Rate My Professor Heather Lonsdale

Dr. Heather Lonsdale is a Senior Lecturer in Mathematics and Statistics and serves as the Director of Learning and Teaching in the School of Electrical Engineering, Computing and Mathematical Sciences within the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Curtin University. She earned her BSc (Hons), PhD, and Graduate Certificate in University Teaching (GCertUniTeach) from the University of Melbourne. Her research interests center on mathematics education at the tertiary level, with a particular emphasis on active learning strategies and supporting the transition to university study for undergraduate students. Dr. Lonsdale has been instrumental in enhancing teaching practices in first-year mathematics courses, implementing innovative assessment methods such as oral assessments, diverse assessment choices, and effective feedback rubrics to improve student engagement and outcomes.

Dr. Lonsdale's contributions to teaching excellence have been recognized with the Faculty of Science and Engineering Excellence in Teaching Award in 2018, where she was the winner, and a commendation in the 2022 awards. She has secured teaching and learning grants, including one for 'Evaluating Student Work: Developing Effective Feedback Rubrics' in the School of Mathematics and Statistics. Her scholarly work includes presentations and publications on mathematics pedagogy, such as 'Oral Assessment in Science and Mathematics Education' (Proceedings of the Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education, 2015), 'Perception vs Reality: Using Tutorial Videos to Aid Tutor Training' with Deborah King (ICME-13 Education Course, 2016), and 'Developing Problem-Solving Skills through Oral Assessment' (Delta Conference). She has contributed to conference proceedings on formulating effective questions for problem-solving (Delta 2017) and diverse assessments (FYiMaths 2018). Dr. Lonsdale has held leadership roles including Deputy Chair of the Swan Delta Conference 2019 and Western Australia representative on the Australian Mathematical Society Standing Committee on Mathematics Education. Her efforts have notably improved success rates in challenging introductory mathematics units at Curtin University through targeted pedagogical innovations.