Teaching and Learning 2009

TEACHING & LEARNING 2009

GLOBAL SUCCESS

From job juggler to jaw surgeon

The right prescription for learning

Hunter benefits from international talent

Artistic space for the up-and-coming

Taking on the law in Oxford

Fair trade coffee a fair go for farmers?

The University of Newcastle For more information about the articles in this publication please visit www.newcastle.edu.au/teaching-and-learning Editor Kate Reid, Media and Public Relations Kate.Reid@newcastle.edu.au Project Coordinator Rhianna Fursdon Rhianna.Fursdon@newcastle.edu.au Writers Editor Group Design Bounce Design Photography McKean Photo

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Cover: Bounthavivanh Mixap is investigating the sustainable development of fair trade coffee in her home country of Laos. Read her story on page 22.

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TEACHING & LEARNING

CONTENTS 02 A message 04 Artistic space for the up-and-coming 04 Royal reception for Masters student 05 Snapshot captures unseen illness 06 From job juggler to jaw surgeon 07 The forensic dental expert 08 Central Coast campus celebrates milestone 10 Lasting impression from brilliant student 11 New frontiers in the lab and the classroom 12 The right prescription for learning 13 Digital patient helps train pharmacy students 14 Advancing the University in Singapore 15 Hunter benefits from international talent 16 Taking on the law in Oxford 16 Former US President sparks student to do good 17 Academic integrity an essential part of study 18 Helping cool kids cope 19 Learning at the coalface 20 Adding to the quality teaching trophy cabinet 22 Fair trade coffee a fair go for farmers?

23 Online study takes Newcastle to Mt Isa 24 Sixty years of education innovation

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TEACHING & LEARNING

A MESSAGE FROM THE VICE-CHANCELLOR, DEPUTY VICE-CHANCELLOR (Academic and Global Relations) and PRO VICE-chancellor (Academic)

TEACHING & LEARNING

In 2009, the University of Newcastle’s enrolment exceeded 30,000 students – the result of a consistent annual growth of six per cent over the last five years.

Our history of quality teaching and learning is holding us in good stead as we enter a new era in higher education and as we continue to internationalise our University.

The Australian Government in its response to Professor Denise Bradley’s review of higher education – Transforming Australia’s Higher Education System – targets 40 per cent of all 25-34 year olds to hold a qualification at bachelor level or above by 2025. This commitment aligns well with the University’s direction, especially in relation to access and participation rates in higher education for those with lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

The University is a recognised leader in providing access to higher education through quality tertiary preparation programs such as Open Foundation, Newstep and Yapug. In this third edition of Teaching & Learning, the University’s leadership is epitomised in the story of Carli Westmore who is well on her way to becoming a jaw surgeon after leaving school at the age of 15 and juggling a number of jobs.

Professor Nicholas Saunders Vice-Chancellor and President

Inspirational teachers are the backbone of the University’s triumph in training the next generation of professionals. Teaching excellence award winners, Associate Professor Philip Clausen and Associate Professor William McBride, feature in this year’s edition, as does internationally recognised forensic dentist Dr Jane Taylor.

In 2009, three individual staff and two staff teams were honoured with the most competitive higher education awards in the country – an Australian Teaching and Learning Council Citation. Of note is Ruth Gresham and Jeanette Walsh’s Citation for leadership for promoting stronger engagement between different cultures, resulting in better experiences for our Muslim students.

Teaching & Learning 2009 showcases the latest innovations in virtual medical teaching for pharmacy students. No matter where the location, students have access to advanced technology that is supplementing their clinical training.

Meanwhile, the University’s Psychology Clinic is providing essential training for future psychologists.

Professor Kevin McConkey Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Global Relations)

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In 2009, the University celebrated two major anniversaries. Teaching graduates from across the country returned to celebrate the pioneering spirit underpinning 60 years of teacher education in the region. From its beginning as the Newcastle Teachers’ College in 1949, the University’s School of Education is now the second largest teacher education institution in Australia.

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the University’s presence on the Central Coast. During this time thousands of graduates, who might have otherwise left the region, have benefited from access to world-class tertiary education.

Anniversaries such as these are significant reminders of the University’s commitment to providing its communities with access to a student-focused learning environment that is combined with a rewarding and challenging experience for students from all over the world. This is the foundation of all of our teaching and learning activities and will underpin the success of staff and students in the future.

Professor Bill Hogarth Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic)

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TEACHING & LEARNING

Artistic space for the up-and-coming Keeping company with these celebrated names is the next generation of emerging artists.

Exhibiting in the award-winning University Gallery, students are taking advantage of facilities which, according to Gillean Shaw, Art Curator for the University, rival the best in the world.

Designed by architect Peter Stutchbury, the Gallery has a single, long exhibition space under a wave-like roof.

Works by some of Australia’s most acclaimed artists have hung on the walls of The University Gallery. Archibald prize winning artist Euan Macleod and Ben Quilty, the winner of Australia’s most valuable portraiture award the Moran Portrait Prize, have both chosen Newcastle to showcase landmark works.

“The Gallery was built to give postgraduate students an opportunity to exhibit their work. I like to think we have international-standard art shows. All of the work, no matter who the artist, is hung to the same high standard,” Shaw said.

Shaw said Gallery exhibitors had the benefit of an incredible installation team who were artists in their own right. The team consists of Masters

student and sculptor Peter Tilley and Ken O’Regan who completed a Doctorate with the University in 2005.

Students’ work is sometimes difficult to hang or install and the team works with them to give extraordinary results.

“With the artistic expertise of this team, we mount shows that are immaculate,” Shaw said.

“As part of the learning process, students see that great works can be made even better by expert curating and editing.”

Shaw, who holds a Master of Fine Art degree, views the Gallery as a flexible teaching tool providing practical experience for students. It is used for conferences and exhibitions by a wide range of University and community groups and as a venue for talks about artistic, cultural and research achievements. Never one to lose an opportunity to involve students in all facets of

Royal reception for Masters student When fine art student Peter Tilley was introduced to Crown Princess Mary at the first Sculpture by the Sea exhibition in Denmark in June 2009, he was delighted to find that she knew all about his work. “I had a wonderful discussion about my work with her. She liked it and it was a huge high for me,” Tilley said.

After a 30-year career as a ceramicist and sculptor, Tilley decided to do a Master of Philosophy (Fine Art) because his work had reached the stage where he needed to do “some really serious research”.

He said he wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the ancient Egyptian funerary culture that influenced his

work. “I want to refine the objects and symbolism that I am working with so people can understand my sculptures better.”

His program of study also allowed him to use the University’s studio space and foundry he needed to develop new sculptures of metal and wood pieces.

His figurative sculptures often show an androgynous figure, with a suitcase, standing in or near a doorway. Sometimes the person contemplates a staircase at the top of which a boat floats in space. At other times, the figure stands under a cloud or seems lost in the woods. The pieces have titles

like ‘Waiting for wisdom’, ‘Seize the day’ and ‘Dreaming and surviving’.

