Overview
Background
I obtained my PhD in Pure Mathematics from the University of Adelaide in the area of Convex Sets with Lattice Point Constraints. Following my PhD, I was a mathematics lecturer at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. In 2012, I joined UQ as a teaching focused academic in the School of Mathematics and Physics.
I have extensive teaching and administrative experience at the secondary-tertiary interface. Prior to my PhD, I taught senior high school mathematics in Singapore, where, as head of the mathematics department, I oversaw the delivery of the senior high school mathematics curriculum for over 2000 students. In my current role as Director of First Year Mathematics, I have led and implemented course improvements. These include the development of a comprehensive range of graded learning resources for key first year mathematics courses and specific initiatives to address the secondary-tertiary mathematics transition. One such initiative that has been especially rewarding is the Support Learning Tutorial (SLT), an intervention program that I designed and implemented to support at-risk first year students. SLT students have consistently outperformed the general cohort in pass rates and quality of results. Another significant initiative which I led is the MATH1051 (Calculus and Linear Algebra I) UQ2U Blended Learning Project. This project introduced changes to the delivery of MATH1051 in 2019, through the integration of online and high-value on-campus activities. A key innovation is the creation of a complete set of videos for MATH1051 and the implementation of collaborative workshops. The success of the MATH1051 project has led to the subsequent redesign of several large first year mathematics courses.
The impact of my teaching and research has been recognised through eight teaching awards (five UQ and three national awards). I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Fellowship (SFHEA) and 2022 Australian University Teacher of the Year.
Awards and Fellowships
- Australian Awards for University Teaching, Australian University Teacher of the Year, 2022
- Australian Awards for University Teaching, Award for Teaching Excellence, 2022
- UQ Faculty of Science Sustained Teaching Excellence Award, 2021
- UQ Award for Teaching Excellence, 2021
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), 2020
- UQ Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology Special Teaching Excellence Award, 2018
- Australian Awards for University Teaching Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, 2017
- UQ Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, 2016
- UQ Faculty of Science Award for Teaching Excellence, 2014
Availability
- Associate Professor Poh Wah Hillock is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Research interests
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Building Community in First Year Mathematics
There is a large body of research which tells us that belonging enhances achievement & motivation. First year at university is challenging for many students: there are new ways of learning, new physical and social environments, high expectations and the list goes on. How can we promote community/sense of belonging in first year mathematics?
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Assessment in first year mathematics
Design of assessment tasks which provide students with frequent and meaningful feedback, facilitating reflection, self-assessment and independent learning; Peer-assessment in first year mathematics.
-
First year mathematics support
Effective programs to support students in first year mathematics.
-
Special topics in first year mathematics
Teaching and learning of special topics in first year mathematics, e.g. series, power series, vector spaces.
-
Blended learning in first year mathematics
Effectiveness of hybrid models in the delivery of first year mathematics.
-
Evaluating the impact of mathematics support centres
A Mathematics Support Centre (MSC) is a facility which provides mathematics support outside of a student’s regular program. The growth of MSCs in tertiary institutions worldwide can be attributed to several factors: increased quantitative demands in many tertiary courses, widening pathways to university resulting in diverse mathematical backgrounds of incoming tertiary students, high attrition rates in quantitative disciplines, removal of mathematics prerequisites and/or assumed knowledge from many courses. Evaluation of MSCs is critical in order to ensure best practice, to make sure that services are meeting the needs of students and to make the case for continued funding.
Works
Search Professor Poh Wah Hillock’s works on UQ eSpace
2000
Journal Article
Inequalities for convex sets
Scott, Paul R. and Awyong, Poh Wah (2000). Inequalities for convex sets. Journal of Inequalities in Pure and Applied Mathematics, 1 (1) 6.
