Flinders University has marked the end of its first ever ‘Teacher in Residence’ program, which sees senior secondary science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers helped by direct contact with academics.

The university says it wins too, as the ‘Teacher in Residence’ program gives academics and teachers reciprocal insights into their respective curricula.

One teacher from this year’s group, Mr Adam Wallace, said he was specifically interested in finding ways to encourage the transition of STEM students to university by improving the continuity of course content and delivery.

“We want to give our students a picture of what the science pathways there are beyond a school setting and also help them differentiate between the various science learning areas,” Mr Wallace said.

“We find a lot of kids want to do science in Year 11, but don’t have a clear distinction between the different disciplines.”

Mr Wallace linked with Flinders nanotechnology lecturer Associate Professor Jamie Quinton, and also met several other specialist academics to tour their laboratories and discuss their research and teaching.

He said one of the major outcomes of his three-day visit will be a closer liaison between Flinders and the science program he teaches.

“Lots of ideas that come up in professional development can fall by the wayside – my time at Flinders has been very purposeful and productive,” he said.

Associate Professor Quinton says reducing the culture shock between school and university study was important in successfully engaging students, and better understanding between teachers at secondary and tertiary level would aid the transition.