Exceptional learning and teaching at Flinders were in the spotlight last week, as FUSA hosted the annual Student-Led Teaching Awards for 2024.
On Friday 29 November, the annual Celebration of Learning and Teaching to present our Student-Led Teaching Awards for 2024.
Brought to you by the Flinders University Student Association (FUSA), the SLTAs provide an opportunity for students to recognise and raise the profile of teaching at Flinders University while celebrating a uniquely student perspective.
The difference with this award is that students determine the award categories, nominate the educators and select the winners. In other words, they have full control!
The awards, introduced in 2021, continue to receive strong support from students, with over 200 nominations received across the year. What stands out when reading the nominations is how deeply all nominees embody our student centred ethos here at Flinders. Students feel seen, known and understood by these outstanding educators and are supported to learn to the best of their abilities. This is truly something to celebrate.
At the end of October a panel of six students, chaired by the FUSA Education Officer Ben Grillett, met and spent a day deliberating and assessing against the student-set criteria. It is no easy task to choose a winning nomination as there are so many worthy recipients. In the Most Supportive Supervisor category the top two candidates could not be split so the panel chose to award two top prizes (including to a Supervisory Team).
FUSA congratulates the winners of the 2024 Student-Led Teaching Awards:
2024 Student-Led Teaching Award (College Awards)
- College of Business, Government and Law – Dr Samantha Kontra
- College of Education, Psychology and Social Work – Dr Annabelle Neall
- College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences – Micaela Pattison
- College of Medicine and Public Health – Dr Helen Harrison
- College of Nursing and Health Sciences – Frank Guerriero
- College of Science and Engineering – Afrooz Bayat
Most Supportive Supervisor Award
- Dr Fiona Rillotta (CNHS)
- Prof Beverley Clarke and Prof Susanne Schech (CHASS)
TA that Saved the Day
- Elyse Beavis (CNHS)
Innovation in Digital Teaching
- Charissa Tarzia (CBGL)
Outstanding Wellbeing and Student Support
- Tahlia Johnson (CNHS)
The University Ducks in Teaching Award (chosen from the group of College SLTA winners in the six Colleges)
- Dr Helen Harrison, Senior Lecturer, Teaching Specialist in Human Physiology, College of Medicine and Public Health.
As shared in the winning nomination, “If there was a short way to summarise Helen’s impact it would be this: after any interaction with Helen… I have always left feeling excited about physiology, inspired to learn more, feeling appreciated and respected, and generally just feeling positive and happy. This is an impact that I will always remember, and it helps me continue my studies with confidence and self-belief. Thank you Helen for all your hard work.”
For the full report and a further list of Honourable Mentions please visit the FUSA Website www.fusa.edu.au/slta
FUSA would like to thank all students who took the time to nominate staff for these awards. The nominations were very strong and it made for a very tough judging process!
The SLTA’s will return in 2025 and we look forward to once again celebrating our wonderful academic staff at Flinders and their outstanding impact as educators.