Queensland University of Technology

QUT coup in top teaching fellowships

QUT has become the only Australian university to have its teaching excellence recognised with more than one prestigious fellowship in the 2009 program announced by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council.

The ALTC awarded nine teaching fellowships to the nation's most outstanding university teachers, including two to QUT lecturers - Professor Des Butler from the Faculty of Law and Associate Professor Chris Collet from the Faculty of Science and Technology.

Professor Butler will use his fellowship to conduct a project addressing the engagement of students using innovative technology. The law lecturer has already received accolades for his work creating multimedia fictional worlds to help his students learn and practise real-world skills.

Professor Collet, who specialises in teaching biotechnology and bioentrepreneurship, has received his fellowship for a project titled Entrepreneurship Education in Non-Business Schools.

The nine fellowships are collectively worth $1.65 million and will fund further work by each recipient in areas critical to improving student learning and learning outcomes.

QUT's Deputy Vice Chancellor (Teaching Quality), Professor Vi McLean, congratulated Professor Butler and Professor Collet, and also acknowledged the other QUT academic staff who were nominated for fellowships.

"To make it into this pool is, in itself, a form of recognition for an impressive record of prolonged teaching leadership," she said.