鈥淲e congratulate these exceptional staff members for always looking for new and better ways to share their knowledge, inspire their students and support their colleagues. They deserve recognition for their efforts.鈥
The听Outstanding Teaching and Learning Transformation Award听has been given to听ENGME!, a student-led and faculty-enabled peer mentoring programme that has made a听positive impact for more than 6000 students since its launch six years ago.
Over this period, ENGME! has become a community of over 250 student leaders and several staff from across UC, but the behind-the-scenes academic team members recognised with the award are;听Dr Daniel van der Walt,听Dr Rachael Wood,听Professor Philippa Martin,听Dr Christopher McGann, and听Dr Bahareh Shahri; all from the Faculty of Engineering.
Professor Moran says ENGME! has boosted first-year engineering students鈥 sense of belonging and inclusion, particularly for traditionally under-served students, through special mentoring groups for women, Ma虅ori, Pacific, international, and older听students.
The success of the approach is evident in its adoption by other faculties and schools across UC and in the nationwide recognition it received winning the Engineering New Zealand - ENVI Engineering Education Award earlier this year.听听
Professor Philippa Martin听also received a national听听award from Ako Aotearoa this year for her work to transform the engineering learning environment with initiatives including ENGME!
The听Teaching Excellence Award winners听are听Teena Henderson听(Ng膩i Tahu),听Lecturer in Te Reo M膩ori, and Senior Lecturer in Faculty of Law听Dr Toni Collins.
Teena Henderson has taught undergraduate te reo M膩ori at UC for 10 years and is a Te Reo Coordinator who is described as the pou (pillar) of the programme. She takes a wh膩nau approach to teaching, supporting a mini传媒 range of students ranging from听secondary school learners in the STAR (Secondary Tertiary Alignment Resource) programme, to parents who may need to bring their young children to class.
Teena brings her community experiences and research听into the听Master of Ma虅ori and Indigenous Leadership听and many other programmes across the University including the Master of Business Administration, first year core science courses and in the Faculty of Education.听
Feedback from students and colleagues highlights her interactive teaching approach and her ability to create a welcoming, engaging learning experience for students.
Dr Collins has been teaching at all levels in the UC Faculty of Law for the past seven years.
She aims to create authentic learning experiences in the classroom and has a strong focus on helping graduates gain attributes that will make them successful in the workplace.
She also embeds bicultural competence in her teaching, including reo 膩-ture (legal language) and听M膩ori perspectives on Natural Resources听Law in every topic of a third-year course.
Co-design, group discussion and skills-based workshops feature across her teaching.听She mentors senior students and colleagues and has initiated innovative curriculum changes.
UC Library Kaitakawaenga Ako Lisa Davies听(Ng膩i Tahu) has been awarded the听Hapori Community of Practice Award,听which听acknowledges people who make an impact on an aspect of learning and teaching within a particular community at UC.
Lisa has been honoured for her support of 膩konga in the听Master of M膩ori and Indigenous Leadership听degree. Her support is important because the programme has a mini传媒 group of 膩konga, many who have come through alternative entry pathways and as adult learners.
Lisa, who has been learning te reo for several years, provides students with critical research skills including information literacy, referencing听and technology skills, with a te reo M膩ori听and a tikanga M膩ori lens. She has also been integral in developing students鈥 research capability and confidence to continue on to doctoral study.听
Each Teaching Award winner receives $1500 towards teaching-related activities. The University of mini传媒 Teaching Awards will be presented at the upcoming event听Hui Whakam膩nawa | Celebration of Success听on 29 November.
