University of Canterbury senior teaching fellow Stephen Hickson has been recognised as one of New Zealand’s top tertiary teachers. Mr Hickson (Economics and Finance) received one of 12 Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards during a ceremony held at Parliament. The event was hosted by the Minister for Tertiary Education, Steven Joyce, and the Chair of the Education and Science Committee, Nikki Kaye.
The awards, administered by Ako Aotearoa - The National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence, recognise and encourage excellence in tertiary teaching. The award includes $20,000 in prize money to be used for career development and to promote best practice.
Mr Hickson said it was "a privilege to receive an award like this" and thanked colleagues who, "by their great stature, have allowed me to stand on their shoulders while trying to make a difference to students.
"And of course to all the students who, over the years, have made the journey very rewarding. Finally, to my wife, who every day has to put up with being married to someone who lives and breathes economics. She's still not sure if I should be let loose on the minds of young people or not but she realises I'm having far too much fun to want to do anything else."
He said when teaching, his main aim is to show his passion for his subject. "I want to connect with what the students already know and find interesting."
Mr Hickson's teaching strategies include relating content to students' lives, presenting material in multiple ways to help students learn, and structuring assessment so that students are guided into the behaviours that advance learning.
In the citation for the award, Mr Hickson was described as "a superbly effective, energetic teacher who has inspired thousands of students".
"He has been praised for his natural teaching skills, innovation and willingness to do whatever it takes to better serve students."
Mr Hickson’s research interests centre on teaching and assessment in economics, looking at whether different types of assessments measure different things, and if different types of students perform better or worse in different types of assessment.
