Guru of the Month - David Lowe
 Prof. David LoweB.E. (hons), PhD, GradCert (Higher Educ.), MACM, SMIEEE |  |
David Lowe is the Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Technology, Sydney. He is passionate about teaching, and particularly the role of practice-based engineering education. He has been heavily involved in teaching at all levels (undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing professional education). He codeveloped and was program director for the innovative Information Systems Engineering graduate programs. He was responsible for setting up the professional education program on Object Technology as part of COTAR, and co-developed the joint UTS-Thomson Masters program in Software Engineering.
He has active research interests in the areas of Web development and technologies, hypermedia, and software engineering. He has published widely in the area, including several texts (Lowe and Hall, Hypermedia and the Web: An Engineering Approach, Wiley, 1999 and Wilde and Lowe, XPath, XLink, XPointer, and XML: A Practical Guide to Web Hyperlinking and Transclusion, Addison-Wesley, 2002).
He is on numerous Web conference committees and journal editorial boards (such as the Journal of Web Engineering and the International Journal of Web Engineering and Technologies) and is the information management theme editor for the Journal of Digital Information. He has undertaken numerous consultancies related to software evaluation, Web development and Web technologies.
He was the recipient of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education 2001 McGraw Hill New Engineering Educator Award, and won the Paul Thistlewaite award for best paper at the 2000 Australian Web Conference.
David can be contacted at david.lowe@uts.edu.au.
David faces our ten questions... (and one of his own)
Preliminary comment: A number of the answers I give below seem contradictory, in that I give the same answer for both best thing and worst thing, and the same answer for both best advice and worst advice. This is primarily because the real picture is never simple. Often you will do something which has very positive outcomes at the same time as having negative consequences.
1. Why did you become an academic in the first place?
I am passionate about knowledge! How we create it. How we manage it. How we communicate it. How we help others gain knowledge. Becoming an academic just seemed natural, insofar as it allowed me to indulge this passion in very rich ways: teaching lets me share knowledge; educational development lets me explore ways in which we communicate knowledge; research lets me participate in the creation of new knowledge.
2. Is it still the same?
Definitely. Though my views have matured and evolved, this fundamental motivation remains very strong. I have become increasingly interested in the role of practice-based education and how it supports contextualised learning. I have also learnt to appreciate much more the challenges imposed by my changing role (from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer / Group Head to Associate Professor / Director of Undergraduate Programs to Professor / Associate Dean).
3. Biggest mistake you've made in your career?
Staying at one institution. With a few short stints in industry (for a total of 3 years) or overseas (for a total of 2 years) I have spent all of the last 21 years at UTS. This has meant that I missed an opportunity to explore the different approaches taken in different institutions, and to develop a broader network.
4. The big thing you got right
Staying at one institution. This has allowed me to understand UTS in depth, and to become deeply involved in the University operations. There is a second one worth mentioning: To be willing to be passionate about things, without becoming dogmatic about them.
5. Powerpoint or OHP?
Either - but only used as prompts, not as a substitute lecture. Too often teaching tools become an end rather than a means. When I use powerpoint or overheads, they are used simply as an aid and the real value-add is in the discussion that goes on around them.
6. Best Advice you ever received?
When asked to do something, always say yes! Basically, the single greatest aspect which has helped me to be successful has been always to accept challenges. Many, many times this opened up unexpected doors.
7. Worst advice you ever received?
When asked to do something, always say yes! (see the above point) This has meant that I have ended up with some heavy workload - but these have brought immense value as well. I have also ended up with lots of half-finished things.
8. Biggest challenge you've overcome?
Professionally - learning how to manage inter-personal relationships, which has become more complex as my role has changed. Personally - in 1997 I was diagnosed with cancer and spent a year in treatment. Whilst this might appear to have little to do with work challenges, it did help me to learn how to prioritise things much more effectively. A side consequence of the cancer was that I lost my voice for over a year. Amazing what you learn when you have to listen for a change!
9. How?
Hmmm - think I might have answered this above.
10. What advice would you give to new academics?
Be balanced! Research on its own can provide great benefits, but you become isolated from understanding what knowledge is really all about. Teaching on its own is fulfilling, but can become sterile. It is crucial to set boundaries, and religiously adhere to them. Learn to juggle - to task-switch rapidly. Be persistent! Select a good mentor.
11. And finally, any favourite quotes.
"Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter de necessitatum", William of Occam (c 1350). Or paraphrasing, always assume the simplest explanation.
"We live by information, not by sight.", Baltasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647).
Last Updated Monday June 21st, 2004