2008 was a banner year for recognition of excellence in teaching at the University of Sydney. The long and distinguished honour roll includes five Vice Chancellor's Awards, one Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC, formerly Carrick) award for programs that enhance learning, six ALTC citations, three ALTC grants, one ALTC Senior Fellowship and one ALTC Associate Fellowship. The University also introduced a new award, sponsored by the Co-op Bookshop, which recognises teaching excellence with a community focus. These awards add to the many faculty-based awards recognising excellence in teaching and learning.

THE RECIPIENTS OF THE 2008
VICE-CHANCELLOR'S AWARDS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

For Support of the Student Experience:
First Year Chemistry Teaching Fellow Team- Dr Adam Bridgeman, Professor Trevor Hambley and Professor Scott Kable, for supporting the professional development of teaching fellows through the pursuit of research and teaching excellence and developing new teaching practices and approaches with enhanced student support, feedback and employment.

For Outstanding Teaching:
Associate Professor Anthony Masters, Faculty of Science, for his commitment to enhancing student learning through thoughtful and innovative teaching practice.
Associate Professor Paul McGreevy, Faculty of Veterinary Science, for demonstrating a passion for teaching through the development of innovative, internationally-recognized teaching curricula.
Dr Michael Anderson, Faculty of Education and Social Work (Early Career Category), for encouraging scholarly debate, student engagement, and reflection on learning outcomes.

For Excellence in Higher Degree Research Supervision:
Professor Rick Shine, Faculty of Science, for his ongoing commitment to postgraduate students.

THE RECIPIENT OF THE ALTC AWARD FOR PROGRAMS THAT ENHANCE LEARNING is Associate Professor Michelle Lincoln, Faculty of Health Sciences, for the COMPASS Project, a new national competency-based assessment tool for speech pathology students. This is the second University of Sydney award in this category in as many years.

THE RECIPIENTS OF ALTC CITATIONS FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO STUDENT LEARNING INCLUDE:
Associate Professor Rick Benitez, Faculty of Arts, for modelling philosophical processes and teaching practices in and beyond the classroom, which lead to positive transformations in learners' experience of their subject and themselves.
Associate Professor Paul McGreevy, Faculty of Veterinary Science, for developing resources that support authentic, relevant and inquiry-led learning activities, which ignite passion, foster high standards and nurture critical skills in veterinary undergraduates.
Dr John O'Byrne, Dr Manjula Sharma and Dr Joe Khachan, Faculty of Science, for ongoing development and implementation of collaborative and interactive modes of learning in large first year physics classes.
Mr Giuseppe Carabetta, Faculty of Economics and Business, for excellence in promoting experiential teaching in first year commercial law courses.
Ms Kellie Morrison, Faculty of Economics and Business, for excellence in leadership, design and implementation of a faculty-wide peer learning program that enhances students' learning, engagement and the quality of their overall experience.
Dr Smita Shah, Faculty of Medicine, for creating an evidence-based education program, which involves medical students in community outreach and integrates this within an inter-professional learning context.

THE RECIPIENTS OF ALTC GRANTS INCLUDE:
Dr Patricia McCabe, Faculty of Health Sciences, for "Communicating effectively with Indigenous people: a resource for health science students to learn culturally safe interviewing practices."  The University of Sydney is the lead institution on this project, working collaboratively with James Cook University
Associate Professor Joseph Davis, School of Information Technologies, for "Curriculum renewal in postgraduate information technology education: a response to growing service sector dominance." The University of Sydney is the lead institution on this project, working collaboratively with the universities of Queensland, Melbourne and New South Wales.
Dr Sue McAllister, Faculty of Health Sciences, for "Establishing infrastructure and collaborative processes for cross-institutional benchmarking of student clinical performance in speech pathology." The University of Sydney is the lead institution on this project, working collaboratively with James Cook University, La Trobe University and the Universities of Newcastle and Queensland.

THE RECIPIENT OF AN ALTC SENIOR FELLOWSHIP is Associate Professor Angela Brew, Faculty of Education and Social Work, for "Enhancing undergraduate engagement through research and inquiry."

THE RECIPIENT OF AN ALTC ASSOCIATE FELLOWSHIP is Dr Christine Asmar, Institute for Teaching and Learning, for "'Indigenous Teaching and Learning in NSW Universities."

ANNOUNCING THE UNIVERSITY CO-OP BOOKSHOP EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AND COMMUNITY AWARD:
Congratulations to Dr Caitilin de Berigny Wall, Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning, on winning the inaugural University Co-op Bookshop Excellence in Teaching and Community Award.

Dr Wall won the award for her teaching in Digital Video and Production (DVDP), which teaches students theoretical and philosophical enquiries behind the genre of documentary. Students work with the local Indigenous community to create three-minute digital documentaries.

The Co-op Award was established by the Branch Manager of the Co-op Bookshop, Mr Ben Struthers, and the Office of the Deputy Provost (Learning and Teaching) and Pro Vice-Chancellor to promote, recognise and reward teaching practices that offer a fulfilling and well-rounded student-centred experience, including access to academic and support resources and appreciation of the University of Sydney community. More details about the annual award can be found on the University website at: http://www.usyd.edu.au/learning/quality/co-op_awd.shtml