Learning & Teaching - Excellence in Teaching

Winner

Associate Professor Brett Bennett, Associate Professor in Modern History, School of Humanities and Communication Arts

Brett Bennett is an Associate Professor of Modern History in the School of Humanities and Communication Arts (HCA) who teaches and researches in environmental and global history. Bennett has developed an interdisciplinary history program that transforms the lives of students and communities in Australia and south Africa. This program uses history to address contemporary problems and to engage with other disciplines. From 2015 to 2017, Bennett coordinated nine undergraduate units and one unit in the masters of research while co-supervising three PhDs and two MA candidates. He leads innovative bi-annual student nobility trip to the Kruger National Park, South Africa, that has been run five times with a sixth scheduled for January 2018.

'Rabbit Hole' 101883 Professional Design Studio

• Dr Michelle Catanzaro, Lecturer in Design, School of Humanities and Communication Arts
• Katrina Sandbach, Director of Academic Program, School of Humanities and Communication Arts

The Rabbit Hole is one of the defining elements in the Design program at Western Sydney University, and has built a national and international reputation for its excellence. Dr Michelle Catanzaro and Mrs Katrina Sandbach have built upon the legacy of this approach to design education, maintaining and further developing the unit’s record of excellence in teaching and learning.

Community Research Teaching Team

• Dr Lise Mogensen, Lecturer, Medical Education, Research and Evaluation, School of Medicine
• Dr Sabrina Pit, Clinical Lead - Clinical and Educational Research, School of Medicine
• Dr Jannine Bailey, Senior Lecturer, Rural Health & Research, School of Medicine

"Engaging and educating medical students in real research, solving real world problems with disadvantaged communities in collaborations across Western Sydney and rural locations." The Community Research Teaching Team are experienced researchers and educators who employ a unique collaborative, participatory approach to teaching research skills across metro and rural campuses. With over 20 years’ experience in research and teaching, the team uses innovative approaches to motivate students to learn research skills through hands-on experience with real research projects.

The quality of research is evidenced by community partners’ feedback, increased publications, conference presentations and students winning research awards. Students increasingly report gaining confidence in their own abilities and understand research skills as valuable in their future medical careers.

Nominated

• Dr Brahmaputra Marjadi, Senior Lecturer, Community Engaged Learning, School of Medicine