A Charles Sturt University (CSU) sociology lecturer will receive a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) at a presentation ceremony in Canberra on Monday 9 August.

 

Dr Jenny Sappey, who teaches at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in Bathurst, is recognised in her ALTC award ‘For sustained enthusiasm and commitment to the pursuit of social justice by creating learning experiences that inspire, influence and motivate all students to succeed’.

 

Head of School, Associate Professor Jennifer McKinnon, said, “The School of Humanities and Social Sciences is extremely proud of Dr Sappey and her work. Jenny is a first-class teacher, and this national award demonstrates that excellent researchers can also make excellent teachers”.

 

Reflecting on the ALTC award, Dr Sappey said in her view education is about social justice, for the individual and the wider community.

 

“Access to higher education is very important for young people, particularly those from rural and remote regions, and this highlights the University’s reputation for its access and equity.

 

“My commitment to education lies in its role as a social equaliser. This leads me to emphasise the importance of bridging the gap between theory and practice and my students’ own lives and experiences. My passion for teaching comes from intellectual curiosity, and from my own passion for learning which was stimulated by my early student days at one of the University’s predecessor institutions, Mitchell College of Advanced Education in Bathurst. My discipline, industrial sociology, allows me to understand that teaching is not just something I ‘do’ but who I ‘am’. My work identity infuses my social identity and search for meaning in my own life.

 

“My strong belief in Charles Sturt University as a place of inspiration and hope which changes peoples’ lives, both young and old, lies at the heart of my own personal story. My family lived in Oberon, and I maintain that I wouldn’t have had a university education had it not been for the regional location of Mitchell College and Charles Sturt University, as the costs of studying anywhere else would have been prohibitive for me.

 

“This context of my own learning frames my primary goal as a teacher, which is to offer education that meets my students’ needs and aspirations, both personal and professional, through structuring and delivering learning experiences across a range of disciplines and faculties.”

 

Dr Sappey says she is a ‘seasoned’ teacher of first year university students, as well as postgraduate students.

 

“I make sure that equity isn’t just about students gaining access to our University, but that they succeed. Students come to us via a variety of pathways (e.g. mature-age students, students from TAFE, Indigenous students from remote areas), and they don’t always possess the skill set necessary to succeed at university. Equity means that we help them to succeed in their first year, giving them confidence, building their general study skills, and helping them with the transition into university life.”