Nine University of the Sunshine Coast academics have been named among the nation’s best educators in the prestigious 2017 Australian Awards for University Teaching.

Associate Professor of Law Dr Kelley Burton and Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy Dr Michele Verdonck were awarded individual Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, valued at $10,000 each.

A third citation went to a team of academics teaching USC’s first-year Communication and Thought (COR109) subject – Mary-Rose Adkins, Dr Lee-anne Bye, Dr Gail Crimmins, Dr Noni Keys, Dr Gregory Nash, Ann Robertson and Janet Turley.

Just 89 individuals and teams Australia-wide were recognised for their outstanding contributions to student learning in the awards, announced on Friday by Federal Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham.

USC’s Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Birgit Lohmann commended Dr Burton, Dr Verdonck and the COR109 team for their commitment to USC students.

“I congratulate the citation recipients for this outstanding achievement, for their passion for education, and for their dedication to student-centred learning and teaching here at USC,” she said.

“Dr Burton has shown leadership in designing innovative criminal law education resources for our budding lawyers, while Dr Verdonck was recognised for her use of innovative pedagogy and effective use of technology in teaching.

“The entire teaching team of COR109 has provided students with an exemplary first experience of tertiary education through constructively-aligned curriculum and resources informed by scholarship and evaluative practice.”

Dr Verdonck, Dr Burton and the COR109 team will be formally presented with their citations at a ceremony in Brisbane on Thursday 5 October.

USC staff have gained 46 of these national citations since 2006.

— Gen Kennedy