I have a strong interest in teaching quality as well as the dissemination of contemporary research during teaching sessions. Rather than being antithetical, I perceive research and teaching as mutually enhancing — I consider myself equally a scientist and a teacher. At UOW, I have developed, coordinate, and teach two 100-level subjects. Both offer a real First Year Experience (FYE), and both focus on assessment and feedback as learning tools.

EESC103: Earth's Dynamic Surface

This subject examines the processes that occur within, and the interactions and feedbacks that occur between the various components – or spheres – of the Earth system. There is a focus on Earth’s landforms as the product of tectonics, climate, and erosion; topics also include: the composition and behaviour of the atmosphere; global weather and climatic patterns; the character of the oceans and their interaction with the landmasses; and the role of humans in shaping the Earth system. Laboratory classes focus on developing and applying statistical data analysis, and field surveying and mapping skills to a variety of geographical contexts.

In 2015, EESC103 was overhauled and the following short videos describe the reasons and processes for change. The videos also provide information on the structure of this subject and on how assessment and feedback are used to enhance learning.

EESC105: Introductory Geospatial Analysis

This subject was developed and first offered in Autumn 2016. EESC105 provides a comprehensive introduction to the theory and practice of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and geospatial analysis, and aims to equip students with core skills that will enable solving simple geospatial problems. The subject is comprised of two parts. Part one, follows a classical lecture/practical format where students learn the foundations of geospatial analysis. Part two follows a problem-based approach enabling students to apply the core geo-analytical skills to solving a simple real-world practical problem by working in groups and using industry standard tools and technologies.

Assessment tasks are designed around the concept of authentic-assessment as defined by Ashford-Rowe et al. (2013, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, v.39, p.205-222): students replicate existing case studies using the same tools and real data.