UTS Business academic awarded national teaching award

Amanda has been named winner of the prestigious 2020 Australian Award for University Teaching (AAUT) for Teaching Excellence in the category ‘Law, Economics, Business and related studies.’

The AAUT judges praised “Amanda’s dedication to improving the student learning experience – not only at UTS, but for students around the world – evidenced by her free learning resources on YouTube and open access initiatives around academic integrity.”

In her role as Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head (Education) in the Business School's Accounting Discipline Group, Amanda is well-known for creating engaging videos explaining key accounting and audit concepts and practices on her popular YouTube channel Amanda Loves to Audit, where she dishes up bite-sized lessons on why ‘Audit programs are like fried rice’ and topical advice on study and exams.

Amanda was also recognised for her creative approach to promoting academic integrity, including co-producing the video short ‘Carnival of Consequences’, as well as co-creating the Academic Integrity Board Game.

“I’m really, really  passionate about accounting as a tool for social mobility – learning about accounting can change your life.”
Dr Amanda White

“This award is highly competitive and is such a tribute to Amanda’s enthusiasm and dedication to ensuring the best possible outcomes for students. This is well deserved national recognition of her outstanding commitment to teaching and to her students,” said Professor Shirley Alexander, UTS Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education and Students).

The Sydney Morning Herald recently sat down with Amanda to chat about what drives her passion for creating outstanding student learning experiences:

SMH: Amanda, what do you do?

Amanda White: My week is built around two key activities: the classes or virtual drop-in times for my students, and the preparation for that and providing feedback to students. As deputy head I look after students and subjects in the area of accounting. Within all of that are committees, projects and research that I am involved in to help support student learning.

How long have you been doing this job and what first sparked your interest in this area?

I’ve been at UTS as a full-time academic for 18 years now. I was inspired by my honours supervisor. He saw my passion for teaching students and suggested I leave the accounting firm where I worked to pursue a career in higher education.

What do you like most about the job?

I love my students: the lightbulb moment of getting a tough concept, helping them develop new skills and new ways of thinking, and having their input on how I can help them learn and master the subject area.

What is the most unexpected thing you have had to do in your job?

I pitched the idea of a short film to help students become aware of academic integrity and academic misconduct. It was an amazing experience and the project won an Australian screen-writing award.

How transferable are your skills?

If I didn’t work at a university I could consider a career working in educational development at a professional association or a big firm.

What advice do you have for people wanting to get into this career?

You don’t need to decide about a career in academia straight away. Try out any subjects or an honours program that will allow you to have a taster of what research is like. Apply to be a peer tutor to have a taste of what teaching is like. It is a big step, but there are so many career options once you have a PhD – many outside of the walls of a university. I found that having professional work experience in accounting helped build my academic career. I could share my real life experiences and help bring the content in a textbook to life. I’ve also been able to bring my industry connections into the classroom.

The starting point for all accounting careers is a university or TAFE qualification in accounting. Then work on building experience through internships or volunteering and be sure to build your network through activities offered by the professional accounting bodies.

What should they study and what experience do they need to get into this field?

A PhD is the standard qualification for a full-time academic role in most universities these days. While you’re completing your PhD, I always recommend students try and get experience as a tutor to help build the teaching skills they’ll need in a general academic position. I also recommend undergraduate students take advantage of internships and vacation roles within practice (for example, accounting) so they can bring some real-world flavour to their research and classroom.

What personal skills do they need?

Self-direction is critical in higher education – you set your agenda in research and developing the educational offering that you teach – so you need to know what makes you curious. Compassion is also crucial as an educator, especially in pandemic times, where we help provide stability and belonging for students.

This article was first published on SMH.