Monash Faculty of Arts awarded nearly $1 million in ARC Mid-Career Industry Fellowships
Associate Professor Louisa Willoughby from the Faculty of Arts has secured $919,027 from the Australian Research Council (ARC) Mid-Career Industry Fellowship scheme.
The funding will enable Professor Willoughby to develop innovative teaching methods to address Australia’s skills shortage in sign language teaching, in an effort to ensure social inclusion and quality education for people who speak and sign minority languages.
“This project is a novel interdisciplinary collaboration with Deaf Auslan teachers that aims to build their capacity to apply linguistic insights in their own teaching,” said Professor Willoughby.
“Expected outcomes include new knowledge of how to effectively teach sign languages, evidence-based teaching resources, training materials about Auslan in Auslan and a National Network delivering pre-service Auslan teacher training, ongoing professional learning and a resource hub,” she said.
“I’m really excited and honoured to have this opportunity to work with partners and members of the Deaf community to make progress on this long-standing issue,” said Professor Willoughby. “It’s particularly timely because similar conversations are going on in the UK at the moment about BSL (British Sign Language) teacher training, so I’m hoping we can work together and achieve great outcomes in both places.”
Deputy Dean (Research) of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Brett Hutchins, said the fellowship amplified Monash’s commitment to research excellence and impact that serve the community.
“Professor Willoughby is a distinguished academic leader who will play a valuable role in transforming Auslan education in Australia,” said Professor Hutchins. “We look forward to seeing the difference her work makes for the Australian Deaf community in the coming years.”
ARC Mid-Career Industry Fellowships have been awarded to 25 mid-career researchers nationally to support the establishment of their careers in industry and industry-based researchers in university settings.
The scheme aims to encourage increased two-way mobility and skill-building in research collaboration, translation and commercialisation.