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 On 14th September Dr Michael Henderson was awarded a special commendation in the 2009 Vice Chancellor's Awards for Teaching Excellence. The teaching award recognised Michael's innovative work "as an excellent contribution to learning and teaching at Monash."
Michael summarised his approach to teaching, which he points out is based on his research:
The core of my teaching philosophy is shaped by a commitment to student motivation, engagement and academic excellence by designing for rich online learning communities. In other words, I create richly resourced, socially active, and meaningfully participative environments in which students not only feel they are engaging in valued discourse but also feel they are accountable to not only the lecturer but also each other as fellow community members. Through reflective practice and empirical research over the last five years I have refined my approach and have developed a model called community cohesion which informs my curriculum design and pedagogy (this model is grounded in the theories of flexible learning, Communities of Practice, Situated Learning and Social Constructivism).
Congratulations Michael! | 
Dr Susan Edwards has won a highly competitive Australian Learning and Teaching Council award for University Teaching Excellence. The award recognises the nation's top university teachers and most outstanding programs and services aimed at improving the quality of student learning. In 2006 Dr Edwards was also awarded an ALTC teaching citation for the design and implementation of innovative and reflective teaching practices in undergraduate teacher education that motivate, inspire and support student learning.
