Meet the team

Members, associate members and honorary associates of the Centre for Research on Education in a Digital Society.

Our members

 

Keith Heggart - Acting Centre Director

Keith Heggart

Dr Keith Heggart is an early career researcher in the School of International Studies and Education, with a focus on learning and instructional design, educational technology and civics and citizenship education. He is currently exploring the way that online learning platforms can assist in the formation of active citizenship amongst Australian youth. Keith is a former high school teacher, having worked as a school leader in Australia and overseas, in government and non-government sectors. In addition, he has worked as an Organiser for the Independent Education Union of Australia, and as an independent Learning Designer for a range of organisations.

 

Simon Knight 

Dr Simon Knight

Dr Simon Knight is a senior lecturer in the Transdisciplinary School, co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Learning Analytics. Simon researches how people find, use, and evaluate evidence. Simon has researched how people evaluate sources on socio-scientific topics, such as climate change, impacts of technology, and nutrition topics, seen through the lens of epistemic cognition. Simon is particularly interested in how educators use and evaluate evidence, including their use of learning analytics – the use of data from learning activity, to understand and support that learning. Learn more about learning analytics in education, and ‘epistemic cognition as a lens onto fake news’, and building data curiosity.

 

Mary Coupland

Mary Coupland

Associate Professor Mary Coupland is the Director of the UTS Mathematics and Science Study Centre and lectures in mathematics and quantitative literacy. She joined UTS in 1990 after ten years of secondary school teaching in Mathematics. She is passionate about improving the participation rate of all students in advanced maths, especially those from equity target groups. Her research interests include curriculum, assessment, and engagement. In recent years Mary has been President of both the NSW and national professional associations for teachers of mathematics, MANSW and AAMT. Currently, she is co-leader of the “Mathematics Inside” project, funded by the federal government AMSPP program.

 

Jane Hunter

Jane Hunter

Dr Jane Hunter is an Associate Professor in teacher education in the School of International Studies and Education. Her research in schools focuses on building teacher agency in pedagogy and curriculum in a range of disciplines, most recently in Integrated STEM. It reinforces the importance of continuous teacher professional learning through ongoing university-school partnerships. The pedagogical framework for technology-enhanced learning featured in her first book Technology integration and High Possibility Classrooms: Building from TPACK (2015) led innovation and changes to practice in Australian schools; her second book High Possibility STEM Schools: Integrated STEM Learning in Research and Practice (2021) has 10 critical new directions for K-12 schools.

 

Kirsty Kitto

Kirsty Kitto is an Associate Professor in the Connected Intelligence Centre, where she models the many ways in which humans interact with information, and how this can change as a result of the different contexts in which people find themselves. She is working towards providing unified mathematical and computational models of contextuality, which often results in apparently complex and unpredictable human behaviour. She publishes papers in journals covering fields such as Complex Systems Science, Cognitive Science, Psychology and Computer Science. Kirsty is an Associate Professor in the UTS Connected Intelligence Centre, which specialises in Educational Data Science and Human-Centred Design to develop interactive tools that help leaders, analysts, educators and students uncover new insights.

Damian Maher

Dr Damian Maher is a senior lecturer in the School of International Studies and Education. His research focuses on educational technologies and how they can support teaching and learning. His research interests range from focusing on the use of the interactive whiteboard to ways mobile devices can be incorporated into lessons. He is also looking at some emerging technologies which include the 360-degree camera as well as Virtual and Augmented reality. The focus of part of Damian’s research is at a micro level where the practices of teachers and students as they undertake work in the classroom (and beyond) are of particular interest.

Simon Buckingham Shum

Simon is a Professor and Director of the Connected Intelligence Centre at UTS which specialises in Educational Data Science and Human-Centred Design to develop interactive tools that help leaders, analysts, educators and students uncover new insights. Simon has a career-long fascination with the potential of software to make thinking visible. His work sits at the intersection of the multidisciplinary fields of Human-Computer Interaction, Educational Technology, Hypertext, Computer-Supported Collaboration and Educational Data Science (also known as Learning Analytics).

