“Leadership is simply a series of moments, and every moment gives you the opportunity to leave a positive legacy for those you lead.”

This insight, from leadership expert and keynote speaker Dr Kirstin Ferguson AM, was one of many shared at the University’s second annual Professional Staff Leadership Conference on 17 November.

More than 300 professional staff came together for the full-day program, which featured inspiring personal reflections, case studies of leadership in practice and discussions on topics including continuous improvement, service excellence and developing teams.

Aspiring leaders were also encouraged to attend this year’s conference via an expression-of-interest process. One attendee remarked that their inclusion was indicative of the “positive working culture” at Macquarie: “It is a great example of how the University values and encourages not only current leaders but also potential leaders.”

Nicole Gower, Vice-President Professional Services, said she was pleased to receive overwhelmingly positive feedback from conference attendees, many of whom commended the University’s investment in developing staff and fostering connection.

“We know Macquarie’s professional staff value the opportunity to reflect on their practices in supporting the University’s research, education and health missions,” Ms Gower said. “This year’s conference sparked many insightful conversations about leadership and best practice, which are already starting to flow through to teams.”

Highlights from the 2023 Professional Staff Leadership Conference

Keynote speaker Dr Kirstin Ferguson AM shared the eight key attributes of a “head and heart leader” – with attendees measuring themselves on Dr Ferguson’s Head and Heart Leader Scale.

Nicole Gower, Vice-President Professional Services, reflected on her personal journey as a woman in leadership.

Daniel Crippa (Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences) and Byron Wilson and Paul Dorrell (Office of Strategy, Planning and Performance) were among the presenters discussing leadership in practice.

The day concluded with a ‘You Can’t Ask That!’ Q&A session featuring Professor Lucy Marshall and Katrina Sealey (Faculty of Science and Engineering), Fiona Reyerink (Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic) and Brad Windon (Student Shared Services).

The three-year project, entitled ‘Embedding genomics in primary care: using implementation science to design a robust national approach’, will ensure a nationally consistent, ethically robust approach to support GPs offering genetic tests and the consumers considering them.

“While the scientific and technological challenges of genomic testing are being met through rigorous research programs, the practice of genomics is a complex area,” Professor Brathwaite says.

“We will support GPs and consumers by ensuring existing resources and newly created support tools are freely available and useful through a rigorous implementation process with GPs.”

The project will be coordinated by Dr Janet Long, and involves partners Australian Genomics, Human Genetics Society of Australasia, the Royal College of Pathologists Australasia, Cystic Fibrosis Australia, Fragile X Association of Australia, Genetic Support Network of Victoria, and Rare Voices Australia.

Genomics medicine is revolutionising healthcare, particularly for people with rare diseases and cancer, by offering prompt and accurate diagnosis, identifying a patient’s risk based on their genes and providing personalised treatments.

The MRFF Genomics Health Futures Mission has funded 25 projects for a total of $66 million.

As our staff are acknowledged for their contribution to the University’s research, health and education missions, it is timely to pause and reflect on what makes an educator stand out as exceptional in transforming the lives of our students.

There are many answers to that question. However, there are a few things that stand out to me personally about great educators:

• Passion – great educators always have a deep and genuine passion to see students succeed. They strive to see their students light up with those ‘ah-ha’ moments that are truly transformative.
• Communication – great educators can take the most complex of content or skills and communicate these in a way that makes them resonate and stick with students. They can cut through all the noise and deliver clear and concise messages on the most important aspects of what students need to know.
• Connection – great educators connect with students on a human level. They engage students actively in their learning ensuring that students can see the relevance and meaningfulness of what they are learning. Connection is also about the simple things – knowing students names, respecting their active role in the learning process, bringing the whole group along in the conversation.
• Agility – great educators are agile and flexible. They will recognise if something is not working or if the energy in the classroom is low and pivot to shift the dynamic in a room.

These qualities are supported when educators have a high level of emotional intelligence, and Macquarie educators exude a high level of emotional intelligence in a way that is rare in a University setting, leading us to deliver a high quality teaching experience to our students. This is recognised by our students who have ranked us second in the country for postgraduate teaching quality in the most recent QILT student survey, with our undergraduate teaching also above the national average.

Our educators are passionate about what they do, and it shows. This extends into the way we engage with our students across all aspects of their educational journey. Our students can see that we care about them and can see that we genuinely want them to succeed and reap the benefits of a Macquarie education.

