The University of Queensland has topped the nation in the prestigious 2007 national university teaching awards, reasserting its dominance as the home of Australia’s most-awarded tertiary teachers.
UQ won six Carrick Awards for Teaching Excellence, and Awards for Programs that Enhance Learning, announced by the Federal Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop.
Twelve UQ academics are in the winners’ circle: four have individual Awards for Teaching Excellence, and eight are in two teams that gain Awards for Programs that Enhance Learning.
UQ Vice-Chancellor, Professor John Hay, AC, congratulated the winners, whose excellence reflects on UQ’s universally high teaching standards.
“This result is an authoritative measure of UQ’s sustained performance as the best university for award-winning teachers,” Professor Hay said.
“Attaining this result in the 2007 awards continues UQ’s record of winning more national awards for teaching than any other Australian university in the awards’ history.
“This demonstrates that UQ students benefit from unsurpassed learning experiences, and it indicates to employers and other institutions that UQ graduates are outstandingly educated.
“A key to UQ’s success is that we recognise and reward excellence; each of the 2007 winning individuals and members of both teams have previously won a UQ-wide teaching award,” Professor Hay said.
Students in a large range of courses learn from the 2007 winners, whose areas include education, information technology, agribusiness, veterinary science, biology, chemistry and physics. They enrich learning through measures including: working with industry to give students overseas experience in solving commercial problems; engaging seasoned students to support new undergraduates; using SMS technology to invite anonymous feedback; and, using old-fashioned humour and personal warmth.
The prizes to UQ total $150,000 ($25,000 each).
• Awards for Teaching Excellence
Dr Karen Moni (Social Sciences)
As the School of Education’s Director of Secondary Programs, Dr Moni focuses on preparing students for teaching service, and also co-ordinates English curriculum courses and young adult literature courses for Bachelor and Graduate Diploma of Education programs. She develops independent, critical thinkers, creative professionals, and life-long learners, and she is a great ambassador for Education and an advocate for English and Literacy.
Dr Paul Mills (Early Career)
Dr Mills, of the School of Veterinary Science, delivers potentially difficult material in a clear well-structured and lively manner. One of his many innovations is a virtual microscopy resource, which is supported by the seven Australasian Veterinary Schools and the veterinary professional associations. It gives students online access to key histological specimens without the need for a microscope.
Dr Glen Coleman (Biological Sciences, Health and Related Studies)
Dr Coleman’s main undergraduate teaching responsibility is in the area of veterinary parasitology, where he has introduced online learning resources and web-based assessments that run in conjunction with parasitology practical classes. He seeks student feedback to critically evaluate and modify his teaching strategies, uses humour, and encourages students to see their fellow students as partners in learning.
Dr Peter Sutton (Physical Sciences and Related Studies)
Dr Sutton, of the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, was pivotal to development of the curriculum and the philosophical underpinnings of the Information Environments Program at UQ Ipswich. He was also responsible for the redesign of the Computer Systems Engineering curriculum and the development and initial delivery of its key courses. He has a web page for anonymous feedback for every course he runs and has introduced SMS text messaging for this purpose.
• Awards for Programs that Enhance Learning
Dr Valda Miller, Elwyn Oldfield, Dr Averil Cook, Dr Marie Kavanagh, Mr Graham Jordan (The First-Year Experience)
Evidence associates regular student attendance at Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) with stronger academic outcomes, lower attrition rates and stronger recruitment of students to later years of study in related areas. PASS is embedded in the core curricula of most large first level biological and physical sciences, economics, business, geography and town planning courses at UQ. It involves high-achieving second and third level undergraduate students who act as role models and learning collaborators for students in large first level science courses. The student leaders provide learning activities and monitor study techniques.
Associate Professor Ray Collins, Associate Professor Tony Dunne, Dr Kim Bryceson
(Educational Partnerships and Collaborations with Other Organisations)
This team has developed a unique approach to industry collaboration with the leading employers of Bachelor of Agribusiness graduates. Over the past 13 years the Agribusiness program’s industry partners have funded almost 300 final semester Agribusiness students to carry out 61 research projects on their behalf in 16 different countries. Groups of four or five students address a commercial research question in an international setting. Industry partners provide the projects and are also involved in assessment.
Media contact: Fiona Kennedy 07 3365 1088 / 0413 380 012
