National teaching awards: mentoring educators for success
Associate Professor Anna Rowe and Kristin Turnbull
A new scalable and sustainable mentoring approach has been implemented at UNSW to strengthen support for national teaching award applicants, with three outstanding UNSW educators: Associate Professors Yenni Tim, Nick Apoifis and Terry Ord, recognised with prestigious Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT) citations in 2025.
Teaching awards play a vital role in recognising, valuing, and sharing excellence in learning and teaching (Seppala & Smith, 2020). At their core they celebrate educators who make a demonstrable difference to student learning and the student experience. National teaching awards are highly competitive, recognising educators whose impact of on student learning extends beyond their own institution to influence practice across the sector. AAUT are administered by Universities Australia and are the nation’s premier recognition for teaching excellence in Australian universities.
UNSW has a long-standing commitment to supporting staff who aspire to receive a national award in recognition of sustained excellence and dedication to teaching throughout their careers. The University’s institutional teaching awards process is intentionally aligned with the expectations of the AAUT, ensuring that staff who succeed internally are well positioned to apply for a national award.
Until recently, the PVC Education Portfolio’s Academic Development (AD) team has supported prospective applicants with tailored, one-on-one support, helping educators identify their strengths and articulate impact. In late 2024, with the intention of expanding our support beyond a limited 1:1 model, the team introduced a new mentoring support approach. This emerged in response to a clear need for more sustained, peer-to-peer developmental support to complement, one-to-one application support.
Situated within UNSW’s broader commitment to building academic capability and fostering a culture of educational excellence and inclusion, the model identifies suitable applicants and supports them through regular monthly drop-in sessions, structured feedback on developing applications, and peer mentoring opportunities that foster a strong community of practice (Foster et al., 2025; Ambler et al., 2016). This approach recognises that award-worthy impact is built over time, and that mentoring, peer support, and reflective dialogue are critical to success.
The importance of considered feedback and guidance is reflected in the words of successful applicants. Associate Dean (International) of UNSW Arts, Design and Architecture, A/Prof. Nick Apoifis, received a 2025 AAUT Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning:
“I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you both for your incredible support and guidance throughout this process. I’m honestly so grateful for the time, care and expertise you brought to it all. I couldn’t have done it without you. Your advice, encouragement and steady hand made such a difference, and I really appreciate everything you’ve done.”
Describing the value of the revised mentoring approach, Kristin Turnbull, Lead Academic Development and Career Advancement, notes: “The program is a valuable opportunity for applicants to learn from their peers within a collegial, collaborative context, reducing the isolation often associated with working individually on an application.”
The revised mentoring approach has led to a noticeable increase in the pipeline of applications in its first iteration, alongside encouraging outcomes for participants. Early indicators suggest the model is strengthening the quality and preparedness of applicants, and participants reported feeling well supported throughout the process. Several staff are now working towards the 2026 submission round, reflecting the initiative's focus on long-term development.
Call to action
Interested in applying for a national teaching award? For advice on your eligibility, please contact the Academic Development team at landtgrants@unsw.edu.au.