Acting Associate Dean (Academi
Overview
Dr Fitzgerald is the Associate Director for Online Education in the Business School and Deputy Associate Dean (Academic) for the BEL Faculty at UQ. Dr Fitzgerald is a leader in digital learning and teaching and learning innovation and is recognised internationally for developing contemporary curriculum for the digital age. Her research is focused on innovative approaches to future focused curriculum and she has published internationally on curriculum design, online student experience and digital learning.
Dr Fitzgerald has more than 15 years experience of leading digital learning and spearheading evidence based strategies in higher education across Ireland, UK and Australia. Dr Fitzgerald is a collaborative and adaptive leader who works with internal and external stakehodlers in the pursuit of teaching excellence.
Dr Fitzgerald is the author of several journal articles, chapters and conversation pieces on higher education and the editor for similar publications. She holds a University of Northampton Fellowship for her work developing eLearning and is a senior fellow of the HEA. Dr Fitzgerald holds a PhD, an MA in Education and Leadership and an MSc in Data Communications and Business Computing.
Online Profiles
- LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/rmfitzgerald
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rachelmfitz
Research Interests
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Digital
Digital Transformation, Learning and Development in Organizations, Micro-credentials, Online Learning, Elearning, Hybrid Learning, Business School Research, Higher Education Curriculum, Higher Education, Higher Education Policy, Future of Learning,
Research Impacts
Rachel's published work has been featured in key SoTL journals and eLearning Forums. Her work has also been included in the development of curriculum and digital frameworks at a number of higher education institutions and she has mentored course leaders and tutors in the development of curriculum for the digital age.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Lancaster
Publications
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Fitzgerald, Rachel and Huijser, Henk (2023). The opportunities and challenges in the portability and authentication of micro-credentials and short courses in a post-COVID landscape. Technology-enhanced learning and the virtual university. (pp. 1-13) edited by Michael David Sankey, Henk Huijser and Rachel Fitzgerald. Singapore, Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-19-9438-8_24-1
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Journal Article: Addressing the challenging elements of distance education
Fitzgerald, Rachel, Huijser, Henk, Altena, Sharon and Armellini, Ale (2023). Addressing the challenging elements of distance education. Distance Education, 44 (2), 207-212. doi: 10.1080/01587919.2023.2209527
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Journal Article: Student-staff partnerships in academic development: the course design studio as a model for sustainable course-wide impact
Fitzgerald, Rachel, Huijser, Henk, Meth, Deanna and Neilan, Kellene (2020). Student-staff partnerships in academic development: the course design studio as a model for sustainable course-wide impact. International Journal for Academic Development, 25 (2), 134-146. doi: 10.1080/1360144X.2019.1631170
Grants
Available Projects
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Microcredentials: Aligning the needs of Industry and Education
Available Projects
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Understanding microcredentials through the lens of industry
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There is an opportunity for a qualified applicant who is interested in higher education research to become a MPHIL/PhD student to explore industry needs in relation to microcredentials. This project aims to identify how higher education can work with organisations to identify what value, if any, microcredentials have for skills development for the workforce where there is increasing pressure to meet the needs of the growing knowledge and innovation based economy of Australia.
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Publications
Featured Publications
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Fitzgerald, Rachel, Huijser, Henk, Meth, Deanna and Neilan, Kellene (2020). Student-staff partnerships in academic development: the course design studio as a model for sustainable course-wide impact. International Journal for Academic Development, 25 (2), 134-146. doi: 10.1080/1360144X.2019.1631170
Book Chapter
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Fitzgerald, Rachel and Huijser, Henk (2023). The opportunities and challenges in the portability and authentication of micro-credentials and short courses in a post-COVID landscape. Technology-enhanced learning and the virtual university. (pp. 1-13) edited by Michael David Sankey, Henk Huijser and Rachel Fitzgerald. Singapore, Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-19-9438-8_24-1
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Fitzgerald, Rachel and Huijser, Henk (2023). The Opportunities and Challenges in the Portability and Authentication of Micro-credentials and Short Courses in a Post-COVID Landscape. Technology-Enhanced Learning and the Virtual University. (pp. 465-477) Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-99-4170-4_24
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The Role of Analytics When Supporting Staff and Students in the Virtual Learning Environment
Jones, Hazel and Fitzgerald, Rachel (2023). The Role of Analytics When Supporting Staff and Students in the Virtual Learning Environment. Technology-Enhanced Learning and the Virtual University. (pp. 187-200) Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-99-4170-4_11
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The Virtual University in Practice
Sankey, Michael David, Huijser, Henk and Fitzgerald, Rachel (2023). The Virtual University in Practice. Technology-Enhanced Learning and the Virtual University. (pp. 619-639) Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-99-4170-4_31
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The Virtual University: Moving from Fiction to Fact
Sankey, Michael David, Huijser, Henk and Fitzgerald, Rachel (2023). The Virtual University: Moving from Fiction to Fact. Technology-Enhanced Learning and the Virtual University. (pp. 3-19) Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-99-4170-4_1
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The role of analytics when supporting staff and students in the virtual learning environment
