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Meet our executive team in the Faculty of Education and Arts. Read their profiles and learn about their extensive experience and expertise.
Meet the teamLearning is a life-long endeavour and the Faculty of Education and Arts is with you every step of the way.
Whether you’re at the beginning of your learning journey or you’re an experienced professional wanting to focus your leadership skills, our education and arts degrees put your learning into a global context and give you access to teaching experts engaged in the latest research. We focus on practical learning and real-world experience that benefits from strong connections with industry, government and the community.
The National School of Education supports you throughout your whole career, from initial teacher education through to postgraduate study and to courses in leadership. We connect you with learning and teaching experts working in evidence-based, pedagogical innovation.
Learn more about the National School of Education
Fire up your imagination and get a new perspective on the world when you study with the National School of Arts and Humanities. Our programs are designed to give you critical-thinking and reasoning skills that will allow you to adapt, evolve and keep pace with an ever-shifting job market. They also offer the chance to take your learning global, opportunities for personal growth through community engagement and a higher degree research network that is producing ground-breaking work.
Learn more about overseas study opportunities with our international partners, including internships, short courses and single semesters.
Find a destinationAs part of fulfilling ACU’s mission, we run a number of ongoing development and engagement programs with community groups in Australia and abroad. The opportunity to create lasting change in the community is embraced by our students who find working on these programs a rewarding and unique way to build skills and knowledge.
Explore our workSee the work of our talented visual arts students and staff, alongside artists from outside ACU, in our curated gallery spaces. Throughout the year our galleries host exhibitions that reflect on ACU’s mission and themes of social justice and community empowerment. These spaces can also be hired as venues for events.
Visit our galleriesMeet our executive team in the Faculty of Education and Arts. Read their profiles and learn about their extensive experience and expertise.
Meet the team
Need to contact the faculty or find us on campus? Let us point you in the right direction.
Get in touchAn Australian Catholic University graduate of Master of Teaching (Secondary) (Leading Learning) is the inaugural 2025 Geoff Gallop John Monash Scholar.
The School Innovation Showcase offers a dynamic, interactive and collaborative professional learning experience, bringing together teachers, leaders, pre-service teache...
Professor Tania Broadley has been appointed as Australian Catholic University’s new Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education).
ACU is reaffirming its commitment to regional arts and humanities with the launch of a new hub for research and engagement at the Ballarat Campus.
Australian Catholic University is proud to launch its new All Points to Teaching (APTT) program designed to boost employment-based pathways and access to fully funded u...
ACU students and alumni have returned from successful campaigns at the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.
Australian Catholic University has launched twin apps to help veterans harness their strengths and thrive through higher education.
The growing community of ACU Ramsay Scholars has been celebrated at a special event in Sydney.
Future students and their families can get a taste of life on campus at Australian Catholic University’s Open Days.
One of the first graduates from ACU’s unique Western Civilisation program has won a Ramsay Centre Postgraduate Scholarship to continue her studies in the US.
We are inviting religious leaders to share their experiences on child safeguarding practices. Insights into policies and practices and where efforts are still needed wi...
ACU PhD candidate Dr Farjana Mahbuba has won a prestigious ABC Top 5 Media Residency.
ACU researchers have been awarded more than $3 million in Australian Research Council linkage grants.
Originally from Sri Lanka, Sonali came to ACU to pursue her dream of opening a music academy. Now studying a Master of Education, she’s building advanced education know...
Professor James Franklin will explore how we can use abstract principles to navigate policy, law and ethics in this year's PM Glynn Lecture.
How does autism affect the sibling relationship in families with an autistic adolescent family member?
Revelations that a student shared fake nudes of 50 schoolgirls using AI generated photos has raised a thorny issue. This places greater duress on parents and schools on...
ACU is showcasing the country’s most exciting emerging artists, with two blockbuster exhibitions opening at the Strathfield and Melbourne Galleries this winter.
Graduating from Australian Catholic University to a school classroom would mean more precious hours out of the pool for Paris Olympics-bound Sienna Hearn.
Preventing child sexual abuse can be tackled in many ways. We are familiar with pre-employment screening and Working with Children Checks. But these steps alone are not...
Briony wanted a postgraduate degree that would help her build her skills in research and writing. Her Master of Liberal Arts is preparing her to pursue a range of caree...
Two visual arts lecturers at ACU have been selected to present work at the Blake Prize, one of Australia’s most prestigious visual art awards.
Students from ACU’s Western Civilisation program undertook a unique study tour in Rome, exploring the literature inspired by and written in the Eternal City.
Leading historians from across the country are exploring ACU’s renowned Historical Children’s Book Collection as part of a new fellowship program.
Our $5 million state-of-the-art human metabolic chamber – the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere – has opened on the Melbourne campus.
Since 2010, a vibrant partnership between ACU and Christ University (Deemed to be University) in India has been delivering a wealth of cross-cultural research, teaching...
ACU welcomed the latest cohort of Ramsay Scholars at a special event last week, with a record number of students joining the Western Civilisation Program in 2024.
ACU has welcomed Dr Emma Knowles and Dr Talia Morag to the Western Civilisation program faculty.
A deal struck with the Federal Government to fully fund West Australian public schools has put the spotlight on school funding nationally, particularly in light of this...
More than half of Australian high school English teachers believe digital games are a legitimate text type to use in their teaching programs, but just 15 per cent have ...
The first graduates of ACU's inaugural accelerated early childhood teaching course are ready to lead kindergarten classrooms in time for the 2024 school year.
Associate Professor Darius von Guttner explores the role of modern forensic science in the search for the remains of Copernicus, the 16th century “father of astronomy”.
Dr Rachel Stevens provides an expert analysis of the government’s "once in a generation" migration reforms.
ACU Executive Dean of Education and Arts, Professor Mary Ryan, has been appointed to an expert Government panel investigating literacy and numeracy performance in the A...
More than half of Australian high school English teachers believe digital games are a legitimate text type to use in their teaching programs, but just 15 per cent have ...
ACU historian Dr Jessica O’Leary has received a prestigious National Library of Australia Fellowship.
The highest achievers from the pool, football field, hockey pitch, athletics track and film stage were among a distinguished student cohort honoured at the 2023 Austral...
ACU theologian Emmanuel Nathan is bringing faith leaders to campus to speak to students against the backdrop of conflict in the Middle East.
Creating, not just a pathway, but a home for ADF personnel at Australian Catholic University is the calling for Aaron Cornwall, who has won Veteran Employee of the Year...
Students in Catholic secondary schools across Sydney have celebrated art and faith at the annual Clancy Prize for Religious Art.
ACU students are being given the chance to kick off the new year with a month-long language intensive at the Rome campus.
ACU has launched a Master of Liberal Arts (Western Civilisation) in partnership with the Ramsay Centre.
The McGlade Gallery at ACU Strathfield is showcasing the artistic talents of staff, students and alumni in a new exhibition, The Local.
Australian Catholic University (ACU) has welcomed the release of the Universities Accord Panel’s interim report today.
ACU’s Western Civilisation program is giving the country’s best and brightest students the chance to broaden their horizons and study overseas, from semesters at the Ro...
Australian Catholic University has received funding to develop short courses that will upskill teachers in phonics, maths and science.
Renowned literary academic, Professor Debjani Ganguly, has been appointed to Australian Catholic University’s Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences.
Australian Catholic University historian Professor Sheila Fitzpatrick has been named Australian Book Review's new Laureate.
ACU has appointed three new lecturers in the Western Civilisation program: Assoc. Prof. Johanna Harris, Assoc. Prof. Sarah Irving-Stonebraker, and Dr Anna Corrias.
ACU is launching a new Graduate Industry Research Program at the Ballarat campus this month. Five PhD candidates will undertake research projects to explore and develop...
ACU welcomed its third cohort of Ramsay Scholars into the Western Civilisation program - the largest to date.
