Rate My Professor Allie Ford

Dr. Allie Ford is a Senior Teaching Fellow in the Science Faculty Office at Monash University's Faculty of Science. She earned her PhD in astrophysics from Keele University in the United Kingdom, where her research centered on stellar spectroscopy and elemental abundances in open clusters. Early career publications include 'Elemental abundances in the Blanco 1 open cluster' (Ford, Jeffries & Smalley, 2005, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society), 'Rotation and activity in the Solar-metallicity open cluster NGC2516' (Terndrup et al., 2002, Astrophysical Journal), 'Lithium in the Coma Berenices open cluster' (Ford et al., 2001, Astronomy & Astrophysics), and 'Lithium abundances from the 6104Å line in cool Pleiades stars' (Ford, Jeffries & Smalley, 2002, Astronomy & Astrophysics). These works, contributing to her over 496 Google Scholar citations, explored lithium abundances, stellar rotation, and chemical compositions using echelle spectroscopy in clusters such as Blanco 1, Coma Berenices, and the Pleiades.

Transitioning to science education, Dr. Ford's recent research focuses on tertiary education, student transitions, reflective practice, and healthcare training. Key publications include 'Reflection for Learning: Teaching Reflective Practice at the Beginning of University Study' (Pretorius & Ford, 2016, International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education), 'Building a sense of belonging among tertiary commuter students: The Monash Non-Residential Colleges program' (Fernandes et al., 2017), 'The association between physical education and academic achievement in other curriculum learning areas: A review of literature' (Lambert, Ford & Jeanes, 2022, Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy), 'Mind-Melds and Other Tricky Business: Teaching Threshold Concepts in Mental Health Preservice Training' (Pretorius & Ford, 2017), and 'Doing Assignments in Education' (Pretorius et al., 2024, Monash University monograph). She co-developed the iSAP program, earning the 2021 Australian Awards for University Teaching (Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, iSAP Team) and the 2018 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Education (Programs that Enhance Learning, iSAP Team). Additional honors include Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences Learning & Teaching Research Grants (2015) and Office of the Vice-Provost Small Grants (2014). Dr. Ford has contributed to conferences like STARS (Students, Transitions, Achievement, Retention and Success), the Transition 2 University program, and public outreach via podcasts such as Brains Matter, enhancing student self-efficacy, belonging, and professional skills in science and health disciplines.