“A lot of my work is about embarking on a journey or new adventure and seeking an answer,” Tilley explained.

The doorway is inspired by the false door, a recess in Egyptian tombs through which the spirit of the dead accessed the living world.

For most of his career, Tilley worked as a ceramicist, making seemingly simple vessels that “went beyond the everyday”. Some of his containers were based on canopic jars, which held mummified Egyptian body parts.

Then about six years ago, Tilley started making sculptures to express the feelings he had after his marriage ended. Appropriately, a recent exhibition of his was entitled ‘Midway along the path of life’.

He has had solo exhibitions in Sydney and Melbourne and his work has been placed in prime sites at Sculpture by the Sea exhibitions in Australia.

Doing his Masters has given Tilley fresh inspiration.

He sees his research as a personal means to an end.

“It is not about employment or status. It is about informing my work and I should have done it years ago.”

the Gallery’s work, Shaw said even exhibitions by visiting artists often had a teaching element. For example, three students helped organise the 2009 ‘blockbuster’ exhibition

by Euan Macleod.

The exhibition itself was instructive because it showed the progression from a particular sketch and small painting made in the Flinders Ranges to the resulting, large final paintings. “I was thrilled, as was Euan. Artists do not often get to see their art displayed in a way that illuminates the work and gives everything breathing space.”

Students from across the University also benefit from Gallery activities. “Our museology students each researched a particular artwork from the University Collection.

They looked at the condition and the provenance of the work and researched the artists, the

work and the donor. It was real museum practice.”

As curator, Shaw is also responsible for the University’s collection of more than 800 pieces, most of which are exhibited on the walls at the Callaghan and Central Coast campuses and the City precinct. The collection is home to many pieces by well-known Australian artists, such as Margaret Olley, Margaret Preston, John Coburn and John Olsen.

“We represent students and strive to make sure that the collection represents contemporary art practice as well,” Shaw said. Among the most popular artworks in the collection is ‘The Regal Twelve’ series by award-winning digital artist and Newcastle alumnus Alexia Sinclair.

Snapshot captures unseen illness Jessica Maiden knows too well the pain of suffering from an ‘invisible’ affliction. Struck with juvenile arthritis at the age of six – but diagnosed 14 years later – the fine art student has dedicated her photographic works to the exploration of the ‘unseen pathologised body’.

“Rheumatoid arthritis is not a visible disease,” she explained.

“We have such intense pain nearly constantly, but there is no visual sign of it. Often people do not readily believe you. So it is about finding a visual language to express that.”

Maiden’s journey began in 2006, when she undertook a directed study project at John Hunter Hospital to photograph sufferers of juvenile arthritis. The project formed part of her final year of a Bachelor of Fine Art degree. “I wanted to bring attention to the fact that arthritis is not just an old person’s disease and to eliminate some of the stigma,” she said.

Maiden went on to receive first class honours for her work focusing on the notion of sight. This piece, again, drew on her own personal experiences. “My arthritis has left me with sight in only one eye. So I photographed the world as I saw it when my sight was deteriorating; blurred and out of focus.”

Her Honours work earned her an Australian Postgraduate Award Scholarship, and she also won the 2007 Newcastle Emerging Artist prize.

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A lot of my work is about embarking on a journey or new adventure and seeking an answer

Maiden is now completing her Master of Philosophy (Fine Art), examining the photographic representation of women in the grip of hysterical attacks in the 19th Century. The project was inspired by the work of French neurologist Dr Jean-Martin Charcot.

Maiden’s critically acclaimed work has led to a prestigious offer to undertake a PhD in Fine Art at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, which she hopes to commence in September 2010.

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TEACHING & LEARNING

Carli Westmore was juggling casual jobs ranging from cleaning to childcare when she was accepted into Open Foundation at the University of Newcastle.

From job juggler to jaw surgeon

Although she wanted to become a surgeon, specialising in oral reconstruction, Westmore left school at the age of 15 to help support her family. Of Aboriginal descent, she was one of seven siblings and three foster children, all of whom were home-schooled by her mother.

Westmore described her mother as a remarkably supportive and skilful woman, who still fosters sick babies and nurses them back to health.

“My Mum and Dad broke up when I was about 12 years old and that left the family in quite difficult financial conditions.”

Within a few years, Westmore had to give up schooling and do whatever jobs she could find to help her family survive.

Living in Jervis Bay, she did various jobs including floristry and restaurant work. She managed to get a Year 10 school certificate through TAFE, but could not figure out how she would get the qualifications to enable her to apply for medical school.

“No-one in my family had ever been to university,” she explained.

Westmore was 22 years old when a family friend told her about the Open Foundation program offered at the University. She was accepted into the six-month, full-time, intensive program.

“It is a bit nerve wracking going to university when you have not finished schooling,” Westmore said. “But it is an adult learning environment and you get to be self-directed.

They have highly motivated and engaging teachers who are able to bring you up to university level. My teachers were fantastic.”

Once she had done Open Foundation, she completed a Bachelor of Oral Health degree through the University and graduated as a dental hygienist.

Now this exuberant young woman is a second-year medical student and getting closer to her goal of becoming a maxillofacial surgeon. These specialists repair and correct injuries and defects of the head, neck, face, mouth and jaws and require dual dental and medical qualifications.

Her awareness of how critical oral surgery can be was sparked by her own painful experiences. Westmore explained that as a child she needed dental surgery to reconstruct her upper jaw, which stopped growing.

Because her family could not afford private dental care, Westmore had to turn to the almost non-existent state dental system and wait 15 years for an operation.

In the interim, Westmore met several very caring medical and dental clinicians and an orthodontic registrar who inspired her dream of becoming a maxillofacial surgeon.

“Becoming a ‘Max Fax’ combines the best of medicine and dentistry and will allow me to help other people who have similar problems to mine.”

Westmore finally had the operation to correct her jaw this year. “I had my upper jaw split on a number of different planes and the bones separated out by about one and a half centimetres.” She is still undergoing corrective orthodontic treatment. “I think having gone through this will make me more understanding of my patients when I finally qualify as a surgeon.”

TEACHING & LEARNING

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The forensic dental expert

Forensic dentist Taylor used her expertise to help identify victims of the Bali bombing in 2002, the Boxing Day tsunami in Thailand in 2004, and the most devastating natural disaster in Australia, the Victorian bushfires of February 2009.

For Taylor, the bushfires were the most traumatic disaster of all. “It was just unbelievable that so many lives could be lost in a fire in Australia in 2009. The intensity of the fire must have been horrendous.”

Taylor has seen death on an extraordinary scale, and witnessed sights she would not wish on others. But she keeps going because her

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work helps bring comfort to the families of the victims. “It is the families who are important in this process. It can be very upsetting, but all of us who do this sort of work fall back on the fact that we are doing something positive for them.

