Authors and Contributors

After spending over 20 years as a lecturer and researcher in languages and applied linguistics, Antonella Strambi transitioned to the role of Academic Developer in the Teaching Innovation Unit at the University of South Australia in 2018. In this role, she provides professional development and support for teaching staff and manages the internal Teaching and Learning Innovation Grants scheme.

She completed her PhD at the University of Sydney in 2002, supported by an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship funded by the Australian Government. Her thesis, which examined the impact of computer-mediated interaction and communication on language learning, was a pioneering study. It led to a subsequent project and a publication that has since established itself as a seminal paper in the field of distance language teaching and learning, with over 200 citations.

Antonella has received several teaching and learning innovation grants, including a Seed Grant from the Australian Office for Learning and Teaching for the project “Helping First Year Students Flourish through Languages”, completed in 2017. She is passionate about Staff and student wellbeing, has established and co-leads the ‘Neurodiversity @ UniSA’ Special Interest Group, and is currently studying for a Diploma of Counselling.

Since 2024, Antonella has been working with a team of USA-based researchers as part of her participation in the “Affirming and Inclusive Engaged Learning for Neurodivergent Students” research seminar organised by Elon University (USA).

Associate Professor Claire Aitchison has worked in higher education for over two decades researching and publishing on student learning and researcher and academic development. At UniSA she has applied these interests to the online environment working with academics, teaching & learning colleagues, and online educational designers to produce quality courses and programs for UniSA Online. As an Academic Developer, Claire aims to transform educator experiences by building knowledge and skills that positively impact student success. This ambition is achieved through a suite of activities including supporting academics to engage in teaching and learning scholarship, leading and coordinating courses and workshops, mentoring academic colleagues seeking Awards and Grants and supporting those wishing to disseminate their achievements.

In addition to being an active researcher in higher education, she has been awarded for teaching and leadership including: Advanced HE Senior Fellow, UWS Vice Chancellor’s Award for Leadership in HDR Teaching Excellence (joint winner); ALTC Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning; Australian Association for Research in Education Special Commendation for Research in Education. She is a founding editor of the popular blog Doctoral Writing SIG and the Journal of Academic Language and Learning, and is on the Board of Reviewers for the Journal of Teaching in Higher Education and Higher Education Research & Development.

Associate Professor David Birbeck is Head of Curriculum Development and Support within the Teaching Innovation Unit at the University of South Australia (UniSA) and holds a fractional secondment as Associate Dean: UniSA Online, with responsibility for the UniStart pathways program. With over two decades of experience in academic development, curriculum innovation, and teacher education, David has made sustained contributions to advancing teaching excellence at both institutional and sector-wide levels.

David leads key initiatives that enhance academic capability in teaching and learning, including UniSA’s professional teaching programs and the coordination and development of academic teaching award applications. He also chairs the Grants and Awards Panel (GAP), supporting the recognition of teaching excellence. His leadership extends into university governance, where he actively shapes policy and strategic direction in teaching and learning, contributing to reforms that improve educational outcomes.

David is a longstanding participant in governance groups such as SAPAG and the Student Appeals Committee. He serves on the College of Reviewers for the Journal of Higher Education Research & Development (HERD) and is a member of the Council of Australasian University Leaders in Learning and Teaching (CAULLT). His research focuses on curriculum design, sustainability, with particular emphasis on equity and theorised practice.

As a learning designer, my passion for good learning design stems from a deep belief in the transformative power of education and its ability to shape lives, empower individuals, and drive positive change in society. I am driven by the immense impact that well-crafted learning experiences can have on learners, fostering their growth, inspiring their curiosity, and unlocking their full potential.

One of the key reasons I am passionate about good learning design is the opportunity it provides to create meaningful and engaging learning environments. I believe that learning should not be a passive process but an active and dynamic journey where learners are actively involved, motivated, and challenged. Good learning design enables me to design experiences that captivate learners’ interest, spark their intrinsic motivation, and encourage their active participation.

Associate Professor David Birbeck is Head of Curriculum Development and Support within the Teaching Innovation Unit at the University of South Australia (UniSA) and holds a fractional secondment as Associate Dean: UniSA Online, with responsibility for the UniStart pathways program. With over two decades of experience in academic development, curriculum innovation, and teacher education, David has made sustained contributions to advancing teaching excellence at both institutional and sector-wide levels.

