Background and challenge
Curtin University, established in 1986 and headquartered in Perth, Western Australia, operates campuses across Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai, and Mauritius. Known for blending academic rigor with real-world application, Curtin focuses on producing job-ready graduates through industry-informed curricula and a strong commitment to teaching and learning excellence.
Challenge
Curtin sought to:
- Embed mentorship and recognition structures for teaching excellence.
- Align reward and recognition processes with clear, evidence-based frameworks.
- Foster a culture of scholarly teaching practice through capacity building and collaboration.
- Support academics in achieving Advance HE Fellowships as part of career progression.
Advance HE partners with institutions worldwide to embed cultures of teaching and learning excellence.
Our consultancy-led approach ensures initiatives like mentorship networks and Fellowship support are aligned with your strategic priorities, whether that’s strengthening academic career pathways, fostering scholarly teaching or building recognition frameworks that celebrate innovation.
Our approach
Curtin University implemented a strategic partnership between its Learning Innovation and Teaching Excellence Centre (LITEC) and The Curtin Academy, focusing on:
- Institutional Support – Learning design, innovation, enablement and teaching advancement.
- Reward and Recognition Frameworks – Academic Promotions Procedures and Academic Capability Framework, ensuring clarity and consistency in career progression.
- Professional Development Pathways – Graduate Certificate in Higher Education, Advance HE Fellowship support and Teaching Innovation Awards.
- Mentorship Model – Through The Curtin Academy, providing structured guidance for Fellowship applications and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) projects, including grants up to AU$10,000.
- Community Building – Mentoring circles and collaborative networks to integrate scholarly practice into teaching.
Key outcomes and impact
The Curtin Academy created mentoring circles and one-to-one support for academics pursuing Advance HE Fellowships and SoTL grants, fostering confidence and capability in scholarly teaching.
The Academic Capability Framework and CEAP document provided transparent benchmarks for teaching excellence, enabling academics to align activities with institutional goals.
Formal qualifications, awards and recognition programs strengthened teaching capability and innovation across the institution.
The Academy’s active network promoted peer-to-peer learning, mentorship and shared best practices, reinforcing teaching excellence as a cornerstone of academic success.
Why institutions choose Advance HE
Advance HE is the strategic partner of choice for universities committed to embedding teaching excellence and recognition at scale.
Institutions choose Advance HE because we offer:
- Global recognition through Advance HE Fellowships
- Strategic alignment
- Transformational faculty development
- Mentorship and collaboration
- Sustainable impact
Advance HE brings deep expertise, global insight and a collaborative ethos to every partnership, helping institutions like Curtin University create vibrant teaching cultures and recognition pathways.
