Order of Australia (Australian Honours)
University of Technology Sydney
University of Technology Sydney
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Education and Students), University of Technology Sydney
Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Technology Sydney
Professor of Learning Technologies, University of Technology Sydney
Shirley Alexander is an Australian educational technology leader and Emeritus Professor at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Over a 30‑year UTS career she served as Director of the Institute for Interactive Media and Learning, Dean of the Faculty of Education (2005–2007), and Deputy Vice‑Chancellor and Vice‑President (Education and Students) (2007–2022). Internationally recognized for research and leadership on technology‑enhanced learning, curriculum and learning space transformation, and system‑level digital education strategy, she chaired national advisory work on technology in K‑12 and helped establish UTS’s learning.futures and Learning2014 initiatives. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2022 and conferred Emeritus Professor and Honorary Doctor of the University by UTS in 2022.
Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning • Journal
Observes that education has often used technology to automate existing practices, limiting learning benefits. Reports on an innovative Australian project in which students co‑designed e‑learning projects by posing questions, building learning environments, researching, and creating content. Describes how this approach was scaled to other topics and outlines implications for achieving qualitatively different learning outcomes with technology.
Education + Training • Journal
Argues that effective e‑learning must be designed as part of a complex system that includes students’ learning experiences, teachers’ strategies, teachers’ planning and thinking, and the broader teaching/learning context. Notes that staff development often centers on delivery technologies rather than conceptions of learning, and proposes a more comprehensive framework to guide the design, development, and implementation of e‑learning in higher education.
Proceedings of Scholarly Inquiry into Science Teaching and Learning Symposium (University of Sydney) • Conference
Reflects on the first generation of e‑learning, characterized by diverse experimentation, and asks whether cumulative knowledge has emerged commensurate with investment. Reviews the kinds of questions posed, the learning theories employed, what counts as evidence, and what has been learned. Proposes an agenda for a second generation of e‑learning research and development that builds more systematically on prior work.
AACE World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications (ED-MEDIA) • Conference
Analyzes 107 e‑learning papers from two major conferences to examine research questions, theoretical positions, evidentiary standards, and educational significance. Finds repetition and reluctance to tackle big issues, and recommends moving from narrow, tool‑focused studies toward a systems‑oriented approach that addresses the complex nature of student learning.
Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE) Annual Conference • Conference
Explores what constitutes innovation in university teaching and learning, how innovations disseminate or scale, and what developers can do to maximize uptake. Using a widely adopted online role‑play simulation as a case, the paper highlights multi‑faceted dissemination strategies (talks, publications, templates, participation) and argues that perceived student value and adaptability drive broader adoption.