World renowned archaeologist and scholar Professor Yossi Garfinkel will visit Australia this month as the inaugural ACU Sir Asher Joel Fellow.
Two striking glass mosaics on show at ACU’s Melbourne campus are part of a worldwide project designed to draw attention to the plight of Afghan women and girls under th...
There is a sharp generational and gender divide when it comes to how Australians view the role of local government, according to a new national survey by ACU researcher...
ACU has signed on as university sponsor of the 2023 Clunes Booktown Festival, cementing the University’s commitment to the arts in regional Victoria.
More than 60 high school students from across Australia attended a residential Summer School hosted by ACU’s Western Civilisation Program last month.
A partnership between Australian Catholic University and RSL Queensland will see the lives of veterans and their families transformed through education and opportunity.
A team of ACU students and academic staff are taking part in an archaeological dig at Tel Lachish in Israel.
ACU papal historian Dr Miles Pattenden led media coverage of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, reaching a global audience of almost 50 million people.
Faculty of Education and Arts Executive Dean Professor Mary Ryan announces new literacy centre and reading clinic.
Researchers from the Faculty of Education and Arts have won prestigious international grants worth more than $2.3 million.
ACU will offer three PhD scholarships as part of a partnership with the City of Ballarat, the Art Gallery of Ballarat and Sovereign Hill.
ACU humanities researcher Dr Lorinda Cramer is one of just nine researchers across Australia to receive the National Library of Australia Fellowship, which includes a 1...
Eminent British philosopher Professor John Haldane will explore the role of virtue and character in education in his inaugural lecture at Australian Catholic University...
Place-based investment is urgently needed to help Australia’s major settlement cities meet the needs of growing refugee communities, according to new research by Austra...
Government bungles during the COVID pandemic created a lasting impact on essential workers, according to new research by Australian Catholic University (ACU) and the Un...
ACU has partnered with the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide on a mapping project designed to improve the Commission’s understanding of the nature of th...
ACU continues to make its mark globally in world rankings.
Open Day season has started at ACU with seven of our campuses welcoming visitors.
Researchers from from ACU's National School of Education have been named the joint winners of the Uniservitate Award for their work on the ACU Solomon Islands Teacher E...
Another 175 funded places will be available online at ACU in 2023 for diploma-qualified early childhood educators to upskill to an early childhood teaching degree.
Young Aboriginal and South Sea Islanders Jedda Ellison and Hayden Kubler will represent their Indigenous heritage on a global stage after being named recipients of Aust...
A number of ACU researchers have been recognised on international and national Research.com lists as top scientists in their fields.
ACU’s Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences (IHSS) is pleased to announce the recent appointment of two scholars of literature.
ACU and the Australian Embassy to the Holy See have signed a memorandum of understanding to offer ACU students a prestigious internship in Rome.
ACU celebrated the success of the first year of its Western Civilisation program and welcomed the 2022 ACU Ramsay Scholars in a special event last week.
The ACU National School of Arts and the Australian National Council of the Catenian Association are delighted to announce Kathryn Palmer as the inaugural winner of the ...
Australia’s China policy was the subject of the Sir Peter Cosgrove lecture in History delivered by Professor James Curran on 21 February 2022.
A new IMAX 3D film about the hidden history of Cambodia features research by ACU Associate Professor of Geography Dr Duncan Cook.
More than 4500 new students were welcomed to ACU’s seven campuses this week for vibrant Orientation Week festivities.
In a joint partnership between Australian Catholic University (ACU) and the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC), teacher education students will be employed i...
Australians who live in a suburb with a high proportion of blue-collar workers are far more likely to have had Covid than those in a white-collar area.
A new course aims to address the crisis by offering teachers and teaching executives training in mental health targeted at managing the stresses associated with the pro...
Distinguished Fellow with the PM Glynn Institute Malcolm Mackerras looks forward to the likely role of independents in the 2022 Federal election.
Australian Catholic University will launch ACU Online, a fully online education portfolio, on 8 December 2021.
At-risk high school students need the support and guidance of an online mentor to help them re-engage with their schooling, according to a world-leading Professor of Ps...
