The TEX Awards for 2008 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 prepare and submit an application addressing the five
selection criteria. Staff were also able to be nominated by students and staff.
The applications are reviewed by a Selection Committee of
peers, which assesses each application in terms of the independent evidence provided against each
of the selection criteria. A confidential reference from the Faculty Dean (or representative) is
also assessed.
The Committee found that all the applicants seemed to be strong and talented teachers
from the claims made in the applications, but those who won the awards presented the strongest,
independent evidence against each of the five selection criteria. That is, they described key aspects
of their teaching, illustrated by examples, grounded this in the literature, and then presented
evidence which backed up the specific claims made. They also addressed each of the criteria equally.
A short description of each recipient's teaching strengths is provided below.
As Chair of the Selection Committee, I wish to congratulate all those staff who
elected to participate in the process, and especially the members of the Committee who put in long
hours assessing the applications during a busy time of the year.
Dr Rob Phillips
Chair, Teaching Excellence and Citations Selection Committee
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Jeffrey Cooley
School of Chiropractic and Sports Science
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Early Career Teaching Award
Dr Jeffrey Cooley, School of Chiropractic and Sports Science, encourages learning by respecting
students as adult learners. He utilizes multiple teaching and interactive learning formats
to engage students in the learning process. Jeff’s down-to-earth approach to teaching complex
topics in academic and clinical radiology assists students in developing a basic understanding
of these concepts, as well as the critical thinking skills needed to apply them in clinical
practice.
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Anthony Armson
School of Nursing
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Early Career Teaching Award
Dr Anthony Armson works in the school of Nursing at the Peel campus and teaches science to first
year students, involving the students in both learning and peer teaching. Anthony uses enthusiasm
and humour to produce dynamic learning sessions, blending his experiences as a nurse with his
science background to make science relevant to nursing.
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Caroline Nilson
School of Nursing
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Early Career Teaching Award
Mrs Caroline Nilson from the School of Nursing and Midwifery has a teaching philosophy that is
based on the centrality of the caring relationship, which she considers to be a fundamental
basis for all health professional education. She engages the students in an active learning
process providing hands-on experience, which triggers cognitive capacity and develops critical
thinking and a desire for independent learning.
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Helena Grehan
School of Social Sciences and Humanities
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General Teaching Excellence in their Discipline Award
Dr Helena Grehan from the School of Social Sciences and Humanities is passionate about the potential
the arts provide for assisting students to develop detailed and nuanced understandings of key
social, political and cultural issues. By combining a diverse range of artistic works with
relevant theoretical and critical frames, Helena aims to stimulate, challenge and at times
provoke students to reflect on their responses, and on the significance of these beyond the
works in question.
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Ngaire Donaghue
School of Psychology
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General Teaching Excellence in their Discipline Award
Dr Ngaire Donaghue, School of Psychology, constructs an engaging and challenging curriculum to
help students to understand the complex relationships between individuals and the societies
in which they live, and to develop skills to critically analyze the personal, social, and cultural
aspects of social life.
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