Four Curtin Malaysia academics conferred prestigious SFHEA awards

Miri – 14 March 2022 – Four academics of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) were recently conferred the United Kingdom’s prestigious Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) award.

They were Associate Professor Sujan Debnath from the university’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carrie Ho Lee Ing from the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Associate Professor Tang Fu Ee from the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering and the Faculty of Engineering and Science’s Associate Dean of Learning and Teaching, and Professor Agus Saptoro from the Department of Chemical and Energy Engineering, who is also Curtin Malaysia’s Deputy Dean of Research and Development and Director of the Curtin Malaysia Graduate School.

The SFHEA is an international recognition for excellence, leadership, and commitment to professionalism in learning and teaching awarded by Advance HE (formerly the Higher Education Academy), a UK-based organisation dedicated to helping higher education across the world shape its future.

It provides insights so institutions can use the foresight, helps enhance organisational performance to deliver sustainable change, develops and connects people, and accredits achievements of outstanding individuals in higher education.

Advance HE confers the SFHEA to experienced staff who are able to demonstrate, impact and influence through, for example, responsibility for leading, managing or organising programmes, subjects and disciplinary areas. Other criteria are the demonstration of experience as mentors of peers and young academics, experience with departmental or wider teaching and learning support, and advisory responsibilities within an institution.

In assessing the applications of the four academics for the awards, the Advance HE Assessors Board carefully reviewed and considered their applications and provided feedback that their applications were well written and presented positive evidence of engagement with Advance HE’s Professional Standards Framework.

The Board added that the evidences of the Core Knowledge and Professional Values were commendable and this significant achievement provided a sense of validation of the importance and value of their teaching and hopefully will inspire continuing works in supporting the positive learning experience of students at Curtin Malaysia.

In congratulating the four academics on their achievements, Curtin Malaysia Pro Vice-Chancellor, President and Chief Executive Professor Simon Leunig said, “We are very proud that these four academics have been honoured with this highly coveted professional recognition following a review by the Advance HE awards panel.”

“This reflects their successful engagements across all five areas of pedagogic activities of the UK Professional Standards Framework, their expertise and understanding across all aspects of core knowledge of higher education, and successful engagement in blended teaching practices in their engineering disciplines.”

Professor Leunig added that the awards were also an acknowledgement of Curtin Malaysia’s commitment to ensuring continued professional development in learning and teaching, scholarship, assessment and related academic and professional practices amongst its academics.

Professor Jennifer Howell, Curtin University’s Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Learning and Teaching, also congratulated the four, saying their commitment to professional learning and the HEA Fellowships@Curtin programme was commendable. She urged them to continue engaging with the Professional Standards Framework and the use of evidence-informed approaches to learning and teaching as part of their ongoing professional learning journey.

Following these latest awards, Curtin Malaysia now has eight academics with SFHEA status. Past awardees were Associate Professor Shamsul Kamariah Abdullah and Dr. Samuel Folorunso Adeyinka-Ojo from the Department of Management, Marketing & Digital Business, and Associate Professor Sukanta Roy and Dr. Mahmood Anwar from the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Information on Curtin Malaysia can be found on its website at www.curtin.edu.my, or look for Curtin Malaysia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

The four Curtin Malaysia academics who were recently conferred prestigious SFHEA awards.