SMU TEACHING EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2018

[Featured photo: The recipients and nominees of the Teaching Excellence Awards 2018, together with SMU’s senior management team.]

The annual Singapore Management University (SMU) Teaching Excellence Awards are given to recognise and value the importance of teaching as a complex and multi-faceted activity. The teaching awards are given to faculty for their contributions to promoting excellence in teaching and learning, to enhancing the quality of classroom experience.

Following the President’s State of the University Address 2018 on 28 September 2018, Professor Lily Kong, Provost and Lee Kong Chian Chair Professor of Social Sciences presented awards to recipients of the Teaching Excellence Awards 2018 at SMU Hall.

Special mention goes to Professor Tse Yiu Kuen, School Of Economics (SOE), recipient of the Distinguished Educator Award. This prestigious lifetime achievement award honours faculty members who have demonstrated exceptional contributions to promote a first-rate learning experience for SMU students and colleagues, as well as made significant and lasting contributions throughout their career.

Professor Tse is a highly regarded educator with more than 35 years in academia; a prolific researcher and a pioneer faculty member of the School of Economics and Social Sciences, who laid the ground for faculty recruitment and the development of Post Graduate (PG) programmes. A well-known figure in the actuarial community in Singapore, he launched the Actuarial Science Major at SMU and made substantial contributions to the field of Actuarial Science and Financial Econometrics through numerous publications and books.

Throughout his long academic career, he created meaningful impact on students and colleagues alike and some of his former students. They include SMU’s senior faculty members who were inspired by him to pursue an academic career, as well as individuals who are holding senior positions in the public and private sectors.

The occasion also marked the presenting of the inaugural SMU-X Excellent Teacher Award, which recognises the effort and contribution of faculty members teaching SMU-X and SMU-XO courses. The award represents the university’s commitment to supporting and growing this signature experiential pedagogy. The winners for this year are Gary Pan, Associate Professor of Accounting, School of Accountancy (SOA) and Venky Shankararaman, Professor of Information Systems, School of Information Systems (SIS).

As co-instructors for Accounting Analytics Capstone since 2015, they have effectively bridged Accounting and Information Systems to prepare students for future work. Students’ projects have been adopted by clients and their work published in industry practitioner journals; students have also been offered internships.

Gary was acknowledged for being nurturing and supportive. He provides constructive feedback to students and takes extra effort to guide them in their learning progress. Venky in turn was acknowledged for assuming the role of facilitator, manager, motivator, and negotiator to bolster students’ confidence and support them in learning how to interact with the real-world.

The other nominees were:

• Patrick Tan Siong Kuan, Adjunct for Strategy and Organisation, LKCSB
• Rani Tan, Senior Lecturer of Organisational Behaviour and HR, LKCSB
• Ho Kong Weng, Associate Professor of Economics, SOE
• Chen Siyuan, Associate Professor of Law, SOL

Here are the rest of this year’s winners:

• Excellent Teacher Award (Undergraduate)

The award goes to Alvin See, Assistant Professor of Law, School of Law (SOL), for enhancing students’ learning experience by distilling complex legal concepts into understandable bits, and involving students in the process of knowledge creation and problem-solving. He also effectively combines creativity, academic rigour, humour and passion to stimulate interest and contextualise course content and provides ample guidance and emotional support; builds rapport with students that continues well after the course has ended. In addition, he has contributed to the scholarship of teaching and learning through co-writing a textbook, pedagogical presentations, peer mentorship, and his involvement in academic committees.

The other nominees were:

• Ang Ser Keng, Senior Lecturer of Finance, Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB)
• Yeo Su Lin, Assistant Professor of Corporate Communication, LKCSB
• Sum Yee Loong, Professor of Accountancy (SOA)
• Madhav Shrihari Aney, Assistant Professor of Economics (SOE)
• Michelle Chong, Associate Professor of Information Systems (SIS)
• William Tov, Associate Professor of Psychology, School of Social Sciences (SOSS)

• Innovative Teacher Award (Undergraduate)

The award goes to Marcus Ang, Associate Professor of Operations Management, LKCSB. Marcus effectively uses visual learning and technology to scaffold students’ understanding of quantitative content (e.g. creates videos to illustrate concepts and graphical solutions). He also leverages online quizzes to provide automated feedback and guidance to students on their learning gaps and promotes engagement and peer learning through interactive exercises such as using Lego bricks to teach linear programming model.