 

Associate members

Camille Dickson-Deane headshot

Camille Dickson-Deane

Camille is a Senior Lecturer in Higher Education Learning Design in the Faculty of Science. Camille researchers how individual differences (nee, cognitive constructs) influence learning and performance in online spaces.  To do this she traditionally uses usability study methods (Learning Experience design) to map and track learning behaviours with the intent of enhancing designs through the possible illumination of quality indicators in the online learning spaces. This work has great significance for research on contextualized learning environments where factors that influence how technology enhanced learning occurs are not always accommodated, referenced or thought of in the research designs.  Camille's work has made contributions to finding ways to improve the design of online learning environments for particular contexts, to support equitable learning despite different learning contexts. Camille has a BSc in Computer Science from the University of the West Indies, Trinidad;  obtained her MSc in Software Development and Management from Rochester Institution of Technology via an Organisation of American States Fellowship and obtained her PhD in Information Science and Learning Technologies via a Fulbright Scholarship to the University of Missouri, USA. 

 

Dilek Cetindamar Kozanoglu

Dilek is an Associate Professor in the UTS Faculty of Engineering and IT, where she leads the Digital Transformation Management research cluster, which focuses on the transformation of business and society through digital technology and innovations. Dilek's research interests are in Digital Transformations, Entrepreneurship, and Technology & Innovation Management. Her research has investigated the conditions for technology innovation, and the evaluation of technologies and their implementation across organisations.

Heather Ford

Associate Professor Heather Ford is Head of Discipline for Digital and Social Media in the School of Communications at UTS. She has a background working for global technology corporations and non-profits in the US, UK, South Africa and Kenya. A former Google Policy Fellow at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, former Executive Director of iCommons and co-founder of Creative Commons South Africa, her research focuses on the social implications of media technologies and the ways in which they might be better designed to prevent misinformation, social exclusion, and algorithmic bias.

 

Amelia Johns headshot

Amelia Johns

Amelia Johns is a Senior Lecturer in Digital and Social Media. Her work spans digital media and citizenship studies, with a focus on young people’s negotiation of racism, political engagement and activism, digital literacy and safety across networked and closed platforms and publics. She primarily uses digital ethnography and qualitative methods in her research. Her work has been recognised with two Facebook awards, one which is aimed at mapping and predicting the diffusion of misinformation and hate speech across social media platforms. She is also an ARC Discovery grant recipient for the project ‘Fostering Global Digital Citizenship: Diasporic Youth in a Connected World’. She is author of two books, Battle for the Flag (2015) and Negotiating Digital Citizenship: Control, Contest, Culture (with A McCosker and S Vivienne, 2016).

 

A headshot of researcher Lauren Knussen

Lauren Knussen

Lauren researches early career teachers' design of technology-integrated learning and how this is influenced by their individual and school contexts. This research uses activity theory to analyse the design and decision-making process teachers engage in. Lauren also has a MA Education (E-Learning) from UTS and has a background in various sectors of education, including secondary school modern language teaching, TESOL and academic management.

 

A headshot of researcher Bhuva Narayan

Bhuva Narayan

Bhuva Narayan is Associate Professor, Digital Social Media, in the School of Communication at UTS, and the Graduate Research Coordinator for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. She has a background in the book, publishing and library industry in the U.S., India, Japan, and Australia.

Bhuva's research covers social media and technology use across a wide spectrum of sectors including education, health information, grassroots activism, professional networking, and scholarly publishing. Bhuva is interested in research questions related to knowledge translation and media use by governments and citizens, with a focus on people’s information practices (cognitive, affective, and epistemic), technology use, technology design, and privacy literacy.

Bhuva uses qualitative methodologies including diary studies, digital ethnography, social media analysis, interviews, observations, and other participatory methodologies. Her interdisciplinary research projects involve industry collaboration, creative innovation, and design thinking.

