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Media Release
$565,000 AWARDS TO RECOGNISE AUSTRALIA’S BEST UNIVERSITY TEACHERS
29 November 2005 MIN 2051/05
Australia’s outstanding university teachers were recognised today for their dedication, professionalism and enthusiasm as winners of the 2005 University Teaching Awards.
Eleven university teachers and five university teams were awarded for their excellence in teaching.
The awards support the Australian Government’s commitment to quality teaching in higher education and the Government has contributed $565,000 to this year’s awards. Winners in the teaching award categories will receive a grant of $40,000 each and institutional award winners will receive $50,000 each.
The winners of this year’s Prime Minister’s Award are Associate Professor Michael Christie, Ms Waymamba Gaykamangu, Ms Betty Marrnganyin and Mr John Greatorex from Charles Darwin University. This team also won a teaching award in the category of Humanities and the Arts for their outstanding work on developing teaching and learning resources as part of the Yolngu Studies Project. These two awards provide the team with $75,000.
The Neville Bonner Award for Indigenous Teaching this year went to Associate Professor Susan Green from the University of New South Wales.
The awards, introduced in 1997, focus on raising the status of university teaching and recognising Australia’s talented academics.
This year’s selection round was highly competitive, with 117 applications received from 35 universities in 12 categories.
From 2006, the awards will be known as the Carrick Awards for Australian University Teaching and will be coordinated through The Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. The Australian Government has significantly increased the funding from 2006 to over $3 million, which will enable 251 awards to be provided in recognition of excellence in teaching in Australian universities.
I congratulate those academics and institutions recognised for their ongoing commitment to excellence in university teaching.
For a complete list of winners see Attachment A and the winner’s profiles see Attachment B.
Media Contacts:Dr Nelson’s Office: Yaron Finkelstein 0414 927 663
Dept of Education, Science & Training: Tammy Malone (02) 6240 7462
Attachment A
2005 AUSTRALIAN AWARDS FOR UNIVERSITY TEACHING
WINNERS
Prime Minister’s Award for University Teacher of the Year
- Associate Professor Michael Christie, Ms Waymamba Gaykamangu, Ms Betty Marrnganyin and Mr John Greatorex, Charles Darwin University
Teaching Award Winners
Biological Sciences, Health and Related Studies
- Associate Professor Joanne Wood, Queensland University of Technology
Law, Economics, Business and Related Studies
- Professor Michelle Barker, Griffith University
Humanities and the Arts
- Associate Professor Michael Christie, Ms Waymamba Gaykamangu, Ms Betty Marrnganyin and Mr John Greatorex, Charles Darwin University
Physical Sciences and Related Studies
- Dr Michael Bulmer, The University of Queensland
Social Sciences
- Dr Sandra Frid and Dr Len Sparrow, Curtin University of Technology
Early Career Academics
- Mr Colin Jones, University of Tasmania
Neville Bonner Award Winner
- Associate Professor Susan Green, The University of New South Wales
Institutional Award Winners
Provision of Support Services that Assist Student Learning
- Curtin Advantage, Curtin University of Technology
- Library Off-Campus Services: ‘If this works for off-campus students, then it will work for all students’, Deakin University
Teaching Large, First Year Classes
- Quality in the First Year Experience, The University of Queensland
Provision of Educational Services to the Community
- UTS Shopfront, University of Technology, Sydney
Enhancement of the Quality of Teaching and Learning in the Applicant’s
Institution
- Project Centred Curriculum, The University of Queensland
Approaches to Improving/Enhancing Assessment
- Assessment of Student Fieldwork, The University of Queensland
Attachment B
PROFILES ON THE WINNERS IN THE TEACHING AWARD CATEGORIES
Teaching Award Winners
Biological Sciences, Health and Related Studies
Professor Joanne Wood
Queensland University of Technology
Professor Joanne Wood graduated with first class honours in Optometry from Aston University, UK and spent two years in optometric practice before returning to Aston University to complete a PhD. She then took up a Post Doctoral Research Fellow position at Oxford University for a period of 18 months before coming to the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) as a Post Doctoral Research Fellow. She has been at QUT for 15 years, and was appointed Senior Lecturer in 1992, Associate Professor in 1998 and full Professor in 2005. Over this period she has published 100 papers in Australian and internationally refereed journals and proceedings series, and has received several awards for her research.
