A view of professional development from a late arrival to academic life

Wallace Cowling Associate Professor Plant Sciences

I arrived at UWA in February 1999 after 17 years as a researcher in the Department of Agriculture. I had given occasional lectures to students in the Faculty of Agriculture, but it was almost 20 years since I finished my PhD and 25 years since my Bachelor of Agricultural Science. You can imagine that I was somewhat terrified at the prospect of teaching again after such a long break from academia.

I was panic-stricken preparing my first lectures in 1999 and although the lectures to go alright, I thought the students were quite remote from the subject and I did not have the skills to draw them into it. It was difficult to block out two and a half days to devote to a teaching course – or so I thought. So I rather begrudgingly trundled off to the Foundations of University Teaching and Learning Programme. In retrospect, it was the best use of my time so far at UWA.

The first great thing that happened was that I met some incredibly interesting colleagues from a broad spectrum of activities in the University - different faculties and backgrounds and with different reasons for attending. The friendships we made on the course will surely stay with us during our academic careers. Secondly, I learned a lot more than I thought I would about teaching and learning. I learned that teaching was an important component of academic life at UWA – and that it was taken seriously by the majority of academics and the administration. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor spoke with us on the first day to reinforce that idea and made a special point of telling us that teaching was a major component of any claim for promotion. The third great thing that happened was our “mentor” session – four experienced lecturers gave us their view on lecturing and teaching. These people were very inspiring. They obviously enjoyed teaching – and their enthusiasm for their subject obviously rubbed off on their audience. I was impressed with how they “made friends” and empathised with their students. One lecturer begins in first year by challenging his young audience – why are they there? He then shows the UWA crest and motto “seek wisdom.” He was giving these vulnerable young people an anchor – a reason for being there, in his lecture. So many young people have no idea why they are at university. Every year he makes friends with 400 new university students and almost knows every name and face by the end of the year.

One exercise that was very beneficial to me in the follow-up sessions was to test the use of a “debate” as a teaching strategy on my fellow participants before confronting the “real” students in my class. This was a very valuable practice session, believe me!! So often, a “good idea” falls flat due to inadequate preparation – this time, I was ready and the debate worked well!

My “little” task of coordinating a third-year class in plant breeding in 2000 would not have gone so well without the Foundations of University Teaching and Learning course. I have just had my first SPOT survey and my first peer evaluation of teaching by a colleague in the course. I now do not fear the SPOT results, but look forward to them as a guide to future improvements in my teaching.