“They need to have confirmation of the death of their family members to start their process of trying to cope with what has happened. You realise that this is not about you, it is about other people, and you have got the skills to help them so you must get on and do it.”

Forensic work has interested Taylor, a senior lecturer in oral health at the University’s Central Coast campus, since she was in high school. “I found it incredible that you can work out who someone is from their teeth. Forensics is about solving questions through

science and logic, and that is why it appeals to me.”

When she was studying dentistry at the University of Adelaide, she enjoyed inspirational lectures by a forensic dentist and felt she might have the mental fortitude for such work.

Taylor is now passing on her skills and training students to be dental hygienists. As a Visiting Dental Officer with the Sydney South West Area Health Service, she also regularly undertakes forensic work at the Glebe and Newcastle mortuaries.

A world-leading expert in the field of forensic dentistry, Taylor frequently speaks at international conferences. She recently submitted her PhD on the management of forensic dentistry in disasters to the University of Newcastle, and put her research into practice when she was called in to

assist with the nation’s response to the bushfires in Victoria.

Australia, said Taylor, was well regarded in the field of forensic dentistry and was regularly called on for training and assistance overseas.

Taylor hopes to set up a scheme with colleague Linda Wallace, an oral health lecturer, taking dental hygiene students to West Timor to gain experience. “A Central Coast church group called Coast Life raised money and built an orphanage in the village of Soe. It alerted us to the poor oral health of the children, and we saw this for ourselves in a recent visit. We could help the people and at the same time it would be a great experience for the students.”

I found it incredible that you can work out who someone is from their teeth

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When there is devastation, whether from human hand or natural disaster, the world often calls Dr Jane Taylor.

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TEACHING & LEARNING

Central Coast campus celebrates milestone When more than 900 students crossed the stage at this year’s Central Coast campus graduation ceremony there was no greater reminder of the importance of access to higher education.

If not for the Central Coast campus, these graduates, along with the thousands before them, might have left the region in search of higher education opportunities or might not have achieved higher education.

This year, the University celebrates the 20th anniversary of providing the Central Coast community with access to world-class tertiary education. During this time, the University has built an innovative partnership with Hunter TAFE and the Central Coast Community College to create the Central Coast campus.

Professor Stephen Crump, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Director of the University’s Central Coast campus, said many thousands of people who might otherwise have left the Central Coast to further their education have stayed, studied and now work in the region.

“They are the teachers in our schools, the child care workers at the local centre, the carpenter building the home across the street, and the scientist helping to conserve our local wetlands.

Many graduates also remain on campus as teachers, researchers and support staff,” Crump said.

This, said Crump, was the practical reality of a dream born many years ago. In response to the growth of the region, the Central Coast community fought hard to establish a higher education presence.

“The success of the Central Coast campus would not have been possible without the strong support of the local community. The community wanted an innovative organisation serving the broad educational needs of the region,” Crump said.

Supportive pathways to education “What makes the campus very special from the teaching and learning perspective is that it is a multi-sector facility that provides a wide range of articulated programs and courses,” Crump said.

In 2009, the campus had more than 6,500 students enrolled in 16 university degrees, 70 TAFE programs and 815 college courses.

In addition, around 500 Year 11 and Year 12 high school students were enrolled in TAFE Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses taught on campus.

Crump said students could move seamlessly from TAFE to University. They might start doing a TAFE course and end up completing a PhD on the same campus.

“That is the beauty of it. They feel comfortable on campus and do not feel intimidated having to walk into a university – for some people that is a big deal. This is just a continuation of what they have been doing since senior high school.”

Crump said another distinctive feature of the Central Coast campus was that it was small, so the staff, lecturers and students got to know each other really well. “The campus is known very clearly and powerfully in the community for its pastoral care of students.

“People can study without having to travel long distances or leave behind the support of family and friends, which often is so vital in helping students complete their studies.”

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The success of the Central Coast campus would not have been possible without the strong support of the local community. The community wanted an innovative organisation serving the broad educational needs of the region

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Giving back to the community Never forgetting its community roots, the Central Coast campus has built a strong reputation as a hub of excellence in applied sciences, food technology and sports science. Over the years, the University has introduced specialised degrees in oral health and podiatry and the training program for students involves giving back to the Central Coast community through local clinics.

Crump said the clinics provided an effective and important service to the community, offering almost immediate access to services and providing an opportunity for students to gain work experience without leaving the region.

One of the newest facilities is the Podiatry Clinic, where Bachelor of Podiatry students can do part of their 1,000 hours of supervised practice. The Clinic provides essential practical training for students while offering heavily discounted appointments with reduced fees on general treatments for patients.

People needing dental care can visit the campus for comprehensive oral health checks from students working under supervision in the Colgate Oral Health Clinic. Among those treated at the Clinic in 2008 were more than 100 residents of a local aged care home.

The next 20 years Crump said in the coming years, the Central Coast campus would undergo the greatest level of development since its inception 20 years ago.

Construction work is due to commence this year on a new $4 million exercise science facility. The new building will house three specialised teaching spaces for biomechanics, resistance training and exercise physiology laboratories.

This will be followed by a new building to support education and nursing degree programs. This building, also funded through the Australian Government’s Capital Development Pool, will accommodate model classrooms and specialist information technology teaching spaces for education students and a simulation laboratory for nursing students.

Crump said over the next 18 months there were planned extensions to the library, an upgrade by TAFE of facilities for horticulture students and the relocation of the plant and food sciences staff of the NSW Department of Industry & Investment, an investment of well over $20 million.

“Investing in the future of the campus like this is an appropriate way to commemorate 20 years of teaching and learning on the Central Coast,” Crump said. “It will ensure the next generation of Central Coast students continue to have access to higher education on their doorstep.”

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RESEARCH 2009

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Rather than just giving me the answer, the lecturers would help me to develop the skills to solve the problem independently

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Photo: Dermod Kavanagh

Lasting impression from brilliant student To call Vinh Nguyen a high achiever is an understatement.

While in Australia studying on an Australian Government scholarship, Nguyen not only took out the University’s top medal for academic achievement, but developed software to help scientists better map the effects of schizophrenia on the brain.

As a Bachelor of Computer Science student Nguyen, from Da Lat in Vietnam, was awarded a summer scholarship to develop software for a medical database at James Fletcher Hospital. This led to honours work assisting scientists at the Schizophrenia Research Institute, a national institute seeking ways to prevent and cure schizophrenia.

Nguyen said his honours research involved assisting in the development of a software system to allow scientists to

more quickly map differences between the brains of people with schizophrenia and those without the disorder.

It involved improving the technique of mapping out regions of the brain from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans.

He explained that the researchers needed to segment the white matter, grey matter and brain fluid so they could define regions of the brain. “It took hours for the researchers to do this manually. Two to three people could spend a week on each individual brain.”

Nguyen worked with supervisors Associate Professor Frans Henskens and Paul Rasser to synthesise the best of three existing computer techniques to segment and map the brain.

