Associate Professor Rachel Fitzgerald is the Deputy Associate Dean (Academic) for the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law. Rachel is internationally acknowledged for her expertise in Technology-Enhanced Learning and stands as a curriculum leader in the digital age, specializing in contemporary higher education and AI-driven learning. Rachel has spearheaded teaching and learning initiatives across various institutions globally and is leading research on microcredentials, workplace learning and Scholarship of AI Teaching and Learning.
Online Profiles
Associate Professor Rachel Fitzgerald's scholarly contributions have been showcased in prominent SoTL journals and eLearning Forums. Additionally, her work has played a crucial role in shaping curriculum and digital frameworks at several higher education institutions. Rache has also provided mentorship to course leaders and tutors, guiding them in developing curriculum tailored for the digital age.
Conference Publication: Creating a dialogue about evaluation; a students-as-partners approach to feedback about learning and teaching
Cossu, Remo, Fitzgerald, Rachel, Birthisel, Marcus, Mishiro, Keiko, Lin, Ing Sheuan and Fleming, Melanie (2023). Creating a dialogue about evaluation; a students-as-partners approach to feedback about learning and teaching. 34th Australasian Association for Engineering Education Annual Conference: Adapting to the Changing Expectations of Students and Industry, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia, 3-6 December 2023. Wollongong, NSW, Australia: Australasian Association for Engineering Education.
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
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
Microcredentials: Aligning the needs of Industry and Education
Available Projects
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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) ARTN 01. doi: 10.53761/1.20.7.01
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, 21 (1), 108-130. doi: 10.1108/itse-07-2022-0082
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
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
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
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.
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
Cossu, Remo, Fitzgerald, Rachel, Birthisel, Marcus, Mishiro, Keiko, Lin, Ing Sheuan and Fleming, Melanie (2023). Creating a dialogue about evaluation; a students-as-partners approach to feedback about learning and teaching. 34th Australasian Association for Engineering Education Annual Conference: Adapting to the Changing Expectations of Students and Industry, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia, 3-6 December 2023. Wollongong, NSW, Australia: Australasian Association for Engineering Education.
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
A personalized approach to flexible learning
Fitzgerald, Rachel, Rossiter, Eliza and Thompson, T. J. (2022). A personalized approach to flexible learning. 21st European Conference on e-Learning, ECEL 2022, Brighton, United Kingdom, 27 – 28 October 2022. Sonning Common, United Kingdom: Academic Conferences and Publishing International.
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
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.
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.
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..
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.
Microcredentials: Aligning the needs of Industry and Education
Available Projects
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.