I have a Graduate Certificate in the Practice of Tertiary Teaching and taught into theory and professional courses in UON’s Bachelor of Communication degree as a sessional, lecturer, tutor and course coordinator at the Callaghan and Newcastle campuses as well as UON Singapore and Newcastle International College.

Over my teaching career, I have received consistently high SETs and SFTs with an average of 4.68 out of a possible five in the question that rates the overall quality of the teacher and have received commendations from the PVC of the Faculty of Science & IT for my contribution to teaching. In 2014, I received a Faculty Teaching and Learning Outstanding Performer (Academic) Awards for consistently excellent results in student feedback surveys and implementing innovative teaching strategies to increase student satisfaction in a core first-year Communication course.

Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is firmly based within a holistic approach where the student and teacher engage with and learn from each other in a two-way interaction as opposed to the archaic teacher-centred method.

• I believe in a flexible approach to teaching to enable each student to engage with learning in a way that suits their learning style;
• I believe in encouraging an atmosphere where students feel comfortable and supported to explore new concepts;
• I believe learning should be an enjoyable experience while giving students a firm grounding in knowledge and critical thinking.
• I believe in the fundamental relationship between theory and practice

I employ real world examples in my teaching by drawing on my own engagement with contemporary culture. By applying real world examples to illustrate the relevance of theories, I believe students grasp concepts more readily. With this in mind, I strive to create an environment in the classroom that promotes active participation and conversation by encouraging students to bring their own experiences into class discussion.

These beliefs and philosophies enable me to provide a classroom environment where a student feels comfortable and supported to learn the skills needed to work in a profession that is in a period of significant flux with the traditional media facing major challenges to their business models. There are huge opportunities for media practitioners to experiment with new models and new approaches. Students need practical, creative and conceptual literacies to have a viable long-term future in the media and my goal is to provide those skills to students.

Teaching Experience

I started teaching in 2007 as a sessional while undertaking my PhD. Since my full time position in 2012, I have taught courses in international media, digital communication and social media, and creative industries and creativity. From 2016, I also taught research methods and research design courses for Honours and higher degree students.

Undergraduate (57 offerings)

• CMNS1000 Introduction to Digital Communication
• CMNS1000 Introduction to Digital Communication (Singapore campus) – co-ordinator
• CMNS1000 Introduction to Digital Communication (Newcastle International College) – co-ordinator
• CMNS1090 Introduction to professional writing – tutor
• CMNS2280 Feature writing (Singapore campus) – co-ordinator
  
• CMNS2620 Media ownership and control – co-ordinator, lecturer and tutor
• CMNS2720 Media Law Ethics – tutor
• CMNS2800 Creative Industries Entrepreneurship – tutor
• CMNS3270 Communication and Discourse – tutor  
• CMNS3310 Creativity, communication and cultural production – co-ordinator, lecturer and tutor
• CMNS3320 International Media Studies – co-ordinator, lecturer and tutor
• CMNS3320 International Media Studies (Singapore campus) – co-ordinator

Honours (13 offerings)

• CIND4001 Introduction to Research and Creative Practice (Honours) – co-tutor
• CIND4002 Research Methods and Planning (Honours) – co-ordinator, lecturer and tutor
• CMNS4100 Research Methods (Honours) – co-ordinator, lecturer and tutor
• CMNS4120 Directed Readings (Honours) – co-ordinator, lecturer and tutor
• CMNS4140 Communication Honours IV: Research Project (Honours) – co-ordinator, lecturer and tutor
• CMNS4150 Communication Honours IV: Research Project (Honours) – co-ordinator, lecturer and tutor

Supervision – Higher Degree Students

• What Influences an Influencer? Exploring the Creative Practice of Instagram Influencers
• The Cross-Cultural Translator: An Ethnographic Study of Creativity and Culture in the Practice of Translation
• The Ethical Death Knock – Preparing Journalists for Reporting on Grief and Trauma
• The Changing Face of Self-Presentation: Profile Practices of Emerging Adults on Social Network Sites Identified as Adopting Profile Propaganda Techniques.
• The Politics of Division: How Right-Wing Populists Use Discourse to Advance Their Political Agenda
• Understanding Maori and Pacific Islander Cultures in Australia’s National Rugby League
• Getting the Green Light: Community Engagement for Renewable Energies and Low-Carbon Emission Technologies in Australia (Completed)

Supervision – Honours (Complete)

• Instagram killed the Michelin Star: Exploring the creativity of Instagram food influencers through the systems model
• Exploring Creativity in Australian Social News
• “I want to read it in my hands”: A Uses and Gratifications study into the aesthetic attraction between young adult female readers and independent women’s magazines in Australia
• A PR Action Research Project on the Reflective Communication Scrum Method
• “I suggest to people, particularly females, they shouldn’t be alone in parks”: How did The Age, the Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph and The Sydney Morning Herald perpetuate victim-blaming through initial reports of the Masa Vukotic case, and what did contextual shifts reveal about the changing nature of victim-blaming as a societal discourse?
• “Manus Island may be looking horrendous but at least it’s all going to plan”: How have The Guardian Australian Edition and The Australian framed asylum seekers during, and following, the February 2014 violence on Manus Island?
• From both sides of the line: A case study of Singaporean and Malaysian print media during the Pedra Branca territorial dispute
• Australia and the rise of India: Constructing cultural perceptions in news content
• We Lead, Others Follow: Produsage and Small Sporting Organisations and Their Interactions With Facebook Users