Marie McEntee, VICE-PRESIDENT

I joined the Academy in 2015, where I have had the pleasure of meeting a diverse range of teachers who understand how critical the teacher/student relationship is for fostering what I call a “collaborative learning space”. 

I have taught undergraduate students at the University of Auckland since 1992 entering in a rather osmotic way over the next years, as I combined teaching with family commitments.  In 1999 I coordinated a boutique course in science communication taught to 40 students and over subsequent years developed this into a significant offering taught now to 500 students annually. I have also developed two interdisciplinary courses in science innovation and community engagement creating a small suite of courses that facilitate students’ learning to enable them to contribute as global citizens in a world of increasing complexity.

My research into collaborative learning spaces has revealed that creating this space is not only dependent on fostering positive relationships, but also relies on a supportive institutional framework that in the tertiary context, supports excellent teaching practice.  I believe the Academy and its members play a pivotal leadership role in guiding the direction of tertiary teaching practice in New Zealand. The current discussions on accreditation are an important step in developing a vision to guide the Academy’s direction and I wish to contribute to the shaping of this vision. I am actively interested in initiatives that recognise excellent teaching through teaching awards and through promotional pathways that in many institutions are still largely afforded for research not teaching excellence