SCU awarded for outstanding commitment to student learning

Southern Cross University has been recognised alongside other leading Australian universities for its outstanding contribution to student learning by being awarded three citations from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council.

The recipients, including Dr Janie Conway-Herron and the creative writing team, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Dr Ross Goldingay, School of Environmental Science and Management and Ms Meredith Kayess, from the Academic Skills Development Unit, will each receive $10,000.

Dr Adele Wessell, project leader for the Promoting Excellence Initiative with the Teaching and Learning Centre and chair of the Academic Board at Southern Cross University, views this as a great achievement for the University and the recipients.

"Looking at the recipients individually you can see considerable diversity which reflects the higher education sector generally but they all focus on enhancing the experience of higher education for students," Dr Wessell said.

"Dr Ross Goldingay's approach to field work and the strong relationship forged in his work between research and teaching has been acknowledged as outstanding.

"Meredith Kayess' citation recognises the importance of the transition to university and the first year experience and acknowledges the effective strategies she uses to help facilitate this process.

"The creative writing team made a strong case based on the fact that for more than a decade they have designed and implemented innovative approaches to their curriculum to ensure their students are taken from being early career writers to professional practitioners.

"All the people who applied should be congratulated and thanked for making the effort to share their practices. The institution as a whole can feel proud of the recipients of this award and share in its benefits."

A total of 193 citations were awarded nationally in areas ranging from the first year experience, to advances in online and multimedia teaching and capacity building for marginalised learners.

The NSW regional presentation ceremony will be held at the NSW Art Gallery in Sydney on Monday, August 2.

A full list of recipients is provided below:

Dr Janie Conway-Herron and the creative writing team, School of Arts and Social Sciences: For the sustained provision of innovative, flexible, research-based creative writing resources to achieve transformative, vocationally valued, student-centred learning opportunities.

The creative writing team: Chris Morgan (Teaching and Learning Centre), Lainie Jones, Dr Sacha Gibbons, Dr Moya Costello, Dr Nell Cook, Dr Jenny Ledgar and Rhonda Ellis.

Dr Ross Goldingay, School of Environmental Science and Management: For authentic field-based learning about wildlife conservation that illuminates the nexus between teaching and research for environmental science students.

Ms Meredith Kayess, Academic Skills Developments Unit: For empowering and encouraging students through the development of student identity and self-aware approaches to learning in the humanities during the transition to university.

Photo: One of the three recipients was Dr Janie Conway-Herron and the creative writing team. From back left: Dr Moya Costello, Dr Janie Conway-Herron, Dr Jenny Ledgar, Dr Lainie Jones and from front left: Chris Morgan, Rhonda Ellis, Dr Nell Cook and Dr Sacha Gibbons