Category Archives: Introductions

All about me

Well, it’s not really ALL about me – there’s more to me than my academic identity but here are the bits that may or may not indicate I have a clue…

I am the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Quality) and a Professor of Learning Enhancement at Federation University Australia. Reporting to the Vice-Chancellor, this position contributes to the achievement of the strategic goals of Federation University Australia by providing executive leadership in a number of areas.

The Learning and Quality portfolio comprises:
• The Registrar’s Directorate
• Policy and Quality
• The Contact Centre
• Student Administration
• The Centre for Innovation and Professional Practice (CLIPP)
• Blended, Online and Digital (BOLD) Learning
• Library Services
• Student Retention and Success
I am an internationally recognised thought leader and expert in tertiary education. My particular expertise is in pedagogy, policy, quality assurance, equity, leadership, learning and teaching, academic development, assessment, scholarship, student engagement and digital education. I have given more than 60 invited addresses in 9 countries over the past decade.

I have held leadership and capacity development positions across the tertiary sector over the past 23 years. Prior to joining Federation University Australia, I held senior positions at the University of Ballarat, Open Universities Australia, Deakin University and the University of Melbourne. I have held or currently hold more than 20 honorary appointments external to my employer.

I was recently elected as a Lifelong Fellow of the UK-based Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE), have served on the Executive of the Asia-Pacific based Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) and is currently a member of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) panel of experts as well as of numerous advisory and editorial boards.

My research incorporates both theoretical and practical investigations into contemporary tertiary education. I am an active researcher, having concurrently held one ARC and two OLT grants and having led numerous large research projects. Currenlty I am working with colleagues from the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education, La Trobe University and Deakin University on a National Priorities Pool project on the efficacy of pre-tertiary pathways.

I am well known for my writing. A broad and extensive publication record in the higher education field incorporates almost 400 publications, comprising refereed academic outputs; commissioned reports for government, universities and professional associations; and newspaper articles, including opinion pieces in major national papers and her own newspaper column in print and online for the last decade. I have an h-index of 22.

I hold a PhD in higher education from the University of Melbourne; a Master of Education by research from Macquarie University; a Graduate Diploma in Applied Psychology from Swinburne University of Technology; a Diploma in Education from La Trobe University and a Bachelor of Arts from the Australian National University. I am also a qualified (now retired) psychologist.