Crawford School of Public Policy

Crawford School’s Associate Professor Sara Bice, Dr Bec Colvin, Alison Cumming Thom, Professor Stephen Howes, and Associate Professor Andrew Kennedy are amongst the recipients of this year’s ANU College of Asia and the Pacific (CAP) Awards for Excellence in Education.

Initiated in 2007, the awards recognise and encourage excellence in both coursework teaching and research supervision within the College.

Each year, CAP students and staff nominate a convener, teacher, tutor, academic staff, colleague or team who excels at teaching. This year, five Crawford staff made the list.

Associate Dean for Student Experience Associate Professor Roald Maliangkay congratulated recipients on their success, praising their efforts in delivering the best teaching experience possible during the global pandemic.

“The committee warmly congratulates all award recipients as well as all those who were nominated. The standard of the applications was very high and reflected the impressive quality of teaching in our college, and the enormous efforts made to successfully adjust to the conditions forced upon us by COVID-19.”

Associate Professor Sara Bice and Dr Bec Colvin both receive the Teaching Excellence award.

Associate Professor Bice was recognised for her innovative approach to teaching, which translates into highly engaging and workplace-relevant learning experiences for her students, whilst Dr Colvin received the award for the great amount of care she takes when team teaching and the leadership role she plays in supporting her tutors.

“A crucial strength of Associate Professor Bice’s teaching being project and case-based learning, ultimately it is the students that she places front and centre,” Associate Professor Maliangkay said.

“Dr Colvin has made excellent use of innovative online tools and well-designed visual summaries and dedicated a considerable amount of time to creating engaging video presentations, which entailed, among other things, arranging contributions made by guest speakers from around the world,” he said.

Crawford’s Manager of Teaching and Learning Alison Cumming Thom is recognised for her outstanding contribution to students’ education and experience of learning.

“She deserves much praise for the tailormade, knowledgeable and unwavering support she has provided to her colleagues over the years, and particularly in this challenging year,” Associate Professor Maliangkay said.

On top of that, Professor Stephen Howes and Associate Professor Andrew Kennedy receive the CAP Wattle Award awarded by ANUSA students to sites that demonstrate excellence in creating and maintaining a course site that enhances the student learning experience.

“The Wattle sites stood out on account of their excellent clarity and sound organisation. Content and assessment were clearly and intuitively presented and included good advice on how to approach and/or complete specific tasks,” Associate Professor Maliangkay said.