Students from Queensland's South Burnett have at least two pathways to careers in sport and exercise science after a visit from ACU.
Primary schools in disadvantaged areas of Victoria have some of the best playgroups, leading to positive life outcomes for attending children, a new study has found.
Professor Mary Ryan will be the new Executive Dean of Education and Arts at Australian Catholic University (ACU), Provost Professor Belinda Tynan announced on Wednesday...
Statement from Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Zlatko Skrbis on the safe return of international students to Victoria
Forget the aisles of pink and blue, toy packaging and toy stores should be gender neutral in Australia to help girls into STEM careers, according to an Australian Catho...
Parents have a vital role to play when schools return after the COVID-19 lockdowns, according to education experts.
Pitching and storytelling masterclass.
Digital marketing essentials. The five stories of social change and identifying your customer avatar.
Education experts at Australian Catholic University say teachers should bring back a sense of joy to student learning and extend lunch breaks when schools resume in Oct...
If sporadic pandemic lockdowns continue, they are likely to create significant challenges of identity, connectedness, and equity of education for children in disadvanta...
Inspiring First Nations people to become teachers is a major ambition of strong and proud First Nations woman and teaching student, Carmel Debel.
The NSW Government’s COVID-19 TechVoucher program is now open for applications.
New findings from ILSTE research discusses Teaching Performance Assessments as cultural disruptors in Initial Teacher Education.
Professor Michele Haynes has been appointed Fellow of the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences (QAAS). Michele is an accredited statistician and a long involvement a...
For the Australian Catholic University students and alumni elite athletes, indelible memories were carved into their minds as they contemplate what comes next in their ...
ACU's five Paralympians have returned home from Tokyo having unearthed previously undiscovered strengths.
Australian Catholic University (ACU) and the Order of Malta have signed a memorandum of understanding that details partnering on a range of life-changing engagement ini...
Congratulations to Emeritus Professor Patrick Duignan who was awarded the 2021 Paul Brock Award for a significant contribution to education at the NSW Australian Counci...
The winner of ACU’s Prize for Poetry Anna Murchison will be an inspiration to late starters in many fields. The prize-winning poet did not even start writing poetry unt...
Children could become kinder and more inclusive towards their peers and even bullying could reduce if schools take on the findings from new research.
Young refugees and migrants are the key to limiting the spread of Covid-19 and managing recovery in their communities, new ACU research has found.
Staff and students on ACU's Brisbane campus will be able to borrow a human book in a scheme designed to increase understanding through human contact.
Professor Vince Geiger , from the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education, was recently invited to present the Clements-Foyster Lecture at the annual conf...
The National Library has announced it will acquire a unique collection of Calabrian stories, songs, and prayers brought to Australia by migrant Carmela Speranza and rec...
Australian Catholic University Professor John Munro, a respected psychologist and education expert, said important mental health lessons were learned during Melbourne’s...
Australia’s only academic program dedicated to the archaeology, history and languages of Ancient Israel will be introduced at Australian Catholic University (ACU), offe...
On 15 July, ILSTE hosted the fifth GTPA Digital Symposium with the 19 higher education institute partners.
The Hon Justice Martin Daubney AM and Ms Virginia Bourke have been appointed to the positions of Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor of Australian Catholic University (ACU).
The research team behind an innovative program tackling cardiovascular disease risk in children has been recognised with one of the Council of Academic Public Health In...
Four-time Paralympic swimmer Brenden Hall and Rio sevens rugby gold medallist Emma Tonegato are among 11 current and former students who will represent ACU in Japan at ...
In this secular age, fewer people are engaging in religious ritual but many still seek spiritual experience.
Professor Steven Graham, International Professorial Fellow with ILSTE and of Arizona State University (ASU), has been awarded the prestigious William S Gray Citation of...
Student teachers from Catholic and multifaith backgrounds are learning about the distinct identity of Catholic schools, including the values, ethics, and moral reasonin...
Ballarat Hub draws Melbourne teaching students to the region.
