Unitec lecturer's win National Tertiary Teaching Awards

Media Release

Unitec lecturer's win National Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards

Wednesday 10 July, 2013

Nursing lecturer Sue White and building technology lecturer, Kamuka Pati, have been recognised for excellence in tertiary teaching. The two Unitec lecturers along with 8 others received Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards (TTEA), last night at a reception at Parliament Buildings in Wellington.

"To be recognised at such a high level is very validating, and winning the award is a fabulous endorsement of my teaching style," says Sue. "We had to demonstrate not only sustained excellence in teaching but how we plan, design, assess and facilitate learning, how we reflect on and evaluate learning and our contribution to professional development and leadership in teaching."

Kamuka feels proud to be chosen as a recipient for the award as he points out that there are many great teachers at Unitec.

While the teaching experience of Kamuka and Sue varies from six years up to 25 years, what unifies them is their great passion for teaching.

"Every person is an individual and has different needs," says Sue. "To help the students I use a lot of variety in my lecturers to ensure everyone is involved". Sue explains that she uses stories in her lectures to help students relate to the subject. "Sciences feel like a mysterious world for some students. The use of stories and analogies helps to translate foreign terms and concepts into a language they understand."

Kamuka highlights the importance of gaining the trust and respect of students. "Not having an authoritative approach but rather an equal approach is what sets you up for the entire year. I constantly challenge myself to improve and I ask myself: How can I do it better next time?" Kamuka continuously searches for ways of improving student learning and keeping students involved.

Putting the student in the centre of the teaching and learning process is what Kamuka and Sue have in common and what identifies them as excellent teachers.

ENDS

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