Rector's Commendations for excellence in teaching
Previous recipients
2008
Dr Linda Bowman
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Dr Linda Bowman has developed a strength-based learning approach in her university teaching, which allows students to develop a range of skills and engage critically with primary and interpretive sources. Her students are encouraged to express their views, and often feel comfortable doing so. Dr Bowman encourages creative thinking in her students. Her enthusiasm for teaching is evident in the positive responses from students who appreciate the personal interest she takes in her students. She works hard to make learning encounters fun and exciting. Her teaching practice is based on the principles of active learning and providing diverse experiences and opportunities for student reflection.
Dr Amy Griffin
School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences
Dr Amy Griffin is a motivated and innovative lecturer in School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences. She has shown a willingness to introduce new courses, e.g. 'This Sporting Life’ General Elective, trial novel approaches to student learning, feedback and assessment, and change and upgrade these courses with the benefit of experience. Amy’s use of online activities, including the quiz for her GE course and the ePortfolio for her Environmental Hazards course, have resulted in high levels of engagement in her courses that have improved student learning outcomes.
Dr Andrew Kiss
School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences
Dr Andrew Kiss has developed effective strategies for presenting complex information to students, for example about the nature of ocean circulation. He effectively uses movies and observational examples to communicate this material to the students. He often presents material in different ways – verbally, algebraically and graphically – to connect with students who learn in different ways, including physical analogies in explaining difficult concepts. Andrew's teaching shows, with appropriate assumptions and approximations, that complex generalised mathematical equations can be reduced to simpler and more accessible forms. His ability to do this in a way that students can appreciate, as evidenced by his teaching feedback, demonstrates considerable success in this approach.
Dr Sean O’Byrne
School of Aerospace, School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering
Dr Sean O’Byrne is highly respected and appreciated by his students. He continually accepts the challenge of trying something new and stretching his own skills, experience and knowledge. His enthusiasm for learning and discovering new things in his own research has captured the hearts and minds of Sean’s students at all levels. His students report his ability to communicate a broad, deep and dynamic knowledge of human endeavours effectively by adjusting his presentations to his audience. He presents knowledge in such way that it engenders creative processes in the students who are then guided to apply their critical and analytical thinking. Dr O’Byrne also uses computer based tools that allow collaboration and knowledge organization such as mind mapping.
Dr Robin Robertson
School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences
Dr Robin Robertson is a highly competent and engaged teacher and has earned the respect of her students. Her style of teaching encourages student involvement, making the learning experience much more successful and the content more easily retained. Her test review classes are of particular note, including the use of a 'jeopardy' style quiz on power-point, with different topics and graded difficulty of each of the questions. Teams are made and friendly competition is set up as the teams compete to answer the most questions correctly for a prize (of chocolates). Dr Robertson uses the latest oceanographic data, and encourages students to manipulate and explore it
Dr Mike Ryan
School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering
Dr Mike Ryan’s particular strength in teaching is communicating complex ideas to his students. His teaching style combines excellent notes with carefully structured lectures. He is an exceptionally sound educator who is highly respected by his students and colleagues alike in the school of ITEE. This applies across his range of teaching in both the Command and Communications Systems and Systems Engineering domains. His courses are structured so that there is a very direct linkage between the student needs, course objectives, course content and course assessment. Dr Ryan stands out as a model of high quality teaching.
2007
Dr Harald Kleine,
School of Aerospace, School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering for Excellence in Classroom Teaching
This award is for excellence in classroom teaching, mostly in areas related to Fluid Mechanics, where Dr Kleine’s teaching methods ensured that all students had a sound conceptual understanding of complex principles. He makes intensive use of visualisation to link many aspects of his courses, sometimes using film clips from popular movies to help generate student interest and develop a deeper understanding of topics. Students find his enthusiasm and passion for his subject matter extremely inspirational.
Dr Andrew Neely,
School of Aerospace, School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering for Excellence in Classroom Teaching
This award is for excellence in classroom teaching in several courses on aircraft structures, aircraft performance and aeromechanical systems. Dr Neely concentrates on making his classes more like a dialogue, thus assisting students to reach their own understanding of concepts rather than presenting them with ready-made solutions. He constantly asks students questions to encourage critical thinking, and uses an “open forum” technique in classroom teaching which facilitates student involvement. He has made a deliberate decision to pare back some of the material in his more dense lectures to free up time for deeper discussion and reflection of the core material. He believes that “there is no point in delivering content, and certainly not extreme amounts of it, if the students cannot engage with it and digest it.
Dr Kieran Sharpe,
School of Business, for Excellence in Teaching for Excellence in Classroom Teaching
This award is for excellence in the teaching of Applied Economics in the School of Business, where Dr Sharpe has very effectively engaged his students in the learning process. His course introduces “game theory” in ways that are complex enough to be of analytical interest, but are connected to the real life experiences of students. Students in this course are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning, which consequently engages them in higher-order thinking. Many of the concepts in the course are introduced in an entertaining way, using apposite clips from popular movies that have scenes which introduce the nature of game-theoretic problems.
Dr Heiko Timmers,
School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences for Excellence in Classroom Teaching
This award is for excellence in classroom teaching in Physics, where Dr Timmers uses well-designed practical experiments to demonstrate important theoretical concepts, and engages students in the learning process with a high level of class participation. As his students explain, Dr Timmer’s lecturing style keeps them enthusiastic toward the course content. He uses various examples to demonstrate concepts from physics to students in ways that they can appreciate and even feel. For example, he uses a Mexican wave type class demonstration to demonstrate the change of magnetic domains.
