Teaching context and philosophy

My contributions and commitments to teaching have been substantial, with my key focus being teaching and coordinating courses in the disciplines of physiology and neuroscience across UNSW’s Medicine and Science programs over the last 18 years. My teaching philosophy and approach is very much focused on research- and inquiry-based learning. The pedagogic principles that I learned through undertaking the UNSW Graduate Certificate of University Learning and Teaching, along with more current principles, underpins all my teaching activities. I strive to provide learning environments that allow students to understand key concepts, reflect, critically analyse and to develop the skills to connect the links between cellular physiology and system functions.

I am the primary convener of the second-year course, Neuroscience Fundamentals, and of the Neuroscience Honours program which draw on my expertise in physiology and neuroscience. I also teach in Phase 1 of the medicine program. During my 18 years at UNSW I have contributed to multiple courses across several departments in the school, e.g. I have co-convened a third-year neuroscience course (Neuroscience Physiology), a third-year pharmacology course (Clinical Pharmacology for Health and Exercise Science) and convened the Faculty of Medicine module of a first-year science course (Advanced Science: Professional Perspective and Practice). In 2020, I was appointed to an Education-Focused role on a merit-based selection.

I have a mean MyExperience score for the past 5 years of 5.39 ± 0.09 and 97.3% ± 0.8% agree. The course that I convene (NEUR2201) has an overall satisfaction score of 5.13 ± 0.17 and 95.3% ± 2.0% agree (2020 - 2024). 

My teaching practice is strongly influenced by continuous self-reflection, students’ feedback and knowledge gained from literature and education presentations. The process of ongoing review and refinement of my teaching is vital to ensure student satisfaction and their life-long learning of key concepts and skills. This is exemplified by the development of a self-assessment activity after I attended the UNSW Course Design Institute which improved student engagement with their group project and marking rubric, and also allowed for additional tutor feedback. Overall, the quality of the group projects increased, fewer groups missed out on marks that are easily achievable by following the rubric, and student feedback highly supported this formative self-assessment. Another example is transforming (an inherited) chaotic moodle page by structuring the content in e-books and adding a checklist, significantly improving student satisfaction of the course.

In my teaching I continually strive to create a supporting and engaging learning environment for students and my peers. As an example, during the 2020 lockdown, I initiated, designed and delivered weekly podcasts. This boosted my 'teacher presence' and students said it helped them keep on track. Moodle analytics validated students engagement with podcasts. This prompted me to analyse the effect of remote learning on a peer review assessment and use of online resources, with my findings disseminated at Faculty and UNSW-wide education forums and national education forums. I have supported my peers as a PODS leader in the UNSW TAP program and mentored academics in developing learning objectives for their Neuroscience Honours workshops.  

My teaching excellence was acknowledged in 2022 when I received the School of Biomedical Sciences Teacher of the Year award and was highly commended for the Faculty of Medicine & Health Educational Excellence award, which I won in 2023. That same year I also won the Faculty of Medicine & Health Educator of the Year award.