Teaching Excellence Awards

Dr Kathryn Hay

“Genuine”, “authentic” and “collegial” are words that students, colleagues and peers use to describe Dr Hay, a senior lecturer from the College of Health’s School of Social Work. As one student said of Dr Hay: “You listen and teach at the same time. You model strengths-based practice and I have always felt an equal, rather than just a student without your level of knowledge.”

Her practice is relationship-focused. Her dedication to creating meaningful connections between students, practice and the social work profession is testament to her commitment to advancing field education and the social work discipline generally.

Field education is a rewarding but also challenging experience for social work students. Dr Hay’s reputation as a leader in this sphere has provided students with unique opportunities — both in New Zealand and internationally — that stimulate and extend their worldviews. Such is her global influence that overseas universities often seek her expertise in designing field placements, and with her guidance they connect their students to the New Zealand context.

Dr Hay’s determination to advance field education practices has seen her establish enduring cross-institutional collaborations that benefit many social work students. Her achievements include a co-authored best practice publication for international placements and a textbook that connects students with the social work profession.

A previous head of school comments, “Dr Hay is an excellent teacher committed to her students and in providing a high quality learning experience in the area of field education. Her innovative teaching strategies have been recognised and embraced by her colleagues at Massey and further afield.”

Dr Cami Sawyer

Dr Sawyer is a senior tutor in mathematics from the Institute of Fundamental Sciences in the College of Sciences. She creates a positive, engaging and responsive learning environment that reduces barriers to learning mathematics so students can flourish. Her teaching philosophy is based on creating connections, including supportive relationships between students and between students and teachers, as well as user-friendly access to course content.

Her passion, enthusiasm and desire to provide the best learning experience is reflected in her sustained commitment to continued development. No better is this illustrated than in her development of tutorial videos, of which one student said: “Thanks for the excellent tutorial videos! I would have been lost in maths if it wasn’t for you. They are clear, precise and fun.”

Widely regarded as a thought-leader in best practice mathematical education, her teaching approach evolves based on student feedback and her connections with the communities from which students come. She shares her learning freely with peers and liases with communities to bridge the gap between secondary school and university.

As a senior colleague comments, “Cami’s warmth, her sense of humour and her willingness to reflect openly and honestly about her own successes and failure in the classroom make her an effective leader of teaching progress within the College of Sciences.”