Providing an equitable student experience and making University fun from day one

Thursday, 22 October 2020

As an inaugural recipient of a DVC(A) Merit List Award for Teaching and Learning Excellence, Associate Professor Troy Gaston, deep dives into making university fun from day one, plus, shares his philosophy on providing an equitable student experience across our campuses.

Associate Professor Troy Gaston
Associate Professor Troy Gaston

I make the first class relaxed, fun and an opportunity to talk with other students in the same situation – first day at uni and not sure of where they fit. The ENVS1001 Environmental Science: Concepts and Methods course is often the “first day of uni” for a lot of students. This course has consistently received good student feedback for several reasons: interaction with a wide range of experts, in-class activities that allow students to discuss and interact, practical classes every week on key aspects of working in the environmental sciences and most importantly, students have the same laboratory demonstrators for every session and they get to see the course coordinator every week.

The enthusiasm of an educator is often contagious and encourages students to engage in learning. I strive to give my students self-awareness and confidence in their abilities. This enables students to take the next step and to better themselves not only in their studies, but other aspects of their life.

It is important to make learning “fun”. My teaching philosophy is to promote life-long learning and student-centred learning. My objectives are to immerse students in real-life scenarios and aid student development of their problem-solving skills as well as fostering their generic skills such as communication, team work and self-management so they can flourish in their careers.

A great teacher knows when to listen, motivate and coordinate. Student feedback is extremely important. This can happen from casual conversation during an in-class activity or practical session – both situations where students are more relaxed and able to discuss their concerns and ideas. I have made many changes to courses based on student feedback. Listening to the learner is something I’m very aware of.

'Thinking outside the box' for engagement activities is likely to provide an equitable student experience for courses delivered on multiple campuses. I have been involved in cross-campus delivery for many years, however, it still presents many challenges for course delivery and student equity. Technology is not a 'silver bullet' for all issues as face-to-face interaction is extremely important for learning activities and student engagement.

About Troy

Troy started teaching whilst undertaking a PhD at the University of New South Wales, and was immediately “hooked”.

After spending seven years at the University of Tasmania, Troy crossed the ocean to become a teacher at our University in 2012. Troy has taught a range of courses, from introductory biology and statistics, marine biology and ecology, and through to advanced field ecology and postgraduate courses. More than 200 students take his introductory environmental science course – which is delivered across multiple campuses. Troy also coordinates and delivers a capstone coastal and marine science course, Integrated Coastal Ecosystems, which is built around a field trip that allows students to develop, implement, analyse and report on a fieldwork program.

Troy’s research background is marine ecology, with a particular focus on estuarine and coastal ecosystems – how they function, trophic interactions, quantifying productivity and investigating human impacts.

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