The overall excellence of this academic work led to Nguyen receiving the University Medal.

Nguyen, whose second language is English, achieved first class honours for his Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours) degree.

He gained an astonishing 27 high distinctions and two distinctions for the 29 subjects he took in his undergraduate and honours degrees.

Nguyen shrugs off his achievements. “When people ask ‘Why did you score so high?’ I tell them I am as amazed as the next person.

With all the subjects, I followed the written instructions and did exactly the amount of work recommended by the lecturers. I still had time to play football and go to the pub with my friends.”

He commended the quality of teaching and the help he received from lecturers. “I would always approach a lecturer if I was struggling

with a concept. Rather than just giving me the answer, the lecturers would help me to develop the skills to solve the problem independently.”

Now back in Vietnam, Nguyen has a scholarship to do his PhD research at the Queensland Brain Institute at the University of Queensland. “My project aims to understand the brain activity involved in the voluntary movements of limbs. This technology could eventually be used to control robotic or prosthetic limbs.”

Before he left Newcastle, Nguyen presented the University with three art works made from oyster shells depicting fishing scenes in rural Vietnam.

“It was something I wanted to give to the University for helping me.”

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New frontiers in the lab and the classroom

Nobody is more delighted than Associate Professor Philip Clausen and Associate Professor William McBride that they won the 2008 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence and Learning Support.

The Teaching Excellence award is the result of the pair’s partnership developed over

years of teaching a common course. Their efforts to link aspects of engineering to everyday life, has resulted in an ability to work in sync and bounce ideas of each other.

McBride laughs as he gives a short answer for how they managed to combine a high level of research publishing with the high level of teaching they do: “Too many hours”.

Clausen puts it another way.

“It takes a lot of time and effort to do both. But teaching is one of the core parts of our job to educate the up-and-coming generation to the best of our ability. I hope it does not

sound too grandiose, but we really want to do some good for mankind.

“We enjoy seeing the light bulbs go on in the students.

That is when they say: ‘Hey, wow, now I understand how that works!’”

Both Clausen and McBride are graduates of the University, and their area of expertise is computer-aided engineering. Clausen specialises in finite element analysis – analysing how structures will behave under load – and McBride in computer-aided design.

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So how do they make a complex area like this interesting and accessible for students? “The main thing is to listen to the students, to find out what is going on in their minds. To do that you need to be approachable and engaged,” McBride said.

Clausen echoed this. “I have an open-door policy. I try to develop a dialogue with the students. I demonstrate what the software can do, bringing it to life and helping them to discover all the different things it is capable of.”

We enjoy seeing the light bulbs go on in the students. That is when they say: ‘Hey, wow, now I understand how that works!’

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Juggling an active research career with innovative and demanding teaching is no easy feat. Yet, two mechanical engineers have met the challenge and taken home the University’s top teaching award in the process.

The right prescription for learning In a classroom at the University’s Callaghan campus, an image of a man’s hand appears on a large electronic screen.

Pharmacy students are asked to identify the man’s skin rash, and the answer comes from a classroom in Taree. The student correctly identifies the ailment and circles it for everyone to see.

This is possible thanks to a new Pharmacy Skills Unit inspired by the latest innovations in virtual medical teaching.

The Unit comprises of two lecture rooms at the Callaghan campus, each equipped with an interactive whiteboard known as a Smartboard, state-of-the-art video conferencing equipment, a bench top and a hospital bed.

With demonstrations filmed and relayed in real time, students undertaking placements in various locations can interact with lecturers and their peers in Newcastle as if they are in the same room.

Actors or members of the public, who have conditions like diabetes or asthma, are filmed as they consult with a clinical pharmacist or a general practitioner in the Unit. The Unit is the brainchild of Senior Lecturer, Dr Rohan Rasiah, who said students could observe what was happening without crowding around patients and making them feel uncomfortable.

“For example we could show the students dermatitis on a

patient’s hand and project that onto the big screen. The lecturer could point to different aspects of the condition giving students a birds-eye view while sitting at their desks.”

More remarkably, students doing a rural placement can not only watch the demonstration but circle some feature of the patient’s rash on the Smartboard with virtual ink. In the same way, pharmacists or medical staff in rural hospitals can present cases to the students based in Newcastle.

Students in multiple locations could also learn from practical demonstrations of preparing prescriptions. Rasiah said the idea to place cameras above a bench came from cooking demonstration programs. “Just as chefs are shown preparing ingredients for their recipes, the lecturers and community pharmacists are shown mixing ointments and compounding medicines.”

The advanced technology works in conjunction with the already existing mock pharmacy, where students practice their dispensing, communication and

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digital patient helps train pharmacy students

A slightly irritable virtual patient is helping teach pharmacy students how best to take a history and diagnose and treat minor illnesses.

problem-solving skills.

Their performance is filmed so it can be reviewed and assessed.

Dr Jenny Schneider, Program Convenor of Pharmacy, said the Unit was developed also to help with placements for pharmacy students. Students could now complete half of their four weeks of clinical practice in the Unit and half in a hospital placement.

“The Unit enables the University to provide a more uniform standard of clinical training and to better supervise students doing hospital or community pharmacy placements anywhere in Australia or even overseas.”

The Master of Pharmacy degree, which started in 2004, attracts more than 80 first-year students.

“What is exciting is that we can now bring people in multiple locations to work together, as if they are in the same room. We can interact with pharmacists and other health professionals anywhere that has video-conferencing,” Schneider said.

The computer-generated digital patient, who has a realistic face rather than being a cartoon-like avatar, is the result of a project led

by Dr David Newby, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacology. He was assisted in developing the three-dimensional, photobased digital patient by Co-Chief Investigator Professor Jesse Jin in the School of Design, Communication and Information Technology.

The project, which received a grant from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, is being conducted in partnership with investigators from Monash University and Charles Sturt University. Pharmacy students at all three universities will take part in a randomised study to see if their communication and diagnostic skills improve after they have interacted with the virtual patient.

“An essential part of pharmacy practice is interviewing patients and getting a

diagnosis,” Newby said. “For most things you need to take an oral history, but it is difficult for students to practice that in the community. You cannot guarantee that they will see the exact numbers or types of patients.”

The software developed for the digital patient allows students to practice their communication and diagnostic skills. They type questions on a keyboard and get an oral response from the patient.

The program assesses their individual performance and gives feedback.

Newby said there was lots of interest in the digital patient from all sorts of disciplines outside of pharmacy. “This could theoretically be adapted to medicine, nursing, physiotherapy and other disciplines as they all involve some kind of history taking.

This is never going to replace the student practicing on real patients, but it will supplement it.”

Pharmacy students have to learn to ask the right questions and refer patients to doctors if the symptoms warrant it. “The role of community pharmacists is to differentiate major illnesses from minor self-limiting conditions. They need to look for alarm symptoms that must be seen by a doctor.”

