This is how I teach
This month we spoke with Dr Kate Wegener, Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences, in the Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology. Kate explains how she tailors her teaching approach to meet the diverse abilities, backgrounds, and life challenges of the individual, offering advanced students more freedom to explore while providing structured support for those who need it.
How would you describe your approach to teaching/your teaching philosophy?
My teaching philosophy centres on experiential learning, where students develop a deeper understanding of concepts through active engagement and hands-on exploration. For example, in my lab-based protein purification course, once they’ve established the core concepts, students are asked to develop their own experimental design and protocols to purify a novel protein and see what happens. This approach encourages students to make decisions, arrive at their own insights, and gain independence in the lab, which can be highly motivating.
I tailor my teaching approach to meet the diverse abilities, backgrounds and life challenges of the individual, offering advanced students more freedom to explore while providing structured support for those who need it. I am also flexible with students who require additional time or accommodations due to personal circumstances, such as mental health needs. My goal is to equip each student with the tools they need to succeed. Feedback is central to this process, fostering an ongoing dialogue between teacher and student, and encouraging self-reflection as a key component of their growth.
What do you like most about teaching in your discipline?
I love meeting people from all around the world and supporting them on their journey toward a better future. Most of the students I teach have relocated to pursue postgraduate studies in Australia, often using English as their second language and leaving behind the support of family and friends. I’m continually inspired by the courage this takes. It gives me great satisfaction to help them navigate the Australian education system and strengthen their biotechnology skills to open up exciting opportunities for their future.
How does your teaching help prepare students for their future?
My teaching focuses on equipping students with the skills they will need to succeed in their future careers. In my foundational courses, students build essential laboratory skills while working with state-of-the-art technologies, preparing them for the fast-changing biotechnology landscape. Simultaneously, they gain experience in team-based problem solving and strengthen their communication skills through structured presentations, learning to convey complex scientific concepts clearly and confidently.
In their second year, students apply these skills to hands-on experiences in both individual research and collaborative team projects. This work-integrated learning approach enhances their real-world problem-solving, project management, and scientific communication skills, making them highly employable in both academic and industrial settings. Through research projects we also connect students to the broader scientific community, including industry partners, offering valuable networking opportunities and insights into current research and development practices.
Which approach to educating students about academic integrity have you found to have the most impact?
Our program primarily serves international students, many of whom are unfamiliar with local academic integrity standards, such as proper attribution and moving beyond rote learning to problem-solving and synthesis of ideas.
By providing clear education on appropriate academic practices from the start, for example through mandatory quizzes, we've significantly reduced academic integrity violations since most issues were stemming from a lack of awareness rather than intent to deceive.Kate Wegener
More recently, the emergence of Artificial Intelligence tools, combined with pressure to achieve high grades, has brought new challenges. To address this, we focus on educating students about appropriate AI use while ensuring they still engage in deep, meaningful learning. By incorporating creative assessment designs - such as multi-step assignments or tasks requiring context-specific application of theory - students find it difficult to rely on AI without putting in significant input of their own.