Tracey-Ann Palmer

Tracey-Ann Palmer BTeach, BSc(Hons), MBA, PhD is a lecturer and researcher in initial teacher education at UTS specialising in science education and educational psychology. She has worked in research science (biochemistry) and as a manager for two scientific personnel consultancies. She has experience in the finance industry in the areas of marketing, product management and project management. She has lectured in marketing, organisational behaviour and currently teaches primary science and technology, curriculum integration and adolescent educational psychology at the UTS. She has also been involved in a number of research projects at the UTS aimed at enhancing the quality of primary and secondary science teaching in Australian schools. She is working on two major research topics. First is understanding how students choose their subjects for their final years of school and how this impacts choice of science. Second is ScienceSing, a project to create song-based educational resources that engage children with science. Tracey-Ann has skills in project management, traditional and leading edge research methodologies (including Best-Worst Scaling) and data analysis techniques (including NVIVO). She has two daughters and loves to sing, dance salsa and paint watercolours.

Darrall Thompson

Darrall is a Senior Lecturer and honorary associate of the School of International Studies and Education. He has held leadership positions in the School of Design including Associate Head of School and Director of Teaching and Learning. Darrall has won numerous awards for innovation in teaching and technology enhanced learning. He was also the recipient of the UTS Equity, diversity and social justice award for organisation and supervision of community projects Darrall is the author of over 30 publications on innovative approaches to developing student capacities. These publications focus on critical approaches to developing graduate attributes and quality criteria, the role of technology-enhanced learning, and development of students' capabilities in self-assessment and evaluative judgement Darrall research and design thinking are embodied in software he has developed called REVIEW; a criteria-based system used for enhancing assessment and evaluation capabilities among staff and students in university and school settings.

Kirsty Young

Kirsty Young is a Senior Lecturer in the School of International Studies and Education. Kirsty has an interest in the use of technology across the lifespan, having conducted research into children's use of the Internet, through to older Australians (70+ years) learning experiences when using popular technologies. Kirsty's research has explored the impact of social media dating back to the MySpace era and subsequently the role of Facebook in adults’ construction of identity. Kirsty is currently investigating the use of mobile devices to support adolescents’ literacy development and has an interest in exploring the use of mobile devices to support traditional methods of data collection when conducting research in schools.

Honorary associates

 

Peter Aubusson

Peter Aubusson

Peter Aubusson is Professor of Education, specialising in science education. He is a former President of the Australasian Science Education Research Association (ASERA) and the NSW Council of Deans of Education. He has been a member of the National Initial Teacher Education Advisory Committee, an Australian Council of Deans of Education Board Member and Chair of the NSW Initial Teacher Education Committee. Peter was awarded the UTS Vice Chancellor Medal for Research and Teaching Integration in 2013. He led the ARC Discovery Project, Mobilising teaching: improving the quality of learning with mobile-intensive pedagogies and has conducted numerous funded research projects in teacher education futures, science education and mobile or technology-enhanced learning.

 

John Buchanan

John Buchanan

Dr John Buchanan is an Associate Professor in the School of Education, School of International Studies and Education, where he also coordinates International and Engagement programs. His main STEM-related research interests focus on environmental sustainability education. He is also interested in teacher quality, attrition and retention, and he has published extensively in these areas. He is currently working on a project exploring teacher identity among first-year Maths and Science teachers. He is a past president of the New South Wales Institute for Educational Research.

 

Lori

Lori Lockyer

Lori Lockyer is Professor and Executive Dean of the QUT Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), and was formerly Dean of the UTS Graduate Research School.

Lori researches learning technology, student learning and teacher practice in school and university settings. Lori has led and collaborated on research projects supported by $20M+ funding from government and industry sources. Her work is published through over 130 papers and translated to teaching and learning practice contexts through workshops and engagement with the school and university teaching communities. Learn more about her work on learning design and teacher practice.

