Paul Murphy
Faculty of Business and Economics
Paul wants critical thinking to be infectious
When a lecturer suggested teaching to Paul he shrugged it off. Now teaching is his new career. “I didn't expect to enjoy it so much when I started!”
What are you doing differently in your field that you believe is driving real change?
I challenge students and have them take responsibility for their learning. I'm shifting the emphasis in learning and assessment to build their learning skills, independent of content.
How do you help students build confidence, not just knowledge?
Workshops are designed to be safe places to be wrong. We challenge, practice, try, break, repeat. We give a lot of feedback both formally and informally.
What do you hope your students take away from their time with you? Is there a student moment you’ll never forget, and why?
I get a lot of satisfaction when a student (or past student) tells me that I've changed how they think. This was posted by a former student on LinkedIn yesterday: "The 3rd year marketing strategy subject at Monash was still the best subject I did in my whole undergrad. Would gladly come back to tute that one 😄 - literally set the direction for my career."
I hope they think that I helped them learn 'how' to think, not 'what' to think. I want them to have a mindset (and skillset) of being independent 'problem solvers'. ”
What do you hope your students remember about you 10 years from now? What mindset do you want your students to carry into their careers?
I hope they think that I helped them in some way. I hope they think that I helped them learn 'how' to think, not 'what' to think. I want them to have a mindset (and skillset) of being independent 'problem solvers'.
What legacy or ripple effect do you hope to leave behind?
I want critical thinking to be infectious.
What would surprise your younger self most about what you do now?
My younger self would be very surprised that I'm a university lecturer!
What motivates you to continue pushing boundaries in your work?
The 'aha moments' in the class room. The look on a student's face when they develop an insight or understanding.
How do you tailor your teaching approach to engage and inspire today's students?
I'm a practitioner at heart, so I use a lot of context – case studies, organisational visits, interviews, anecdotes, story telling – to illustrate theory.
Was there a turning point that brought you to becoming an educator, or did you always know you'd end up here?
I did my MBA at Monash in the early 2000s. When I'd finished, one of my lecturers suggested that I should teach but I didn't think much of it. A few years later I left my corporate job to start my own business and I contacted that lecturer to follow up the idea of teaching. That was how I started. After 15 years of combined industry practice and teaching, teaching became the new career. I didn't expect to enjoy it so much when I started!
How would you explain your role to someone who’s never met a university educator?
I explain it as a facilitation role. ‘Teaching’ implies that we transfer or transmit knowledge but student learning is their responsibility. We can't 'learn' them. Students must decide to learn, and our role is to guide students through the process in an engaging way.