ECU celebrates one of its pioneers

When former lecturer and one of ECU’s oldest alumni, Dr Len McKenna, looks back on his decades-long career as a lecturer and a teacher, he doesn’t list the achievements and the accolades. He fondly recalls the people that shaped his journey into education, in particular his wife who pushed him towards teaching.

Len formally trained as a teacher, graduating from Claremont Teachers Training College in 1951 with a Teaching Certificate. At the time, the institution was solely dedicated to teacher training and was almost single-handedly responsible for training WA's educators who would then in turn, go on to shape and teach generations of children.

Dr McKenna developed such a deep passion for education (and the institution that would become Edith Cowan University) that following his BSc in Geology and his BA in English he returned to university to get his Bachelor of Education. Dr McKenna then achieved a master’s degree, a doctorate in science education and finally to work for the institution that would become Edith Cowan University as a senior lecturer in charge of maths, and science, and then became Assistant Vice Principal in 1974.

Dr McKenna helped shape not only the curriculum but also the culture on campus of Mount Lawley. He championed the benefit and value of creating camaraderie, fostering a sense of belonging. An idea that grew with the trees that are synonymous with the campus. Trees that were planted by Len and his students together in the early 1970s.

His approach still influences teaching strategies at the university to this day, including the focus on promoting Active Learning Environments and Work Integrated Learning. ECU students are actively encouraged to learn practical skills, with an emphasis on the benefit of learning in the workplace outside the classroom.

As Mount Lawley campus prepares to close its doors for the final time, it's the legacy of lecturers like Dr Len McKenna who taught there that endures, not the buildings, lecture halls or even the gardens but the philosophy and the memories that were forged in its grounds by generations of students who carry his lessons and legacy on to teach generations of children.

Read more about ECU's Alumni network at Alumni and Supporters.