Undertaking an Advance HE Fellowship with Dr Annie Gowing
Dr Annie Gowing recently completed an Advance HE Fellowship as part of the Leading Educational Quality and Innovation program offered by the Centre for the Study of Higher Education, and shares her experience and learnings from the Fellowship.
Advance HE Fellowships are funded by the University to provide academic and professional staff with formal recognition of their teaching (or learning support) practice, impact and leadership.
A senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education, Annie currently leads the wellbeing specialisation in the Master of Education. Through the Advance HE Fellowship she was invited to deeply engage with her teaching practice and current teaching trends within higher education and the University of Melbourne.
The personal and professional reflections made possible through the program were powerful for Annie, who emphasises how important it is to have structured time to reflect and pause among all the demands of teaching. This reflection brings pedagogies, teaching philosophies and the transformative potential of education front of mind and can help connect people back to their purpose and role as an educator.
Annie learned a lot about her teaching during the program, including more about her strengths, but also about some of the risks in over relying on these strengths.
‘It reconnected me with my teaching at a deeper level. I had to look at what I do intuitively when I’m teaching and bring that a little more in line with scholarship of teaching and learning practices and research.’
The time to pause, examine, and articulate her teaching practices during the program has helped her confidence while also encouraging her to be open to change. It also reminded her of the value of collaboration with colleagues and students around what quality teaching looks like.
‘After participating in the program I’m really embracing a renewed energy to ongoing review, constructive critique and excellence in practice, anchored in meaningful collaboration with students to better understand and respond to their experiences.’
Education and the practice of teaching has always been important and central to her career. Annie has a background in social work, secondary teaching, and practice and policy roles within the Department of Education before starting with the Faculty of Education in 2014.
Her career has ignited a core belief that educators have a powerful role in contributing to the future through their students and this was affirmed throughout the Fellowship.
Higher Education will undergo many changes in the future. Annie believes programs like the Advance HE Fellowship can help to prepare educators to adapt and ensure that educator-student and student-student relationships remain core in how teaching is both understood and delivered.
‘I have always thought of myself as a learner and lean towards curiosity and discovery in my teaching practices. I also believe that teaching is deeply personal and demands continual self-reflection and humility. The Fellowship offered such a valuable opportunity and guided space to explore these aspects of teaching. I’m deeply grateful that the University can be part of this program as it really shows a commitment to quality teaching.’
After such a positive experience in the program, Annie encourages anyone who is committed to quality teaching and prioritising reflective practice to apply for this opportunity. Having coordinated the Master of Education from 2022-2024 the Senior Fellowship option was open to Annie, but she deliberately chose the Fellowship to do some deep consideration of teaching. She suggests that others should consider all their options and apply for the Fellowship program that suits their goals.
University staff can use the Fellowship Category Tool to get an indication of which category of Fellowship most closely reflects their current practice and to reflect on their ongoing professional development and career aspirations.
More information about the Fellowship program can be found on the CSHE webpage including the Fellowship Category Tool and Expression of Interest details CSHE Advance HE program page.