The other nominees were:

• Fang Xin, Assistant Professor of Operations Management, LKCSB
• Low Lay Chin, Senior Lecturer of Accounting, SOA
• Hong Bei Hailey, Senior Lecturer of Economics, SOE
• Tan Kar Way, Assistant Professor of Information Systems, SIS
• Locknie Hsu, Professor of Law, SOL
• Hiro Saito, Assistant Professor of Sociology, SOSS

• Most Promising Teacher Award (Undergraduate)

The award goes to Lin An-Ping, Assistant Professor of Accounting, SOA. An-Ping is highly dedicated in ensuring that students learn. He breaks down complex theories into manageable concepts with practice exercises, observes students’ learning progress, seeks feedback from students and adjusts his teaching along the way. He also develops blended learning materials with peers, and engages in reciprocal peer observations for continuous professional development.

The other nominees were:

• Jung Kyun Kin, Assistant Professor of Marketing, LKCSB
• Liang Hao, Assistant Professor of Finance, LKCSB
• Tan Hwee Pink, Associate Professor of Information Systems, SIS
• Dorcas Quek Anderson, Assistant Professor of Law, SOL
• Onur Ulas Ince, Assistant Professor of Political Science, SOSS

• Outstanding Teaching Consultant/ Adjunct Award (Undergraduate)

The award goes to Jennifer Koh, Adjunct for Accountancy, SOA, and Justyn Olby, Teaching Consultant, Centre for English Communications.

Jennifer uses active learning techniques to demonstrate concepts, encourage interactivity, and drive learning outcomes. She is encouraging and approachable, provides prompt feedback and goes the extra mile to ensure students learn.

On the other hand, Justyn uses problem-based learning approach to transform the Programme in Writing and Reasoning curriculum and improve students’ core writing and communication skills. Fair and approachable, he provides regular and personalised feedback to students.

• Teaching Excellence in Postgraduate Professional Programmes Award

The award goes to Michelle Cheong, Associate Professor of Information Systems, SIS. Michelle combines clear explanations, humour, and an engaging teaching style to create a more enjoyable online learning experience for students. She also shares diverse industry experiences to broaden students’ perspectives and enhance their application of concepts in the real-world and provides comprehensive course materials and online learning resources; and stimulates thinking with well-designed group assignments.

The other nominees were:

• Ang Ser Keng, Senior Lecturer of Finance, LKCSB
• Roy Chua, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour and HR, LKCSB
• Yuanto Kusnadi, Assistant Professor of Accounting, SOA
• Jin Sainan, Professor of Economics, SOE
• Tang Hang Wu, Professor of Law, SOL

• SMU Executive Development Teaching Excellence Award (Internal Faculty)

The award goes to Tan Hwee Hoon, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour and HR,
LKCSB. Hwee Hoon conducts excellent and engaging programmes with passion and innovation, is insightful and energetic in instructional delivery, and uses relevant simulation exercises and practical examples to bring about change of mindset.

The other nominees were:

• Roy Chua, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour and HR, LKCSB
• Benedict Koh, Professor of Finance, LKCSB

• SMU Executive Development Teaching Excellence Award Recipients (External Faculty)

The award goes to Joanna Thumiger, Managing Director, South East Asia, Progress-U. Joanna conducts well-structured and effective programmes and is a knowledgeable and interactive speaker with great storytelling techniques. She also provides useful tools and resources for successful coaching to solve real-world problems.

The other nominees were:

• Jeanette Ng Chia Hui, Business Advisor and Associate Faculty
• Adrian Chan Pengee, Head of the Corporate Department and Senior Partner, Lee & Lee

More details on the SMU Teaching Excellence Awards can be found via the respective links:

Heartiest congratulations to all nominees and recipients for their exemplary contributions and achievements in their quest for teaching excellence!