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Vice-Chancellor's Excellence in Teaching Awards
Recipients of 1998 Awards
The following academic staff members were each awarded $2,000 by the Vice-Chancellor, at this year's graduation ceremony. This is a considerable achievement when you consider there are approximately 1200 full time and part time staff. The Teaching Excellence Award seeks to reward teachers who are not only enhancing the university experience for the students and contributing to the quality of their program but are actively demonstrating leadership in raising the profile of teaching and learning among their colleagues at Murdoch.
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Christopher Kendall
BITL (School of Law)
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Chris is a Senior Lecturer in Law and has a particular interest in the links between law and society. Chris attempts to focus on equity issues to ensure that tomorrow's lawyers, judges and academics are more sensitive to the realities of those marginalised in our society for whom the law remains highly exclusionary and non-accommodating. Students participate in processes which challenge them to confront their own prejudices and stereotyping, and yet manages to create a safe classroom environment for doing this.
Over sixty names were attached to support Chris' nomination for the Teaching Excellence Award. Students quite clearly had been challenged by his classes. As one student reports "Chris has successfully inspired us to follow our dreams and has given us the voice to share our views on equality and systemic discrimination in the law. No other lecturer has so successfully reached into our minds and consciousness and structures and pushed us to question our very existence. He is a mentor who has commanded our respect, trust and friendship."
Quite clearly Chris has had life-changing effects on students who regard him very highly. Chris exhibited both humility and a capacity to be reflective on his practice throughout his teaching portfolio and interview. Chris has set a fine example for others to be courageous enough to be a real person with their students.
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Sangeeta Nadkarni
SSHE (School of Media Communication and Culture)
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Sangeeta is a Lecturer A in the Division of Social Sciences Health and Education. She has been involved in teaching Media in Asia to students who are drawn from 3 different streams, namely: Marketing and Media, Communication Studies and Asian Studies. It attracts a large student cohort from a diverse group of international and Australian students from Business Studies and Arts backgrounds. Sangeeta's course is designed to equip students to critically analyse the changes that are occurring within television, press and the internet and the ways in which they are affecting the cultural and political life in Asia.
The committee was impressed by Sangeeta's capacity to work with people from diverse disciplines and adjust her methodology consciously to accommodate students from a Business background at one minute and students from an Arts background in another.
Quite clearly students regard Sangeeta as one of the best lecturers they experience in their program. Students comment on her ability to be highly organised, provide prompt feedback and facilitate discussion which encourages all students to participate. As one student reported "Sangeeta is a dedicated teacher who motivates her students through participation. A great facilitator"
Both from her portfolio and interview discussions Sangeeta exhibited a genuine capacity to develop a supportive learning environment for her students. She has set a fine example for others in her ability to communicate a passion for her field to students through a supportive learning environment.
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Bev Thiele
SSHE (School of Media Communication and Culture)
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Bev is a Senior Lecturer with the Division of Social Science Health and Education and has been involved in teaching Women's Studies at Murdoch since July 1977. The committee was impressed by Bev's capacity to work with students from diverse backgrounds some of whom are only taking her unit as a one off and others in the same class are majoring in Women's Studies.
The content is both theoretically complex and challenging and Bev's classroom strategies focus on demystifying the jargon and actively engaging her students in reflecting on the links between the theory and their own life experiences. Quite clearly students regard Bev very highly. The following comment in a letter signed by over 25 students is probably the highest praise a lecturer could receive "We feel that you have transcended the conventional teacher/pupil paradigm. You have taught us that learning is ours; that we can shape our own agendas. Active in our own learning process, we can embark on a journey of self discovery. In short, what you have given to us is the knowledge that we own our own scholarship."
Bev has taken a leadership role in the field of Women's Studies and her resource kit Continuing to Educate Rita: A resource kit for women returning to postgraduate study which won for Murdoch the 1991 Portfolio Affirmative Action Award, Higher Education category, attests to her success. Bev exhibited a genuine capacity to engage in reflective practice both throughout her portfolio and during the interview. Bev has set a fine example for others in being able to translate her passion for her subject into developing scholarship in students through a supportive learning environment.
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