David leads key initiatives that enhance academic capability in teaching and learning, including UniSA’s professional teaching programs and the coordination and development of academic teaching award applications. He also chairs the Grants and Awards Panel (GAP), supporting the recognition of teaching excellence. His leadership extends into university governance, where he actively shapes policy and strategic direction in teaching and learning, contributing to reforms that improve educational outcomes.

David is a longstanding participant in governance groups such as SAPAG and the Student Appeals Committee. He serves on the College of Reviewers for the Journal of Higher Education Research & Development (HERD) and is a member of the Council of Australasian University Leaders in Learning and Teaching (CAULLT). His research focuses on curriculum design, sustainability, with particular emphasis on equity and theorised practice.

A Senior Fellow of Advance Higher Education (formerly the UK Higher Education Academy), Bopelo Boitshwarelo has over 23 years working in the university sector both across Australia and overseas. He has primarily worked in educational/academic development roles with a particular focus on online and distance learning. Bopelo has been involved in cross-institutional initiatives such as the South Australia and Northern Territory Peer Excellence Network (SANTPEN), a network promoting capacity building in SoTL. He has also been an AAUT assessor since 2018, assessing national teaching awards. On the research front, Bopelo’s publications are in the general areas of online and blended learning, learning design and academic development, and they include conference papers, journal articles and a book chapter. He has also been involved in reviewing journal articles, notably Studies in Higher Education and International Research Review Online and Distance Learning (IRRODL) and International Journal of Academic Development.

Joshua Cramp is a learning designer and practice-based researcher. He builds educator capacity by recognising excellence and empowers academic staff to translate their discipline expertise into transformative learning experiences for students, drawing on the latest in curriculum design, delivery and technology.

Associate Professor Kath Francis (prev. Baldock) is a leader in higher education and academic practice, and is currently the Dean of Programs (Human Performance). In her leadership roles, Kath leads strategic approaches to academic development, including reimagining structural and cultural facilitators, to support the transformative education of graduates who are socially just, anti-racist, culturally responsive and who will contribute to creating a better world. Her current roles provide Kath the ideal platform to drive change in higher education structures and practices to that end.

Dr Corinne A. Green is an early career researcher and educator. She is a Lecturer in Academic Development with the Teaching Innovation Unit at the University of South Australia (UniSA) where she prompts university educators to be intentional in their approach to teaching and learning by articulating what they are doing and why. Corinne has relished opportunities to collaborate with local and international colleagues on projects in the fields of academic development, teacher education, and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Her research interests include teaching and learning professional development, school-university partnerships, and SoTL projects.  

A recognised expert in academic integrity, Amanda has worked at UniSA since 2021, where she provides comprehensive leadership in all aspects of academic integrity. Her role encompasses ensuring that this is embedded in curriculum development and assessment design.

In addition to her work at UniSA, she leads academic integrity initiatives for the new Adelaide University. This involves guiding the development of procedures and systems for academic integrity, as well as leading the development of resources for both students and staff across the whole institution.

Her extensive experience includes planning, leading, and implementing strategies to ensure that both students and staff uphold the highest standard of academic integrity.

Kat Kenyon is a Learning Designer in the Teaching Innovation Unit.  Kat has worked for UniSA for over 15 years, supporting various teaching and learning priorities such as embedding Aboriginal content in curriculum, work-integrated learning in allied health, teaching grants and awards, and first-year student orientation.  She coordinated an online module in interprofessional learning for first year health students, and ran the Division of Health Sciences Student Nominated Excellent Educator Awards for several years.  Kat is passionate about diversity and inclusion in education, and supporting teaching staff to develop creative and sustainable courses, and puts herself in the shoes of the learner when designing courses. 

Rowena Kidd is the Triage Counsellor in the Student Engagement Unit at the University of South Australia. Her primary role is to assist students who are in distress or require immediate support.

Rowena has over a decade of experience in acute mental health services, both in Community and in the hospital environments. She is a Social worker with a passion for social justice and a keen interest in supporting neurodivergent students achieve their goals. She provides mental health assessment, support and therapeutic interventions to people when they are at their most vulnerable. Rowena utilises a range of evidence-based interventions to foster safety and provide skills to assist students and staff to manage when they are in distress.

