This is how I teach
This month we spoke to Dr Wendy Hamood, lecturer with the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, about preparing students for the realities of the "world of work" and professional life. Also,听how she incorporates authentic assessment into the curriculum, and facilitates team-based learning activities.
What do you like most about teaching in your discipline?
I enjoy teaching across disciplines rather than being confined to one specific discipline. I coordinate two professional skills courses in the undergraduate veterinary bioscience program. These courses cover an eclectic array of topics including animal husbandry, animal handling practicals, business, law, safety, career development and communication. Compulsory animal industry work placements of students are integrated into the course assessment. The academics who teach into the course come from various animal related disciplines as well as law and psychology. What helps is having a cross disciplinary background myself. Prior to working in academia, I worked in a range of clinical veterinary practice settings with previous broad animal industry experience. More recently, I completed a Masters in Social Work. This further complements my teaching by deepening my awareness and understanding of the complex social context veterinarians practice in. So in short, what I like most about my teaching is not being confined to a single discipline.
How would you describe your approach to teaching/your teaching philosophy?
My approach to teaching is open, flexible and accommodating different teaching and learning styles. My teaching has been shaped by life experience working as a professional veterinarian but also more recently as a masters student of social sciences completing work placements.
The challenge, which I enjoy, is to develop and incorporate overarching frameworks and guidelines applicable to a broad range of contexts. Students should be encouraged to be creative. The ideal assessment task should be authentic and akin to what students and graduates will encounter in the real world.听
What is your favourite way to use technology to enhance learning?
Whenever the opportunity arises, developing and employing innovative approaches to apply technology to enhance student learning is something I do with enthusiasm.
One of my favourite approaches uses technology to generate peer learning through flexible/asynchronous sharing of student experiences and projects. This creates time for students to learn and reflect before responding and better juggle study with outside commitments such as work. In my experience, peer learning is an effective way of broadening student perspectives. The development and nurturing of peer connections should be encouraged while students are at university as this will benefit our graduates significantly throughout their professional lives.
听How does your teaching help prepare students for their future?
Aspects of my teaching which best prepare students for the real world include the authentic assignments or assessments. An assignment which I introduced in the third year of the veterinary bioscience program involves preparing a cover letter and resume for a real job or work placement experience of the student鈥檚 choice. Students have the benefit of receiving feedback on their applications in a safe environment, identifying gaps in their experience and generally being better prepared to apply for future job and work placement opportunities.
Students invest significant amounts of time and resources to complete their University education. I see it as my duty of care and responsibility as an academic to raise awareness of the challenges that come with the profession and prepare our students for the diverse range of career opportunities available.