USQ Teaching Academy Board

Professor Lynne Hunt (Chair)
Professor Lynne Hunt is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) and Director, Learning and Teaching Support Unit, at the University of Southern Queensland. She commenced employment in tertiary teaching in 1970 in an experimental, four-term-year unit in Liverpool (UK). Since then she has worked in a variety of settings including social science departments, education faculties and various manifestations of health science departments. Professor Hunt has worked as an Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) at Edith Cowan University (ECU) and as Professor and Leader of the Teaching and Learning Development Group at Charles Darwin University (CDU).

She has taught at all levels from transition to university to doctoral supervision. In the past decade, she has focused on strategic directions in tertiary teaching, particularly transition to university, work-based university learning, the student journey, graduate attributes and faculty development planning. She received an Australian Endeavour Award in 2009 and she is the recipient of three university-level awards for teaching excellence as well as a nationally acknowledged teaching and learning practitioner. She won the 2002 Australian Award for University Teaching in the Social Science category and the 2002 Prime Minister's Award for Australian University Teacher of the Year.

She publishes in the fields of health sociology and tertiary teaching. Her co-edited book, The Realities of Change in Higher Education: Interventions to Promote Learning and Teaching was published in the UK in 2006. She is currently a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (JTLHE) and she is invited regularly to be a guest speaker on the topic of change leadership to promote learning and teaching in higher education.

Professor Hunt was a member of the Board of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council and two of its sub-committees from its inception until March 2008. She has also served as a HERDSA Fellow and mentor, a member of the Academic Committee of the Bachelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education (2005-2006) and as examination moderator for the University of Botswana (2003-2005).

Dr Tas Bedford
Dr Tasman Bedford's professional experience includes the coordination of the science education department of a teachers college in Melbourne, the Graduate Diploma in Education (Tertiary) program at the Darling Downs Institute of Higher Education, and the Community Management Education Centre at the Bachelor College, Northern Territory. He was the sole manager and operator of his business entity Competency Development Services in Western Australia for several years. He currently holds the position of Coordinator Domestic Enabling Programs in the Open Access College of the University of Southern Queensland. Currently, he teaches the study-management and general science components of the Tertiary Preparation Program. His current research and publishing interests include students' learning styles, student self-management of study processes, student progression in higher education enabling education, and prisoner education. Recently, he completed his PhD study on the topic of the education experiences of early, repeat offenders in custody.

Ms Lyn Brodie
Ms Lyn Brodie is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering and Surveying. Her research interests include engineering education, Problem Based Learning, assessment and the first year experience.

Lyn was the academic team leader for the teaching team which successfully designed a strand of PBL courses for the faculty. These courses are unique in that they deliver a team based PBL course to distance education students of the faculty. These teams meet and work in a virtual environment to solve open engineering problems. Her work has been recognised through several awards including:

• 2003 USQ Award for Design and Delivery of Teaching Materials
• 2005 Australasian Association of Engineering Educators Award for Excellence in Engineering Education Curriculum Team Project
• 2005 Finalist in Australian Awards for University Teaching
• 2006 Carrick Institute Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning
• 2007 Carrick Institute (now ALTC) Australian Award for University Teaching – Innovation in Curricula Learning and Teaching
• 2008 Australasian Association of Engineering Education Award - Innovation in Curricula Learning and Teaching
• 2008 USQ Associate Fellowship in Learning and Teaching
• 2009 USQ Associate Fellowship in Learning and Teaching (Joint Award)

On several occasions Lyn has been a visiting Associate Professor to the University of Hong Kong – Centre for Advancement of University Teaching, consulting in both PBL and online curriculum development and assessment.

Assoc Professor Marie Kavanagh
Assoc Professor Marie Kavanagh teaches in the areas of financial and management accounting and is Associate Dean of the Springfield campus. She joined USQ in July, 2007. In 2006 Marie won a Carrick Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning and in 2007 she was a member of a team which won a National Carrick Award for Programs that enhance the First Year Experience: Supporting First Year Students through Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS). She is passionate about innovation in teaching and learning. She is Project Leader for an ALTC project investigating ‘Antecedents and Consequences of Student Team Virtuality in Business Education' and a project team member on 4 other ALTC projects. Her research is closely linked to the work being undertaken under these projects and includes issues in business education, and leadership and change management in educational institutions particularly in regard to accounting education. She is a member of CPA Australia and the Australian Convenor for the AFAANZ Accounting Education Special Interest Group. She is also involved in consultation in the community through her role as northern regional coordinator for Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Australia activities. In this role she has helped establish the BEAMS program which places university students in local schools to build engagement and aspirations of young people in the immediate community in order to inspire an interest in ongoing education and training.

Dr Birgit Loch
Dr Birgit Loch is a Senior Lecturer in Mathematics and Computing and Principal Advisor (Learning andTeaching) in the Division of ICT Services. Apart from her discipline research area, mathematical surface fitting, she is interested in technology enhanced learning and teaching. She has demonstrated the need for web conferencing which resulted in USQ's adoption of such a tool, led the Camtasia Relay project to evaluate and then roll out lecture recording software at USQ, and introduced tablet PCs to the university. She was a recipient of two Faculty of Sciences Teaching Excellence Awards (with the CSC1402 team in 2006, and as an early career teacher in 2007), two USQ Learning &Teaching Fellowships (an Associate Fellowship to work on Web 2.0 training in 2008, a Senior Fellowship for the Tablet PC project in 2009), and is a team member of a recently awarded ALTC Leadership for Excellence Grant with her professional society titled A national discipline-specific professional development programme for lecturers and tutors in the mathematical sciences.

Dr Joseph Mula
Dr Joseph Mula's experience and qualifications stretch over a wide area. He has held several positions in business, government, and academia. In the business sector, Dr Mula has held senior positions in retail, manufacturing, transport and the service industries. He has undertaken consultancy assignments for governments including analysis of national economic, environment and social policies, executive education, and evaluation of IT strategic plans. Joseph is currently a senior lecturer with the University of Southern Queensland's Faculty of Business where he teaches in accounting, information systems, forensics and sustainability. His research centres on accounting for sustainable development, technology enhanced learning, small-medium and family business, and information systems. Dr Mula has undertaken consulting assignments for SMEs and family businesses, large corporations, and education institutions. As a speaker on a range of topics, he is sought after for his knowledge and ability to communicate complex material to both technical and executive audiences. Joseph holds a PhD in government policy analysis using long range econometric-environment computer simulation models, a Masters of Philosophy from London, and a Bachelor of Business majoring in Accountancy. Dr Mula is a Fellow of CPA Australia and has been a member for over 35 years.