Professor Gary Velan
Research Interests:
My research is based on educational innovations, including Web-based assessments, virtual microscopy adaptive tutorials, concept and knowledge maps, and their effect upon learning outcomes in medical education.
Broad Research Areas:
Medical Education, Pathology
Qualifications:
MB BS (Hons), DipHEd, PhD UNSW
Society Memberships & Professional Activities:
Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Association ofHealth ProfessionalEducators (ANZAHPE), Member of the Australian College of Educators (ACE).
Specific Research Keywords:
eLearning, Educational Research, Learning Outcomes, Web-based Assessment
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
2008‐9 ALTC Competitive Grant. RK Kumar, GM Velan, P de Permentier, S.Bonser, P Adam, C Turnbull. Project title: “Virtual Microscopy for Enhancing Teaching and Learning”. Monetary value $129,700.
2012‐14 Royal Australasian College of Pathologists Specialist Training Program Rural Support Initiatives. S Van Es, GM Velan. Project title: “Virtual cytology and adaptive tutorials for postgraduate specialist education in pathology.” Monetary value: $30,685.
2011‐13 Health Workforce Australia Simulated Learning Environment Grant. Member of UNSW‐led NSW Consortium for Online Learning in Healthcare. Project title: “Inter‐professional Collaboration in Healthcare (InCH)” HWA‐RFP/2011/001. Monetary value: $1,300,000.
2012‐14 National Broadband Network Grant. Member of UNSW‐led Biomedical Education Skills and Training (BEST) network. Monetary value: $3,300,000.
2013-15 Royal Australian and NZ College of Radiologists Educational Consultancy. Impact of interactive eLearning modules for appropriate imaging referrals: a multicentre randomised crossover study. GM Velan (PI). Monetary value: $45,000.
2014 UNSW Learning and Teaching Innovation Grant. Blended Learning: a framework for selection, implementation, and evaluation. Monetary value: $25,000.
2014 UNSW Learning and Teaching Innovation Grant. Enhanced student learning with digital images through web‐based support for real‐time classroom interactions. Monetary value: $25,000.
2015 UNSW Learning and Teaching Fellowship Grant. Development and implementation of standards‐based assessment and personalised feedback in the biomedical sciences. Monetary value: $89,650.
2015‐16 UNSW Learning and Teaching Innovation Grant. Online knowledge maps: automated assessment and feedback to enhance learning in biomedical sciences. Monetary value: $20,000.
2016 UNSW Learning and Teaching Innovation Grant. Development of a blended course in Pathology. Monetary value: $20,000.
2017-2018 UNSW Scientia Education Investment Fund Grant. Development and implementation of an education portfolio to evaluate excellence of teachers at UNSW (Phase 1). Monetary value: $50,000.
2018-2019 UNSW Scientia Education Investment Fund Grant. Development and implementation of an education portfolio to evaluate excellence of teachers at UNSW (Phase 2). Monetary value: $50,000.
2017-2018 HETI Grant. Development of Online Modules in Pathology for Radiology Trainees. GM Velan (CI). Monetary value: $50,000.
1996 Faculty of Medicine Dean’s Scholarship for Excellence in Teaching
1998 Best Teacher Award – Prince of Wales Hospital
2000 School of Pathology Award for Teaching Excellence;
2002 School of Medical Sciences Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching
2002 Innovative Teaching and Educational Technology (ITET) Fellowship, under the auspices of the Pro‐Vice Chancellor for Education, UNSW.
2003 NSW Minister for Education and Australian College of Educators Quality Teaching Award
2003 UNSW Vice Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence
2007 Carrick Citation (now AAUT) for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning:
“For the design, development and implementation of integrated online formative assessments in the biomedical sciences, which provide automated individualised feedback and motivate independent learning.”
2009 UNSW Vice Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence; Faculty of Medicine Award for Teaching Excellence
2010 Australian Learning and Teaching Council (now AAUT): Award for Teaching Excellence
2012 UNSW Arc Award for Excellence in Postgraduate Research Supervision
2014 UNSW Medical Society Award for Teacher of the Year
2015 UNSW Learning and Teaching Fellowship
2016 UNSW Vice Chancellor’s Award for Programs that Enhance Learning: The BEST Network
2016-2021 UNSW Scientia Education Academy Fellow
My Teaching
Professor Velan is a dedicated medical educator with more than 30 years of experience at UNSW.
Gary is a Professor and former Head of the Dept of Pathology (2005-2016) as well as Director of Learning and Teaching Development (2011-2018) within the School of Medical Sciences. He was appointed Associate Dean (Education) in Medicine in 2016 and Senior Vice Dean (Education) in 2018. Gary’s innovations in education include the introduction of online formative assessments to UNSW, as well as the development of virtual microscopy adaptive tutorials (VMATs). Those resources have resulted in improved learning outcomes for students in Medicine and Medical Science at UNSW and beyond.
He is internationally recognised for research in medical education, focusing on eLearning as well as assessment and feedback, and has been a key contributor to educational research projects funded for more than $4.5 million. In 2015, Gary received a UNSW Learning and Teaching Fellowship to develop and implement standards‐based assessment in the biomedical sciences. In the same year, his contribution to scholarship in medical education was acknowledged by the award of a Fellowship of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Health Professional Educators (ANZAHPE).
Gary led a UNSW SEIF1 grant awarded to the Scientia Education Academy to develop an online education portfolio (showcase) for UNSW staff: . This portfolio can be used by staff to reflect on their achievements in teaching, as well as to curate and showcase evidence of those achievements for career development, academic promotion, teaching awards and fellowships. Gary's myEducation Portfolio is available to view.
Gary’s achievements in education have been recognised within UNSW by two Vice Chancellor's Awards for Teaching Excellence (2003 and 2009) and a Vice Chancellor's Award for Programs that Enhance Learning (2016), at a state level by a NSW Minister of Education's Quality Teaching Award (2003), and at a national level by a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2007) and a Teaching Excellence Award (2010) from the Federal Government’s Office for Learning and Teaching.
Gary is the Co-Director of the Scientia Education Academy (July 2019 - present) and an.