Griffith secures National Teaching Fellowships

Griffith University’s telling contribution to the advancement of learning and teaching in Australian higher education has been highlighted with the selection of two academics to receive OLT National Teaching Fellowships.

Associate Professor Mark Brimble, Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics, Griffith Business School, and Professor Jeff Giddings, Griffith Law School, received the prestigious teaching fellowships in the 2013 round.

The Office of Learning and Teaching National Teaching Fellowships are designed to enable fellows to develop their personal skills and profile and to be ongoing advocates for excellence in learning and teaching.

Dr Brimble, based at Griffith’s Logan campus, says the fellowship aims to develop work-integrated learning standards that complement and are aligned with the National Financial Planning Curriculum and Accreditation Framework to improve student work readiness, graduate capabilities and employability.

“The context in which the financial planner works is important to understand – money is a very sensitive and personal issue, an indicator of status and reputation. Therefore the ability of the planner to communicate with the client, build a relationship with them and interpret the client’s assertions is critical to the quality of the advice outcomes.

“It is recognised that authentic learning environments such as work-integrated learning shorten the transition from financial planning student to professional.”

Enhancing supervision

Professor Jeff Giddings, based at the Nathan campus, aims to develop a framework where the supervision of students in law-related practice contexts is enhanced.

“Effective supervision is the key to learning from practical experience and I want to enhance the placement experience from the perspectives of both the student and the supervisor.

“This is about the reciprocal nature of practice-based learning. We need to identify and support the contributions made by supervisors and encourage them to continue to contribute to the future of their profession through such work.”

Vice Chancellor, Professor Ian O’Connor, said Griffith University’s reputation for highly effective approaches to learning at the academic/professional interface is reflected in these successful fellowship projects.

“It speaks very much to the expertise, reputation and knowledge in the field of our staff that Griffith received two of the six Fellowships awarded nationally,” Professor O’Connor said.

“The OLT National Teaching Fellows are prominent scholars in their disciplinary fields, recognised by their home institutions for their capacity to make significant contributions to educational leadership into the future.”

National Teaching Fellows are expected to start their fellowship between July and the end of the year. The fellowships are valued around $90,000 each.

“It speaks very much to the expertise, reputation, and knowledge in the field of our staff that Griffith received two of the six Fellowships awarded nationally,” Vice Chancellor, Professor Ian O’Connor, said.

“The OLT National Teaching Fellows are prominent scholars in their disciplinary fields, recognised by their home institutions for their capacity to make significant contributions to educational leadership into the future.”

The OLT National Teaching Fellowships are designed to enable fellows develop their personal skills and profile and to be ongoing advocates for excellence in learning and teaching.

Associate Professor Brimble, who is based at Griffith’s Logan campus, will focus on the emerging profession of financial planning, and the development and promotion of work-integrated learning in this area.

Professor Giddings, who is based at the Nathan campus, will spotlight professional development for law students, and how to enhance student supervision in practice-based contexts.

“Griffith’s reputation for highly effective approaches to learning at the academic/professional interface is reflected in these successful fellowship projects,” Professor O’Connor said.

National Teaching Fellows are expected to start their fellowship between July and the end of the year.

Normally early or mid-career academics, National Teaching Fellows undertake a short program of activities over the course of three to six months, addressing an identified learning and teaching issue within their institution or discipline.

They aim to enhance disciplinary or inter-disciplinary teaching and learning within their institution, and beyond.