This came through very strongly, both from our students and our staff, as we consulted on the Macquarie Advantage education strategy, which will harness academic excellence as one of our key strengths.

But while our academic excellence is widely known, it can be easy for great things to go unnoticed, or to be only seen locally by those within a unit, course or department. It is important that we shine a light on the great work that is happening in education at Macquarie, so we can share this practice widely with others.

Education is critical work. It is critical in the transformation of our students – enabling them to become what they dream of being. It is also critical to our communities, the nation and beyond as education both delivers the future workforce the world requires and the transformation of families and communities, both here and abroad.

Recognising our best and brightest, and the transformational work they do every day, is not just something that brings us great pleasure and pride, it also reminds us all of our power to transform.

Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton praised the tremendous accomplishments of the nominees and also thanked professional staff for their support of the University’s education and research missions.

“It is a great pleasure to recognise the outstanding achievements of the finalists, who have given their time, industry and intellect to solve the big global problems through research excellence and change the livelihoods of students through learning and teaching,” said the Vice-Chancellor.

Congratulations to all the winners.

Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Awards

Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student-Nominated Award

Recognises staff for their teaching and support of learning that influences, motivates and inspires students to learn.

Dr Irina Dedova, Department of Chiropractic, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

Associate Professor Richard Garner, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Ali Lalbakhsh, Macquarie University College

Dr LayPeng Tan, Department of Marketing, Macquarie Business School

Dr Hector Viveros Tapia, Department of Management, Macquarie Business School

Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Sessional Staff Award

Recognises sessional staff for their approaches to teaching and support of learning that influences, motivates and inspires students to learn.

Mr Camille Rahme, Department of Chiropractic, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Services

Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Early Career Award

Recognises staff for their quality teaching and support of learning, and the impact they have on influencing, motivating and inspiring students to learn.

Dr Madeline Taylor, Macquarie Law School, Faculty of Arts

Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Learning and Teaching Innovation

Recognises the development and implementation of innovations that improve learning, teaching or assessment to enable, motivate, support and inspire students to learn.

The team of: Associate Professor Louise Koelmeyer, Dr Belinda Thompson, Robin Blumfield, Professor Catherine Dean, Robbie Blackwell, Dr Kylie Gwynne, Fiona Tisdall Blake, Dr Morwenna Kirwan, Matthew Robson and Chloe Szilas, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence

Recognises staff for their excellence in teaching and support of learning and the impact they have on influencing, motivating and inspiring students to learn.

Dr Natasha Todorov, School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

Vice-Chancellor’s Educational Leader Award

Recognises educational leadership that has influenced and enhanced learning and teaching and/or student experience.

Associate Professor Josephine Paparo, School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences.

Research Excellence Awards

Excellence in Higher Degree Research Awards

Presented for outstanding research undertaken by a current or former higher degree research candidate (in both HASS and STEMM-based disciplines).

HASS

Michelle Bishop, School of Education, Faculty of Arts

Thom Dixon, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts

STEMM

Jaime A. Alvarado-Montes, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Dr Ali Lalbakhsh, School of Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Excellence in Higher Degree Research Supervision – Supervisor of the Year

Recognises our outstanding Higher Degree Research (HDR) supervisors who enable our HDR candidates to achieve their highest potential.

Professor Niloufer Selvadurai, Macquarie Law School, Faculty of Arts

Early Career Researcher of the Year

Acknowledging outstanding performance in research by an early career researcher (in both HASS and STEMM-based disciplines).

HASS

Dr Emlyn Dodd, Department of History and Archaeology, Faculty of Arts

STEMM

Associate Professor Noushin Nasiri, School of Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Excellence in Research – Five Future-shaping Research Priorities

Winners demonstrate the real-world impact of Macquarie University research in delivering benefits to Australian and international communities.

Healthy People

The team of: Professor Catherine McMahon, Professor Leanne Holt, Associate Professor Boe Rambaldini, Dr Kylie Gwynne, Luke Halvorsen, Kai Nash, Noeleen Lumby, Cara Cross, Dr Yvonne Dimitropoulos, Dr Andrea Salins, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences and Faculty of Arts

Resilient Societies

Associate Professor Mark Alfano, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts

Prosperous Economies

The team of: Dr Miles Yang and Dr Candy Lu, Department of Management, Macquarie Business School

Secure Planet

Professor Tina Soliman-Hunter, Macquarie Law School, Faculty of Arts

Innovative Technologies

Professor Tao Gu, School of Computing, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Excellence in Research Integrity

The inaugural Excellence in Research Integrity award recognises outstanding contribution, leadership or innovation in research integrity by an individual or team.

