Keynote Presenters
Dr Tanya Joosten
Tanya Joosten, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist, the Director of Digital Learning Research and Development, and advisor to the Provost for innovation projects at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). She is the PI and Executive Director of the National Research Center for Distance Education and Technological Advancements (DETA) and has been recognized for her work as she guides strategic digital learning efforts across the globe.
Currently, Dr. Joosten leads DETA working to support students’ success and access through identifying key research-based practices – learning, instructional, and institutional practices – with particular attention to students who are first generation, poverty affected, racially minoritized, and/or impaired or disabled. Through the development of the DETA Research Toolkit, Tanya advances and supports innovate methodologies and encourages the replication of research across institutions. DETA’s efforts are supported by the U.S. Department of Education, the Spencer Foundation, Online Learning Consortium (OLC), the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET), and the University of Wisconsin System Administration.
Dr. Joosten has a background in the social sciences hailing from the field of communication. Her notable keynotes include eLearning Asia, ITC eLearning Conference, and SACS COC President’s event, and her ideas have been highlighted on plenary panels at the UW-Madison Annual Distance Teaching and Learning conference and the OLC International Conference for Online Learning. You can find her ideas and work cited in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Forbes, U.S. News World and Report, and more. Recent interviews with Dr. Joosten are available on ResearchInAction and TOPcast available on iTunes. Her book on social media is available from Wiley Publishing, she has authored numerous articles, chapters, and encyclopedia entries on human and social interactions and digital learning, and she often writes invited blog posts and magazine articles for organizations, such as EDUCAUSE, WCET, Inside Higher Ed, and Pearson.
Dr. Joosten previously worked as the Director of the Learning Technology Center leading faculty development and engagement initiatives, pedagogical and technological innovation projects, core learning technology oversight, and blended and online program development.
Associate Professor Simon Leonard
Simon Leonard is Associate Professor of STEM Education and the Professorial Lead for Industry Engagement and Career Development at UniSA: Education Futures. His research investigates the use of complexity leadership, and expansive models of teacher professional learning to enable the scalable and sustainable application of the science of learning in real-world schools. Simon has been a CI on over 20 industry-linked research projects with a combined budget of over $9 million. His professional roles have included Head of School of Teacher Education, Academic Coordinator for Indigenous Higher Education Pathways, and Head of Senior School at a large regional secondary school.
Mr Wayne Jaeschke
Wayne Jaeschke, the Director of Research at Trinity College and a passionate educator, is committed to steering the transition from traditional to 21st-century education models. Serving concurrently as a Research Fellow at the Centre of Change and Complexity in Learning, Wayne is devoted to exploring and implementing forward-thinking educational practices. His work focuses on nurturing Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) among students, with the aid of complexity leadership principles. An enthusiast of innovative technology like AI, Wayne is a significant contributor to a collaborative project with the University of South Australia
Ms Lesley Johnson
Lesley has a broad range of experience in education and research. As a Research Associate at the Trinity Research Institute and a PhD student at the University of South Australia, she is investigating the networks and practices of teacher professional learning in social learning spaces and the value they create. Lesley also continues to work as a teacher, giving her the opportunity to apply her research in a practical setting. With her background as a university lecturer and experience as a junior school teacher, Lesley brings a unique perspective to her research, and her work with Trinity College students and teachers on the revitalisation of the SACE Research Project (EIF/AIF) has yielded some interesting insights through the use of AI technology in the development of student agency and meta-cognition.
Professor Dragan Gašević
Dragan Gašević is Distinguished Professor of Learning Analytics in the Faculty of Information Technology and the Director of the Centre for Learning Analytics (CoLAM) at Monash University. His research interests in learning analytics center around the development of computational and design methods that can advance understanding of self-regulated and collaborative learning. Previously, he was a Professor and the Sir Tim O’Shea Chair in Learning Analytics and Informatics (Feb 2015–Feb 2018) in the Moray House School of Education and the School of Informatics and Co-Director of Centre for Research in Digital Education at the University of Edinburgh. He was the Canada Research Chair in Semantic and Learning Technologies and Professor in the School of Computing and Information Systems at Athabasca University (Jan 2007–Jan 2015). He is a founder and served as the President (2015–2017) of the Society for Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR), the world’s leading research and professional organization in learning analytics. He has held several honorary professorships and industry fellowships in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. He served as a founding program chair of the International Conference on Learning Analytics & Knowledge (LAK) in 2011 and 2012, the general chair in 2016, a founding program co-chair of the Learning Analytics Summer Institute (LASI) in 2013 and 2014, and a founding editor of the Journal of Learning Analytics (2012–2017) and Computers & Education: Artificial Intelligence (2020–present). In 2019–2022, he was recognized as the national field leader in educational technology in The Australian – the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally. He led the EU-funded SHEILA project that received the Best Research Project of the Year Award (2019) from the Association for Learning Technology. In 2022, he received the Lifetime Member Award, the highest distinction of the Society for Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR) and named a Distinguished Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the world’s largest computing society.
Dan Hughes
Dan Hughes is a seasoned CIO with over 20 years of experience within the IT industry. During his career Dan has led multiple teams to drive digital transformation across various sectors. As a strategic thinker and innovative problem solver, Dan is dedicated to leveraging technology to elevate educational outcomes for students and educators.
Jarrod Johnson
Jarrod Johnson is a seasoned Learning Designer and Teacher at Pulteney Grammar, will delve into the transformative power of AI in the classroom. With three years of hands-on experience integrating AI tools, Jarrod has harnessed the capabilities of ChatGPT as a multifaceted learning tool in secondary education.
