“Donna's teaching style is so open and nurturing. The open discussion the class had about art in general rather than going into the specifics of readings every week allowed me to learn so much more. There was so much information available to us. I usually do not enjoy theory classes however Donna's supportive teaching really made me excited about writing my assignments. What a blessing it was to have her as our teacher. QCA Hang onto her please she is PRICELESS!”

 

“The lecturer is incredibly knowledgeable. Every week was a joy to watch the lecture slides. She is amazingly thorough in her presentation and has lots of resources that the students can absorb. totally loved this course.”

 

“Donna was amazing. True knowledge and a passion to teach it. Well laid out structure, easily understood assessment items. Important course. Thanks.”

 

“Constructive, high-key learning, fantastic teaching, unique way to communicate with students. I have had plenty of theory-based Art, and this course was awe-inspiring. I learnt heavily on Australian Art, which made me broaden my perspectives when living here in Australia - as in high school and primary school you don't get taught much, so I heavily recommend this course!”

 

“Donna offered a very genuine, informative, and supportive attitude to her class. The tutorials were particularly engaging and inclusive. I enjoyed learning about the diversity, experiences, and connected histories of my peers and lecturer, as we discussed the weekly class content. The course content and relevant resources were provided online in a very clear, concise, and optimal way for learning. Each assessment was made very clear, and relevant learning resources were provided.”

 

“She has been very respectful and understanding for the students. She always tried to make sure that we as students enjoy the course and she prioritised our learning and our satisfaction from the course. She also has a great knowledge about the subject she teaches which definitely makes her one of the best teachers I had during my study at Griffith University.”

 

“I think the course was excellent. So well organised and prepared. I don't like the theory classes so much, but this class was an exception and I really learnt a great deal about indigenous and non-indigenous Australian Art.”

 

“I greatly benefited by all of the learning content and resources being readily available and categorised for convenience. I also enjoyed that the lecture recordings were divided into shorter sections. This aligns with personal effective learning strategies. It makes the course easy to start, pause, and resume, whilst maintaining motivation and not feeling overwhelmed. I particularly found the assessment cover sheets helpful, as they provided an example of the appropriate format and layout. Our tutorials have always been very engaging and inclusive. Donna's passion for Australian Art is contagious throughout the course. I enjoyed learning about the diversity, experiences, and connected histories of my peers and lecturer, as we discussed the weekly class content. Donna always presented a supportive, informative, and open attitude to the class.”

 

“The professional, welcoming and positive way Donna teaches changed my university experience for the better. In lectures, she is thorough and informative and easily grabs the attention of the listeners with interesting information that she is obviously passionate about. In tutorials, she is so welcoming and inclusive to her students and creates a comfortable learning environment. The positive reinforcement she uses was so valuable to my learning. In the past I was not doing so well and was having a hard time keeping up with university life, I really fell behind. But since being in Donna’s Australian Art class this has turned around and I am doing so much better. I can’t thank her enough for the positive feedback and the encouragement to get involved in the tutorials, it’s inspired me to do better in all of my classes this trimester. The course was so interesting, and I really enjoyed every second of it. I now have a new and improved appreciation for Australian art and the history of this country. I have to say I was not expecting the class to be this great when I signed up for it, I didn’t know what to expect, but now I am so glad I did! The subject matter was so interesting and fun that I never felt the usual burden and stress of having to write an essay or do an assignment on time, I was actually excited and motivated to complete the assignments! I had a lot of fun doing them. Her teaching style has been so valuable to me and I’m sure that many students feel the same way. Thank you, Donna!”

 

“Donna Leslie has provided so many excellent resources and templates to assist students to respond to assignments effectively. I have used these and learned how to site and footnote properly and to a good standard. I have been able to apply these skills in my other courses, so it has helped me to improve across my course. In addition, she has introduced me to so many wonderful artists and concepts in Australian art and raised so much awareness of Indigenous issues to help explain and contextualise the artwork. Donna is a really generous person with her resources, time to explain and feedback. Because she is so organised, I am highly motivated to research what other courses she will be leading as I found it easy to understand what I had to do to be successful in this course. I also really enjoyed the focus on writing skills - I feel like it was a two parts course, one part helped me understand Australian art and the other to become a better academic writer. Wonderful teaching.”

 

“I couldn't fault it. I think everyone should have to do this course, especially if they are making art. The focus on contextualising your own practice in an Australian setting has been particularly useful to me.”

 

“Donna invites conversation on pertinent issues and is a highly informed and knowledgeable facilitator of discussion. She regularly mentioned she wanted people to feel safe to express their options and ask questions if they didn't understand some of the topics discussed. Donna opened up discussion on Indigenous issues in a very balanced and sensitive manner. She has a very calm way of discussing difficult topics and always draws it back to the art to help deepen our understanding.”