I am a public relations professional and passionate educator with over two decades of international experience in communication and media practice, and scholarship. I regard teaching as a great responsibility as well as an enormous privilege. The key elements of my teaching philosophy are passion and authenticity, characterised by industry engagement and realistic, meaningful assessment design. Informed by constructivist theory (see e.g. Gardner, 1983; Piaget, 1952; Riding & Cheema, 1991), I strongly believe that effective learning occurs when learners are actively involved in the primary construction of knowledge (Stewart, 2013). I hence see myself less as a teacher, but rather a facilitator of learning. The final key ingredient of my teaching approach is critical thinking and a focus on lifelong learning skills, which take our graduates well beyond the common focus on “hitting the ground running” and equip them for a rewarding career in an exciting, ever changing and highly competitive environment.
Over the past decade I have been the unit coordinator for three third year PR units, Cross-Cultural Communication, PR Planning & Evaluation and PR Internship. However, I am also the course coordinator of Curtin’s public relations degree – one of only two degrees Accredited by the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) that is based in a business school. Furthermore, I am part of the team that developed the highly regarded edX MKT2x Reputation Management in a Digital World MOOC.
I consider our students as future business leaders and change agents, and consequently treat them with the deserved respect. However, this recognition also comes with high expectations and my own commitment to provide them with realistic expectations of their post-university career, in an exciting, ever changing and highly competitive environment.
I believe in meaningful assessments that are modelled on best practice and provide students with a realistic insight into industry expectations. My units, and indeed most of our PR curriculum, use real life clients. The individual client’s nature and current communication challenges shape the semester-based learning experience. Authenticity is further assured based on my strong industry links. As a former PRIA state president and long term counsellor I am extremely well connected. The Curtin PR curriculum is informed by industry best practice, such as the latest developments in transmedia storytelling and pedagogy and AMEC’s integrated evaluation framework (K1). Finally, my unit content is informed by my own industry research, providing real time insights into communication challenges, such as the rise of digital communication and influencer engagement, industry profiles of the Australian, Malaysian and UAE PR industry and cross-cultural communication.
Passionate about education and strongly committed to continuous professional development (I am a qualified TEASOL teacher, hold a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching, am a CIPR accredited practitioner and have am currently completing an AMEC International Certificate in Measurement and Evaluation), I see myself as a facilitator of learning. When I joined academia after over a decade in practice, one of the first moves was to turn the traditional lecture + tutorial set up into interactive seminars that are built on the concept of communities of practice. Through the use of reflective diaries, video diaries and wikis I not only encourage students to reflect on their learning experience, I furthermore facilitate the exchange of insights and knowledge between peers, both locally, but also across locations. Our program has been delivered at owned and partner campuses in Singapore, Mauritius and Malaysia. Taking the example of my Cross-Cultural Communication unit, students have been able to gain insights into the challenges and opportunities of cross-cultural communication from their peers across geographical areas, drawing on the kaleidoscope of knowledge, insights and perspectives of local, offshore and international students. Over the past decade I have developed a reputation with both students and colleagues as an innovative and passionate educator, effectively establishing a public relations Learning Community that consists of current students, graduates, PR Student Chapter representatives, industry experts, not for profit organisations, the Australian Public Relations Institute (PRIA) and likeminded colleagues. With a strong emphasis on work integrated learning (WIL) and lifelong learning skills, I have made it my responsibility to engage students, put them firmly in charge of their own learning and motivate them to continue engaging with both further education and the Curtin PR community, far beyond their graduation date.
Student feedback
Leadership Roles (in current role at Curtin University)
·Course Coordinator for Public Relations Major, responsible for Comprehensive Course Review (2013/4), curriculum design and industry liaison (now ART)
·Unit Coordinator for third year units in the public relations stream of the undergraduate degree in commerce, including offshore coordination and teaching in Singapore, Mauritius and Malaysia (Sarawak and Kuala Lumpur)
·Inaugural Fellow of the Curtin Academy, an active honorary network of exceptional leaders committed to and passionate about the collaboration and dissemination of teaching excellence at Curtin University
·School representative on the Business School’s Course Committee and Assurance of Learning (AoL) Working Party & AACSB Accreditation School Champion
·Active involvement in university-wide Teaching & Learning initiatives, including judge for the 2012 Curtin Innovation in Teaching and Learning Awards and Curtin Academy Advisory Group member
·Network member of the national Developing Threshold Learning Standards for Journalism, Media & Communications (JoMeC) initiative & “external expert” on the TEQSA Register of Experts
· Australian Coordinator for the Global Communications Project (http://www.globcom.org) (since 2012) and part of the global mentoring team
· Coordinator of Peer Review of Teaching across the Public Relations teaching team (including sessionals) (2013)
I am currently an Associate Fellow with the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA), working towards my full Fellowship