Associate Professor Mianna Lotz, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts

Excellence in Research Innovation, Partnership and Entrepreneurship Award

Recognises and rewards excellence in research innovation, partnership, commercialisation, translation, and entrepreneurship at Macquarie University.

The team of: Distinguished Professor Phil Taylor, Dr Bishwo Mainali, Dr Vivian Mendez, Dr Maciej Maselko, Dr Soo Jean Park, Dr Mary Whitehouse, Dr Piotr Trebicki, Applied BioSciences Insect Biosecurity Team, Faculty of Science and Engineering

The Jim Piper Award for Excellence in Research Leadership

Recognises outstanding and inspiring researchers who are on a path to becoming both a leading researcher and a research leader at Macquarie University.

Professor Helen Rizos, Macquarie School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

Watch the full Academic Staff Awards ceremony below:

Not surprisingly for a university famed for its collegial culture, the development of Macquarie Advantage has been a distinctly consultative and collaborative process.

Together with the co-chairs of our program streams (which I shared with you in my previous This Week update – service excellence later having been added as the sixth stream), I have been privileged to hear from thousands of members of the Macquarie community over the last 14 months, each with their own unique and valuable view on what makes Macquarie so special.

Through all this, I continue to be struck by the sense of responsibility and custodianship that Macquarie staff carry for this great university, and their desire to be part of this next-generation strategy.

The outstanding ideas emerging in Macquarie Advantage have been powered by consultation activities including:

• initial ideation with leadership teams
• extensive data gathering and analysis
• working group initial sprints and plenary sessions
• staff and student workshops
• an all-staff and student survey generating more than 650 responses
• more than 5000 comments captured through the workshop and survey activities, which have been analysed using a purpose-built model
• triangulation of workshop and survey feedback with other data including the QILT Student Experience Survey (SES), which showed strong alignment.

It is a testament to the strength of the ideas generated in our initial consultation activities that 85 per cent of the survey respondents indicated that our proposed areas of focus were “Right” or “Mostly right”. Only 15 per cent indicated that one or more areas were “Not quite right”, and some local issues were also highlighted for further discussion with faculties and portfolios.

The institutional strengths that emerged strongly through this consultation echo my own very positive first impressions of the University: our stunning Wallumattagal Campus environment, the quality and dedication of our teaching staff and the strong sense of welcome and belonging that we all feel when we are at Macquarie.

Other advantages that were identified by our community include our location in the Macquarie Park Innovation District; the employability of our graduates; our facilities; our focus on diversity, inclusion and wellbeing; and our excellent access to transport.

Opportunities that were identified include embedding employability skills in courses; a strengthening connection between research and education; equity of access and participation; improving student support services; financial support and funding; digital technology; industry engagement; advancing the Macquarie brand; and flexibility of study options.

With the momentum of our community consultation behind us, we now move to the next steps in launching the Macquarie Advantage, which are:

• finalising the strategy
• establishing governance mechanisms, including for the six program streams
• defining measures of success and markers of progress
• detailing specific programs of work
• prioritising projects
• ensuring engagement and communication with our community on projects and initiatives
• developing a framework for monitoring and evaluation, including an annual update to the Macquarie community on progress
• launching the strategy in early 2024 to align with Macquarie’s 60th anniversary.

I look forward to working with you all as we move towards an exciting future for transformative education at Macquarie.

Award for innovative hearing software

Auditory training software developed by Dr Sharon Cameron and Professor Harvey Dillon from the Department of Linguistics has been awarded the prize for Service Delivery – Hearing and Auditory Rehabilitation at the 2023 Hearing Technology Innovator Awards in the United States. The training software, Sound Storm, is an updated version of the LiSN & Learn auditory training software that was developed as part of Dr Cameron’s NHMRC Public Health Training Fellowship and has been proven to reverse spatial processing disorder (SPD) in children after just 10 weeks of use at home. SPD is a type of auditory processing disorder that impacts the ability to understand speech in noisy environments such as classrooms and is a common long-term consequence of protracted otitis media (middle ear disease) in the first five years of life. Development and evaluation of the software was conducted while Dr Cameron and Professor Dillon worked at Australian Hearing Hub partner National Acoustic Laboratories. They have both since moved to Macquarie University, where they are continuing to investigate auditory processing disorders.