A national event was held to develop strategies for developing Catholic school leaders into the future
Green space around primary schools may improve students’ academic performance.
Head of the School of Philosophy Dr Richard Colledge writes on the importance of providing general education through systems such as ACU’s Core Curriculum.
ILSTE Researchers further examine digital disruption at the Australian Curriculum Conference on 5 June, in the stream Adapting to Change.
Recent PhD student and early career researcher (ECR) Dr Lesley Friend, now a Research Fellow with the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education, celebrates ...
ACU has awarded its highest honour, an honorary doctorate, to Marionne MacRitchie and a posthumous award to the Hon John Fahey AC, GCSG during graduation ceremonies in ...
The Multimodal Special Interest Group at the National Institute of Education in Singapore has run Professional Learning presented by ILSTE’s Professor Len Unsworth, for...
A former soldier is helping other veterans find peace through university study.
Australian research, proven to improve children’s heart health and fitness, has been published by JAMA Pediatrics, the top-ranked paediatrics journal in the world.
New book offers a valuable contribution to the expanding conversation on big data and digital disruption in education. Edited by Professor Claire Wyatt-Smith, Professor...
Two ACU academics have been awarded prizes in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards.
ILSTE researchers are successful with a new project Future Education: Evidence-based innovations for Queensland schooling and workforces. A new Futures Framework will ...
ACU historian Professor Noah Riseman has been shortlisted for the Ernest Scott Prize for his book Pride in Defence: The Australian Military & LGBTI Service since 1945.
ACU child protection expert Daryl Higgins has joined a prestigious list of international researchers to deliver a $2.8 million national study unpacking the prevalence a...
"White Russians, Red Peril", A new book uncovering by ACU's Professor Sheila Fitzpatrick uncovers the little known history of Russian migration to Australia.
There are stereotypes that underestimate the range of boys' preferences for reading and the changing nature of those preferences as they develop as readers.
The interaction of emotional lived experiences and subject choice plans and decisions is reported in a new study.
Educational psychologist John Munro discusses how to identify, understand and nurture gifted children.
ACU sociologist Professor Bryan Turner has been invited to speak in a prestigious Oxford Union Debate on the topic of Immortality.
Understandings of culturally-based conceptions of writing motivation among Chinese students were advanced in this paper by Professor Clarence Ng at ILSTE and colleagues...
A webinar on 26 March will address the dangers of fake news and populism in a time of pandemic
A survey of Australia’s principals has found last year’s ravaging bushfires, followed by shock floods, and the COVID-19 global pandemic had an immense impact on the str...
A new article by ILSTE’s Professor Clarence Ng researched the question - What motivates high school students to persist with challenging science?
The design of maths modelling tasks by teachers for use by students has been informed by recent research by ILSTE academic Professor Vince Geiger and co-authors Prof Pe...
How Australian middle-school students make meaning in science education by drawing on their science epistemic beliefs (SEB) is the subject of a new article in the Inter...
Professor Steve Graham, ILSTE Professorial Fellow with the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education, has been honoured and named as Regents Professor with ...
Higher education partners of the Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA), an initiative of the Australian Catholic University’s Institute for Learning Science an...
ACU’s leadership in humanities has been further recognised with a prominent book award for one of our senior researchers.
Teacher education research agendas communicated in the book Innovation and Accountability in Teacher Education (by ACU ILSTE academics Claire Wyatt—Smith and Lenore Adi...
ACU is delighted to announce the first two in a group of teaching appointments to the new Ramsay Program in Western Civilisation.
ACU’s Institute of Child Protection Studies is part of a new Global Safeguarding Alliance (GSA) that will promote knowledge and worldwide exchange on safeguarding and t...
ACU is delighted to announce the appointment of the inaugural Director of the ACU Ramsay Program in Western Civilisation, Professor Robert Carver, who will join ACU on ...
Research shows gaps in the teaching of writing in a recent article in The Conversation.
