Congratulations to Professor Debra Dunstan, Head of School of Psychology, who has received an award for teaching excellence at a Universities Australia conference this week.

Prof. Dunstan is one of an eight-member, cross-institutional team who received the 2019 Award for Programs that Enhance Learning.

Risk Aware is a digital education program that prepares students for clinical placement. The concept was borne out of concern for the safety of students on clinical placements. Research has shown that these students are potentially exposed to a range of occupational risks including bullying, sexual harassment and even physical violence. 

Risk Aware provides innovative and authentic learning experiences for healthcare students, enabling them to better identify and manage risks that may arise in a clinical placement scenario. 

The team developed and evaluated the program across multiple sites, including UNE. It consists of seven modules addressing aspects such as aggression, physical violence, psychological, and emotional risk.

Risk Aware is the first of its kind in Australia and the award recognises the team’s excellent leadership in the field of Educational Partnerships and Collaborations with other organisations as well as their commitment to innovation and quality teaching. 

The awards were presented at the Australian Awards for University Teaching conference held in Canberra on 25 February.