Profile
I specialise in teaching technology to postgraduate students. This frequently poses challenges since my students are often subject matter experts in disciplines that are unfamiliar to me. In this type of environment, teaching is collaborative, because I must understand the student’s project and then figure out how to address their need using the appropriate software tools.
Brad examines a problem that a student is having with a lab assignment (Photo: Sara Homer)
I’m generally regarded as being a patient instructor, although I do expect students to carry their weight in the classroom. I believe that students deserve good value for their money, so I put a lot of effort into making the classroom experience worthwhile.
Ultimately, the test of my teaching abilities is whether graduates can use the technology effectively. This requirement is uncompromising. It’s difficult to pretend that you can use the software when you can’t get even an appropriate answer. For this reason, I conduct both lab and theory exams in my courses to ensure that students are well-prepared for the workforce.
With GIS, there may be multiple pathways to obtain acceptable answers. This can cause the marking of lab exams to be time-consuming, particularly if a student comes up with a novel method of answering a question that I did not anticipate.