Deputy Vice-Chancellor's message

Excellence at the University of Adelaide has been recognised in the 2024 Financial Review’s Best University Rankings. The University placed 5th overall nationally across teaching, research, career impact and equity measures.

Pleasingly, we ranked 3rd nationally for teaching excellence, leading teaching excellence and the student experience in the Group of Eight research universities.

The University believes in the importance of shining a light on outstanding contributions made to student learning by academic and professional staff, and rewarding the University’s highest achievers and mentors in teaching, teaching support and in HDR supervision.

Each year we formally acknowledge our highest achieving educators through the Commendations for the Enhancement and Innovation of Student Learning and the Stephen Cole the Elder Awards for Excellence. A panel of committed educators from across the University recently gathered to consider nominations for this year’s awards, with the recipients announced at yesterday’s Celebration of Learning and Teaching event.

I am pleased to advise the 2024 Commendations for the Enhancement and Innovation of Student Learning were awarded to:

• Professor Dale Stephens, ABLE (Approaches to teaching and/or the support of learning that influence, motivate and inspire students to learn)
• Dr Nichola Thompson and Dr Simran Sidhu, FHMS (Developing graduate employability through work-integrated-learning)
• Associate Professor Craig Johns, Dr Alexandra Peralta, and Associate Professor Adam Loch, ABLE (Developing graduate employability through work-integrated-learning)
• Associate Professor Chris Graves from ABLE; Paul Moss, Simona Padvelskyte, and Gala Biggs from DASE (Approaches to teaching and/or the support of learning that influence, motivate and inspire students to learn)
• Associate Prof Lyndsey Collins-Praino, FHMS (Implementing Effective HDR Supervisory Practices)
• Associate Professor Renee Turner, FHMS (Implementing Effective HDR Supervisory Practices).

Stephen Cole Awards for Teaching Excellence were presented to:

Associate Professor Tania Crotti, School of Biomedicine, HMS (Excellence in HDR supervisory practice); Professor Withawat Withayachumnankul, School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, SET (Excellence in HDR supervisory practice); and Associate Professor Mathew White, School of Education, ABLE (Excellence in the leadership, support and enhancement of teaching practice).

I congratulate the worthy recipients of our 2024 University-wide teaching awards, and all of our colleagues who contribute to the high quality of teaching at our fine University.

Professor Jennie Shaw
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic