UNSW’s Education Focussed (EF) academic program continued to thrive in 2019, building deeper connections within the community, welcoming newest members and celebrating notable achievements.
Welcoming new members
Over 60 new academics have joined the EF community, enabled by the new Academic Enterprise Agreement and the Expression of Interest process.
Notably, UNSW Business School had 19 new EF hires this year, with over half of these appointments coming from their current academic casual pool through the Expression of Interest process.
Supporting the community
The increase in number of EF academics has been complemented by nine interactive Lunch & Learn sessions, three highly regarded writing retreats and several professional development workshops.
Over 150 career development grants have been awarded to EFs to further their careers, by empowering EF attendance to conferences, institutional visits and professional development.
Celebrating their achievements
Building on the success of 2018, where EF academic promotions reached near-parity with combined track academics, this year EFs were promoted across all disciplines and academic levels. We are proud to have two EFs promoted to Associate Professor, seven EFs promoted to Senior Lecturer, and four EFs promoted to Lecturers.
Furthermore, 10 EFs have been recognised as senior fellows of the Higher Education Academy UK, enhancing UNSW’s international reputation in teaching and learning.
Building a vibrant community of educators
As the EF program has grown, so has the passion of the EFs to deliver innovative educational initiatives. In 2019, 11 communities of practice were formed to harness the cross-disciplinary expertise of EFs, working collaboratively towards educational excellence at UNSW.
Furthering the conversation
This year, the Education Focussed Career Development team sponsored two international conferences – HERDSA 2019 and ISSOTL19. These were significant ways to position UNSW as a leading voice in the global education community, and to reaffirm its commitment to improving the student experience.