The University of Queensland has announced its 2003 awards for excellence in teaching, research supervision and enhancement of student learning.
The winners were announced at a gala ceremony at Customs House on Monday, November 10 as part of the second annual UQ Teaching and Learning Week from November 10–14.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Margaret Gardner said the awards were designed to recognise, encourage and reward sustained excellence in teaching, supervision of research higher degree candidates, and excellence in the learning environment and provision of student services.
This year, five winners received $10,000 Awards for Excellence in Teaching.
The awards were established in 1988 and are funded by the University and The Alumni Association of The University of Queensland Inc.
The 2003 winners are as follows.
* Dr Michael Bulmer (lecturer, School of Physical Sciences) believes support is the fundamental component of teaching. He empowers students and endeavours to develop their personal confidence and identity, creative talents, technical knowledge and skills, critical judgement and ethical sensitivity. His inclusion of a Peer Assisted Study Session (PASS) has allowed students to develop their own knowledge constructs in socially interactive and peer supportive environments. He continually updates the design of his innovative course curriculum and applies statistics to real-life examples to engage his students and allow them to understand the relevance of mathematics. He has introduced poetic and artistic-based assessment so students can reflect on, and creatively express their emotional attachment to statistics. He has also developed a range of evaluation tools to obtain detailed information on student attitudes and expectations.
* Dr Carol Christensen (senior lecturer, School of Education) demonstrates insight, sensitivity and commitment to enhancing the learning of students. She encourages students to explore and practice a range of skills and techniques, consistently challenges them to think critically and seeks to inspire them to make positive differences. She has developed innovations that utilise a variety of techniques prompting students to examine their own cognitive processes as well as to employ more sophisticated strategies. She has developed strong links to the community, offering advice and professional development to education providers and promoting school reform in teaching literacy in secondary schools. Her text on educational psychology is used nationally and internationally and she was recently appointed the director of postgraduate coursework studies in the School of Education.
* Dr Merrilyn Goos (lecturer, School of Education) focuses on the pre-service and continuing professional education of mathematics teachers and has contributed to the development of innovative curriculum across schools and disciplinary boundaries. She pursues her goals through theoretically informed and contextually grounded innovations in curriculum, pedagogy and the promotion of the theory and practice of criteria-based assessment. Her collaborative learning and assessment encourages collegiality and inspires and challenges students to critically refect on dilemmas of practice and self-evaluation. She is committed to building long-term relationships with the wider community for a collaborative approach to improve education outcomes and has made a substantial contribution to State, national and international professional associations for mathematics teachers.
* Dr Peter Newcombe (lecturer, School of Social Work and Applied Human Sciences) has a highly developed capacity for collaborative, independent curriculum design and development, making him an effective contributor to the successful multi-disciplinary behavioural studies program at UQ Ipswich. He has adopted a student-centred and experiential approach that makes use of a range of flexible learning techniques. He strives to make the content, theories and concepts as stimulating and relevant as possible because he believes students should be taught to think widely on critical issues relevant to the modern world. The innovative design and delivery of the courses has been recognised at both University and national levels. He has also been involved in the supervision of honours, masters and PhD research students across a broad range of topics.
* Associate Professor Dorothy Watts (School of History, Philosophy, Religion and Classics) teaches a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate level courses and is a dedicated supervisor of a large number of higher degree candidates. Her clarity, humour, insight and enthusiasm for classics and ancient history have earned her numerous accolades. She has made a significant contribution, often in collaboration with colleagues, to curriculum development, and was instrumental in the decision to offer advanced level Latin and classical Greek courses in flexible learning mode. She believes teaching students to think, question, criticise, appreciate, synthesise and communicate is not only crucial to effective learning but provides skills applicable to all situations in life. She has tirelessly promoted teaching and learning within her discipline and has made a significant contribution both within the University and the wider community.
For the second year, the University Academic Board presented two groups with $20,000 Awards for Enhancement of Student Learning.
The 2003 winners were both category three entrants -– providing a curriculum team-based innovative and practical approach to the enhancement of the quality of teaching and learning.
* A comprehensive tutor training program (represented by Dr Barbara Masser, lecturer, School of Psychology) provides a planned and systematic approach to training and mentoring School of Psychology tutors. Postgraduates new to tutoring receive course-level mentoring, peer review and practical demonstrations on the principles of effective teaching and learning. The highly innovative program uses a multi-level structure and developmental sequence while imparting skills to tutors in a practical manner. It provides a safe environment for tutors to resolve issues and seek advice, and creates the necessary social and technical support to help facilitate their development. It also encourages open discussion of different teaching methods and exposes tutors to difference perspectives on how to manage a tutorial, communicative materials and interact with students. Tutor mentors confirm and reinforce strategies, instil confidence and assist with program solving. The program has been recognised at a local, national and international level for its support to tutors, students and course coordinators, as well as its success in enhancing both postgraduate and undergraduate learning.
* Project centred curriculum in chemical engineering (represented by Caroline Crosthwaite, senior lecturer, School of Engineering) is an innovative and highly effective teaching and learning model which offers a unique approach to teaching core skills and knowledge to undergraduate chemical and environmental engineering students. The four-year curriculum centres on project-based learning that engages each student’s individual ability to refine solutions through critical reflection. It is supported by and integrated with all core teaching and learning activities in the program and is the focus for the whole-of-curriculum approach to the development of graduate attributes such as communication, teamwork and independent learning. Annual team-based curriculum and peer reviews by course, semester and teaching teams encourage purposeful collaboration and have had a strong and positive effect on teaching and learning strategies. The program has received outstanding support from students, graduates, employers and professional bodies. The School of Engineering has adopted the program as the framework for curriculum reform and plans to implement it on a School-wide basis next year.
One $10,000 Award for Excellence in Research Higher Degree Supervision was also awarded.
Australia’s first official university awards for excellence in research higher degree supervision were established at UQ in 2000 and are an initiative of the UQ Graduate School and UQ Union.
The 2003 winner is as follows.
* Professor Maria Orlowska (School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering) leads the School’s Data and Knowledge Engineering Group and as Deputy Head of the School is responsible for research and postgraduate studies within the area. She focuses her supervision on developing independence within a supportive framework and has introduced numerous research supervision based innovations. They include a travel bank for postgraduate students, counselling and mentoring programs, and a system and transparent policy for funding postgraduate students. Milestones are set for PhD students from the beginning of candidature and small research problems are regularly presented to students. Thematic PhD groups are also formed for students to work together on a common topic without supervision. They identify problems, design procedures and establish the skills and knowledge required to solve the problem. Solutions are always rewarded and celebrated, and her broad, inclusive approach involves substantial peer-to-peer mentoring.
For full details of all UQ Teaching and Learning Week events, visit www.uq.edu.au/teaching_learning
Media: for photos of the winners contact Diana Lilley (telephone 07 3365 2753, email d.lilley@uq.edu.au) or for further information, contact Andrew Dunne at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2802, mobile 0405 186 732).
