The TEX Awards for 2007 included four categories: Early Career Teaching, Team Teaching,
Indigenous Teaching or General Teaching Excellence in their Discipline. The five recipients demonstrate
the diversity of excellent teaching staff we are privileged to have at Murdoch. They teach in a
range of subjects and levels, and in each case are noted for there ability to engage students to
enhance learning.
The following Murdoch staff members have received awards of $4,000 from the Vice-Chancellor:
Receiving an Excellence in Teaching Award at Murdoch University is an outstanding achievement
given our reputation for high quality teaching and that there are approximately 1200 full-time
and part-time staff at the University. The Excellence in Teaching Awards seek to reward teachers
who are committed to helping students learn, and actively contribute to Murdoch's excellent teaching
reputation.
The selection process for the TEX Awards commences with the identification of the
10% of teaching staff who scored highest on the student surveys of teaching in the previous two
semesters or three trimesters. Staff who have received an award in the past five years are excluded
and the remainder are invited to submit a teaching portfolio. Staff were also nominated by students
and staff. The portfolios are reviewed by a Selection Committee of peers, which compiles a shortlist
of up to ten candidates. These candidates are then invited to give a presentation on a topic of
their choice – a session that exemplifies their beliefs and practices in teaching. These presentations
are open to colleagues and always prove to be engaging teaching and learning events. Each presentation
is followed by a brief discussion between the presenter and the Selection Committee.
The Committee this year found the calibre of teaching staff very impressive and consistent with
the high national ratings Murdoch receives from its recent graduates for the quality of their educational
experience. A short description of each recipient's teaching strengths is provided below. Additional
information on the Teaching Excellence Awards can be found on this website.
As Chair of the Selection Committee, I wish to thank those staff who elected to participate
in the process, and especially the members of the Committee who put in long hours reading material, observing
presentations and deliberating to arrive at consensus.
Please note the initial nomination process will again be based on the results of
Student Surveys of Teaching between July 2007 and June 2008. If you are interested in having a
survey conducted, please contact David Collings (x2974).
Dr Rick Cummings
Chair, Selection Committee
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Susan McKenzie and Susan Harley
School of Education
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Team Teaching Award
Dr Susan McKenzie and Susan Harley from the School of Education, have demonstrated how complementary
skills and teaching styles can be harnessed to provide a high quality learning environment
for future school teachers. Modelling participatory learning strategies to school teachers
provides a sound basis for the hands-on experiential learning prevalent in schools in Australia.
Demonstrating how this can be done as a team further reinforces the value of team teaching
at all levels of education.
Congratulations Susan and Susan
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Jaimie Beven
School of Law
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Early Career Teaching Award
Dr Jaimie Beven, School of Law, works largely with first year students and uses her creative
skills to blend dynamic presentations with engaging research about the social context of the
law, thus giving students broader perspectives in the Australian legal system.
Congratulations Jaimie
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Andrew Webster
School of Social Sciences and Humanities
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Early Career Teaching Award
Dr Andrew Webster, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, uses very carefully planned and
scaffolded teaching activities to show students how engaging history can be and its value as
a mechanism for developing research and critical thinking skills.
Congratulations Andrew
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Barbara Bowen
School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology
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General Teaching Excellence in their Discipline Award
Dr Barbara Bowen from the School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology is an excellent example
of the teaching - research nexus. Her involvement in collaborative projects such as woodland
and forest health informs her high quality teaching. Barbara's enthusiastic approach to teaching,
along with a passion for her subject matter, engages and inspires students in the field of
plant biology.
Congratulations Barbara
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