Kerry Lorette is an experienced and versatile Learning Designer/Training Consultant with more than15 years’ success designing and delivering instructor-led, online, and blended learning solutions across education, community services, and compliance sectors.

Proficient in tools such as Articulate Storyline, Rise, H5P, and Moodle, and expert in adult learning, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and accessibility-first design. Skilled in creating user-friendly guides and on-demand content that supports knowledge transfer across diverse audiences. Known for strong stakeholder engagement, practical collaboration with SMEs, and confident facilitation in agile, fast-paced environments. Diploma of Training Design and Development holder with a passion for making learning clear, useful, and human.

Richard M^cInnes is an experienced educational leader and critical scholar-practitioner with over a decade of experience across secondary and higher education. He is currently Manager, Education Design in the Learning Enhancement and Innovation Unit at the University of Adelaide, where he leads a high-performing team delivering strategic learning and teaching initiatives. His scholarship sits at the intersection of critical pedagogy, transformative curriculum design, and institutional change. Richard’s work interrogates dominant narratives in curriculum, technology, and university practice, with a sustained focus on equity, agency, and diversity.

Shashi Nallaya has many years of experience teaching academic literacies, English language, and second language acquisition. She has been extensively involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of English language and teacher training programs at primary, secondary and tertiary levels, in various linguistic and cultural settings. She is currently an Academic Developer at UniSA. In this role, she is responsible for helping academics implement an innovative curriculum through mentoring, staff development sessions and resources.

Shashi Nallaya studied for her PhD at the School of Education, The University of Adelaide. Her doctoral study investigated how technology, student characteristics and learning needs impact the acquisition of English language proficiency. Prior to taking up her current role, she was working as a Learning Adviser at the Faculty of Professions, University of Adelaide. She was an academic at the Faculty of Languages, Sultan Idris Education University, Malaysia where she originates from. She was involved in the training of pre-service teachers.

Brooke is an academic developer within the Teaching Innovation Unit at the University of South Australia.

Prior to academia, Brooke worked for over a decade as a radiographer/sonographer in major public hospitals. Her passion for teaching and learning saw her complete a graduate diploma in education, and she enjoyed being able to link her clinical and education knowledge in previous roles as course coordinator then program director within the medical sonography programs at UniSA.

With a continuing focus on skills development and awareness in allied health professionals, Brooke has explored the effectiveness of high-fidelity ultrasound simulators in the teaching of obstetric ultrasound skills and her PhD investigated the development and accuracy of self-judgement and evaluation of clinical skills competency throughout tertiary health education.

Preparing students to be safe, reflective, and collaborative health practitioners has been a major focus of Brooke’s work, with experience as course coordinator for the capstone course of the medical sonography program. Brooke especially enjoys the challenge of how best to support students’ educational needs whilst equally encouraging students to be autonomous in their learning.

Brooke has recently accepted that she no longer needs to add two spaces following a full-stop, but will continue to persist in her use of the Oxford comma.

Dr Diana Quinn is  a retired  Academic Developer at the University of South Australia with a passion for developing and improving online learning experiences for students.

After 11 years teaching undergraduate and postgraduate haematology and research into red cell membranes and heredity basis of haematological disease, she transitioned to staff development to help others to reconceptualise their learning environments for online learning.

Diana accepted an early retirement offer in March 2021. A list of her publication and past activities is available from her professional portfolio.

Since joining the Teaching Innovation Unit as a Lecturer: Academic Development, Amanda has collaborated with a diverse range of UniSA staff across various curriculum design initiatives, led the development of courses for UniSA Online across several disciplines, as well as coordinating the Engaging Learners Online short course – a course designed specifically for staff at UniSA to strengthen their online teaching skills.

After completing a double degree Bachelor of Science/Education at UniSA in 2009, and Honours (Health Sciences) in 2011, Amanda jumped into a PhD to explore first-year university students’ time use. She has taught across a number of first-year Health Science courses over the last 10 years, and is involved with ongoing teaching and learning research.

In addition to her work supporting on-campus and online learning across UniSA, Amanda is passionate about supporting first-year students as they transition into university study, the health and wellbeing of students and staff, as well as first-year curriculum design.