 

Kimberley Pressick-Kilborn

Kimberley Pressick-Kilborn

Dr Kimberley Pressick-Kilborn was a Senior Lecturer in Teacher Education programs at the School of International Studies and Education, and in 2021 returned to a primary classroom teaching position. Her research focuses on how interest and motivation develop in science learning contexts, both in school and out-of-school, for students, teachers and families. Kimberley’s current projects include research evaluations of Primary Connections and Science by Doing (Australian Academy of Science, 2017–2018). She also is a member of a large research team which will be evaluating Phase 2 of the NSW Department of Education’s K-2 Numeracy and Literacy Strategy (2018–2021). Kimberley is the UTS School of Education’s Director of Partnerships, which engages her in initiating and growing a range of collaborative endeavours with schools and other learning organisations.

 

Anne Prescott

Associate Professor Anne Prescott started her career as a secondary school teacher of mathematics, and at UTS lectured in the primary and secondary mathematics teacher education courses and coordinates the Master of Teaching (secondary).

From 2011 Anne conducted mathematics, science and English teacher professional development in a remote region of Nepal. This work was extended to include rebuilding schools, toilets and the Bhawani School hostel. In 2014 Anne was awarded the UTS Human Rights Award for Social Inclusion for her work in making it possible for Nepali girls to continue their education in secondary school.

Anne’s research interests arise from her experiences as a teacher and teacher educator and include STE(A)M education, dealing with mathematics anxiety, and supporting beginning teachers as they start their teaching career.

 

Sandy Schuck

Sandra Schuck

Sandy Schuck is Professor of Education and past Director of Research Training in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Technology Sydney. Her research interests include teacher education futures, teacher professional learning, technology-enhanced learning, development of mobile pedagogies, mentoring, retention and induction of early career teachers, and beliefs and practices in mathematics education. She has authored or co-authored over sixty publications, including the co-authoring or co-editing of four scholarly academic books with Springer, over ten book chapters and over fifty journal articles in leading journals. Professor Schuck has been awarded over two million dollars in competitive research grants.

 

High Degree Research Students

 

A headshot of researcher Ha Do

Ha Do

Ha is a research student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Ha's research aims to examine the effects of flipped instruction on EFL academic writing in a Vietnamese higher education context. A mixed-methods approach was employed with pre/post-questionnaires, class observations, teacher and student interviews, and writing pre/post-tests. This investigation of a relatively under-researched area of flipped studies in Vietnam should help practitioners to make more informed choices over whether and how to apply the method in their own teaching. Her other research interests lie in CALL, language testing and learning motivation.

 

Dewi Mustikasari headshot

Dewi Wahyu Mustikasari

Dewi is a research student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dewi researches design processes and influences of Indonesian University English Teachers. Her research involves undertaking case studies remotely and digitally, deriving from several data collection techniques: document analysis, interviews, observations, teachers' subject planning documents, and participant diaries. Within the conceptual frame of Activity Theory and TPACK, these approaches allow for a rich data set to understand context and contributors to teachers' design work. Her research will provide a guide to teachers on how to design a blended and/or online learning subject for language learners and support policy makers re-drawing regulations regarding blended or online learning practices in higher education. Dewi works for the English Education Department of IAIN Salatiga, a government university in Central Java, Indonesia. Her research interests include technology-enhanced language learning, learning design, and teacher practice.

 

A headshot of researcher Bronwyn Tregenza

Bronwyn Tregenza

Bronwyn is a research student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Bronwyn researches critical and creative thinking in the teaching of Digital Technologies in the Australian Curriculum using grounded theory case study methodology. This research will provide insight to those supporting teachers to implement this new curriculum as they shape resources and guide professional practice. Bronwyn has held teaching and leadership positions in Primary, Science and TAS faculties over twenty five years and worked as an Education Consultant in the integration of Information Technology in teaching and learning.

 

 

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.