Macquarie Business School maintains strong position in 2024 QS Business Master’s Rankings 

The 2024 QS Business Master’s Rankings have been announced and Macquarie Business School has remained in the top two Australian business schools for each business masters ranking.

• Master of Marketing – #1 in Australia (#28 globally)
• Master of Applied Finance – #2 in Australia (#39 globally)
• Master of Management – #2 in Australia (#71 globally)
• Master of Business Analytics – #2 in Australia (#71-80 globally)

Commenting on the result, Professor Eric Knight, Executive Dean of MQBS, said, “This result is a testament to our incredible academic and professional staff in the Macquarie Business School and I would like to extend my gratitude to them for all their hard work and dedication to the school and our students. As a faculty, we work to rethink, reimagine and rewrite the rules of business, so our community of students, staff, alumni and partners can find their purpose and make a difference. This result will certainly energise us for the future.”

Read more here.

Commercialisation award for the Australian Hearing Hub

Macquarie University’s Australian Hearing Hub (AHH) has won the award for Best Knowledge Exchange Initiative in the 2023 Knowledge Commercialisation Australasia (KCA) Awards. The award was accepted on behalf of the AHH by Macquarie’s Dr Kathryn Sunn, Director, Commercialisation, and Katrina Avery, Director, Partnerships, at the KCA Annual Conference on the Gold Coast on 11 October. The KCA Awards recognise excellence in research commercialisation, highlighting its impact on society and the critical role played by technology transfer and research commercialisation professionals in translating publicly funded research into real-world solutions.

2023 Chloe Munro Scholarship recipient

Dr Madeline Taylor, from the Macquarie Law School, is a recipient of the Clean Energy Council’s 2023 Chloe Munro Scholarship for Transformational Leadership. Now in its third year, the scholarship supports women who are emerging leaders in the fields of clean energy, energy management and carbon abatement. As one of four ‘Executive Ready’ winners, Dr Taylor will undertake the seven-month development program for middle to senior leaders. Read more here.

Anneke Rowe Courtemanche, Manager, Global Leadership Program (GLP), and Emma McCullough, GLP Advisor and Sustainability Challenge lead at the Green Gown Awards ceremony earlier this month.

Green Gown Awards nomination for Global Leadership Program

The Global Leadership Program was thrilled to be nominated as a finalist in the 2023 Green Gown Awards Australasia for its online sustainability challenges, under the ‘Creating Impact’ category. The category recognises those who have achieved significant sustainability-related outcomes using minimal and/or limited resources. The sustainability challenges are popular online, self-paced, action-based, co-curricular programs designed to both educate participants in major sustainability issues and to establish long-term behavioural change through small-habit building.

Academy of Social Sciences Fellow announced

Professor Michelle Arrow, from the Department of History and Archaeology, has been elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. The fellowship recognises outstanding contributions to the advancement of social science knowledge and impact. Professor Arrow is one of Australia’s leading scholars in Australian postwar political, social and cultural life. Her research has made significant contributions to knowledge of histories of the post-war Australian political and social landscape, popular culture, feminist and gay and lesbian activism, and the depiction of history in the media. Through both sole-authored and collaborative research, she has investigated the ways that activism centred on questions of gender and sexuality have had a transformative impact on the rights and protections of Australian citizenship in the late 20th century.

Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences Fellowship

Professor Johanna Westbrook, Director of the Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research at the Australian Institute for Health Innovation, has been made a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS). Professor Westbrook is recognised internationally for her research evaluating the effects of information and communication technology in healthcare. AAHMS Fellows are elected by their peers, based on their exceptional contributions to the fields of health and medical science.

Google Award for Inclusion

Macquarie University Hearing ECHO Lab researchers, Dr Yvonne Tran and Dr Kelly Miles, have won a prestigious Google Award for Inclusion Research for 2023. The award celebrates academic research in computing and technology that champions the needs of historically marginalised groups across the world. Dr Tran and Dr Miles’ research focuses on the development of sensor-fusion empowerment networks designed to make communicating in noisy environments more accessible for people who use hearing devices – and ultimately to support everyone who finds it challenging to communicate in noisy spaces. Competition was keen, with a pool of international applicants vying for the award and its US$65,000 prize money. Dr Tran and Dr Miles’ project was selected for its unique approach and its potential to instigate substantial societal transformation.

