A USC Social Media lecturer has been recognised for her innovation in embedding real-world experience into her teaching with a major award from the Australasian Council of Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities.

Senior Lecturer in Public Relations Dr Karen Sutherland last night received the Education, Innovation and Employability award from the Council, which is an agency for research, teaching and learning for the humanities, arts and social sciences in Australian and New Zealand universities.

The Council’s Board said Dr Sutherland had demonstrated outstanding work with significant impact among a very competitive field.

It commended the suite of work-integrated learning opportunities she had developed for students in USC’s School of Business and Creative Industries, ranging from real-world experience with large international companies to significant local organisations.

Dr Sutherland said preparing students for the realities of the workplace through practical experience and providing opportunity to develop examples of real client work to present to prospective employers was a win-win for students and the business community.

“Engaging with businesses as part of these initiatives has also helped small business owners gain social media support and knowledge and we are very grateful for their involvement in this learning process,” she said.

Dr Sutherland is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and the 2020 winner of the Social Media Marketing Institute's Best Social Media Educator of the Year.

Her research focuses on social media and graduate employability and she has led social media study tours to Vietnam, Hong Kong and India.