The Virtual Symposium on Onlife Learning in early childhood education occurring on Friday 20 November 2020, will hear about technology-enabled learning contexts relevan...
ACU clinical exercise physiologist Dr Phil Chapman supervised a simulation demonstrating how heat affects classroom learning for ABC series Big Weather (and how to surv...
Gender diverse youth feel significantly less safe at school than other students but they trust adults to tackle sexual harassment and support them in risky situations, ...
Canberra-based poet Geoff Page is the 2020 winner of the ACU Prize for Poetry for his entry Jericho. His winning poem was selected ahead of Footprints by Fiona Lynch fr...
Teenagers with controlling-style parents experience a sharp drop in mental health and self-esteem, and the damage can be lasting, a world-first ACU study has found.
Both elite and amateur athletes would get better performance bang for their buck using traditional carbohydrate drinks/sports foods rather than costly hydrogel drinks, ...
Australia's workforce, economy and society needs the capabilities of a humanities education: critical thinking, analytical and research skills, and the ability to grapp...
Separated or divorced parents normally grapple with countless issues, but the COVID-19 crisis means they face new difficulties negotiating shared care of children with ...
Internationally renowned historian of modern Russia, Professor Sheila Fitzpatrick FAHA, and leading early modern scholar of gender and emotions, Professor Susan Broomha...
Seven new research centres will enhance ACU’s reputation in the arts, education, health, and theology and philosophy.
Inspiring Torres Strait Islanders with English as a second language is part of the toolkit for a new breed of teachers trained to work in Australia’s most challenging a...
Australian Catholic University (ACU) expects to offer a new BA degree in Western Civilisation from 2021.
Professor Joy Damousi FASSA FAHA has been appointed as the Director of ACU’s new Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences.
As part of its strong commitment to 21st century teaching practice and the digital transformation of learning, ACU will become the first Australian university to invest...
Exercise has been proven to alleviate mental health problems but for many people suffering from depression or anxiety, the barriers are too great.
A revolution is taking place across four Victorian universities where student teachers are now required to pass a rigorous new assessment in order to graduate.
Entries are now open for one of Australia’s richest poetry prizes, the 2019 ACU Prize for Poetry, with poets from all over the country competing for the coveted $10,000...
Suspending students from school often does more harm than good and should be scrapped, new ACU research shows.
Low literacy levels in Australian children from disadvantaged backgrounds are setting up young people to continue the cycle of unemployment and socio-economic struggle,...
A new article in The Conversation co-authored by ILSTE Professor Kathy Mills and Christian Moro (Bond University), both with teaching backgrounds, opens up debate on th...
ACU’s Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education (ILSTE) has been awarded grants for two separate projects set to improve literacy and the reliability of tea...
ACU Senate has further renewed the contract for Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Greg Craven until December 2022, University Chancellor the Honourable John Fahey...
Australia’s alternative school system is an undervalued piece in the puzzle to solving the total disengagement of at-risk youth, according to an Australian Catholic Uni...
Engineers, scientists and lawyers are just some of the professions leaving successful careers behind to become teachers across Australia, in a ‘career changer’ trend de...
Low socioeconomic (SES) schools offer the most rewarding work for dedicated teachers, according to an expert in how to teach disadvantaged students...
Early Childhood Australia (ECA) this week released a new practical resource for early childhood educators to help them navigate the use of digital technologies with you...
Cardiovascular disease risk in kids due to poor aerobic fitness has been cut by more than half in primary schools using a new online physical activity training program ...
An Australian primary school teacher’s YouTube channel has passed more than three million views from its global fan base keen to watch his catchy teaching lessons set t...
Students take the lead and provide lessons for teachers as Kids' Conference encourages learning from each other...
Answers to your questions about the changes to admission requirements for education courses in Victoria...
Student artworks provide welcome respite for patients as part of a collaborative project with an international award-winning Arts and Health program.
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ACU is incredibly proud of its teaching graduates, and the impact they make in and out of the classroom.
Your achievements are important to us. Every year we present a number of prizes and awards to recognise the hard work and dedication of our staff and students.
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