Her unique research approach has attracted international scholars from around the world to visit QUT to undertake extremely successful collaborative research projects. Her research findings have been reported widely at both international and national conferences, attracting funding support from government agencies such as the ARC and NHMRC and a range of industry partners. Her research in vision and driving is considered to be highly innovative and has been recognised both for its contribution to understanding the impact of visual impairment and age on driving performance and in its role to improve road safety through the identification of evidence-based risk factors for unsafe driving.
Joanne has also demonstrated leadership and commitment in teaching which involves undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, teaching within the optometry profession, and to the community. Her teaching has attracted several awards including the Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 2004 and as joint recipient of the Faculty of Health Excellence in Teaching Award in 2003. Joanne was a finalist in the 2004 Australian Awards for University Teaching.
Through her teaching and service she has played a leadership role in improving the eye health status of the Indigenous population. She established the first optometry teaching clinic at the Aboriginal and Islander Community Health Service in Brisbane over 10 years ago which serves as an important teaching tool, both for raising student awareness of the eye care needs of, and the cultural issues associated with, the Indigenous community.
Law, Economics, Business and Related Studies
Professor Michelle Barker
Griffith University
Professor Michelle Barker is a social worker with a PhD in social psychology who teaches in the areas of group facilitation, human resource management (HRM) and interpersonal communication skills in the Griffith Business School. Facilitating transitions to avoid feelings of isolation is a key theme in Michelle’s discipline of International HRM and is central to her role as a teacher.
Michelle has been particularly interested in facilitating successful transitions for international students into higher education, developing with other colleagues the ExcelL Intercultural Skills program, and more recently adapting ExcelL to an Indigenous context.
Michelle acts as an agent of change making outstanding contributions at the individual and institutional levels to Griffith University as an innovator in flexible learning with the Logan Shared Resources Project, in the establishment of community partnerships for the facilitation of work integrated learning with the establishment of TALBI, the Teaching and Learning Business Index and as a leader in international teaching scholarship.
Humanities and the Arts
Associate Professor Michael Christie, Ms Waymamba Gaykamangu, Ms Betty Marrnganyin, and Mr John Greatorex - Charles Darwin University
The Yolngu Studies team is a large and diverse group, with Associate Professor Michael Christie, Ms Waymamba Gaykamangu, Ms Betty Marrnganyin, and Mr John Greatorex at its core.
Waymamba Gaykamaŋu is a senior Yolngu woman who has been involved with the program from its inception. She has over 30 year experiences working in education as a teacher, policy maker and researcher. Michael Christie has an association with the Yolngu people spanning 30 years. He has worked as a teacher, linguist and researcher and like Waymamba has been involved with the Yolngu studies project from the start. Betty Marrŋanyin is a local senior Yolngu woman also and has worked as teacher, linguist and interpreter over the last 30 years. She has been involved directly with research on the Yolngu studies project for the last five years. John Greatorex has also worked with the Yolngu people for the last 30 years, as a teacher, linguist and researcher. He is the current Yolngu studies coordinator.
The work of the team is made possible only through the advice, supervision and assistance of many Yolngu people, especially the Yolngu advisers.
Over ten years, the Yolngu Studies team has developed an extensive range of resources, utilising the skills which the four team members have developed over the last 30 years. Some of the key teaching and learning resources developed collaboratively by the Yolngu Studies team include:
- a series of special fonts including one called A Yolngu CDU for the representation of Yolngu orthography;
- the CD Library of Yolngu Literature which contains 190 stories by 98 authors in 15 languages;
- the Gupapuyŋu Multimedia CD and associated Study Notes and Reference Book;
- several multimedia DVDs which present Yolngu perspectives on land or cultural practice; and
- the development and publishing of more than 30 texts.
The Yolngu Studies team has also won grants worth over $500,000 specifically to do with developing teaching and learning.
Physical Sciences and Related Studies
Dr Michael Bulmer
The University of Queensland
Dr Michael Bulmer is a lecturer in mathematics and statistics at The University of Queensland (UQ). He completed a PhD on automated theorem proving at the University of Tasmania in 1996. Since joining UQ 1997, Dr Bulmer has established a broad collaborative research program in the use of computational and statistical modelling. Fields of collaboration include mechanical engineering, speech pathology, economics, zoology, human movement studies, and astrophysics.
Dr Bulmer is a leader in the teaching and coordination of large first year courses in statistics, and in the development of innovative teaching technologies and practices to support students in this environment. He also teaches second-level and third-level courses, and supervises honours and PhD students. He has developed collaborative postgraduate coursework programs with Education, and has helped establish the Advanced Studies Program in Science.