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, a time to remember the 9000 Australian smokers and non-smokers who die from lung cancer every year and to refocus our efforts on finding a cure.

The Woolcock Centre for Lung Cancer Research is a world-class research centre with biobanking facilities, linked to a network of global experts in the field. Researchers at the centre are continuously looking to find ways to develop innovative treatments that save lives.

Established in 2018 and led by Macquarie’s Professor Maija Kohonen-Corish, the centre is currently developing microbiome-based tests that identify a subset of lung cancer patients who would benefit from microbiome-correcting treatments to improve therapy outcomes.

Microbiomes are naturally occurring ecosystems that live in our body and include bacteria, fungi, viruses and their genes. They are vital to human health and wellness.

“Having a healthy gut microbiome is essential for some lung cancer therapies to work in the best possible way,” says Professor Kohonen-Corish. “The gut-lung axis is a term used to describe the bidirectional communication between the gut and the lungs and if this is ‘broken’ it leads to weakened immunity and a weakened response to immunotherapy.”

The focus of her research now is to identify patients whose gut-lung axis is ‘broken’ and find ways to repair it before embarking on cancer therapies.

“Microbiome research is real breakthrough science with enormous potential,” she says.

“And every breakthrough brings us closer to a world where lung cancer is conquered, and lives are saved.”

This story was first published on the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research website.

But one of the silver linings of COVID-19 was the impetus it gave us to re-think how we could structure our student recruitment functions to be responsive to an increasingly dynamic operating environment. Future-proofing Future Students was vital for our sustainability as an organisation.

The domestic and international recruitment teams were brought together in August 2021 to form Global and Domestic Student Recruitment. Global Partnerships and Protocol was also brought into the team in July of this year.

The synergy and efficiencies created by uniting these functions have helped us buffer the impacts of fluctuating international and domestic student numbers through and beyond the pandemic. Working as one team, we have been much more agile and flexible – able to allocate resources and expertise in response to the social, economic and geopolitical changes around us.

Our domestic and international teams are now sharing their knowledge and collaborating in ways that are exciting to witness. While all our different markets are distinctive and require their own carefully considered approaches, we have discovered many commonalities that create an environment ripe for collaboration. Our domestic and international teams, for example, have found much to learn from each other in their respective nurturing of our school career advisor and international education agent networks. I am also pleased to see staff from both teams take advantage of the increased career progression opportunities that have resulted from the amalgamation.

With our well-oiled and united machine working well, we recently took the decision to return to the name Future Students. It was important to us that our name reflected our deep engagement with students throughout multiple stages of their education journey. Like so many teams around the University, we work to create a strong sense of belonging for all students that see Macquarie in their future – whether they hail from Marsfield or Madagascar. We are grateful to the many teams and individuals across the University that support us in doing so.

Meet the Future Students leadership team

Maria Souris, Executive Director, Domestic Student Recruitment

David Harrison, Executive Director, International

Tim Hyde, Director, Student Acquisition and Conversion

Stephen Fan, Director, Global Partnerships and Protocol

Register to attend the ceremony next week on Wednesday 15 November.

Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student-Nominated Award

This award recognises staff for their teaching and support of learning that influences, motivates and inspires students to learn.

Ms Georgia Cam, Macquarie Law School, Faculty of Arts

Georgia Cam’s career as an educator began when the challenges of teaching were exacerbated by the idiosyncratic struggles of remote learning. At a time when students lacked motivation for a multitude of reasons, Ms Cam’s teaching philosophy emerged.

By deviating from the signature technocratic pedagogy of law, Ms Cam uses interactive case studies that adopt a social, political and cultural lens to “bring the content to life”.

Students feel so motivated by her teaching philosophy that they regularly ask what other units she teaches so they can continue to model the behaviour of future advocates. Some students even claim she is “the only reason” they passed the unit.

“Georgia has created such a positive environment for the students,” says one of her students. “She is supportive and extremely engaging and makes all complex ideas seem so simple. Every student I have talked to from her different classes adores her; she creates a fun and engaging atmosphere for all.”

