Champion of innovative distance learning recognised with Higher Education Academy Senior Fellowship
Monash Rural Health Senior Lecturer, Dr Julie Willems, has recently been awarded Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). This significant achievement recognises Dr Willems’ extensive experience and innovation in teaching, with a focus on educational equity, distance education and workplace learning.
Dr Willems comes from a background in nursing and education, and as an academic, is a passionate educator and researcher. Throughout her career, she has experienced career disruption and other life challenges, and encourages those with similar life journeys to consider undertaking the HEA process.
“Life circumstances and roadblocks have required me to source alternate ways for career progression – especially living in regional areas where work opportunities are not so common and highly contested. Unable to relocate for personal reasons, I have needed to undertake lengthy commutes or fly in-fly out work which are not ideal.”
Dr Willems joined the team at Monash Rural Health in 2011 and initially was involved in teaching, research, and professional development of our staff across all sites. This was followed by teaching and learning roles at Monash University, Deakin University, and RMIT.
Returning to work at Monash Rural Health in 2018 in an educational research role, she also supported Eastern Victoria GP Training in obtaining significant funding for the development of GP training. Since 2022, Dr Willems’ has also taken on additional roles at Monash University: she is the Director of the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) ANZ (one of the selection processes for entry into medicine and dentistry) and member of the Fire to Flourish Health and Wellbeing research team.
Whilst Dr Willems has lived in regional locations much of her life, she has taught across the Australian education sectors, providing professional development to tertiary academics, secondary educators, nurses and supervising doctors involved in teaching others. This includes experience in distance learning, with positions on the Executive of the Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia (ODLAA), and the Executive of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE), working alongside colleagues from around the globe.
Through this experience, she has developed online modules to train those at the intersection of child protection and domestic and family violence, modules for the national GP Curriculum and Framework, and been instrumental in the rapid pivot of training to online during the pandemic.
“Personally, being awarded Senior Fellow of the HEA provides me recognition in the broader global context – especially when I have worked mainly in support roles to professionally develop others. Those contributions to the sector might not be easily recognised”, reflected Dr Willems.
For those considering taking part in the HEA application process, she advises that applicants make the most of opportunities to catch up with your assigned mentor.
“I also recommend that you discuss with any of your peers that are undertaking the process. While all are skilled in the HEA process, the different mentors have different skill sets and lenses. Chatting with your colleagues who are also undertaking the HEA may highlight something crucial to developing your own application, especially for alternate sources of evidence of impact, as happened in my case.”
Dr Tammy Smith, Director of Education at Monash Rural Health, congratulated Dr Willems on this internationally recognised achievement.
"I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with Julie for a number of years. Her commitment to high quality education and student engagement has been a consistent marker of her practice and approach throughout that time. Recognition as a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy is a fitting and well-deserved acknowledgement. Congratulations Julie.”
In the future, Dr Willems plans to continue to mentor others in teaching and learning, including professionals in supporting roles, and those who are geographically dispersed.