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Students praise outstanding Ara tutors

19 October, 2018

Art & Design tutors have cleaned up the Student Awards for Teaching and Learning with four out of seven awards going to design, photography and contextual studies tutors.

Deborah Marshall from Design and Photography, Department of Creative Industries, won the Overall Excellence Award for a tutor who excels in all areas of our teaching and learning and falls into multiple award categories. Students did not hold back in their praise for Marshall and other award winners.

“Deb is the most amazing tutor; she is always available to help, encourage and listen and always finds new and exciting ways to teach. Her classes are always the best. She finds a way to challenge you to do better without making you feel discouraged about your current skill level,” one student anonymously enthused.

A panel of three student councillors considered nominations from students and chose the winners.

The Supporting Hand Award for providing advice and follow up, listening and going above and beyond, was Wendy Clarke, also from Design and Photography, Department of Creative Industries.

“Wendy is an honest and supportive tutor, always making time to help students who want to learn and improve,” a student commented in the nomination.

Keeping the accolades in the photography area, “The Pro” Award - this staff member is liked by students; an expert in their field; uses their knowledge and translates it to make it relevant to what the students are learning - was Stefan Roberts. A student said that Roberts, “has such incredible knowledge of both technical and editing skills. He manages to teach complicated concepts in a way that is easy to understand and he doesn’t give up when something is hard to grasp. He is always available to explain and help outside of class times and works hard to make sure he is up-to-date with his knowledge.”

The Tech Guru Award went to Maori & Indigenous Studies tutor Mariechen Ngarotata who utilises “kahoot, Moodle, PowerPoint, and OneNote in the majority of her classes. She encourages us to use our phones, tablets and laptops to browse through media sites in accordance with our mahi (work), and to use social media to promote our reo (language)”.

Assessment Ace was Dr Dorle Pauli (Design, Contextual Studies), who “always gives back our assessments within two weeks and writes great feedback on them. She makes sure we know what assessments are coming up and goes over what we have to do for them in class. She consistently conducts her lectures with in depth knowledge and great humour.”

Takahiro Yokoyama (Humanities, Japanese), won Moodle Master. “He changed the Japanese degree when he arrived in 2015. His in-depth knowledge of not only the language, but also teaching practices in general, has made him stand out and become an influential figure for all students studying at Ara”.

And for the staff member who most celebrates diversity, acknowledges the different cultures of students and appreciates diversity in the classroom, the winner was Jimi McKay (Allied Health, Social Work). “I believe Jimi deserves this recognition as he always makes me feel heard and valued. He teaches in a way that brings clear understanding and warmth to cultural diversity.” The nomination said.

Congratulations to all of our amazing tutors.

Student awards:

The Overall Excellence Award (excels in all areas of our teaching and learning and falls into multiple award categories): Deborah Marshall from Design and Photography, Department of Creative Industries

The Supporting Hand Award (provides advice and follow up, listens and goes above and beyond): Wendy Clarke from Design and Photography, Department of Creative Industries

“The Pro” Award (liked by students; an expert in their field; uses their knowledge and translates it to make it relevant to what the students are learning): Stefan Roberts from Design and Photography, Department of Creative Industries

The Class of Culture Award (celebrates diversity, acknowledges the different cultures of students and appreciates diversity in the classroom): Jimi McKay from Social Work, Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health

The Assessment Ace Award (always returns assessments within two weeks and provides constructive and helpful feedback on how to improve): Dr Dorle Pauli from Contextual Studies, Department of Creative Industries.

The Moodle Master Award (provides a site where the layout is clear and easy to follow, all material is kept up-to-date and is easy to find): Takahiro Yokoyama from Japanese, Department of Humanities

The Tech Guru Award (uses interactive media including videos on Moodle, kahoot and other tech based learning as well as phones and devices in class): Mariechen Ngarotata from Maori & Indigenous Studies, Department of Humanities