Dr Lynne Wallace,
School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences for Excellence in Classroom Teaching
This award is for excellence in classroom teaching in first year Chemistry courses, where Dr Wallace’s widely recognised skills as an expert in explosives chemistry and chemical weapons have facilitated the introduction of a new Military Chemistry module to emphasise the important role that chemistry plays in the modern military. Dr Wallace has stimulated student learning in first year chemistry by relating abstract theory and contrived laboratory exercises to real-world principles. She recognises that students engage more deeply in their learning when they recognise the relevance of the subject matter under study. In recognition of diverse student abilities, she has also organised a “helpdesk” optional tutorial slot (outside of regular class hours) for those students who need extra help in the first few weeks.
Dr John Young,
School of Aerospace, School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering for Excellence in Classroom Teaching
This award is for Excellence in Classroom teaching in core subjects in engineering that require a complex understanding. Dr Young’s lecture material is meticulously thought-out, providing an array of interesting examples of engineering applications which engage students with the real world. As one student puts it “John does not lecture, he teaches”. Problem based learning is the core of his teaching philosophy and practice. He effectively uses his own experience in the Royal Australian Air Force to anticipate questions from students such as “When am I ever going to need to know this”? He uses a questioning approach and visualisation to achieve a teaching approach that, as one of his students puts it “makes a conceptually difficult subject interesting and stimulating”.
2006
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Dr Frances Miley,
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Dr Zlatko Jovanoski,
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Dr Garry Robinson,
School of Physical , Environmental, and Mathematical Sciences for Excellence in Teaching
Dr Gary Robinson is an excellent teacher who successfully uses a variety of instructional methods with great enthusiasm and dedication. He puts considerable effort into his teaching and classroom presentations, and is strongly focused on students' needs and a range of learning modes. The student evaluations of his teaching (CATEI) are excellent and reflect his efforts to “go the extra mile” for his students. Through his carefully structured approach to classroom teaching, Dr Robinson has increased the learning outcomes for his students.
2005
Dr Cliff Woodward,
School of Physical , Environmental and Mathematical Sciences for Excellence in Teaching
Dr Cliff Woodward is a thoughtful, innovative, and devoted teacher. Of particular note are the imaginative approaches he uses to explain difficult topics, thereby creating an environment where students never believe that a concept or idea is beyond their grasp. This approach encourages his students to explore the fundamentals of Chemistry and make a significant and conscientious effort in their studies. It also helps develop in his students' skills to aid in a lifetime of learning.
Professor Jeffrey Grey,
School of Humanities and Social Sciences for Excellence in Classroom Teaching (Lecturing)
Professor Jeffrey Grey has gained enthusiastic accolades from students in recent years for his excellent and engaging style of lecturing. His clear, eloquent and confident style has been described as “reminiscent of the Oxford Don – strolling back and forth in front of his class, posing questions for thought, and answering them in turn over the course of the lecture”. In this way, Professor Grey thoughtfully captures the attention and the imagination of his audience. He also incorporates his own research into the teaching of Australian Military History, giving his lectures an authenticity that students appreciate. Jeffrey also uses PowerPoint, not as a tool but virtually as an art form. As an example, he delivered an entire lecture using only images of the Western Front and Gallipoli. In another, he used photos, political cartoons, and music to illustrate the persistent differences between North and South in contemporary American culture. Using such varied media, he aims to contextualise complex historical issues. In summary, Professor Grey makes the lecture an important and dynamic place in undergraduate education.
Dr Twan Huybers,
School of Business for Excellence in Teaching
In his teaching, Dr Twan Huybers outlines his philosophy and describes a series of practices that are clearly driven by that philosophy. He attempts to create for the student an experience of economic competency using a structured approach supported by various teaching techniques. He practices some excellent student-centred learning strategies and he complements this thoughtful and systematic approach with personal enthusiasm and genuine interest in the students. The student feedback on his teaching clearly indicates that he has achieved real student engagement.
Dr Harvinder Sidhu,
School of Physical , Environmental and Mathematical Sciences for Excellence in Teaching
Dr Harvinder Sidhu is able to describe his philosophy of teaching and connect that to his teaching style. The text of the nomination and the student feedback he receives about his enthusiastic, humorous, and practical teaching approaches demonstrate that he generates the supportive learning environment he strives for, and that the students recognise and benefit from it.
Team commendation for Innovation in Teaching:
Dr Tony Webb,School of Aerospace, Civil, and Mechanical Engineering;
Dr Steven Barry, School of Physical, Environmental, and Mathematical Sciences;
WGCMD Darcy Brooker, School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering
This course is a multi-disciplinary and innovative approach to engineering computational methods (ECM). The team identified problems that were developing in this area, researched the requirements necessary for future courses by consulting lecturers across the three UNSW@ADFA related Schools (ACME, ITEE, and PEMS), and set about tailoring a first year course to meet those needs. The course is a student-centred, problem-based learning approach that has achieved a clear improvement in the field of ECM and is highly relevant to students' needs.
Content Coordinator: m.copeland@adfa.edu.au, School of Aerospace, Civil and Mechanical Engineering.