Excellence in teaching

Barbara Chang is a Senior Lecturer in the Microbiology Department. She received the Excellence in Teaching Award for the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry in 1999. This award represents a joint effort by the Guild and the University to recognise and reward exemplary teaching.

I began my university career in 1980 as a Senior Tutor, teaching students in the Faculties of Science, Agriculture, Dentistry and Medicine. I was immediately captivated by the eagerness of the students and their excitement as they were exposed, often for the first time, to the world of microorganisms. I, and other teachers of microbiology, are very fortunate in the beauty and diversity of our subject material. Microbiology is still treated cursorily in school curricula as somehow subordinate to the other great disciplines within biology. I consider that one of my primary goals is to provide a framework whereby students can recognise the significance of microbiology as a fundamental branch of science, and gain an understanding of the numerous ways that microbes affect our lives. In my lectures, I try to provide real-life examples to illustrate the theory: a mention of the recent exposure of three people to tuberculosis bacteria after sniffing a vial found on a Perth train adds interest to a lecture on the pathogenesis of M. tuberculosis; a discussion about the use of anthrax spores in bioterrorism shows the relevance of a detailed lecture on spore structure and function.

There has been an explosive growth in new knowledge about microbiology over the last few decades, and this still continues. Thus, one of the great challenges is to present sufficient information but not to swamp students and force them into a mindless, rote-learning strategy for survival. My aim is to foster understanding, critical analysis of information presented and self-directed learning. As such, in my lectures I often emphasise the dubious nature of the ‘facts’ presented in textbooks, and show how hypotheses have been refuted and knowledge of a topic has evolved. I like to talk about how competition between research groups has led to the rapid development of a certain field and often to confusion in nomenclature of, for example, bacterial structures or virulence determinants. I often leave the students with a question at the end of a lecture, and have a short discussion about it at the start of the next lecture. In lab classes, I avoid always giving a direct answer to a student’s question; instead, I might send them off with a few points to ponder which will lead them to discover their own answer. It is important, of course, to follow up and make sure they have not been left floundering!

I am convinced that teaching and learning involves a relationship between teacher and student, and that the best learning outcome for the student will come from interaction, empathy and care. This has become harder over the years due to increases in class sizes without concurrent increases in staff numbers or resources. My goal is to see graduates in Microbiology and Molecular Biology leave the University with the same degree of eager enthusiasm and curiosity they had on entering, and with a sound foundation on which to build their future careers.