Professor Christine Goh Is New NIE Director
Prof Christine Goh will take over from teacher education stalwart, Prof Tan Oon Seng, as NIE Director on 1 July 2018.
Professor Goh first joined NIE in 1994 and was Dean of Graduate Studies and Professional Learning (GPL) prior to her appointment as NIE Director. Her wealth of experience includes teaching and managing various programmes, conducting and supervising research and leading strategic initiatives for teacher continuing education through in-service and graduate programmes at GPL. A tenured NTU Professor of Education (Linguistics and Language Education), her work is widely cited and many of her books and research articles are important references in graduate and teacher education programmes in universities around the world. Professor Goh has also advised the Ministry of Education on various aspects of English language education and research for many years.
In a note to the NIE/NTU community, Professor Goh wrote, “I thank Professor Tan Oon Seng for the privilege to continue in his footsteps. It is a great honour for me and I had not accepted this position lightly as I was mindful of the responsibility and accountability I would have towards you, our students, the University and the wider education community. I am therefore particularly appreciative of Professor Tan’s mentoring, support and understanding as I prepared for the new role. I am equally thankful to everyone on the leadership team for their willingness to work alongside me to serve NIE in the coming years.
“I take this opportunity to thank my fellow deans, Associate Professor Liu Woon Chia and Professor Michael Chia, who are taking a well-deserved break from the responsibilities and pressures of leadership. I am thankful for their help, support and friendship these past years as well as their generous advice during the transition period. With the new team, we will give of our best to build on the achievements by the men and women who have served NIE. I look forward to working with all our partners and colleagues to help take NIE to where we want it to be,” she added.
Professor Tan, who has served as NIE Director since 1 July 2014, was instrumental in refining the Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme and introducing the NTU-NIE Teaching Scholars Programme, enhancing teaching practices and international practicum opportunities for NIE student teachers, and spearheading technology-enhanced learning and infrastructural improvements. He championed leadership development and renewal across both academia and administration at NIE and helped NIE secure a 25 per cent increase in funding for educational research for the next five years. He also mooted the idea of the NIE Visitors Learning Centre as a showcase of the institute’s excellent teacher education and research collaborations with international institutes and government bodies. A teacher, school leader, lecturer, polytechnic director and university professor since 1983, and an authority in education psychology, problem-based learning and teacher education, Professor Tan is frequently cited in international research publications. He continues to contribute as NTU Professor of Education, and as Director of Centre for Research in Child Development.
Said Professor Tan, “I am very thankful to Professor Christine Goh for agreeing to step into the director’s role. As I pass the baton on to Professor Goh and her team, I am very confident that they will bring NIE to greater heights of excellence and inspire new teaching professionals to come.”
As part of NIE’s leadership renewal process, the following changes in senior appointments were also announced:
| Name | Formerly | New Appointment (With effect 1 July 2018) |
|---|---|---|
| Professor Low Ee Ling | Chief Planning Officer, Director’s Office | Dean, Office of Teacher Education |
| Professor John Wang | Associate Dean, Research Management and Programmes, Office of Education Research | Dean, Office of Graduate Studies and Professional Learning |
| Professor David Hung | Associate Dean, Office of Education Research | Dean, Office of Education Research |
| Professor Rebecca Ang | Associate Dean, Office of Education Research | Dean, Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs |
| Associate Professor Chang Chew Hung | Associate Dean, Professional Development, Office of Graduate Studies and Professional Learning | Chief Planning Officer, Director’s Office |
The team’s scholarly contributions and expertise in learning innovations and technologies, evidence-based pedagogies and education research will further advance NIE’s long-standing distinction as a leading teacher education institution in Singapore and the world.