Currently the team is working on three conditions: cough, constipation and reflux. Because pharmacists could ask questions in so many different ways, the team has brought in graduates and other community pharmacists to give the exact wording of the questions they ask.

The digital patient’s responses are accompanied by real expressions, like smiles and frowns. There is a limit of eight minutes for consultations and when students take too long, the virtual patient gets impatient and reminds them he has a bus to catch.

Advancing the University in Singapore

“The market for international students is hugely competitive, higher than it has ever been, not only in getting them to study here in Singapore but also at the University’s Australian campuses,” said Cochrane, who is a year into his post.

“More than ever, it is imperative that the University demonstrates its leadership and capabilities in the field and for the Singapore operation to show the way forward,” he said.

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Operating in private partnership with PSB Academy, UON Singapore has been growing rapidly since moving to PSB Academy’s 19,000 square metre campus in May 2007.

Today, there are 11 general and 11 full-time academic staff, as well as about 80 sessional staff, tending to some 2,000 students.

reputation in engineering, environmental health, communications and business and, if the right opportunities arise, expand into areas such as allied health, nursing and the sciences.

Cochrane’s appointment to head the University’s thriving Singapore operation is the culmination of more than two decades leading significant education development projects in Asia for some of Australia’s top universities. “It is enormously rewarding to be able to contribute to improving the quality of teaching and learning in developing Asian countries’ education systems,” Cochrane said.

At the moment, Cochrane is working on developing the UON Singapore’s postgraduate programs and aims to generate research opportunities for the University, through institutional partnerships in Singapore and Indonesia. In particular, he is keen to see the University’s Masters programs in environmental business management, occupational health and safety, and leadership and management in education introduced.

“This is a major imperative for the campus,” Cochrane said.

Since taking up the Singapore position in August 2008, Cochrane is looking to build on the University’s strong

Equally important is the need to raise the profile of the University in Singapore, to help it recruit more

“

Right now, Melbourne-born Bob Cochrane’s beloved Collingwood Football Club must take a back seat.

Although he confesses he misses his AFL, the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer of the University of Newcastle Singapore (UON Singapore) has his eyes set on a very different competition – the international education market.

international students to study at its Australian campuses.

“I would like to see more student exchange, and see more of our Singapore students going to Newcastle to study,” Cochrane said. “What we are doing here to build our reputation will assist us.”

Cochrane knows it is also crucial for the University to play to its strengths. “It is vital we promote the significant range of courses we offer, the substantial number of graduates we have put through the University and our leadership in fields such as engineering and health.”

With exciting times ahead, Cochrane is very optimistic about the future. “Strategically, Singapore has an important role to play in cementing our presence in the Asian region as well as enhancing our place in Australia,” he said.

It is enormously rewarding to be able to contribute to improving the quality of teaching and learning in developing Asian countries’ education systems

TEACHING & LEARNING

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Hunter benefits from international talent

When the offer came to build a website promoting the Hunter region, University of Newcastle international students Nazli Gholizadeh Seghar and Xiong Zhao jumped at the chance.

“I ran my own web design business in Tehran and designed the country’s first official website for Iran Broadcasting,” said Iranianborn Seghar, a qualified business analyst studying for a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Information Technology at the University. “It was exciting to combine this experience with the skills gained through studying my MBA to work out the best approach for the Hunter website.”

Chinese electrical engineer Zhao – from the city of Tianjin, 120 kilometres southeast of Beijing – agrees that the project for the Hunter Economic Development Corporation (HEDC), which recruited both students under the International Postgraduate Employment Pilot Project (IPEPP), provided invaluable help in opening up professional opportunities for foreign students.

“It gave us a foot in the door,” said Zhao, who has been a Master of Advanced Information Technology student at the University for the past two years.

The IPEPP, run by the University’s International Office, was established to match the skills of international PhD and Masters students with shortages in the Hunter region. Specifically, it helps to prepare international postgraduate students for future employment, especially if they are thinking of applying for permanent residence.

Seghar and Zhao took advantage of the University’s three-month summer break to develop the web portal (www.hunterregion.com), which promotes the different areas within the region and provides vital information for prospective businesses.

Seghar was responsible for managing the project and web design and Zhao took charge of programming.

Both students acknowledged the HEDC project was crucial in providing introductions to local businesses and allowed them to engage with key business and local government people across the region.

But the students were not the only ones to benefit from such a project, explained Seghar.

“It helped make the Newcastle business community aware of

the knowledge and professional abilities available to them. That is critical, especially if there is a skills need.”

The project also afforded the students much deeper cultural insight and understanding of the local way of life. “In China, this website would look quite different,” Zhao said. “The first thing with the Hunter project was to understand how Australians think and how they use information from the website.”

It was not only the students who took away cultural knowledge and learning, Seghar pointed out. “We opened the eyes of people we met. The exchange let them see that although we are Iranian and Chinese, we are not that different.”

With the project completed, both students feel the HEDC has given them a muchneeded confidence boost and a chance to show off their talents.

“The project allowed us to meet many new people, look at different career opportunities, and at the same time add another dimension to our careers,” Seghar said.

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TEACHING & LEARNING

Photo: Jo Lennan

Taking on the law in Oxford For University of Newcastle alumnus Ross Abbs, winning a scholarship to the University of Oxford is a chance to pursue his keen fascination with the law’s influence on our everyday affairs.

The 26-year-old Novocastrian, whose achievements in law have earned him the prestigious James Fairfax Oxford Australia Scholarship, is thrilled by the chance – and the challenge – of studying at the English-speaking world’s oldest university.

“I have always been interested in politics and current affairs,” Abbs said. “The law is central to so much of what goes on and so much of how society is structured.”

Abbs graduated from the University with first class honours in law in 2006, having also completed a Bachelor of Arts degree with first class honours in 2004. He backed

Former US President sparks student to do good

up with stints working for High Court judge Justice Michael Kirby, the Victorian Law Reform Commission and, most recently, the University of Sydney’s Professor Peter Cashman.

Abbs is the first University of Newcastle graduate to be awarded the nationally competitive $12,000 scholarship to study the one-year Bachelor of Civil Law degree at Oxford.

The scholarship provides for tuition and living expenses, with the University of Newcastle contributing an additional $10,000.

Abbs is looking to study subjects related to public law and the philosophical

Getting to shake the hand of a former President of the United States was not the highlight of Jayme-Lyn Hendriks’ US trip, but it ran pretty close.

The moment came for the fourth-year arts and law student while she was attending the Clinton Global Initiative University, held at the University of Texas in Austin in February 2009. In its third year, the three-day conference,

foundations of the common law at Oxford. “I am more interested in law from an academic point of view, as a social instrument, rather than practising as a lawyer,” he said. “That is why the idea of studying law at a higher level has a lot of appeal.”

While Abbs is unsure of his path post-Oxford, he hopes the year overseas will crystallise some of his thoughts on how he may best use his knowledge and experience of law to engage with society. At the same time, he will use the experience to revel in his love of history. “The idea of being part of an environment that is so completely different to anything we have in Australia excites me,” he said.

hosted by Bill Clinton, gathered about 1,000 university students from across the globe to thrash out some of the world’s most pressing issues such as climate change, human rights and poverty.

