Teaching excellence accolades

Lecturers Peter Woods and Scott Harrison have secured two of only 27 awards up for grabs in the prestigious Australian Awards for University Teaching.

The Australian Learning and Teaching Council announced the names on Wednesday (Sept 29) in the lead up to the Canberra ceremony on November 16 which acknowledges the outstanding efforts and achievements of higher education teachers.

Up to 27 awards, worth $25,000 each will be granted across the eight categories.

Dr Peter Woods from the Griffith Business School’s Department of International Business and Asian Studies will be presented with an award for his contribution in the field of internationalisation, the Priority Area for the 2010 Awards.

Dr Woods’s research expertise is cross-cultural and diversity management, teaching in multicultural contexts and Chinese management.

He worked with colleagues to develop innovative programs such as the ‘Local Aussie Mentoring Program’ to build mentoring relationships between local students studying training and development and international students studying business.

Dr Woods also created a successful portable course module to improve multicultural group-work in post graduate classes.

Dr Harrison will be recognised for his work in music and music education in Faculty of Education and Queensland Conservatorium.

Dr Harrison teaches pre-service primary and secondary music teachers in undergraduate and post-graduate coursework and research programs.

His research and teaching are intrinsically linked – he is a leading researcher in the engagement of males in singing resulting in publications in singing pedagogy, pre-service teacher education and the training of research higher degree music students.

Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations, Senator Chris Evans will present the Awards for Teaching Excellence to individuals and teams who have made a significant contribution to enhancing the quality of learning and teaching in higher education.

All individual winners will be in the running for the 2010 Prime Minister’s Award for Australian University Teacher of the Year which will be announced at the ceremony.

Worth $50,000, the Prime Minister’s Award recognises an academic with an exceptional record of advancing student learning, educational leadership and scholarly contribution to teaching and learning.

To read about Griffith’s previous winners click here.