Recognising excellence in teaching and research
Last night AUT held the second annual Vice Chancellor’s Awards for Academic Excellence in Research and Teaching, celebrating staff that have excelled in their contribution to AUT. The inaugural AUT University Medal was presented by the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, Hon Steven Joyce, to Professor Welby Ings from the School of Art and Design. The University Medal is AUT’s pre-eminent academic award and was presented to Professor Ings in recognition of his sustained and outstanding contribution to AUT.
Professor Ings is one of AUT’s most respected and admired teachers and, as an ‘A’ rated researcher, is recognised nationally and internationally for the quality and relevance of his research. He is widely acknowledged for both his exemplary academic work and his professional generosity to his peers.
Professor Ings said, “A moment that changed me was when my father said, when referring to my thesis, ‘it must be good, because I can’t understand it’. It was at that point that I decided that education and knowledge must be accessible to all. I have based my teaching around encouraging students to be respectful but disobedient learners.”
Vice Chancellor Derek McCormack said, “In essence, a university is its teaching and research. Teaching and research inspires our students, promotes curiosity and new discovery, and ultimately delivers knowledge, expertise and creativity to the wider communities we serve in business, industry, our society and beyond.
“AUT’s reputation for its teaching and research, both in New Zealand and internationally, has grown steadily, and this year once again the QS World University Ranking agency confirmed AUT’s place in the top 500 universities of the world.
“Universities gain their reputation by the quality of their teaching, the excellence of their graduates, and the extent and impact of their research on issues of significance.”
We are proud to announce the following award winners:
Awards for Academic Excellence in Teaching:
- Andy Ballard (School of Business)
- Alan Brown (School of Hospitality and Tourism)
- Lesley Kaiser (School of Art and Design)
- Dr Colleen Higgins (School of Applied Sciences)
Awards for Academic Excellence in Research:
- Emerging Research Team: Pain Research Team (School of Rehabilitation and Occupation Studies)
- Established Research Team: Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Research (School of Business)
- Postgraduate Supervisor: Professor Judith Pringle (School of Business)
- Emerging Researcher: Dr Alice Theadom (National Institute for Stroke and Applied Neurosciences)
- Research Excellence Individual: Professor Stephen Teo (School of Business)
For more information about the awards please click here and see below for more information about each winner.
Andy Ballard (School of Business): Management senior lecturer Andy Ballard says his evolution as a successful teacher is motivated by a belief that true learning is built upon mutual trust established between a learner and teacher. And to nurture that trust, he invites students to question him about anything that could affect their trust in him. Beyond the power of the exchange of trust, Andy recognises that a crucial component for his students choosing to participate in creating shared knowledge is to inspire them to actively and socially contribute.
Alan Brown (School of Hospitality and Tourism): In showcasing his career of teaching excellence in the form of an elegantly presented10-course degustation dinner menu, Alan Brown whets the appetite to know him. Through courses amuse bouche, the chef’s choice and petit fours, the Michelin Star-rated culinary arts chef and AUT University senior lecturer takes the hungry reader through a sophisticated banquet of discovery. At its heart is teacher Brown, who “vehemently” believes that “you cannot inspire students unless you have passion yourself”.
Lesley Kaiser (School of Art and Design): Lesley Kaiser credits her source of inspiration as the students themselves “If we can get students captivated by the satisfactions of research, they quickly become self-sufficient, self-motivated designers with rigour and professionalism, curiosity and engagement, and life-long seekers after the interesting,” she says. Lesley’s own experience, as someone learning with dyslexia, was transformed when she met a teacher who helped her discover her own visual ways to interpret the world. This is something she brought into her 18-year teaching and mentoring career where she implemented a variety of learning approaches and stringent visual research requirements. “This experience helped me empathise with my students, many of whom communicate most effectively using both text and image.”
Dr Colleen Higgins (School of Applied Sciences): In developing AUT’s postgraduate paper entitled Ethics of Emerging Health and Biological Technologies, senior lecturer Dr Colleen Higgins “crystallised” her view of herself as a scientist, which then motivated the efforts of her teaching, “I don’t see myself as a lab rat with my head buried in an experiment,” she says, “but rather as an educated person with expertise in areas of science, about which I have opinions supported by an understanding of ethical theory.” This reinvigorated view affirmed Colleen’s understanding of her purpose as a teacher, which was to develop her students’ sense of stewardship for their learning so they become empowered to advance society.
Pain Research Team (School of Rehabilitation and Occupation Studies): The Pain Research Team consists of Dr Gwyn Lewis, a movement scientist specialising in neurological conditions and rehabilitation, Dr David Rice, a physiotherapist who recently completed his PhD and Professor Peter McNair, a highly experienced biomechanics and physiotherapy researcher. The team has been actively researching pain since 2010 and, through collaboration with postgraduate students, local clinical services and stakeholders, and international researchers, has published six jointly authored articles in peer reviewed journals, 13 conference papers and posters (five invited keynote addresses) and one commissioned report.
Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Research (School of Business): Associate Professor Felicity Lamm, Associate Professor Mark Boocock and Dr David Moore, Faculty of Business and Law. The Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Research was established within the Faculty of Business and Law in 2010 and it is now a national hub for research that encourages and supports inclusive, industry-led coalitions representing multiple stakeholders, including regulators, researchers, educators/trainers and the media. The recent tragedy at Pike River Coal Mine and the subsequent Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety has put occupational health and safety concerns at the forefront of political and public discourse.
Professor Judith Pringle (School of Business): For Professor Judith Pringle, supervision is not only about assisting postgraduate students to carry out quality research for a thesis that is completed in a timely fashion – it also embodies personal and professional development through teaching, professional presentations and, where appropriate, research consultancy. Professor Pringle came to AUT from the University of Auckland in 2005 where she had already supervised five doctoral students to completion. She has played a major role in the Faculty of Business and Law mentoring staff in doctoral supervision and in assisting members of the Gender and Diversity Research Group to get higher degrees. She has a personal philosophy of supervising no more than six doctoral thesis students at any one time thus ensuring she can provide them with individual quality.
Dr Alice Theadom (National Institute for Stroke and Applied Neurosciences): Dr Alice Theadom is a UK-trained psychologist with a particular interest in exploring the role of psychosocial factors and the effectiveness of psychological interventions to support people experiencing acute and chronic illness/injury. In 2009 she moved to New Zealand to lead a programme of research into traumatic brain injury and fibromyalgia syndrome at AUT’s National Institute for Stroke and Applied Neurosciences. Since arriving she has completed a PhD thesis (2011) and published over 70 peer-reviewed research outputs in journals (31) and conference proceedings (over 40). All of her research is collaborative and co-authored and her philosophy is to publish in the best place to reach the audience that would most benefit from the research findings.
Professor Stephen Teo (School of Business): Professor Stephen Teo is recognised internationally for his contributions to the field of strategic human resource management. He has more than 100 research outputs and the majority of his articles are published in high-impact, top-tier journals graded A* and A in the Australian ranking systems for journals. His recent research focuses on the impact of organisational change (such as public management reform) on the employment outcomes for employees and managers in the public service. His micro-level research has explored stress related to change in a number of occupations including police, nursing, food service, call centre and public sector industries in Australia, the USA, India and, more recently New Zealand.