Teaching innovation and inspiration awarded

Three inspiring academics were awarded the inaugural UTS Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building Teaching and Learning Awards last week.

Jennifer Macdonald from the School of the Built Environment was winner of the DAB Innovation in Learning and Teaching award, Joanne Kinniburgh from the School of Architecture won the Learning and Teaching Award for a sessional staff member and Dr Zoe Sadokierski from the School of Design won the award for a full-time, contract or fractional staff member.

Jennifer Macdonald introduced the use of smart boards, 3D animations and videos as a way of improving the teaching of the potentially dry construction and materials science subjects.

Both Joanne and Zoe introduced new methods in their teaching, including peer tutoring and the use of social media tools to increase the enthusiasm of students and thus their learning.

All three academics have seen a strong increase in student satisfaction in their subjects.

They each receive funding of $1,000 for professional development.

"The awards were established to recognise the importance of teaching and learning for both undergraduate and postgraduate students, and the roles of both full-time and sessional teaching staff," said Associate Professor Louise McWhinnie, Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning in the faculty.

She said the awards would raise awareness of excellent teaching practices, which ultimately would improve the learning experiences of students.

"We congratulate Jennifer, Zoe and Joanne for their outstanding achievements in the classroom, and look forward to seeing their methods in broader use," Associate Professor McWhinnie said.