Dr Bulmer received a UQ Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2003 and has been an invited speaker at many teaching forums, both internationally and nationally. He also has a respected role in the broader teaching community and has been the elected Vice-President of the Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers since 2001.
Social Sciences
Dr Sandra Frid and Dr Len Sparrow
Curtin University of Technology
Sandra Frid is a Senior Lecturer and Len Sparrow is a Senior Lecturer and the Head of the Department of Education at Curtin University. Together they are the mathematics education team for the four-year Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood/Primary) degrees and their expertise spans the disciplines of mathematics and teacher education. They take a learner-focused approach and concentrate on student thinking, learning and interaction, along with authentic assessment practices centered on the application of learning to teaching mathematics to children.
Drs Frid and Sparrow have a goal as mathematics educators to prepare their students to be thinking-leading-acting mathematics teachers – teachers who think critically about their professional practices while also serving as educational leaders who take action and implement changes to enhance children’s mathematics learning. In preparing their students for this lifelong learning journey, they explicitly foster their students’ development of: mathematics content, pedagogical competence in mathematics, and professional confidence to implement innovative mathematics learning practices and become mathematics curriculum leaders.
The mathematics education program they have created culminates in the students’ final year with a Mathematics Teaching Portfolio Exhibition in which members of the broader educational community participate as assessors and professional colleagues.
Drs Frid and Sparrow are dedicated and enthusiastic teachers with a strong commitment to the provision of rich and engaging learning experiences for their students.
Early Career Academics
Mr Colin Jones
University of Tasmania
Colin Jones is a lecturer in entrepreneurship in the School of Management. His approach to teaching is greatly influenced by his own experience of entrepreneurial success and failure. Colin is committed to ensuring his students learn for and through enterprise, rather than merely about enterprise. To achieve this, he has developed a learner-centered teaching framework for enterprise education. His ‘hic et nunc’ (here and now) framework has been designed to allow students to develop their enterprise knowledge and skills in their here and now. He truly believes that his success as a teacher is more determined by what his students do, and less by what he does. Colin aims to ensure his students are engaged in a learning process that is an exemplar of world’s best practice.
Colin is considered to be a highly innovative and enthusiastic teacher who is very approachable and supportive of his students. He is the author of several publications related to his teaching practices. An active mentor to both his students and the local business community, he is also a committee member of the Small Enterprise Association of Australia and New Zealand (SEAANZ).
Neville Bonner Award Winner
Associate Professor Susan Green
The University of New South Wales
Susan Green is a Wiradjuri woman who was born on the land of the Eora (Sydney). Sue currently resides in Dulwich Hill (Marrickville Local Government Area). She is the Director of Nura Gili (Indigenous Programs @ UNSW), is an Associate Professor of Indigenous Education, has a Bachelor of Social Work (honours) and is a Doctoral student undertaking research into the history of Aboriginal Welfare within New South Wales.
Sue has been described as having extraordinary energy and commitment to ensuring as many Indigenous people as possible have access to educational opportunities. Central to her work has been the development of an emancipative model of teaching and learning. This is underpinned by a concept of “engaging heads, hearts and hands”, that seeks to bring students’ own experiences, feelings and thoughts about the issues regarding Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal relations to the learning environment.
Sue teaches in a number of areas including Social Work, Australian Studies, Cultural and Identity Studies and in Indigenous Preparation Programs as well as Cultural Awareness. The most controversial course that Sue teaches is one entitled ‘Whiteness: Beyond Colour and Difference’.
PROFILES ON THE INSTITUTIONAL AWARD WINNERS AND THEIR PROJECTS
Institutional Award Winners
Provision of Support Services that Assist Student Learning
Curtin Advantage
Curtin University of Technology
Tracey Hodgkins is Director of Curtin Advantage, an innovative program that provides students with professional development through their participation in real-life business projects.
Advantage is a unique learning model designed to provide students enrolled in any discipline the opportunity to develop their personal and professional competencies and skills through their involvement in social and business enterprises, company internships, high level work experiences and special group placements. The program is run through a ‘Not for profit’ company that is managed and staffed by student volunteers, and overseen by expert personnel.
Advantage uses the entrepreneurial process as the primary tool to engage students and deliver the generic skills they need to succeed in life. It allows students to develop ideas, innovate, succeed and learn from failure in equal proportions through a guided process that provides opportunities to work in the career of their choice. Experiential learning through entrepreneurial ventures is an incredibly dynamic method of knowledge building for any individual.
