Nursing Lecturer Sue White and Building Technology Lecturer, Kamuka Pati, have been recognised for excellence in Tertiary Teaching.
The two Unitec lecturers and eight others received Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards (TTEA), on July 9 at a reception held at Parliament Buildings in Wellington.
“It was very validating to be recognised at such a high level and winning the Award was an endorsement of my teaching style,” Ms White said.
“We had to demonstrate not only sustained excellence in teaching but how we plan, design, assess and facilitate learning, how we reflect on and evaluate learning and our contribution to professional development and leadership in teaching,” she added.
Mr Pati was proud to be chosen as a recipient for the Award and praised the high quality of teachers at Unitec.
While the teaching experience of Ms White and Mr Pati varies from six years to 25 years, what unifies them is their great passion for teaching.
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“Every person is an individual and has different needs. I use variety in my lecturers to ensure everyone is involved. Sciences feel like a mysterious world for some students. The use of stories and analogies helps to translate foreign terms and concepts into a language they understand,” Ms White said.
Mr Pati highlighted the importance of gaining the trust and respect of students.
“Not having an authoritative approach but an equal approach is what sets you up for the entire year. I constantly challenge myself to improve and I ask myself: How can I do it better next time?” he said.
The Awards (administered by Ako Aotearoa, The National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence) were established in 2001 to celebrate New Zealand’s finest tertiary teachers as recognised by their organisations, colleagues and learners.
Julz Britnell is Corporate Communications Manager (Marketing & Communications) at Unitec, which is the Sponsor of the ‘Business Excellence in Innovation’ Category of the Indian Newslink Indian Business Awards 2013.
