News Archive

Throughout May we celebrated excellence in teaching and learning at our University. This is a tradition that was established 21 years ago when our Student Guild first initiated the Excellence in Teaching Awards.

From showcasing innovative approaches and methods to focusing on the finer points of time-tested pedagogical tools, Teaching and Learning Month - organised by our Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning - encourages all of us to think and, most importantly, talk about the ways in which quality teaching and supervision underpin all our academic activities.

The theme of this year's Teaching and Learning Month - Experiencing New Courses - gave staff and students the chance to reflect on their experiences of the first few months of our new regime. New Courses is the most radical change to the way we teach since our foundation and aligns our University with other leading international universities, ensuring that a UWA education provides the best possible opportunity for graduates to pursue careers anywhere in the world.

The world's leading universities, including ours, attract highly qualified academic staff and ensure that teaching is a highly valued activity. Our annual celebration of teaching recognises the achievement of fine teachers who promote excellence in their work and in so doing have a positive impact on our students, on the University as a whole and on the wider community.

Our teachers help to ensure that the student experience is much more than just a training ground for employment and that when our students graduate they leave with more than a degree. They leave as well-rounded individuals capable of mature and critical thinking, as people who have the ability to take control of their lives and to make choices about how they might reach their potential to contribute to a free and flourishing society.

Education is integral in shaping our wellbeing and our culture, and it is important for us to recognise and positively reinforce the role of good teachers and supervisors.

At UWA , our teachers continue to work towards the University's aim of achieving international excellence, and contribute greatly to the University's overall aspiration of becoming one of the top 50 universities in the world by 2050.

The Faculties and students have embraced the opportunity to recognise their excellent teachers with continuing high numbers of student and staff nominations - a reflection of the depth and breadth of quality teaching at UWA and the esteem in which our teachers are held. The key to sustaining our reputation lies in the commitment and quality of our staff.

And with New Courses starting this year, we have been given the opportunity to renew and enhance our curriculum and practice.

Finally, I would like to congratulate those staff members who won teaching awards this year and to thank all within the UWA community who continue to work in so many ways to improve the student learning experience.

Paul Johnson

Vice-Chancellor