Programs overseen by Advantage have won a number of state, national and international awards. These include winner of Young Achievement Australia state and national Award for Business Plan, Company of the Year, Most Innovative Company, Best Marketing Plan in 2001, 2003, 2004. Advantage also gave the Curtin SIFE team the means to win first place in the ‘Students in Free Enterprise’ (SIFE) international competition in Barcelona last year (2004) which gave Australia the honour of being the first country other than the U.S.A to win the SIFE World Cup in 29 years.
Industry feedback both as a result of this success and from experience in being involved in the Curtin Advantage program has been extremely positive. As a consequence, requests to be involved in the program from industry (including government departments), and students from other universities have increased significantly. International partners are also becoming involved in the design of new community projects which have promoted greater opportunities for the students to develop their understanding of internationalisation and globalisation in business enterprises.
Library Off Campus Services: ‘If this works for off-campus students, then it will work for all students’
Deakin University
Deakin University is a major distance education provider. Over 11,000 students, who might otherwise not enjoy the benefits that flow from participating in higher education, are enrolled as off-campus students. Off-campus students have needs and challenges in using libraries that are distinct and very different to those facing an on-campus student. The Library has earned a national reputation for its innovative and responsive off-campus service. Key elements of the service are:
- students are supported in their homes and work places, irrespective of their geographical location (onshore or offshore) or their level of study;
- a comprehensive library service at a distance, including door-to-door delivery of print materials at no additional fee for the individual student;
- a blend of information resources (print and electronic) that can be accessed online or requested via the Library catalogue, email or facsimile;
- a dedicated telephone service and an online “Ask-a-question” service enables students to obtain personal assistance from Library staff, at a time that suits the student’s study patterns;
- face-to-face information literacy support at interstate, regional and local study schools; and
- a range of online tutorials and database help services that students can use independently at the time of need and at their own pace.
Many of the services have been developed with off-campus students in mind, however, services that work for remote students, also work for on-campus students. University surveys, customer-value workshops, and direct student feedback have all consistently resulted in outstanding levels of student satisfaction with the Library.
Teaching Large, First Year Classes
An Integrated Approach to Teaching Large First Year Psychology Courses: Developing and Maintaining Quality in the First Year Experience
The University of Queensland
Members of the first year teaching and support team in Psychology at The University of Queensland are:
- Dr Virginia Slaughter who coordinates and lectures in PSYC1030, Introduction to Psychology: Social, Developmental and Applied Psychology;
- Dr John McLean who coordinates and lectures in PSYC1020, Introduction to Psychology: Biological and Cognitive Psychology;
- Dr Andrew Tilley who coordinates and is the sole lecturer for PSYC1040, Introduction to Research Methods and Report Writing, as well as the author of the textbook used in the course;
- Dr Peter Newcombe who coordinates PSYC1030 Introduction to Psychology: Social, Developmental and Applied Psychology at The University of Queensland’s Ipswich campus;
- Dr Rod Ashton who has been a major contributing lecturer to PSYC1020 for the last two decades and who developed the PSYCHE CD-ROM that introduces first year psychology students to classic research in psychology;
- Dr Barbara Masser,who developed and implemented the comprehensive tutor training program in psychology;
- Dr Geoff MacDonald,who is the current tutor training program coordinator in psychology;
- Ms Ros Roche,who is the first year administrator, provides personal and academic support for students as well as coordinating tutorial schedules and assessment;
- Various lecturers in the school of psychology, who provide lecturing expertise in the courses PSYC1020 and PSYC1030; and
- Various first year tutors in psychology who are advanced students in their first year of postgraduate training in the School of Psychology. These students attend regular tutor training sessions throughout the year and concurrently act as tutors to the first year students in psychology.
Provision of Educational Services to the Community
UTS Shopfront: Working with the Community
University of Technology Sydney
UTS Shopfront is a unique university-wide program that acts as a gateway for community access to the University. It links disadvantaged and under-resourced community groups to university knowledge, skills, resources and professional expertise. Projects are initiated by the community and undertaken by students through subjects with the supervision of academics. Projects can range from large, multi-disciplinary undertakings to small projects that might involve one or two students. Since 1996 the Shopfront has completed 346 community-based projects involving 440 community organizations, 1,050 students and all of the University faculties.
The Shopfront model is founded on a dual commitment to address the needs of the community and to provide an innovative and practical approach to learning. This commitment is achieved through the Shopfront’s community initiated projects, identified research priorities and listening and responding to community needs.