While the meeting with Clinton was something the 25-year-old is unlikely to forget, what stood out above all else was the opportunity to engage with like-minded young people and

TEACHING & LEARNING

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Academic integrity an essential part of study

In a world where the internet has made plagiarism easier, the University has trained many senior academics to help people maintain academic integrity through education and to investigate alleged offences.

There is at least one Student Academic Conduct Officer (SACO) in each school, and they are the first point of call if students are suspected of plagiarism. Offences can involve anything from falsifying data to ‘contract cheating’ – paying another person to write an essay or paper and submitting it as one’s own work.

Associate Professor Peter Looker, of the Centre for Teaching and Learning and Coordinator of the SACO system, said the University was leading the sector and had implemented an excellent safeguard for academic integrity. “Dealing with academic fraud and

draw inspiration from their ideas to help the less advantaged.

“I was amazed at how incredibly practical and innovative some of the ideas were and how people refused to see limits to what they were trying to achieve,” Hendriks said. “The ideas generated by the conference provided direction for the William J. Clinton Foundation, with the best being developed.”

plagiarism is not just about catching people, but about educating them so you can prevent it.”

In many disciplines, students already needed to complete an online academic integrity module that teaches them about proper quoting and attribution. The aim was to extend this to all students.

Looker said he had recently heard the author of a book on academic fraud comment that the culture had changed so students no longer thought about intellectual capital in the same way. “My own belief is that sometimes students genuinely do not think they are doing anything wrong, because they live in a culture where people borrow quotes and recycle them all the time,” Looker said.

Among the learning tools the University uses to advance academic integrity is the text-matching software Turnitin. Students can obtain an originality report on their work from Turnitin before submitting it. The software searches and marks all sections of text that match content in its database.

Students can then revise their work, placing quotation marks

One particular program, teaching new migrants skills and language, appealed to Hendrik’s keen interest in the rights of migrants and women.

As part of her degree she studied human rights and volunteered with the Northern Settlement Services to develop a training program to address domestic violence in culturally and linguistically diverse families in Newcastle. It was

around copied text and giving appropriate attributions.

The SACO system was adopted from Oxford-Brookes University in the United Kingdom and Looker said it had proved to be extremely successful. The officers are appointed by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Global Relations). Among the strengths of the system is that all officers receive ongoing training in academic integrity policies, procedures and issues. The opportunity to network and get advice from colleagues on how to handle issues ensures there is a consistent approach.

“

Dealing with academic fraud and plagiarism is not just about catching people, but about educating them so you can prevent it

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A team of specially-trained academics and software that helps students to avoid passing off the work of others as their own, are among the powerful strategies being used by the University to encourage academic integrity.

The officers conduct initial investigations of each case and depending on their findings may counsel staff or students or refer the matters elsewhere. Looker said offenders faced severe consequences, including being suspended or dismissed from the University.

“One of the interesting things that has come up is that when students undertake academic integrity modules, there are fewer cases reported.

It shows the educational aspect is working.”

this work that encouraged Hendriks to apply to attend the conference.

Another idea canvassed at the conference by participants included supplying a peanut butter protein supplement to HIV-positive Africans, who needed critical nourishment for their medication to be effective.

Then there was the participant who was buying jewellery

made by female Argentinian prisoners. The proceeds supported these women on release, and the jewellery was sold to fund the construction of schools in Iraq.

“The experience has reaffirmed my commitment to make a difference, particularly in the area of human rights,” Hendriks said.

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RESEARCH 2009

Helping cool kids cope

In a therapy room on campus, a clinical psychology postgraduate student unpacks a bag of ‘feeling stones’ – ceramic pebbles with stylised faces that show emotions like anger, joy, sadness and fear – as she waits for her clients.

Behind her is a board noting the group rules for the session, including ‘Keep other peoples’ secrets safe’, and ‘Do not talk when someone else is talking’.

These rules were drawn up by primary school pupils participating in the 10-week ‘Cool Kids’ group anxiety treatment program. While the children are treated in one room, their parents attend separate sessions where they learn how to manage their children’s anxiety.

The program is among the treatment services offered to the community by the University’s Psychology Clinic.

The aim of the Clinic is to provide a supportive learning environment where students can develop clinical skills and gain research experience.

The Clinic offers individual treatment sessions for a wide variety of psychiatric disorders and psychological problems.

It specialises in cognitive behavioural therapy for clients suffering from anxiety, stress and phobias, as well as depression. The clients range in age from five to 74.

Dr Rosemary Webster, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Clinic, said 16 to 20 postgraduate clinical and health psychology interns

completed a placement at the Clinic each year.

Depending on whether they are doing a masters or doctorate, students need to do between 1,000 and 1,500 hours of placement for their degrees.

Working under supervision, each intern undertakes 250 hours work at the Clinic.

Housed in the Behavioural Sciences building on Callaghan campus, the Clinic has a separate entrance and a relaxing waiting room separate from general student areas.

The ‘Cool Kids’ program is conducted in a cheerful children’s therapy room, complete with posters, soft toys, puzzles and games.

TEACHING TEACHING & LEARNING & LEARNING 2009

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Learning at the coalface In addition to hot flushes, bladder complications and other physical symptoms, menopausal women may experience mood and cognitive problems and relationship stress. So when the University’s Psychology Clinic offered a new ‘Menopause made Manageable’ group treatment program in 2009, more than 80 women participated and almost that number again were placed on a waiting list.

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In consultation with their supervisor, students pick up a client load: they see between three and four clients per day. They present cases and discuss treatment and special issues with their clinical supervisors, both before and after seeing clients

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In 2008 the Clinic started a ‘Chilled’ group program for adolescents with anxiety and depression. In 2009 it introduced a group program to help women make their menopause symptoms more manageable.

“In consultation with their supervisor, students pick up a client load: they see between three and four clients per day.

They present cases and discuss treatment and special issues with their clinical supervisors, both before and after seeing clients,” Webster said.

Generally the same intern would see an individual client through to the end of his or her treatment, which could range from one to 16 sessions but averaged at six. Some clients were assessed jointly in a

co-treatment session with a supervisor.

According to Webster, around one-third of the Clinic’s 109 clients are referred for anxiety and 10 per cent for depression.

Around 17 per cent of clients are referred for cognitive assessments, which might be needed for conditions ranging from brain injuries and strokes to dementia. Children are sometimes assessed for learning difficulties.

Webster said the demographics of clients had shifted from 83 per cent adults in 2001 to just 34 per cent adults in 2008. “There are not many psychologists providing treatment for children under Medicare, so we are now offering more services for children.”

Dr Rosemary Webster, Director of the Psychology Clinic, said she decided to develop a holistic program to help other women deal with this stressful life change because of her own experience coping with menopause symptoms.

