A lecturer has won an international award for her innovative and creative approaches to teaching at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU).
Dr Natasha Mwila has been named as the winner of the 2023 Outstanding Case Teacher competition.
Case method teaching involves lecturers from around the globe tapping into a central database of different scenarios, or case studies, that require students to apply their new-found knowledge to solve business problems.
Judges said Dr Mwila’s nomination stood out because of the way she used film, multimedia and games in her teaching to further motivate and inspire students, while sticking to her principles of decolonising the curriculum and being as inclusive as possible.
Reacting to news of the award, Dr Mwila said: “I am really excited to be honest. I have always looked at winners of the Case Centre prize to inspire what I do in the classroom.
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“I always keep up with the latest trends in teaching and to be up there as a winner, like the people I have admired for so long, is fantastic.”
Dr Mwila also writes her own case studies to be shared with teachers around the globe
“Over the last few years I have wanted to represent different groups, going beyond gender and race and looking to unseen issues, such as people with learning disabilities and people with serious mental health problems.
“These cases that I write are then used by other lecturers globally. It’s wonderful to know my views on teaching are being shared by others.”
Dr Mwila joined DMU in January 2019, coming to Leicester from Monash University in South Africa. She thanked her students for helping her win the award.
“If there is anyone I would like to thank for winning this award it is my students,” Dr Mwila said. “What I write about in my cases is based on their experiences and what they want to learn and improve on.
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“We have such a mix of people here at DMU. You cannot put anybody in a box - and that is beautiful as it is more representative of the world we live in.”
The Case Centre is the independent home of the Case Method of teaching. The centre is dedicated to advancing the Case method worldwide, sharing knowledge, wisdom and experience to inspire and transform business education across the globe. It is a not-for-profit organisation and a registered charity.
Posted on Wednesday 1 February 2023