National award for Otago Senior Teaching Fellow

A University of Otago Senior Teaching Fellow has won an award for sustained excellence in this year’s national Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards.

Tony Zaharic of the Department of Biochemistry was one of 12 tertiary teachers from around the country whose outstanding contributions were celebrated at an awards ceremony in Parliament last night.

The award recognises Mr Zaharic’s committed and sustained contribution to teaching and consistently high level of support for his learners. His citation noted that he connects his learners to knowledge by weaving information together into engaging stories that inspire creativity and enhance learning.

It continues: “Tony is a story teller and his story is imbued with the nuances that make an excellent teacher: a web of interactions, navigating and negotiating challenges, creating an optimum environment for learning, a passion for teaching, and a love for his discipline. Peers say that Tony is an unstoppable generator of ideas.

“Tony demonstrates excellence in every facet of teaching, from integrating planning, design, assessment and evaluation, to creating a stimulating environment that gives learners the best possible chance to learn. This permeates his teaching activities, whether it is in large lectures, laboratories or tutorials.”

The awards are managed and administered by Ako Aotearoa – The National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence. They aim to recognise and celebrate excellence in tertiary teaching; providing an opportunity for teachers to share with others the good practice that has proven to benefit their learners.