In my various roles, I have consistently prioritized collaboration and effective communication to drive learning innovation and support the professional development of colleagues and students. I have worked with diverse teams across academic and industry sectors, often taking a leadership role to facilitate knowledge sharing, problem-solving, and the co-creation of learning resources.
Collaborating within and beyond my institution
One of the most significant examples of my leadership and collaboration is my work in establishing the Australian Association of Learning Designers (AALD). Initially created as a networking group for students and graduates of the Graduate Certificate in Learning Design (GCLD), the AALD has since expanded to include over 1,000 learning designers across Australia. This community serves as a platform for sharing best practices, resources, and professional development opportunities.
My role in the AALD involved organizing regular webinars, hackathons, and discussion forums, where learning designers from various sectors could come together to collaborate on solving common challenges. For example, one of the most successful initiatives was a series of Learning Design Hackathons, where participants worked together to develop practical solutions to learning design problems, such as creating accessible learning resources or designing assessments for digital platforms. These events facilitated knowledge exchange across institutional boundaries and helped foster a sense of community among learning designers.
In addition to organizing events, I actively contributed to these sessions, sharing insights from my own practice and encouraging others to do the same. For instance, during a webinar on inclusive learning design, I presented findings from the open educational resource (OER) project I led, which focused on creating inclusive and accessible learning experiences. The feedback and collaborative discussions that followed these sessions have directly influenced the work of numerous participants, as evidenced by the positive feedback and follow-up projects initiated by the AALD community.
Supporting professional development and mentorship
Mentorship has been a key aspect of my professional practice, particularly in the learning design and education technology fields. I have participated in the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE) Community Mentoring Program for several years, where I have mentored early-career learning designers and educators. Through this program, I have worked closely with mentees, providing guidance on career development, navigating complex learning environments, and improving their technical and pedagogical skills.
One notable example involved a mentee who was transitioning from a corporate learning design role to a higher education setting. Over the course of several months, I worked with this individual to help them understand the differences in pedagogical approaches and learning technologies used in higher education. Through regular check-ins, I offered feedback on course design, assessment strategies, and the use of learning analytics to monitor student progress. As a result, the mentee successfully transitioned to their new role and went on to lead a learning design team at their institution. This experience highlighted the importance of personalized mentorship and the role of communication in fostering growth and development in others.
Additionally, within my institution, I have worked with colleagues to support their adoption of new learning technologies. During the rapid shift to online learning in 2020, I led training workshops for academic staff at UTS, introducing them to tools like Canvas, Zoom, and Padlet. These workshops were designed not only to demonstrate the technical aspects of these tools but also to show how they could be integrated into teaching in a pedagogically sound manner. For example, I encouraged faculty to use Padlet as a tool for collaborative learning, sharing examples of how it could be used to create virtual mind maps or brainstorm sessions in both synchronous and asynchronous environments.
Leadership and influence within professional networks
As the Convenor of the Learning Design Special Interest Group (SIG) for ASCILITE, I have taken on a leadership role in organizing professional development opportunities for learning designers across Australasia. This SIG, which has more than 400 members, provides a space for professionals to discuss trends, challenges, and innovations in learning design. In this capacity, I have organized monthly webinars, where experts in the field share their experiences and offer practical advice on topics such as universal design, portfolio assessments, and learning analytics.
In addition to facilitating these webinars, I have used the platform to showcase some of the initiatives I’ve led, such as the Graduate Certificate in Learning Design (GCLD) and my work on open educational resources (OERs). These sessions have sparked lively discussions and collaboration among members, who have shared their own insights and built on each other’s ideas. For example, following a webinar on designing assessments for online learning, several participants formed a working group to co-create a set of best practices for learning designers working in the higher education sector.
My role in these communities has allowed me to both share my expertise and learn from others, helping to raise the profile of learning design as a key professional field within higher education. It has also enabled me to influence the development of learning design standards across multiple institutions, as many of the SIG’s discussions and resources have been adopted by universities throughout Australia and New Zealand.