EAIT Citation for Excellence in Student Learning (CEiSL) Award

Congratulations to Dr Cathy Keys and her team (Dr Charmaine ‘Illaiu Talei, Ms Carroll Go-Sam, Prof Paul Memmott, Dr Kelly Greenop and Dr Tim O’Rourke) who have won The University of Queensland’s EAIT (Engineering, Architecture & Information Technology) Citation for Excellence in Student Learning (CEiSL) for their course ARCH3241 Aboriginal Architecture. This award is in recognition of the outstanding impact that the course has had on engaging students, academics and practitioners through respectful debate in the field of Indigenous Architecture. Success of the course was demonstrated by the strong course evaluation results, positive feedback and comments provided by the students.

The course provided an environment which highlighted inclusivity, diversity and respect for culture as core principles, enriching student’s partnerships with industry, community and research experts in the study of Indigenous architectures. A valuable component of the course was the contribution by guest lecturers (UQ School of Architecture alumni), including Andrew Lane, Shaneen Fantin, Stephen Long and Karl Eckermann. Students gained the confidence to work towards respectful relationships with Indigenous clients and communities, engaged with Indigenous architectural issues and possessed a better understanding of Indigenous architectural history. The course emphasised Indigenous agency in knowledge transfer and architectural processes, and demonstrated to students how they – as future architects – can work in this challenging environment to develop truly innovative and important approaches to architecture for and with Indigenous people. The award was announced at the EAIT Faculty Board meeting on the 16^th November 2017.