of the Alzheimer Scotland Centre for Policy and Practice has been recognised via this prestigious higher education award.

“The ‘Class in a Bag’ initiative demonstrates first-hand the significant impact academics and students can make by collaborating as development partners. ‘Class in a Bag’ is providing children with a transformational dementia learning experience, teaching them to be dementia-aware, socially responsible citizens and at the same time it provides our students with opportunities to learn communication skills by taking them into classrooms.

“It is another example of the important work UWS undertakes in our local communities and I extend my congratulations to everyone involved in the project for this significant achievement.”
Professor Craig Mahoney, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, UWS

Led by Professor Debbie Tolson and Winnie McGarry from the School of Health and Life Sciences at UWS, Class in a Bag is a portable, intergenerational education resource used by student nurses to teach schoolchildren about dementia and how they can help support people living with the condition.

The Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) recognises and rewards collaborative work that has had a demonstrable impact on teaching and learning, highlighting the key role of teamwork in higher education.

The team was supported in their application by UWS Academy, which supports everyone who teaches UWS students to develop their teaching and assessment practices, their programmes and their modules, with the aim of enhancing student learning. The Academy also supports the development of researchers, from postgraduates through early career to experienced practitioners.

“We are thrilled that our work has been recognised through this award. ‘Understanding dementia: Class in a Bag’ enables students to build their knowledge and professional and personal skills about dementia by delivering workshops about dementia in schools.
Professor Debbie Tolson, team leader and director of the Alzheimer Scotland Centre for Policy and Practice

Professor Tolson continued: “Since 2012, more than 10,000 schoolchildren have learned from over 2,400 students about dementia. This adaptable resource has also been used to support others to learn about dementia, including family carers, volunteers and care home staff.”

Henry Simmons, Chief Executive of Alzheimer Scotland said: “The commitment of UWS to improving the lives of people with dementia and their carers has been unquestionable and outstanding, we are proud to work in partnership with our colleagues at the ASCPP and are delighted that the incredibly innovative and impactful ‘Class in a Bag’, along with the whole team’s efforts has been recognised in such a positive way through this prestigious award.”