Meanwhile, from one of Ms Cam’s students: “This is my fifth year of university and I can honestly say that Georgia has been the best tutor I have had by far. Her efforts to break down each week’s content in a simplified way, in spite of it being conceptually challenging, has been truly amazing.”

Dr Irina Dedova, Department of Chiropractic, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

This is the third time in as many years Dr Irina Dedova has been nominated for this award. She holds a powerful position in redesigning the anatomy curriculum, which is considered by many students to be a challenging part of their degree.

“There are obligations attached with educational design to influence the overall future and wellbeing of students,” she says. “I am not a source of knowledge but a guide who genuinely cares about students’ progress and feelings.”

Dr Dedova is dedicated to evidence-based practice – helping students navigate major concepts efficiently through carefully planned chunks of learning experiences.

“I care about my students and this is why I ensure that they have the most logical, well-constructed, inclusive design and delivery and efficient resources,” she says. “For me, being empathic means remembering what it was like when I was a student and how I would like to be treated. Students know that any time they are welcome to reach out to me, it is okay to make mistakes and I will not judge but will help find solutions.”

High distinctions have tripled since her redesign.

“The layout for learning is amazing,” says one student. “If I’m confused about something, there’s always another resource to help me.”

Associate Professor Richard Garner, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Some students see mathematics units as a ‘necessary evil’ – something they must complete to graduate, but do not expect to enjoy.

Associate Professor Richard Garner seeks to shatter this preconception – and share the “excitement of solving problems through mathematics”.

His approach typically starts with problems that are relevant and valuable, for example, planar graphs might be introduced via the problem of printing an electrical circuit onto a circuit board without crossing traces.

“This gives an authentic experience of how the way mathematics is done. Students learn not only the how of mathematics but also the why of mathematics, and are hopefully inspired to apply the mathematical approach to other problems they encounter,” says Associate Professor Garner.

“Mathematics is about tools and techniques but also about a way of seeing the world: like the puzzle page of the newspaper, it is about the creative joy of form and structure. The key point is that this is immense fun!”

And despite some trepidation, students agree: “Richard was able to make me think about how the world of math interacts with the real world and problem-solving as a tool.”

Another said, “His explanations are short yet extremely clear, which makes learning difficult and complex concepts a lot easier.”

Ms Emily Gray, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Many students view statistics as the most challenging part of their degree. Sessional academic tutor Emily Gray embraces this perception and sets out to empower students and help them “find their love – or, at least, appreciative tolerance – of statistics”.

By making her classes a safe space to question, discuss and “share an excitement for learning”, she’s able to achieve this and more.

One student called Ms Gray an “amazing tutor who has been very insightful and gives a great experience in class”, adding that she “loves what she does, which makes the class that much more enjoyable”.

Ms Gray believes success in learning is individualised and future-focused. She encourages students to apply their learning beyond the unit, developing a skills toolbox they can use to thrive in their professional pursuits.

“I tailor explanations to the specific characteristics of each class or individual student … and provide detailed and personalised feedback to assist students’ communication and critical thinking in their degree and career.”

Many students praise Ms Gray’s ability to make complex content understandable.

Says one student: “[She is] really good at teaching, explaining in an easy way to understand, giving exceptional feedback that has helped me in all of my units so far”.

Dr Michelle Hamadache, Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature, Faculty of Arts

Student ‘success’ can be measured in achievements – publication, fellowship, live performance, career – and in a student’s sense of meaningful learning.

Dr Michelle Hamadache fosters both types of success.

Since she became Director of Creative Writing in 2021, enrolment, retention and engagement in undergraduate and postgraduate programs have risen significantly. But Dr Hamadache looks beyond these milestones and at how her teaching enables and inspires student success.

“I want students to feel they are part of a vibrant and inclusive community, where assessments are stepping stones to bigger and better things,” she says.

“I have fostered opportunities and experiences that build confidence and connection and give students the skills to bridge the gap between their studies and professional life.”

This year, two of Dr Hamadache’s students were awarded prestigious WestWords fellowships. Her first-year students have performed poetry alongside international prize-winning poets. And others have had articles and books published.

Her role as teacher also enables her to show what creative writing can do for the development of self and community.

“This is harder to quantify, but no less important,” she says.