Jones, Hazel and Fitzgerald, Rachel (2023). The role of analytics when supporting staff and students in the virtual learning environment. Technology-enhanced learning and the virtual university. (pp. 1-14) edited by Michael David Sankey, Henk Huijser and Rachel Fitzgerald. Singapore, Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-19-9438-8_11-1
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Meth, Deanna, Russell, Holly R., Fitzgerald, Rachel and Huijser, Henk (2020). Enabling Scholarship of Teaching and Learning activities across a curriculum design framework: a lever for faculty engagement. Evidence-based faculty development through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). (pp. 347-364) Hershey, PA USA: IGI Global. doi: 10.4018/978-1-7998-2212-7.ch018
Journal Article
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Addressing the challenging elements of distance education
Fitzgerald, Rachel, Huijser, Henk, Altena, Sharon and Armellini, Ale (2023). Addressing the challenging elements of distance education. Distance Education, 44 (2), 207-212. doi: 10.1080/01587919.2023.2209527
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Editorial: Artificial Intelligence is Awesome, but Good Teaching Should Always Come First
Crawford, Joseph, Vallis, Carmen, Yang, Jianhua, Fitzgerald, Rachel and O'dea, Christine (2023). Editorial: Artificial Intelligence is Awesome, but Good Teaching Should Always Come First. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 20 (7). doi: 10.53761/1.20.7.01
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Rossiter, Eliza, Thomson, T.J. and Fitzgerald, Rachel (2022). Supporting university students’ learning across time and space: a from-scratch, personalised and mobile-friendly approach. Interactive Technology and Smart Education. doi: 10.1108/itse-07-2022-0082
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Fitzgerald, Rachel, Huijser, Henk, Meth, Deanna and Neilan, Kellene (2020). Student-staff partnerships in academic development: the course design studio as a model for sustainable course-wide impact. International Journal for Academic Development, 25 (2), 134-146. doi: 10.1080/1360144X.2019.1631170
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Managing expectations and developing trust: an evaluation of a public-private partnership
Huijser, Henk and Fitzgerald, Rachel (2020). Managing expectations and developing trust: an evaluation of a public-private partnership. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 36 (5), 58-70. doi: 10.14742/ajet.6368
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Partnerships for scaled online learning and the unbundling of the traditional university
Huijser, Henk, Fitzgerald, Rachel and Salmon, Gilly (2020). Partnerships for scaled online learning and the unbundling of the traditional university. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 36 (5), 1-4. doi: 10.14742/ajet.6664
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Adding value: open online learning and the MBA
Fitzgerald, Rachel, Anderson, Maggie and Thompson, Ross (2015). Adding value: open online learning and the MBA. Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 13 (4), 250-259.
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Out of sight, out of mind: capturing the distance (online) learner experience
Fitzgerald, Rachel and Corazzo, Paul (2013). Out of sight, out of mind: capturing the distance (online) learner experience. Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education, 5 (1), 58-64. doi: 10.14234/elehe.v5i1.76
Conference Publication
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A personalized approach to learning across time and space
Fitzgerald, Rachel, Rossiter, Eliza and Thompson, T. J. (2022). A personalized approach to learning across time and space. 1st European Conference on e-Learning - ECEL 2022, Brighton, United Kingdom, 27-28 October 2022. Kidmore End, United Kingdom: Academic Conferences International. doi: 10.34190/ecel.21.1.901
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Exploring industry-university partnerships in the creation of short courses and micro-credentials
Fitzgerald, Rachel and Huijser, Henk (2021). Exploring industry-university partnerships in the creation of short courses and micro-credentials. ASCILITE 2021: Back to the Future, Armidale, NSW Australia, 29 November - 1 December 2021. Armidale, NSW Australia: University of New England. doi: 10.14742/ascilite2021.0149
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A Personalized Approach to Flexible Learning
Fitzgerald, Rachel, Rossiter, Eliza and Thompson, T. J. (2021). A Personalized Approach to Flexible Learning. Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited.
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Fitzgerald, Rachel and Henderson-Martin, Hayley (2015). Transforming the first year experience (HE) with digital literacy via techno-social engagement and evaluation. 14th European Conference on e-Learning, ECEL 2015, Hatfield, United Kingdom, 29 - 30 October 2015. London, United Kingdom: Academic Conferences.
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MOOC's mass marketing for a niche audience
Fitzgerald, Rachel, Anderson, Maggie and Thompson, Ross (2014). MOOC's mass marketing for a niche audience. 13th European Conference on e-Learning, ECEL 2014, Copenhagen, Denmark, 30 - 31 October 2014. Kidmore End: Academic Conferences.
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To what extent does a digital audio feedback strategy support large cohorts?
Fitzgerald, Rachel (2011). To what extent does a digital audio feedback strategy support large cohorts?. Dechema e.V..
Grants (Administered at UQ)
Possible Research Projects
Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.
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Microcredentials: Aligning the needs of Industry and Education
Available Projects
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Understanding microcredentials through the lens of industry
-
There is an opportunity for a qualified applicant who is interested in higher education research to become a MPHIL/PhD student to explore industry needs in relation to microcredentials. This project aims to identify how higher education can work with organisations to identify what value, if any, microcredentials have for skills development for the workforce where there is increasing pressure to meet the needs of the growing knowledge and innovation based economy of Australia.
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