Dr Kate Thomson
Associate Lecturer
ph: (02) 9351 3607
fax: (02) 9351 4331
email: kate.thomson@sydney.edu.au
Kate is an Associate Lecturer at the Institute for Teaching and Learning (ITL), where she has worked since 2008. She teaches on the Principles & Practice of University Teaching & Learning course for academics new to teaching or new to the University of Sydney. She also teaches for the Faculty of Health Sciences in a large core first year unit of study in their Bachelor of Health Sciences program. Prior to this she worked as a Project Officer and Senior Research Officer on national projects funded through external competitive grant programs, the Teaching Quality Indicators Project, and the National Graduate Attributes Project.
Kate serves as a reviewer for journal articles for higher education research journals, The International Journal of Higher Education Research (Higher Education) , the International Journal for Academic Development (IJAD), and Higher Education and Research Development (HERD). Kate is a member of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI) as a Junior Researcher (JURE), the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) and the New Soth Wales Institute of Educational Research Inc.
Her PhD is titled ‘The nature of academics’ informal conversation about teaching’. Through this, she explored informal conversations on the topic of teaching in a research-intensive university, with a focus on how academics learn about teaching through conversation with their colleagues.
Presentations and Publications
Thomson, K. (2012). Conversation about teaching: linking formal academic development to department-based dialogue. Paper presented at ICED Conference: Across the Globe Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Bangkok, Thailand, 22-25 July. Program available
Nguyen, M., Leithhead, I. & Thomson, K. (2011). Mentoring of clinical educators results in improved learning experiences for physiotherapy students. Paper presented at APA Physiotherapy Conference, 27-30 October, Brisbane.
Thomson, K. (2011). What is the relationship between informal conversation about teaching and formal university teacher education ? Paper presented at NSW Institute for Educational Research Postgraduate Research Conference, 11 November, University of Technology, Sydney.
Thomson, K., Tan, B-K. & Brook, C. (2011). Virtual Face-to-Face Communication and the Learning Experience of Post-Graduate Students Studying via Flexible Delivery Mode. In A. Rourke and K. Coleman (Eds.) Pedagogy Leads Technology: Online Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: New Technologies, New Pedagogies (pp. 61-77). Champaign, Illinois: Common Ground.
Thomson, K. (2011). Contextual influences associated with variation in conversations about teaching. Poster presented at HERDSA Conference: Higher Education on the Edge, 4-7 July, Gold Coast. Abstract available
Nguyen, M., Thomson, K. & Leithhead, I. (2011). Pilot mentoring program for physiotherapy clinical educators. Showcase presented at HERDSA Conference: Higher Education on the Edge, 4-7 July, Gold Coast. Abstract available
Thomson, K. (2011). Contextual influences associated with variation in conversations about teaching. Paper presentation at Faculty of Education and Social Work Student Forum, 19 May, The University of Sydney. Program available
Thomson, K. (2010). Talking about Teaching: What’s the Point? Poster presented at NSW Institute for Educational Research Postgraduate Research Conference, 15 October. Program available
Nguyen, M., Thomson, K. & Leithhead, I. (2010). Developing a mentoring program for physiotherapy clinical educators. Synergy, 30, 16-21.
Thomson, K. (2010). Talking about teaching: Enhancing teaching quality through conversationally situated academic development. Paper presented at ICED Conference: Enhancing Strategies for Global Quality Learning in Higher Education, Barcelona, Spain, 28-30 June. Program available
Thomson, K. (2010). Talking about Teaching: What’s the point? Paper presentation at Faculty of Education and Social Work Student Forum, 3 June, The University of Sydney. Program available
Thomson, K. (2009). Talking about Teaching: HERDSA News, 31 (3), December.
Chalmers, D. & Thomson, K. (2009). Enhancing the student learning experience through the development of quality indicators of teaching & learning: HERDSA Conference: The Student Experience, 6-9 July, Darwin. Abstract of showcase available.
Thomson, K. (2009). Computer Mediated Communication and the Learning Experience of those studying via Flexible Delivery Mode: EDUCAUSE Australasia, 3-6 May, Perth. Presentation abstract, PPT slides and podcast available
Thomson, K., Tan, B-K. & Brook, C. (2009).Virtual Face-to-Face Communication and the Learning Experience of Post-Graduate Students Studying via Flexible Delivery Mode,International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society, 5 (2), 71-84. Abstract available
Thomson, K. (2009). Does Virtual Face-to-Face Communication Enhance the Learning Experience of Post-Graduate Students Studying via a Flexible Delivery Mode?: International Conference on Technology, Knowledge and Society, 30 Jan-1 Feb, Huntsville, Alabama. Abstract and presentation, Presentation available
Chalmers, D., Thomson, K., Davies, L., Lang, J. & Gilmore, A. (2008). Teaching and learning indicators of quality and universities: AUQF: Quality & Standards in Higher Education: Making a Difference, 9-11 July, Canberra. Summary of workshop available
Grants
The relations between informal conversations about teaching and formal teacher education of university staff. The NSW Institute for Educational Research 2011 Student Grant.
Pilot Mentoring Program for Physiotherapy Clinical Educators in the Faculty of Health Sciences. The University of Sydney, Teaching Improvement and Equipment Scheme Small Grant 2010. With I. Leithhead and M. Nguyen. See manual (pdf)
Education
Doctor of Philosophy (Education) (2013)
University of Sydney
Thesis: The nature of academics’ informal conversation about teaching
Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies (Higher Education) (2013)
University of Sydney
Master of International Health (Distinction) (2009)
Curtin University of Technology
Thesis: Virtual online face-to-face communication and the learning experience of Health Sciences students studying through flexible delivery mode
Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) (2007)
Macquarie University
Thesis: Is openness to feedback mitigated by sex, self-esteem, agency/communion or relationship variables?