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Mike Lanzing (UniBank general manager), Associate Professor Blake McKimmie (University of
Queensland), Professor Barbara Masser (University of Queensland) and Professor Deborah Terry
(Universities Australia chair). Photo: Damian McDonald/ EventPix
Top uni teachers named
University of Queensland shines
at Australian teaching awards.
for programs that enhance learning, and
citations for outstanding contributions to
student learning.
By Wade Zaglas
T
he 2019 Australian Awards for
University Teaching (AAUT) were
awarded during the Universities
Australia Conference 2020 at the Canberra
Convention Centre recently, with an
emphasis on the dual role of teachers.
“Great teachers not only help us to unlock
a world of knowledge – they also inspire us,”
the foreword to the report begins.
Co-written by Universities Australia CEO
Catriona Jackson and chair Professor
Deborah Terry, the foreword underscores
the critical work university teachers perform
across a wide range of areas.
“Our great university teachers challenge
students to become ever more skilled and
expert. They prepare students for jobs today
– but also for those that will be created
tomorrow. And they imbue their students
with a love of learning to last a lifetime,”
the pair said.
“On behalf of university leaders across the
country, we express our profound gratitude
to the nation’s outstanding educators.
The Australian Awards for University
Teaching are one way in which we honour
their work. These prestigious honours
recognise brilliant teachers in Australian
higher education.”
In addition to the overall award of
Australian University Teacher of the Year
for 2019, the AAUT also acknowledged
awards for teaching excellence, awards
Australian University Teacher of the
Year for 2019
Associate Professor Blake McKimmie,
Professor Barbara Masser and Professor
Mark Horswill shared the coveted award
this year for their work in social and
behavioural sciences.
Each are members of the Psychology of
Criminal Justice team at the University of
Queensland. AAUT applauded their use of
a “novel dramatic narrative” to motivate and
engage students in evidence‑based learning
practices by applying it in immersive class
activities collaboratively with their peers.
The course is based on a crime drama,
Who killed Janine Jenker?, which begins
with a murder and encourages students to
conduct an investigation that culminates
in a trial.
“Instead of just sitting there listening to us,
it’s actually our students participating and
applying the knowledge,” McKimmie said.
“It’s wonderful to work at a university that
values and supports innovative teaching.
We worked with edX, which provides
free global access to online courses, to
develop our on-campus and online active
learning resources.”
Awards for Teaching Excellence 2019
Five females and one male were awarded
this prestigious recognition, with
winners hailing from eclectic disciplinary
backgrounds. The winners were:
• Biological sciences, health and related
•
studies – Dr Kay Colthorpe, University
of Queensland
Early career academic researching
obstetrics and gynaecology – Dr Demelza
Ireland, University of Western Australia
Humanities and the arts – Professor Kate
Ames, CQUniversity Australia
Law, economics, business and related
studies – Associate Professor Amy
Maguire, University of Newcastle, and
Associate Professor Denise Jackson,
Edith Cowan University
Physical sciences and related studies –
Professor Richard John, Griffith University.
Awards for Programs that Enhance
Learning 2019
This year there were five universities that
won awards for programs designed to
enhance student learning:
• BCII Engagement Team: Collaborating
with Australia’s Innovation Ecosystem,
University of Technology Sydney
• Indigenous Health Education & Workforce
Development, University of Queensland
• Risk Aware, a collaboration between
Deakin University, Flinders University, the
University of Adelaide, University of New
England, University of Western Australia
and the Australian Catholic University.
The other two winners in this category
focused on developing positive student
experiences and learning support services
through their respective courses.
• Diploma of Higher Education, James
Cook University
• Getting Students Set for their Future,
University of Queensland.
Citations for Outstanding Contributions
to Student Learning 2019
Three academics took out the overall
national award for outstanding contribution
to student learning. These were Dr Elisa
Yule and Ms Alexandra Logan from ACU’s
Mental Health Occupational Therapy
Team, and Associate Professor Robyn
Bentley-Williams, a scholar of teaching and
learning approaches.
On a state level, Queensland scholars
and universities performed particularly well,
scoring 18 of the awards, closely followed
by Western Australia with 16. NSW gained 13
awards in this section, followed by Victoria
(12), SA (7) and Tasmania (1).
Overall, the University of Queensland
won more awards at the ceremony than any
other institution. ■
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