Professor Carol Hayes
What I can offer as a Mentor
I believe mentoring is important because it allows me to provide support and advice to other members of the university community, helping them navigate career pathways and personal well-being. I have benefitted greatly from mentors throughout my career and really enjoy the two-way exchange of ideas that comes with mentoring. As one of the University's Distinguished Educators and the Co-Chair of the ANU EFS (Educational Fellowship Scheme) I am deeply committed to educational professional development at all levels across the university, both in the academic and professional staff space. Education is now an important indicator in both promotion and the annual PDR process and am interested in mentoring any who wish to undertake fellowship or to better evidence their teaching and service contribution. As a female academic who continues to juggle family and career, I am also well aware of the difficulties of finding balance in our working lives. I specialise in Japanese cultural production including literature, film and popular culture. My research follows two main paths, firstly modern Japanese literature and poetry with a focus on the portrayal of social/cultural issues in creative production. My second focus is on Japanese language teaching methodologies and practice, particularly e-Teaching and e-Learning with a focus on flexible, online learning, student motivation and Japanese language acquisition. Teaching Japanese language and culture provides access to different ways of thinking about and seeing the world. I work hard to encourage my students to see the world through the eyes and words of others. I am committed to supporting engaging, flexible blended learning within the ANU, pushing boundaries in technical innovation to make learning more exciting and student oriented.