The University of Queensland has today announced the inaugural winners of the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Internationalisation.
Held during UQ’s annual Teaching & Learning Week (Nov 2-6), the awards acknowledge the support and promotion of international activities for students, whether on exchange or at home.
The School of Medicine won the Organisational Unit Award for its commitment to international student exchange, with more than 350 medical students undertaking an international learning experience in 2009, many in developing nations, including 60 at a specially developed Clinical School in Brunei.
“The reasons we promote international exchanges and training opportunities include the social and cultural development they bring, as well as the opportunity to develop partnerships over time to individual and school benefit,” Professor David Wilkinson, Head of the School of Medicine, said.
The School was also recognised for its collaborations with the Ochsner Health System in New Orleans and Apollo Hospitals Group, India.
US medical students have the opportunity to complete two years of pre-clinical training at the UQ School of Medicine, and their third and fourth-year training at Ochsner Health System.
UQ medical students also have the opportunity to spend part of their third and fourth years at Ochsner, benefiting from a variety of medical specialties, research and core rotations.
UQ has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Apollo Hospitals Group that specifically covers the facilitation of School of Medicine elective placements in India. Students have a choice of Hospitals in Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata.
The Staff Award was presented to Margaret Stephenson of the TC Beirne School of Law for the development of the subject, Law and Indigenous Peoples.
Through the innovative use of technology, Mrs Stephenson and her colleagues have created a “virtual overseas classroom” for UQ students and those at partner institutions in Canada, the United States and New Zealand.
The course is comprised of weekly seminars, with lecturers presenting PowerPoint presentations and audiovisual material via high definition webcams, and facilitating discussion by flicking between the screens of the six participating universities as needed.
Students are directly exposed to the knowledge and perspectives of international experts and students, without having to leave their home University.
The course broadens students’ perspectives and prepares them for sustainable careers in the field, both nationally and internationally.
“Students enjoy this course, and they gain a great deal by being exposed to a wide range of Indigenous issues in the various jurisdictions,” Mrs Stepenson said.
"Broadening their knowledge of what is occurring elsewhere allows our students to be better placed in their future careers to deal with evolving Indigenous legal rights in Australia."
The Exchange Partner of the Year award has been presented to Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico for its extraordinary commitment to the welfare and support of UQ students on exchange in Mexico during the H1N1 influenza outbreak, including assistance with flexible assessment and personalised student support services.
Media: Penny Robinson at UQ Communications (07 3365 9723, penny.robinson@uq.edu.au)
