Centre for Higher Education Research, Innovation and Impact

Research team

• Associate Professor Shirley Agostinho, University of Wollongong
• Professor Lori Lockyer – Queensland University of Technology
• Dr Kellie Buckley-Walker- University of Wollongong
• Professor Sarojni Choy - Griffith University
• Professor Susan Bennett - University of Wollongong
• Professor Allison Littlejohn - University College London

Introduction

Digitalisation is transforming the world of work. Professional careers are changing. Effective professional learning is more critical than ever to address the high demand for specialist knowledge, interdisciplinary capability, interpersonal skills and digital literacy in this context of change and disruption. Australia’s higher-education sector, employers, professional bodies and government need to respond to the emerging learning needs of professionals, but need evidence on the enablers and constraints in work circumstances to inform the design and development of appropriate learning provisions for professionals in evolving work contexts.  

The project (2021-2024)

Our project aims to investigate learning practices of professionals whose work is effected by digitalisation. The findings will inform understandings about how professionals learn to respond to emerging changes to their work practices. That is, how their learning practices shape and are being shaped by evolving work practices. This new knowledge will be used to suggest learning solutions for professionals and their workplaces and education providers, particularly higher education. The findings will inform the development of guidelines to inform individuals, education providers, professional organisations, and governments on how to address professionals' evolving learning needs. 

Research questions

1. What are professionals’ learning practices in evolving work contexts?
2. How are these learning practices enabled and constrained in professionals’ workplaces?

Phases of the research

Our four-year project comprises three phases:

Phase 1: Preliminary survey to identify the range of professional learning activities

Phase 2: Case study research to explore professionals’ learning lives in situ 

Phase 3: Detailed survey (developed from Phases 1 & 2 findings) to examine professionals’ learning lives at scale

Contact

Shirley Agostinho: shirley_agostinho@uow.edu.au

Project funded by the Australian Research Council
(Discovery project: DP210100164)

Research Team

• Associate Professor Wendy Nielsen, University of Wollongong
• Associate Professor Pauline Jones, University of Wollongong
• Associate Chief Investigator: Helen Georgiou, University of Wollongong

Overview

University science learners will become our future scientists and science teachers and thus need to develop content expertise and communications skills during their studies. This interdisciplinary project will examine the quality of learning as university science students create digital explanations of science concepts. Learning with digital technologies is increasingly common across many science contexts and this project aims to develop evidence about the quality and durability of the science learning as well as theoretical insights about multimodal literacy development in the process of creating digital explanations. Research into the quality of learning resulting from innovative strategies to learn science through digital technologies is significant for the future of Australia’s knowledge economy and creating a digital explanation shows promise for enhancing both engagement and quality of learning among university science students.

Project funded by the Australian Research Council
(Discovery project: DP160102926)

Research Team

• Professor Sue Bennett, University of Wollongong
• Professor Lori Lockyer, Queensland University of Technology
• Professor Gregor Kennedy, University of Melbourne
• Professor Barney Dalgarno, University of Canberra

Overview

University learning in the digital age. Learning in higher education has become more complex since much of the founding research 40 years ago, with online technologies increasingly used to engage a diverse university student population in student-centred learning. The proposed study aims to update our understanding of student learning to this contemporary university context. The project will focus specifically on how students interpret online tasks set by their teachers, how they complete those tasks by tracking their activities in real-time, and what outcomes they achieve. This study will advance fundamental understanding of these interrelated processes, and provide the stimulus to change thinking about educational design, teaching practices, and support for students. 

Project funded by the Australian Research Council
(Discovery project: DP140100406)