Lecturer Lau Shiew Wei wins 2009 Curtin Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Award

Miri – 28 September 2009 – Chemical Engineering lecturer Lau Shiew Wei of Curtin University of Technology, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) was recently awarded the 2009 Curtin Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Award (Early Career) by Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia.

The prestigious award, which is granted at the discretion of the Curtin Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Award (EIT) Committee, recognises Curtin’s academics at both the mother campus and branch campuses for outstanding performance in teaching and enhancing students’ learning.

The EIT Award has also established its reputation at national level in Australia in the Australian Learning and Teaching Council Awards – the country’s most prestigious teaching awards, recognising outstanding academicians where Curtin nominees are consistently shortlisted and recognised as the most outstanding candidates.

According to Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor of Curtin Sarawak, Professor Dr. Joan Gribble, Shiew Wei was selected based on her constructivist approach to teaching and learning.

In congratulating Shiew Wei, Dr. Gribble said, “Shiew Wei has proven herself to be one of our best practitioners at Curtin Sarawak with this recognition. She has brought honour not only to herself, but also the School of Engineering and Science and Curtin Sarawak.”

“Her submission to the EIT Committee was an inspirational account of her love for teaching and her commitment to the teaching of chemistry and chemical engineering. Shiew Wei also showed how she is able to bring her research interests into the classroom to strengthen her teaching and student learning.”

According to Shiew Wei, teaching has always been her passion and her five years in the profession has been most rewarding. She believes there is nothing more satisfying than seeing students progress and becoming more effective scholars.

“I believe good teaching is the ability get students to use the higher cognitive level processes spontaneously in their academic studies. I always try to incorporate something in my teaching that would engage my students and give them a more fulfilling learning experience,” said Shiew Wei.

She adds that many of her teaching approaches are in line with Curtin’s triple-i curriculum which is geared towards enhancing graduate employability, global citizenship and rich educational choices.

Shiew Wei also tries to instill in her students all of Curtin’s graduate attributes, that is, to be   knowledge users, critical and creative thinkers, research-smart, effective communicators, technology-savvy, lifelong learners, international citizens, culturally-sensitive and profession-wise.

“Ultimately, my aim is to see all my students graduate with these attributes. Just as I have embraced lifelong learning as an indispensible principle in my teaching career, I hope they will continue to be lifelong learners well into their careers,” declared Shiew Wei.

Shiew Wei is the seventh academic staff member of Curtin Sarawak to win the award. It was won by former lecturers David Lee and Dr. Barbara Stauble in 2003 and 2004 respectively, and current Dean of the School of Business Shamsul Kamariah Abdullah in 2005, Dean of School of Foundation & Continuing Studies Beena Giridharan in 2006, Civil & Construction Engineering senior lecturer Dr. Djwantoro Hardjito in 2007 and Electrical/Communication Engineering & Computing lecturer Terence Tan in 2008, which is testimony to the high calibre of the university’s academic staff.

2009 Curtin Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Award recipient

Lau Shiew Wei