The program uses cognitive behavioural group therapy, which has been shown to improve menopausal symptoms including anxiety and depression.

The program gives women the information and techniques they need to address the physical and psychological changes due to menopause. For example, diet changes, exercise and relaxation techniques can reduce hot flushes and mood swings.

Webster said this was the only treatment program of its type being offered in the Hunter. All participants receive a comprehensive manual, which may soon be published as a book.

She explained that while most research focused on managing physical menopause symptoms, “professional women in particular may also find difficulties with memory and concentration, with finding words, with cognitive changes”.

Webster said fluctuations in women’s hormone levels affected the central nervous system, which led to physiological symptoms as well as anxiety and mood changes. Managing stress and assertiveness training were important aspects of the program.

Doctoral student Cindy Buxton is evaluating the effects the program has on menopause symptoms as part of her professional Doctorate of Clinical and Health Psychology.

Buxton said about 80 women had completed the before treatment survey. She would evaluate a sample of women after the program to see if there had been any changes in their physical symptoms, anxiety and depression.

Buxton said the Psychology Clinic provided a supportive environment for interns to develop skills to deliver group treatment programs, such as ‘Menopause made Manageable’, as well as one-on-one therapy.

“The Clinic has provided me with an invaluable opportunity to put my learning into practice in a supportive environment. The Clinic was my first placement and has provided an excellent foundation for subsequent placements,” Buxton said.

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TEACHING & LEARNING

Adding to the quality teaching trophy cabinet

When this year’s recipients of one of the most competitive higher education honours in Australia picked up their awards, they added yet another chapter to the University’s rich history of teaching excellence.

For the fourth year running, University staff members were recognised for their teaching excellence with Citations from the prestigious Australian Learning and Teaching Council.

years. The awards recognise academic and general staff who have made longstanding contributions to the quality of student learning and improving the overall student experience.

“In 2009, the University scooped five awards adding more disciplines to an impressive tally and showing that quality teaching is in every corner of the University,” Professor Kevin McConkey, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Global Relations) said. This year’s Citations are from fields as wide-ranging as dietetics, film studies and academic integrity.

The Faculty of Health’s Leanne Brown: recognised for the sustained development of innovative feedback strategies in dietetic professional practice placements, and coursework that fosters independent student learning. Professional practice placement opportunities are critically important for nutrition and dietetics students, but have become harder to find as the number of courses and students in this field have

No fewer than 22 Citations have been awarded to the University over the past four

increased. As a lecturer in nutrition and dietetics at the University Department of Rural Health for the past six years, Brown has used a variety of methods to markedly increase the number and variety of student placements. There has also been an overwhelmingly positive response to the ways in which she has enhanced the learning experiences of the students in these placements.

The Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment’s Thayaparan Gajendran and the Academic and Global Relations Division’s Debbie Booth: awarded for developing a student-centred online module with innovative assessment and feedback strategies to teach students

about academic integrity.

Despite the long-term commitment of the School of Architecture and Built Environment to encouraging good academic practice, rising numbers of academic misconduct cases were being reported to the School’s Academic Conduct Officer.

Realising that attempts to engage students on a piecemeal basis in selected courses had failed, the two staff members developed an Academic Integrity Module accessible to all students in the School. The module has been influential in the wider University campaign to foster academic integrity, and colleagues at the Namibia University of Science and

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“

In 2009, the University scooped five awards adding more disciplines to an impressive tally and showing that quality teaching is in every corner of the University

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Photo: Justine Pearl

Technology have expressed interest in adapting it to their own needs.

The Academic and Global Relations Division’s Ruth Gresham and the Services Division’s Jeanette Walsh: recognised for sustained leadership in promoting engagement with cultural differences in academic and social environments, resulting in enhanced learning outcomes for Muslim students. While the University has students from 80 countries, and the number of Muslim students has doubled in the past two years, the surrounding Newcastle community is more homogeneous than most large Australian cities. The two staff

members introduced a two-pronged initiative to deal with the significant opportunities and challenges presented by this, building a supportive community that could understand the challenges facing the new students, and proactively orientating and preparing the students for those challenges.

sharing and revising information and for validating students’ opinions in a supportive social situation. She has been using networked technologies to enhance face-to-face teaching since 1994, and is now in a fifth phase of internet-based teaching in which she is developing a hybrid of online and face-to-face education.

The Faculty of Education and Arts’ Associate Professor Marjorie Kibby: awarded for engaging film, media and cultural studies students in effective, innovative online learning activities.

Kibby facilitates student learning by challenging and testing their ideas. She provides opportunities for

The Faculty of Health’s Dr David Newby: recognised for implementing an innovative community pharmacy initiative to develop the skills of pharmacy students in evidence-based critical appraisal and minor illness management. Community pharmacists play a critical role by diagnosing and managing

minor illnesses and selecting appropriate over-the-counter medicines. Newby has successfully developed and implemented curriculum innovations to develop the students’ capacity for critical evaluation and to adopt an evidence-based approach.

He has received several invitations to teach evidencebased medicine skills at the national and international level, and recently published the first Australian community pharmacy textbook on this subject.

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TEACHING & LEARNING

Fair trade coffee a fair go for farmers?

People who actively seek out fair trade products may think they are helping to make the world a better place. But is the higher price actually making a difference to the disadvantaged farmers and producers supplying the product?

Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) student, Bounthavivanh Mixap, intends to find out. She is investigating the sustainable development of fair trade coffee in her home country of Laos for her thesis.

“Around 20,000 families in Laos depend on coffee production for their income.

You will find a lot of research has been done on fair trade in South American countries and Mexico, but very little has been conducted in Laos,” Mixap said.

Farmers, representatives from non-governmental organisations and government departments, as well as a coffee entrepreneur have been interviewed in Laos to establish the benefits of fair trade to the disadvantaged. Mixap explained that her mother worked as an accountant for the Poverty Reduction Fund and it was discussions with her that heightened her awareness of poverty as a child.

In 2008, Mixap was among more than 300 students from 19 universities in Australia,

Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands who attended the Intervarsity Summit on Australia’s Role in Ending Extreme Poverty (ISAREEP).

The conference was sponsored

by AusAid. Attending the conference compelled Mixap to take a closer look at the fair trade coffee industry and examine its impact on disadvantaged farmers in Laos.

“I am looking at the social, economic and environmental impact of a fair trade coffee cooperative in Laos. The cooperative aims to improve farmers’ incomes and educate them about the coffee market.

Farmers also learn how to better manage their farms and support their community by participating in fair trade.”

Mixap said the farmers in the cooperative used chemical-free farming methods, similar to organic standards. They build sustainable trade relationships by having purchasers make upfront deposits and give guarantees that they will buy from the cooperative for that harvest season. Under the fair

trade relationship, the minimum price is usually higher than the one offered by conventional market and also provides a special premium for community development projects.

