Excellence in teaching

Phil Hancock is a Senior Teaching Fellow in the Graduate School of Management. He received the Excellence in Teaching Award for Postgraduate Coursework in 2003. This award represents a joint effort by the Guild and the University to recognise and reward exemplary teaching.

I started working in UWA in 1974 as a lecturer in the Department of Accounting, and moved to senior positions in Edith Cowan and Murdoch universities. After accepting an offer to return to UWA at the beginning of 2002, I decided to accept the invitation to participate in the Foundations of Teaching and Learning programme conducted by the then Centre for Staff Development. This is because even after teaching for over thirty years I strongly believe we can always improve our teaching in many ways, including observing others teach and receiving feedback from colleagues about one's own teaching style. Part of the program requires all participants to deliver a talk for three to four minutes on your particular discipline and then everyone provides feedback. In my own case this exercise was a mutually rewarding experience because firstly I received some useful observations about my own style. Secondly, because the new teachers in the group observed and enjoyed my passion for my discipline area and passion in my opinion, is an important quality for successful teaching in any field of study.

Since taking up my appointment at the Graduate School of Management, I have been working closely with a colleague who is relatively new to university teaching. I find this a very rewarding experience, as it is difficult for all of us as we embark on a career in academe and the value of a mentor cannot be overstated. However, to be successful the relationship must be voluntary as it is important that both the mentor and the mentee want to work together. I hasten to add that the benefits of the relationship do not all flow in one direction. I have found the experience to be personally rewarding. Therefore, I encourage all senior staff to seriously consider taking on the role of mentor if the opportunity arises.