Murdoch has been recognised as a trailblazer for educational technology among Australian universities.
Murdoch has won the Educational Technology category of the prestigious AFR Higher Education Awards for Micro-teaching 2.0 - our sector-leading virtual classroom technology for training student teachers.
In further good news, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Rod Jones, the co-founder and part-owner of Murdoch’s education partner in Dubai, Navitas.
Education Discipline Head, Dr Sue Ledger, said the Educational Technology win recognised Murdoch’s leadership in redefining teacher education programs and practices in ways previously unimagined.
“Micro-teaching 2.0 is a game-changer for teacher education, offering a technological solution to prepare graduates for the changing and challenging demands of contemporary classrooms,” Dr Ledger said.
Pre-service teachers studying at Murdoch are now able to hone their craft within a controlled, authentic, scenario-based virtual classroom where they receive real-time responses.
These interactions are video-recorded and feedback provided to demonstrate progress and allow continuous improvement of performance before pre-service teachers enter real classrooms.
“By combining successful traditional practices and next generation simulation, we have developed a safe and supportive learning environment to practice the art and science of teaching,” Dr Ledger said.
“This new way to develop students into teachers through simulated interactions is directly developing the attributes that pre-service teachers are known to struggle with, such as behaviour management, assessment and coping with parents.”
Since first running a pilot trial in 2017, Murdoch has now introduced the technology into all pre-placement units in Education degrees, and has trialled potential applications for teaching Business, IT and Nursing.