UOW lecturer named ANZAM Management Educator of the Year

Dec 14, 2005

When University of Wollongong management lecturer Peter McLean prepares for a new semester he starts by memorising his students' names - up to 250 of them.

His next step is to check which of his students are from overseas, so that he can learn an appropriate greeting in their native tongue.

Mr McLean's determination to put humanity at the forefront of his Human Resources teaching has won him the 'Pearson Education ANZAM Management Educator of the Year Award for 2005' awarded by the Australia and New Zealand Academy of Management in recognition of achievements in teaching excellence.

“I like to greet my international students in their native language to show respect for where they have come from,” Mr McLean said. “It's a nice way to tell them their identity is special … although sometimes my attempts can range from the humourous to the pathetic!

“I treat every student as an individual. I like to make learning a safe environment, by concentrating on my students' sense of identity and sense of worth,” Mr McLean said.

“Knowing students by name encourages them to participate rather than remaining anonymous and disconnected.”

Not that lack of participation seems to be an issue in Mr McLean's classes. Not that lack of participation seems to be an issue in Mr McLean's classes. School of Management and Marketing Head Professor Trevor Spedding's submission to the ANZAM award judges noted: Students demonstrated their appreciation for his commitment and outstanding teaching by bursting into spontaneous applause at the end of the final exam.

Professor Spedding's submission further states: His teaching surveys are outstanding. He regularly obtains perfect scores. Most (students) describe him as the best lecturer they have ever encountered. Many … suggest that he is the perfect lecturer and should be a role model for others.

Peter is very well prepared and extremely knowledgeable. He bases his lectures on current research, integrates considerable personal experience and encourages the students to interact as much as possible.

One aspect of Mr McLean's relationship with students that most appreciate is that he makes a point of remembering their names. “I teach as many as 250 students over a session, so it is a big undertaking - but it's worth it,”

“I agree with Dale Carnegie (the famous American speaker and author of the iconic How To Win Friends and Influence People) who said the most important word in the English language is a person's name.

“I'm teaching students about Human Resources, and try to demonstrate that good managers are those who treat their staff like real people. Managers who don't know the names of the people they manage are really managing by fear, and that doesn't get the best results.

“But there's much more to teaching than learning students' names - you also have to keep their attention for 13 weeks.”

Mr McLean described winning the ANZAM award as “awesome”.

“It's pleasing that the School of Management and Marketing should receive this award after the University was named No. 1 in the country for teaching and learning,” he said. “It recognises what our graduates have been saying.”

Mr McLean, whose Human Resources career took him all over the world before he returned to Australia in 1993, joined the University of Wollongong almost by chance.

“I had come to the Campus with my daughter to help her enroll in an undergraduate degree,” he said. “I liked the place so much that I decided to try to work here.”

He started tutoring part-time before joining the Faculty of Commerce full-time in 2000.

His daughters Karina (Commerce) and Sharla (Graphic Design) have both graduated from the University, while a third daughter Jenni is nearing the end of an Education degree.

“Having three daughters involved in education helps me find out what teaching techniques work and what don't,” Mr McLean said. “They're always giving me tips about what they like and don't like about their teachers, and helping me bridge the generation gap.”

Mr McLean received a $3000 cheque for his award and an invitation to conduct a Master Class at the 2006 ANZAM Conference in Yepoon in Queensland.