Mixap said she wanted to investigate whether all the cooperative’s goals were being met. “Consumers pay a lot more for fair trade coffee and they expect that the money benefits the farmers and the community.

But to get the higher price, the farmers have to put in far more work.”

She said her review of the literature showed that often fair trade had more negative than positive impacts. “By analysing the impacts or consequences of fair trade on this cooperative, I am hoping to find out whether fair trade really is fair and what the advantages and disadvantages are for farmers. ”The results will not only benefit farmers in Laos and in developing countries, but also assist consumers in wealthier countries to make informed choices about their purchases,” Mixap said.

When not conducting this important social research, Mixap turns her attention to Newcastle’s international student community. As one of the University’s very active international students, Mixap is in the ideal position to provide support and advice to new students.

“I share my experiences with new students and talk to them about how to overcome any difficulties they may face when settling in. University involves more than just attending lectures, tutorials and studying in the library. My advice is for students to become involved in the University community and look out for opportunities to enhance their experience in Australia.

“This is exactly what I did when coming to the University.

As a result, I was able to attend an international conference and not only share my experiences of living in a developing country, but hear from people passionate about changing the world,” Mixap said.

TEACHING & LEARNING

Sitting more than 2,000 kilometres away in Mount Isa, Botha completed his Master of Occupational Health and Safety degree entirely online.

When he first visited the University’s Callaghan campus, it was after a two-and-a-half day road trip from Mount Isa with his wife and three children to attend his graduation ceremony.

“That ceremony just blew my children away,” said Botha, a Health and Safety Advisor for Xstrata’s Copper Mine Maintenance in Mount Isa. “It had such an impact when they saw the impressive building, the people dressed in robes and their father receiving a Masters degree. It showed them what education can achieve.”

Photo: WixPix Studio

Online study takes Newcastle to Mt Isa Nico Botha was a proud University of Newcastle student for two years. He studied hard, achieved good grades, enjoyed great relationships with his lecturers and was a lively contributor to class discussions. What sets Botha apart from the ‘usual’ University experience is that in all his time studying for his Masters, he did not step foot on Newcastle soil.

A South African immigrant, Botha said if it were not for the highly professional way in which the degree was delivered and the support of outstanding lecturers he would have thrown in the towel. He described his return to study as a mid-life crisis degree prompted by a career change.

Botha started the degree at the age of 51, soon after moving from the hospitality industry into the occupational health field. “I shopped around and what really stood out for me about Newcastle was that I could do my entire Master of Occupational Health and Safety degree online.”

Another attraction was that the University offered courses in toxicology and epidemiology: two subjects that particularly interested him.

From the outset, he was impressed by the quality of teaching, the quick response of his lecturers and the high level of the feedback he received. In some courses he linked into regular online discussion forums, participating with other distance learners and students on campus.

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Botha had a number of hurdles to overcome. When he began the degree he was working full-time for Queensland Health, so time was in short supply. Fortunately, Botha said, he was a studyaholic and he and his wife spent the evenings and weekends studying for separate postgraduate degrees. Suffering a visual impairment presented a further challenge, overcome by the University enlarging his study materials.

Botha’s biggest obstacle however came when he suffered a health scare in August 2008 and felt too exhausted to pursue his studies. He was persuaded to continue by his lecturers, especially epidemiology lecturer Maya Guest. “She told me, Nico, the goalpost is in sight. I will help you and I will give you all the assistance you need to pass.”

And lucky she did. Botha’s studies have helped him make vast improvements in his current job – preventing injuries and potentially saving lives.

“In six months at Mount Isa I have reduced the incidents in my section by making employees aware of their role in delivering a safer work environment. Using the knowledge I gained from Newcastle during my Masters allows me to be heard and to be seen in our mine and to rectify what is wrong.”

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TEACHING & LEARNING

Sixty years of education innovation

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The School’s ability to embrace challenges has earned it a reputation for innovative education

The Hunter’s first teaching students received a rude shock when they arrived for day one of classes at the Newcastle Teachers’ College in March 1949. Heavy rain had delayed building and the students were sent straight into local schools for a two-week placement while construction was completed.

When the building opened its doors to the 181 students and 13 lecturers, it was clear that initiative and a pioneering spirit would drive teacher education in the region.

Sixty years on, the University of Newcastle’s School of Education is the second largest teacher education institution in Australia. There are some 4,000 undergraduate, 800 postgraduate and 120 research higher degree students, with about 70 full-time and many part-time academic staff.

Thousands of teachers, principals, early childhood workers and academics have graduated and gone on to make their mark in and out of the classroom in communities both locally and overseas. Graduates include John Doyle, radio, TV and theatre personality; Virginia Chadwick, NSW’s first female Minister for Education; Olympic medalist Kevan Gosper, previous Vice President of the International Olympic Committee; and Cheryl Kernot, Leader of the Australian Democrats from 1993 to 1997.

Professor Jenny Gore took over as Head of School and Dean of Education in 2008 at a time of significant change, with the University reviewing all courses and an increasingly intense focus on school education by government at both state and federal levels. But challenge is nothing new to this School.

“The School’s ability to embrace challenges has earned it a reputation for innovative education,” Gore said. A recent example is ‘Teach Outreach’, launched in 2009.

The partnership between the University and the community places students as volunteers in schools and other organisations, providing much-needed assistance while broadening the students’ insights into what it means to be a teacher.

Also proving very popular with the community is ‘Teachers’ Visit Day’, the first of which was held in July 2009. Through lectures and demonstrations, the Day provides teachers in Hunter and Central Coast schools with cutting-edge information about the latest in research, teaching methods and technologies.

The professional learning day allows teachers and educators to connect with colleagues from local schools and staff in the University.

Gore said the School has made the fairly bold move of replacing its one-year education diplomas with a two-year Master of Teaching program. The first intake for this program was in 2009. The School was one of the earliest to replace Bachelor of Education degrees with double-degree programs involving a Bachelor of Teaching combined with another bachelor degree in a field such as art or science.

Initiatives like these are building on earlier achievements of note. The School was the first to introduce an internship for students whereby, in their final year, they undergo a full 10 weeks of classroom teaching, including six weeks with full responsibility for their classes. “This is now very much industry practice,” Gore said.

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The University of Newcastle For more information about the articles in this publication please visit www.newcastle.edu.au/teaching-and-learning Editor Kate Reid, Media and Public Relations Kate.Reid@newcastle.edu.au Project Coordinator Rhianna Fursdon Rhianna.Fursdon@newcastle.edu.au Writers Editor Group Design Bounce Design Photography McKean Photo

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Cover: Bounthavivanh Mixap is investigating the sustainable development of fair trade coffee in her home country of Laos. Read her story on page 22.

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TEACHING & LEARNING 2009

GLOBAL SUCCESS

From job juggler to jaw surgeon

The right prescription for learning

Hunter benefits from international talent

Artistic space for the up-and-coming

Taking on the law in Oxford

Fair trade coffee a fair go for farmers?