Despite over four decades of teaching in Optometry and Vision Science, and having met almost every student type that exists, Associate Professor Barbara Junghans is still fascinated by the process of learning. Over that time she has had the privilege of taking on almost every teaching role that exists. During A.Prof Junghans' Grad Dip Higher Ed in the early 90’s, she studied the electives Curriculum Design, and Assessment – her favourite text from that program was Derek Rowntree’s ‘Assessing Students: How shall we know them?’ The modern student is challenging. However, the core still holds: we have a responsibility to grow the person whilst we instil what seems to the student ‘everything’ they need to take on a particular profession; to prepare students to understand how little they, and even we, know of this world; and to develop in them a love of learning and sharing.
A.Prof Junghans' commitment and scholarship in teaching has been formally recognized by a UNSW Vice Chancellor’s Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award, an Australian Learning and Teaching Council Citation for “Sustained inspirational teaching, academic mentoring and leadership in the scholarship of learning and teaching in the field of Optometry”, a UNSW Highly Commended Citation for Engagement with the Community through Teaching, a UNSW Postgraduate Teaching Award, and significantly back in 2008, through promotion to Associate Professor based on outstanding teaching.
She is the only non-north American to be presented the American Academy of Optometry’s Excellence in Optometric Education Award. A.Prof Junghans won an Australian Learning and Teaching Council grant to study why Optometry graduates do not go into rural practice nor engage in low vision practice, and through this brought together the first Australian network of Optometry academics interested in teaching, which has continued with further projects.
A.Prof Junghans has a number of optometric education-related publications, plus those more expected of a research/teaching academic. These cover understanding the lymphatics of the eye (she is on a world expert panel on lymphangiogenesis), animal models to study the molecular biology of myopia, the rapidly changing epidemiology of myopia, eye-hand coordination testing using an iPad app as a means to objectively and quickly establish brain integrity, and finally, even, colour vision and the design of maps for the sport of orienteering (which led her to become the International Orienteering Federation’s advisor on colour vision).
Email [email protected] to enquire if Barbara is available to mentor you.
Conditions for mentoring facilitation
- one-on-one mentoring
- 1-2 mentees at any stage
Mentor details
Faculties
- Science
Academic level
- Lecturer A
- Lecturer B
- Lecturer C
Learning and teaching skills
- Student learning
- Learning and teaching curriculum design
- Assessment and feedback
Mentoring discipline
- Mentoring within own/and across disciplines
General experience
- Supporting critical reflection through listening and asking questions