A COMPUTER expert has won one of Britain's top teaching prizes.

Professor Philip Barker's will receive £50,000 for research purposes at the University of Teesside, in Middlesbrough.

The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme award is the fifth that the university has won since it was launched five years ago.

Father-of-two Prof Barker has won the fellowship in recognition of his excellence in learning and teaching.

Based in the university's school of computing, Prof Barker said: "I was thrilled when I found out that I had won the award. I'll be using the money to further my studies into all aspects of online learning and electronic education support for students.

"The last 25 years have been so exciting for me at Teesside that I wish I had another 25 years here to see what happens next. I think we have a great future and I'll be here for as long as I can."

Prof Barker teaches a module on human-computer interaction and has developed a series of online lectures and practical classes