TechDem Champions

Dr Katrina Cutcliffe

After teaching in the secondary sector for over 20 years, I moved to USQ and have been inspired by the community and the collective passion for student learning. After my undergraduate qualification in the Creative Arts and subsequent teaching degree, I retrained in 2005, undertaking a Masters of Education in Special Needs in order to become a Learning Support Teacher. Inclusive education is a priority of mine and online learning provides many beneficial opportunities for universal design.

After commencing my PhD, I began working at UniSQ and have held a number of roles including Learning Advisor and a secondment to draft the University’s Student Success and Retention Action Plan. I worked with the Technology Demonstrators program from 2020-23 and have been fortunate enough to work with a diverse range of USQ staff on initiatives linked to the use of digital technologies that enhance student learning. Additionally, I convened the Student Engagement Special Interest Group and mentor pilot programs. At UniSQ, we have diverse cohorts with a wide range of learning needs. This presents us with both barriers and opportunities which can, excitingly, be addressed through the strategic use of online tools.

My areas of interest include:

• Pedagogy: I have found success with Social Constructivism, Community of Inquiry, Students as Partners, and Universal Design for learning.
• Innovation: Trialling new approaches to learning, such as distributed cognition as a pedagogical framework, provides many opportunities for both teachers and learners.
• Student Engagement: Key to student success and retention, student engagement is at times confounding and ephemeral, but well worth our focus.
• Inclusive Practices: Success and retention for all students are priorities and achievable through the use of relevant pedagogies and tools.