USQ academics receive national recognition

USQ's exceptional standard of education has once again been recognised with the awarding of three 2010 Australian Learning and Teaching Council Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning.

Associate Professor Aileen Cater-Steel, Dr Birgit Loch and Dr Rhoderick McNeill have each received this prestigious award for their innovative approach to education and the excellence displayed in their teaching.

Associate Professor Aileen Cater-Steel has been recognised for her leadership and innovation in designing and developing cutting edge Information Technology (IT) service management curriculum. Associate Professor Cater-Steel has worked closely with industry to ensure students receive qualifications that reflect industry demand, and was responsible for incorporating an internationally recognised professional certificate into USQ’s IT curriculum.

Associate Professor Cater-Steel said the award recognised her leadership role the development of an IT service management course that provides students with the opportunity to achieve the internationally recognised industry certificate for IT service management.

'The ITIL industry certificate has become a recruiting filter for staff in the IT industry. This innovation addresses the unmet needs for IT students to have skills in IT service management,' Associate Professor Cater-Steel said.

Dr Loch has been recognised by ALTC for her innovation in the use of technologies for mathematics teaching, and her leadership in involving other lecturers in the use of technologies that enhance and promote student learning.

Having just spent two months working internationally, Dr Loch said she was excited to receive the award that acknowledged her work.

'I introduced Tablet PC’s and screen recording to the University, firstly to support my own teaching of mathematics and subsequently to empower other academics to enhance their own teaching practices.

'My work engaging teaching staff in educational technologies has led to USQ lecturers using technologies more effectively to stay in contact with students and has enhanced students’ learning experiences - both important outcomes for a university with a high distance population.'

Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Dr McNeill has also been recognised for a sustained contribution to curriculum development in music education and for enhancing access to music education for diverse groups of students.

'My teaching has encompassed both traditional face-to-face lecturing and distance education by print and on-line study packages,' he said.

'USQ has a long established record of distance education. However, until 1998, the Creative Arts disciplines at USQ had few courses available for external students as the focus had been a practical one of training artists, musicians and theatre practitioners on campus.

'By 2002 the music staff had developed an entire suite of distance education courses for the Bachelor of Music. The courses allowed music at USQ to assume a national and South-East Asian profile that we had not enjoyed before. I wrote twelve of those courses.'

Associate Professor Aileen Cater-Steel, Dr Birgit Loch and Dr Rhoderick McNeill will formally receive the ALTC Citations at a special ceremony in Brisbane next month.