Rate My Professor Barry Maitland

Emeritus Professor Barry Maitland is a distinguished academic in the College of Engineering, Science and Environment at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He held the position of Professor of Architecture and served as Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, assuming the deanship in January 1984 after prior academic and professional experience in Britain. During his tenure, he spearheaded transformative reforms in one of Australia's smallest architecture schools. Drawing inspiration from the University's innovative Medical Faculty, Maitland implemented a problem-based teaching approach that integrated design studio work with theoretical components. This method utilized small tutorial groups supervised by rotating practitioner tutors, promoting self-motivation, group discussions, and relevance to real-world architectural practice. The rollout began with the first-year intake in 1985, expanded to second and fourth years in 1986, and was fully operational across all five years by 1987. This unique pedagogy reduced student drop-out rates and elevated academic standards.