Dr. Krzysztof Sliwinski stands out as a highly motivated and passionate teacher who has devoted untiring efforts to achieving excellence in his teaching. His students have benefited greatly from the enhanced international exposure they have gained from his teaching practices. Moreover, the University as a whole has derived considerable value from his teaching philosophy, which has been beneficial not just to the development of teaching and learning but also in assisting the University’s drive to internationalise the campus.
Since his appointment in 2008, Dr. Sliwinski has proposed and successfully introduced a number of university courses that reflect the broad experience of his international background. He has also amply demonstrated his ability to stimulate students’ learning and create an inspiring learning environment through interactive pedagogies.
In keeping with his profound belief that teaching is one of the most important of human activities, Dr. Sliwinski has built up an impressive teaching portfolio, utilising a wide variety of methods to motivate students, for example through inquiry-based learning and flipped classroom techniques. He strongly believes in using the latest technology to improve teaching and learning, and therefore a web-based approach is at the centre of his teaching.
In his teaching, Dr. Sliwinski always persuades students not to take anything at face value. Going beyond established patterns of thinking and especially stereotypes is the only way to find the truth, which he says is the ultimate goal of science. One of his preferred and scientifically proven teaching techniques is story-telling, which not only makes students more comfortable in the company of instructors but also engages students more effectively and helps them remember the concepts taught.
A shining example of Dr. Sliwinski’s innovative curriculum design has been his Model European Union, a programme that enables student participants to engage with real-life challenges and threats that are handled by professional diplomats. The programme has also offered a unique opportunity for winning students to enrol in a summer top-up programme held in Brussels, during which participants have the chance to visit and examine key institutions of the European Union.
Dr. Sliwinski is currently working with overseas scholars on an inter-university project entitled “Asia-Pacific Model European Union - European Council Simulation”. It is the first of its kind in the higher education sector dealing with the procedures of international negotiations. It provides students with an opportunity to take part in a simulation of European Council meetings, enhancing their learning in conducting multi-country political deliberations on current real-life topics. Through Dr. Sliwinski’s dedicated efforts, his students have gained internship opportunities in the European Union Office.
Overall, Dr. Sliwinski is an all-round scholar who is keen to achieve perfection in every aspect of students’ learning experience. With his demonstrated excellence, the Selection Committee is unreserved in recommending him for the President’s Award for Outstanding Performance in Teaching.