1999
Journal Article
Circumradius-diameter and width-irradius relations for lattice constrained convex sets
Awyong, Poh Wah and Scott, Paul R. (1999). Circumradius-diameter and width-irradius relations for lattice constrained convex sets. Bulletin of the Australian Mathematical Society, 59 (1), 147-152. doi: 10.1017/S0004972700032706
1999
Journal Article
An inequality relating the circumradius and diameter of two-dimensional lattice-point-free convex bodies
Awyong, Poh Wah (1999). An inequality relating the circumradius and diameter of two-dimensional lattice-point-free convex bodies. American Mathematical Monthly, 106 (3), 252-255. doi: 10.2307/2589680
1999
Journal Article
Inradius and circumradius for planar convex bodies containing no lattice points
Scott, P. R. and Awyong, P. W. (1999). Inradius and circumradius for planar convex bodies containing no lattice points. Bulletin of the Australian Mathematical Society, 59 (1), 163-168.
1999
Journal Article
The use of maple in first year undergraduate mathematics
Cheng, Ang Keng and Wah, Awyong Poh (1999). The use of maple in first year undergraduate mathematics. The Mathematics Educator, 4 (1), 87-96.
1998
Journal Article
Note on lattice-point-free convex bodies
Awyong, Poh Wah, Henk, Marti and Scott, Paul R. (1998). Note on lattice-point-free convex bodies. Monatshefte Fur Mathematik, 126 (1), 7-12. doi: 10.1007/BF01312452
1998
Conference Publication
Geometric inequalities for planar convex sets with lattice point constraints
Awyong, Poh Wah (1998). Geometric inequalities for planar convex sets with lattice point constraints. Convex and Discrete Geometry, Bydgoszcz, Poland, 27 August - 2 September 1998.
1997
Journal Article
Convex sets with lattice point constraints
Awyong, Poh Wah (1997). Convex sets with lattice point constraints. Bulletin of the Australian Mathematical Society, 56 (1), 161-163. doi: 10.1017/S0004972700030835
1996
Journal Article
New inequalities for planar convex sets with lattice point constraints
Awyong, Poh Wah and Scott, Paul R. (1996). New inequalities for planar convex sets with lattice point constraints. Bulletin of the Australian Mathematical Society, 54 (3), 391-396. doi: 10.1017/S0004972700021808
1996
Other Outputs
Convex sets with lattice point constraints
Awyong, Poh Wah (1996). Convex sets with lattice point constraints. PhD Thesis, Department of Pure Mathematics, The University of Adelaide.
1996
Journal Article
Width-diameter relations for planar convex sets with lattice point constraints
Awyong, Poh Wah and Scott, Paul R. (1996). Width-diameter relations for planar convex sets with lattice point constraints. Bulletin of the Australian Mathematical Society, 53 (3), 469-478. doi: 10.1017/S0004972700017238
1995
Journal Article
On the Maximal Circumradius of a Planar Convex Set Containing One Lattice Point
Awyong, Poh W. and Scott, Paul R. (1995). On the Maximal Circumradius of a Planar Convex Set Containing One Lattice Point. Bulletin of the Australian Mathematical Society, 52 (1), 137-151.
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Poh Wah Hillock is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
-
Assessment in first year mathematics
Design of assessment tasks which provide students with frequent and meaningful feedback, facilitating reflection, self-assessment and independent learning; Peer-assessment in first year mathematics.
-
Special topics in first year mathematics
Teaching and learning of special topics in first year mathematics, e.g. series, power series, vector spaces.
-
First year mathematics support
Effective programs to support students in first year mathematics.
-
Blended learning in first year mathematics
Effectiveness of hybrid models in the delivery of first year mathematics.
-
Building community in first year mathematics
There is a large body of research which tells us that belonging enhances achievement & motivation. First year at university is challenging for many students: there are new ways of learning, new physical and social environments, high expectations and the list goes on. How can we promote community/sense of belonging in first year mathematics?
-
Evaluating Mathematics Support Centres
A Mathematics Support Centre (MSC) is a facility which provides mathematics support outside of a student’s regular program. The growth of MSCs in tertiary institutions worldwide can be attributed to several factors: increased quantitative demands in many tertiary courses, widening pathways to university resulting in diverse mathematical backgrounds of incoming tertiary students, high attrition rates in quantitative disciplines, removal of mathematics prerequisites and/or assumed knowledge from many courses.
Evaluation of MSCs is critical in order to ensure best practice, to make sure that services are meeting the needs of students and to make the case for continued funding.
Media
Enquiries
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