About us

Asma Ahsan
aahsan1@student.unimelb.edu.au

PhD title: Agenda setting and policy change in higher education research policy: A comparative analysis of the research ‘impact’ agenda in Australia and United Kingdom.

Supervisors: Prof Leo Goedegebuure and Prof Lynn Meek

Research interests: Higher education and research policy, policy making process, research/policy gap, research 'impact' agenda, and research assessment.

James Ballard
ballardj@student.unimelb.edu.au

PhD title: Learner Enhanced Technology: Development of student engagement profiles to explore the intersection of learning design and learning technology.

Supervisors: Prof Gregor Kennedy and Dr Tracii Ryan

Research interests: Personalised learning, learning technologies, and learner analytics.

Robyn Barallon
rmbarallon@student.unimelb.edu.au

PhD title: Discursive juxtapositions in constructive misalignment: hidden impacts of implementing constructively aligned curriculum in higher education.

Supervisors: Dr Victoria Millar (MGSE), A/Prof Chi Baik and A/Prof Jason Lodge (The University of Queensland)

Research interests: Learning and teaching in higher education, higher education curriculum, the relationship between knowledge, power and learning, and linguistic bias in assessment.

Matthew Brett
mbrett@student.unimelb.edu.au

PhD title: Heredity of Australian higher education financing legislation.

Supervisors: Prof Richard James and Prof Hamish Coates (Tsinghua University, China)

Research interests: Higher education financing, higher education policy, higher education policy reform.

Samantha Byrne
samantha.byrne@student.unimelb.edu.au

D.Ed title: Pre-class learning in the flipped classroom.

Supervisors: A/Prof Kristine Elliott and A/Prof Heather Verkade (MDHS)

Research interests: The relationships between student preference and perceptions of different format of pre-class learning in the flipped classroom and student self-regulated learning behavior.

Deborah Fitton
fittond@student.unimelb.edu.au

D.Ed title: "Pathway College" students and the challenges of engagement in Higher Education.

Supervisors: Prof Gregor Kennedy and Prof Sophie Arkoudis

Research interests: Student engagement, cultural interface, transition theory, and educational identity.

Sharon Hebdon
s.hebdon@student.unimelb.edu.au

D.Ed title: To what extent does working with student as co-creators of course content in real time engage them with their learning?

Supervisors: Prof Sophie Arkoudis and A/Prof Kristine Elliott

Research interests: Co-creation and student as partners.

Mark Kennedy
m.kennedy4@student.unimelb.edu.au

PhD title: Has the emergence of for-profit Private Higher Education impacted diversity in the Australian higher education sector?

Supervisors: Dr Mary Leahy (MGSE), Dr Gwilym Croucher and Prof John Polesel (MGSE)

Research interests: Global higher education policy, higher education expansion, diversity and marketization.

Ai Tam P. Le
aitaml@student.unimelb.edu.au

PhD title: Exploring academic work values from the perspectives of doctoral students.

Supervisors: Prof Leo Goedegebuure and Dr Peter Woelert (MGSE)

Research interests: Academic profession, academic work, and academic values.

Thomas Mathew
t.mathew@student.unimelb.edu.au

D.Ed title: Graduate attributes, experiences and outcomes in a (Masters) graduate entry-to-practice nursing degree course.

Supervisors: Prof Sophie Arkoudis and A/Prof Chi Baik

Research interests: Nursing education, clinical skill development, cultural safety, and student wellbeing.

Sadia Nawaz
nawazs@student.unimelb.edu.au

PhD title: Identifying students’ confusion in digital learning environments.

Supervisors: Prof Gregor Kennedy and Prof James Bailey (MSE)

Research interests: Learning analytics, data mining, and machine learning.

Alisa (Hang) Nguyen
thin13@student.unimelb.edu.au

PhD title: Continuing Professional Development for the 21st Century EFL Lecturer in Vietnam Higher Education.

Supervisor: Dr Gwilym Croucher

Research interests: Continuing professional development in higher education, and motivation and wellbeing.

Catherine Pickett
c.pickett@student.unimelb.edu.au

PhD title: What is TAFE's mission in Australia?

Supervisors: Prof Leo Goedegebuure and Prof John Polesel (MGSE)

Research interests: Public vocational education and training policy and practice, regional education and training, social partnerships, system adaptation following disruption/opportunities, and construction of narratives.

Claudia Rivera
riverac@student.unimelb.edu.au

PhD title: The first-year university experience of undergraduate students in Chile.

Supervisors: A/Prof Chi Baik and A/Prof Ryan Naylor (The University of Sydney)

Research interests: First-year experience, student experience, teacher-student interactions, and higher education.

Joanne Russell
jrussell3@student.unimelb.edu.au

PhD title: Fostering self-regulated learning in Biomedicine.

Supervisors: A/Prof Chi Baik, Prof Elizabeth Molloy (MDHS), and A/Prof Anna Ryan (MDHS)

Research interests: Self-regulated learning and higher education.

Peter Sorenson
p.sorenson@student.unimelb.edu.au

PhD title: The use of visual imagery in students' choice of international university.

Supervisors: Prof Gregor Kennedy and A/Prof Chi Baik

Ben Symon
b.symon@student.unimelb.edu.au

PhD title: Early career academics' translation of professional learning experiences into their teaching contexts: a longitudinal investigation.

Supervisors: A/Prof Chi Baik and A/Prof Mike Prosser

Research interests: Teaching and professional development in higher education, reflective practice, and group learning.

Tom Whitford
t.whitford@student.unimelb.edu.au

D.Ed title: “We need to provide structure, but with open arms": An exploration of intent and practice of social learning design by teachers.

Supervisors: A/Prof Kristine Elliott, Dr Camille Dickson-Deane (University of Technology Sydney) and Dr Marian Mahat (MGSE)

Research interests: Innovative approaches to business education, e-learning, online instruction and pedagogy, social constructivism, and effective learning design.

Paul Wiseman 
paul.wiseman@unimelb.edu.au

PhD title: Task engagement in digital learning.

Supervisors: Prof Gregor Kennedy and Dr Tracii Ryan

Research interests: Psychological engagement and flow theory with application in current and emerging higher education learning environments, and work integrated learning.