The team is represented by:
- Associate Professor Paul Ashton, who is the Director and a founding member of the Shopfront. He is responsible for the long-term academic and future direction of the program;
- Pauline O’Loughlin who is the Program Manager and is responsible for the overall activities and administration of the Shopfront. She establishes, organizes and monitors dealings between UTS staff, students and community organizations and is responsible for the coordination of the projects; and
- Lisa Andersen who is the Community Education Officer responsible for regular Shopfront publications, community skills development forums and workshops. Lisa also supervises and manages community-based projects.
Enhancement of the Quality of Teaching and Learning in the Applicant’s Institution
Project Centred Curriculum in Chemical Engineering
The University of Queensland
Project Centred Curriculum in Chemical Engineering has been championed by an enthusiastic team of dedicated academic staff at The University of Queensland since 1995. Membership of the team has changed with staff turnover during this period, but the vision endures. However none of what has been achieved would have been possible without the willing cooperation and collaboration of all our chemical engineering colleagues in the school. It is truly a team achievement.
Current membership of the team is;
- Associate Professor Caroline Crosthwaite is coordinator of the PCC curriculum team and has taught at all levels in the curriculum. She also undertakes documentation, and assessment of the curriculum. Caroline worked on ways to manage links between concurrent courses, build a community of teachers, and embed generic skills development into meaningful and motivating technically oriented learning activities.
- Professor Ian Cameron is Head of Chemical Engineering and has taught the capstone design, introductory and advanced level courses. He also oversees the alignment of the curriculum with real professional practices and requirements. Ian initiated the development of industrial ‘learning partnerships’ to enrich the curriculum’s realism and relevance by including industrial relationships and professional practices into the core curriculum.
- Associate Professor Tony Howes is a founding member of the curriculum team. He also brings strong industrial and research perspectives and connections to the design and improvement of curriculum learning activities, and in particular to the sourcing of interesting and topical new projects. Tony pioneered the introduction of novel assessment including use of competency based assessment methods in the curriculum.
- Associate Professor Paul Lant is the Chemical engineering plan leader with responsibility for the overall integrity and future directions of the curriculum’s evolution. He chairs the annual curriculum review, and coordinates the foundation project course as well as higher level courses. Paul also nurtures and coordinates the support for a pro-active student learning community and their continuing participation in ongoing development of the curriculum and the associated teaching and learning environment.
- Professor Jim Litster is now Head of School and has taught introductory to advanced level courses in the curriculum. He is another founding member of the curriculum team and his personal vision, enthusiasm and unfailing positive outlook and support for the team and their efforts over the 10 year life of this project has been an inspiration to and a mainstay for all involved.
Approaches to Improving/Enhancing Assessment
Supporting Clinical Learning: A New Approach to Assessment of Student Fieldwork
The University of Queensland
Team: Sylvia Rodger, Ms Katie Ward and Ms Heather Allison
Sylvia Rodger is senior lecturer and head of Division of Occupational Therapy at The University of Queensland. She has a long-standing interest in paediatric occupational therapy from both a clinical perspective and in terms of undergraduate and postgraduate student education. In addition she has had 20 years experience as an academic teaching at undergraduate, graduate entry and postgraduate levels. She has an interest in curriculum development, mapping and the integration of theory and practice in professional clinical programs.
Sylvia’s research interests include: cognitive interventions for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), early intervention and play for children with autism spectrum disorders, family centered practice, the impact of disability on families, paediatric occupational therapy service delivery and evidence based practice.
She is on the editorial boards of Occupational Therapy International and Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics. She is Director of the Children’s Research Unit: Communication, Occupation and Movement (CRU.COM), a multi-professional research unit within the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. She has over 50 publications in national and international peer reviewed journals, and over 70 peer reviewed conferences presentations.
Katie Ward began at The University of Queensland Division of Occupational Therapy in 2001 after a wide career as a clinical Occupational Therapist, working both in Australia and overseas. As the Fieldwork Manager at UQ, Ms Ward is responsible for the block clinical education component in the final years of both the Undergraduate and Graduate Entry Occupational Therapy programs.
Heather Allison from The University of Queensland is passionate about understanding the processes that occur when health students move from class based learning into the “real world” for their clinical education. She has been a lecturer and clinical educator within the Division of Occupational Therapy at The University of Queensland.
In the mid 1990s, Ms Allison co-led a team that produced an innovative assessment tool for students undertaking clinical learning. This tool is now in use in most occupational therapy schools across the nation. In recent years, her interest has moved to inter-professional clinical education. She supervises students in a number of inter-professional health clinics, and is documenting the processes by which students learn from each other and diversify their skills in these settings.
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