Dr Robyn Smyth
Adjunct Associate Professor, Faculty of The Professions, School of Education
Qualifications
BA, Dip Ed, MEd, PhD
Contact
| Email: | robyn.smyth@usq.edu.au |
| Room: | Other |
| Phone: | 07 4631 1608 (or +61 7 4631 1608 overseas) |
| Mobile: | 0499 490 099 |
Associate Professor Robyn Smyth the Director of Learning and Teaching Support at the University of Southern Queensland where she supervises teams providing professional development and student support for online, face-to-face and blended curricula.
Robyn has been an Academic Developer working in the higher education sector for more than a decade. Her practice specialises in curriculum design in the distance mode including rich media technology in higher education for student centred pedagogies. Robyn has been an active researcher using and investigating practice, theory and pedagogy of higher degree supervision; curriculum design in complex contexts; and the potential for video and related synchronous communication tools to support student learning. Principally her research is focussed on innovating pedagogy and managing educational change which supports innovation. Recently Robyn led a sector-wide investigation into the sustainability, viability and scalability of rich media technologies in Australian universities funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council. She has developed and taught Graduate Certificates in Higher Education in Australia and in Bhutan.
Previously at UNE, Robyn acted as the Director of Medical Education for the Joint Medical Program, chaired the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee which was responsible for gathering student feedback on their learning experiences, the e-portfolio working party investigating possible implementation of electronic portfolios for assessment; the fixed resource session review investigating lecture quality issues; and a research group designing and trialling a collegial peer review process for teachers. She has been an active member of numerous school, JMP and University of New England committees relevant to teaching and learning.
Research interests
Academic development
Curriculum design
Synchronous ommunications technologies for teaching and learning
Pedagagy of research higher degree supervision
Recent Research Outcomes
Three most recent :
Maxwell, T. and R. Smyth (2012). Answering your sifnificant research questions with the aid of a research matrix. Doctorates Downunder: Keys to Successful Doctoral Study in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. C. Denholm and T. Evans. