Rate My Professor Joss Rankin

Associate Professor Joss Rankin serves as the Teaching Program Director for Education in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University. He joined the university in 2017 as part of the Health and Physical Education teaching team, leading the design of Outdoor Education study pathways, coordinating the Bachelor of Education (Secondary Health and Physical Education), undertaking the college student success lead role, and currently directing all education programs. Prior to his academic career, Rankin taught for nine years in various schools across regional and metropolitan South Australia, as well as in Cambridgeshire, England, primarily as a Health and Physical Education and Outdoor Education teacher. His outdoor passion is evidenced by certifications as a bushwalking leader, top-rope climbing instructor, and flat-water kayaking instructor. Academically, he holds a Master of Education with a thesis titled 'Let Their Body Do The Thinking: A Case Study of Creative and Body-based Pedagogies in Mathematics,' a Postgraduate Bachelor of Education (Middle and Secondary Teaching), and a Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement). He is a registered teacher.

Rankin's scholarship of teaching and learning centers on Mosston’s Spectrum of Teaching Styles, Outdoor Threshold Concepts, and Student Engagement. He coordinates and teaches courses including Foundation Studies in Physical Education, Outdoor Adventures, Introduction to Education in Outdoor Environments, Introduction to Outdoor Activity Leadership, and Facilitating Learning and Development in Outdoor Environments. Notable publications include 'Drama-based pedagogy: Activating learning across the curriculum' (2018), 'How do pre-service physical education teachers understand health education and their role as health educators?' (2019), 'The spectrum of teaching styles in physical education' (2020), 'The spectrum of sport coaching styles' (2021), and 'Critical encounters: Enacting social justice through creative and body-based learning' (2021). He has earned awards such as the FUSA Dux in University Teaching Award (2021), FUSA Student Led Teaching Award: CEPSW (2021), Vice-Chancellor's Innovation in Teaching Award (2020), College Excellence in Teaching Award: CEPSW (2019), and Excellence in Masters Thesis from UniSA (2019). Rankin contributes to the CEPSW Learning and Teaching Academy, serves on the Bushwalking Leadership of South Australia Assessor and Advisory Board and Paddle South Australia Assessors, and is a member of the Outdoor Educators Association of South Australia, Australian Tertiary Outdoor Education Network, and Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation. He shares his expertise through conferences, school partnerships, Fearless Conversations on Innovative Education and Pedagogy, and the Peering In Podcast.