Her students appreciate her philosophy: “The way she set up the unit made me love it thoroughly and rediscover my love for creative writing.”

Dr Marina Junqueira Santiago, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

“Enthusiasm is contagious,” says Dr Marina Junqueira Santiago. And it plays a pivotal role in fostering a positive, engaging learning environment.

Pharmacology may pose a challenge for student engagement, but it’s one Dr Junqueira Santiago takes in her stride.

“I want students to wake up in the morning and feel excited about coming to class,” she says. So, she enters the room with enthusiasm and passion.

“I take students as partners,” says Dr Junqueira Santiago who, with her students, co‑designed the debate rubric in the Contextualising Professionalism in Health Care Systems unit.

“It made the learning process enjoyable and encouraged students to take an active role in their education. By showing my enthusiasm for the subject and incorporating real-world examples, I spark curiosity and interest among my students,” she adds.

Dr Junqueira Santiago has been credited with making “any unit fun”, which is why she’s repeatedly asked to redevelop units in which student engagement is a problem.

“Her enthusiasm for the unit drove our enthusiasm for the unit,” says one student.

Another says: “I was sceptical coming into the unit, but Marina’s dedication, approachability and genuine desire to motivate us saw me develop a genuine interest and motivation to do well.”

Dr Jillian Kramer, Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature, Faculty of Arts 

Dr Jillian Kramer thought her teaching could ramp up to meet student needs when COVID-19 hit. But when one of her ‘confident’ students joined Zoom in tears, she adjusted her strategy.

“Prolonged periods of uncertainty impacted student wellbeing and exposed flaws in my teaching,” says Dr Kramer, who expanded her philosophy.

Now she regularly checks in with students by email and starts tutorials by asking how they feel about the unit on a scale of zero to five to identify those at risk.

Submission rates have skyrocketed, with 88.41 per cent of Visual Media and Communications students who had not submitted their final assessment going on to complete it after receiving a support email. Failure rates have also decreased.

To further minimise stress for her students, Dr Kramer encourages them to co‑design lessons.

“In week eight, I survey students so they can identify what they would like to practice or explore in more detail before submitting their assessments,” she explains.

Her students notice the difference her strategy makes, with one stating: “I felt seen by the convenor, who often checked in with us through email, which is very important to me but lacking in other units. This has a huge impact on my motivation to engage with unit content.”

Dr Ali Lalbakhsh, Macquarie University College, Macquarie University College

Dr Ali Lalbakhsh is so successful at transforming the mindset of his students that many go from pathway units at Macquarie University College to second-year engineering with a head start on their university peers.

“Some of our newcomers have a mindset of not being good enough for engineering,” says Dr Lalbakhsh. “This attitude downgrades their ambition only to pass the unit – an invisible engagement barrier.”

So, he works on their mindset – starting with getting to know their life stories.

“I ask them to email me a self-introduction to spark conversations,” he says.

This builds trust and helps Dr Lalbakhsh understand their vulnerabilities.

“Pathway students are often the most disadvantaged cohort due to the lack of empathetic teaching, while they need it most. Don’t forget they are pathway students for a reason, which I aspire to unfold to help them grow.”

The results are telling, with double the attendance rate and a huge increase in submissions. This year, every one of Dr Lalbakhsh’s students agreed that he is approachable, helpful and creates a good learning environment.

“He made the whole class feel that we were going to be not just engineers but people who would change the world for the better,” one student wrote.

Dr Rico Piehler, Department of Marketing, Macquarie Business School

“Best educational experience.” “Best teacher.” “Best unit.” “Macquarie is lucky to have him!” – Macquarie student feedback

Dr Rico Piehler’s reputation precedes him. So much so that many of his students seek out his classes before they’re scheduled to take them.

“I thought I’d better do this unit while you’re taking it,” said one student.

Dr Piehler addresses two challenges through his teaching style and philosophy: encouraging student engagement and enhancing their employability.

Dr Piehler is committed to fostering student engagement through his enthusiasm, which is ingrained in his teaching style. He inspires students through his passion and instills respect and fairness to create a supportive environment that nurtures learning. Students’ joy of learning shows how Dr Piehler creates a positive social-emotional learning environment.

His background in an industry-founded academic department and his consulting experience shaped his teaching philosophy. Dr Piehler assists students in developing transferrable, work-related professional knowledge and skills through cases from his industry connections and collaboration projects, active learning workshops with practical activities and assessments that require his students to step into the role of practitioners.