Associate Professor Karen Sinclair is a Ngarridjeri educator, with lived experiences on place and accepted by community, immersed in stories from a bloodline connection with and nurtured by her Ngarrindjeri Elders, she is the Program Director for the Postgraduate suite of Aboriginal Studies Programs at UniSA. Karen has an extensive teaching background and was formerly a Junior Primary teacher, and later an Early Years Curriculum Officer working in the States Department of Education contributing to the inclusion of Indigenous Perspectives in the National Early Years Curriculum Framework. She teaches several Postgraduate courses including Aboriginal Research Methodologies and Ethics, Aboriginal Nation Building and Governance and Aboriginal Education, Culture, Curriculum and Change. Through her teaching, and based on her life experiences as a Ngarrindjeri person, Karen works to ensure that Aboriginal voices, perspectives, and aspirations are centred.

After spending over 20 years as a lecturer and researcher in languages and applied linguistics, Antonella Strambi transitioned to the role of Academic Developer in the Teaching Innovation Unit at the University of South Australia in 2018. In this role, she provides professional development and support for teaching staff and manages the internal Teaching and Learning Innovation Grants scheme.

She completed her PhD at the University of Sydney in 2002, supported by an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship funded by the Australian Government. Her thesis, which examined the impact of computer-mediated interaction and communication on language learning, was a pioneering study. It led to a subsequent project and a publication that has since established itself as a seminal paper in the field of distance language teaching and learning, with over 200 citations.

Antonella has received several teaching and learning innovation grants, including a Seed Grant from the Australian Office for Learning and Teaching for the project “Helping First Year Students Flourish through Languages”, completed in 2017. She is passionate about Staff and student wellbeing, has established and co-leads the ‘Neurodiversity @ UniSA’ Special Interest Group, and is currently studying for a Diploma of Counselling.

Since 2024, Antonella has been working with a team of USA-based researchers as part of her participation in the “Affirming and Inclusive Engaged Learning for Neurodivergent Students” research seminar organised by Elon University (USA).

As a learning designer, my passion for good learning design stems from a deep belief in the transformative power of education and its ability to shape lives, empower individuals, and drive positive change in society. I am driven by the immense impact that well-crafted learning experiences can have on learners, fostering their growth, inspiring their curiosity, and unlocking their full potential.

One of the key reasons I am passionate about good learning design is the opportunity it provides to create meaningful and engaging learning environments. I believe that learning should not be a passive process but an active and dynamic journey where learners are actively involved, motivated, and challenged. Good learning design enables me to design experiences that captivate learners’ interest, spark their intrinsic motivation, and encourage their active participation.

Courtney Theseira is a Ngarrindjeri woman with Malaysian Heritage and is a Lecturer: Academic Development (Aboriginal Curriculum) within the Teaching Innovation Unit. She is an early career researcher and her background is in secondary education and wellbeing. Her interests range from Aboriginal Wellbeing in Education to Indigenous Literature being used in courses. She is currently working on embedding Aboriginal curriculum into tertiary education curriculum.

Emily Wall is a Designer of Audio/Visual and Multimedia Production in the Teaching Innovation Unit at the University of South Australia. Emily works in the design and production of student-facing educational multimedia as well as the education and training of UniSA staff members in their own educational multimedia production. Emily strives to bring the worlds of Multimedia Learning Theory and high-quality multimedia production together to create, and facilitate the creation of, engaging, effective, and enjoyable multimedia content for students in the online teaching space. 

Kirrakee Watson is a Tanganekald, Meintangk, and Boandik woman with a deep, ongoing connection to her community of Weplprap in the South East. She holds a Master of Architecture and has worked in various roles within the architectural profession, including on Aboriginal community housing projects across Australia. Currently, Kirrakee is pursuing her PhD through MADA, applying a decolonising methodological framework and Indigenous positionality. Her research provides a critical Indigenous perspective on the disposition of global, Eurocentric architectures—products of colonial regimes—alongside Indigenous architectures and place. It aims to highlight the ongoing need to affirm the self-determination of First Nations Peoples to counter the myth of terra nullius. In addition to her PhD work, Kirrakee is involved with the TIU at Adelaide University, focusing on decolonizing and incorporating Aboriginal ways of knowing, being, and doing within the curriculum throughout the new university.

As an experienced Learning Designer, Stuart provides specialist service to academic staff in enhancing blended delivery and online learning.

This involves the provision of expert advice, training and support, in order to appropriately use educational technologies in programs and courses.

Stuart also works collaboratively with UniSA Online and the Academic Units to create online learning content that utilises evidence-based practice.