My approach to teaching consists of two parts: continuous self-development, and in-depth appreciation of what motivates students to learn. Then I use this understanding to design my modules to educate the minds and inspire.
”
Assoc Prof Willie TAN
PhD (Architecture) (University of Sydney); MSc (Estate Management) (NUS); BSc (Land Surveying) (First Class Honours and University Medal) (University of Newcastle, Australia)
Department of Building
- Development finance
- Research methods
- Integrated project
- Led the successful transformation of the Master of Science (Project Management) programme to expand its scope and appeal to different industries, leading to a five-fold increase in the number of applications for admission
- Contributed to developing the Master of Science (Integrated Sustainable Design) programme that is vital for nurturing talent in integrating design and sustainability beyond the building scale in the School of Design & Environment
- Key designer of the Bachelor of Science (Project and Facilities Management) programme
- Possesses a keen eye for identifying strategic areas for curriculum development to respond to and meet emerging industry requirements
- Helped shape a range of the University's education programmes by serving on different university-level committees
- Widely sought-after expert by tertiary institutions as well as industry for expertise in project management and research methods
- Outstanding ability to explain and present complex and abstract concepts clearly, simply and effectively, making them easy to understand and grasp
- Promotes the understanding and appreciation of concepts by sharing case studies from different disciplines drawn from a wealth of industry experience
- Designs creative and challenging assessments that accurately measure students' depth of understanding and their ability to apply knowledge in unfamiliar contexts
- Published seven books on project finance, research methods and housing that are found in many university libraries worldwide and used as main or supplementary texts
- Published 40 papers in reputable international journals such as International Journal of Project Management, Construction Management and Economics, and Journal of Spatial Science
- Contributed articles on teaching in university publications
- Editor, Journal of Spatial Science (since 2004)
- First Rotational Chair, International Project Management Education Union (2005)
- Chair, Project Management Institute Global Accreditation Centre site visit team to accreditate master and doctoral programmes at universities in Asia (2007 – 2008)
- Member, Editorial Review Panel, International Journal of Construction Project Management (since 2008)
- Member, Editorial Board of
- International Journal of Project Management (since 2005)
- Journal of Real Estate and Construction (1995 – 1996)
- Australasia Journal of Construction Economics and Building (since 2010)
- Certified Professional, Spatial Sciences Institute (since 2005)
- Member of
- Certification Committee, Project Management Institute-Det Norske Veritas Organisational Project Management Maturity Models (PMI-DNV OPM3) Certification of Assessors and Consultants (2005 – 2006)
- Spatial Sciences Institute, Australia (since 2004)
- Task Group 20 International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (1997 – 1998)
- Annual Teaching Excellence Award, NUS (2010/2011, 2007/2008, 2005/2006)
- General Education Module Incentive Award, NUS (2009/2010, 2007/2008)
- School Teaching Excellence Award, NUS School of Design & Environment (2011/2012, 2010/2011, 2009/2010, 2008/2009, 2007/2008)
"When my students tell me I have fundamentally changed the way they think – that is my goal."