Dr Piehler has been nominated for this award by his students in each of his three years at Macquarie University.

Dr LayPeng Tan, Department of Marketing, Macquarie Business School

Like consumers, students can be motivated if the value proposition is relevant and it is clearly communicated and delivered. Dr LayPeng Tan follows this key marketing principle in her learning and teaching.

“My goal is to inspire in students a ‘want to learn’,” she says.

Her innovative curriculum design, supportive learning environment and empathy mean her students are not just motivated but excel at unit level and beyond.

“My competency-focused approach is relevant to students’ academic and professional goals. Upon completion, students can add these practical competencies to their CV for enhanced employability,” she says.

Dr Tan’s approach is paying off. During a full external review of the Bachelor of Commerce in 2022, Dr Tan’s unit was one of two to be singled out as an exemplar of best teaching practice.

Course Director Dr Prashan Karunaratne says, “[Dr Tan’s] work literally shines through hundreds of pages of documentation, dozens of hours of interviews and multifaceted feedback from industry, alumni, staff, students and beyond.”

Dr Tan’s students are also highly satisfied and forthcoming with praise: “[An] amazing unit convener who has designed a well-structured and informative unit that really helps us understand the real-world work setting.”

Dr Hector Viveros Tapia, Department of Management, Macquarie Business School

In caring for and guiding students, Dr Hector Viveros Tapia enthusiastically adopts their challenges as his own.

Many students in his core human resources management units have difficulty with their communication and research skills. But his positive, inclusive learning environment, in which he shows genuine curiosity for their experiences – and shares his own – breaks down the student-teacher barrier, allowing him to foster those critical skills.

“This is especially important for international students, who often struggle with adapting to a new educational system, language barriers and social integration,” says Dr Viveros Tapia, whose latest challenge to engage students is the scavenger hunt, ‘Where’s Hector?’

“I aim to be an approachable and trustworthy mentor. I cultivate a non-judgemental space where students can openly discuss their challenges, assured of receiving empathetic guidance and support.”

It is a philosophy his students appreciate: “I thought the lectures were very helpful and engaging, but my favourite element of the unit was the class tasks – a credit to Hector for making sure each student felt welcomed and all students were engaging in the work.”

Dr Viveros Tapia has also seen a significant decrease in failure rates, down from 17 per cent in Session 1, 2021 to eight per cent in 2023.

Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sakkie Pretorius were joined by Macquarie’s partners in the Australian Hearing Hub on 24 October to welcome the Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care, and Member for Bennelong Jerome Laxale MP to the University.

Their visit was in honour of the 10^th anniversary of the Hub, which was established in 2013 as a unique partnership uniting academic, industry, government and not-for-profit partners to improve the lives of people with hearing loss. The project was funded with $40 million from the Federal Government’s Education Investment Fund (EIF), together with an $80 million investment from Macquarie University.

Addressing the Minister and Macquarie’s partners in the Hub, the Vice-Chancellor thanked them for helping the University realise its mission to serve.

“This building is a representation if what can happen when you unite research, business and service provision for the benefit of our community,” he said. “This service is at the heart of our founding vision as a university.”

Professor Sakkie Pretorius: Celebrating 10 years of impactful hearing health research and collaboration (This Week, 21 August 2023)

The Hon Mark Butler MP and Jerome Laxale MP with representatives of Australian Hearing Hub partners: Macquarie University, Hearing Australia, Cochlear Australia, National Acoustic Laboratories, NextSense and The Shepherd Centre.

Having visited the Hub shortly after its opening, Minister Butler said he was delighted to see how the collaborative partnership has thrived in the decade since.

“To see the sophistication that has developed in the Australian Hearing Hub over this time is wonderful. There is no better example in Australia, or in the health sector, of something that offers this depth and breadth of services, education, clinical care and research innovation and commercialisation,” the Minister said.

After meeting representatives of the Hub’s members – including Macquarie University Hearing Professors Catherine McMahon and David McAlpine – and hearing about successful projects such as the Indigenous audiometrist training initiative, the Minister toured the anechoic chamber to experience first-hand some of the challenges experienced by people with hearing loss.

Four million Australians – one in six – live with some form of hearing loss. That number is expected to rise to one in four by 2050.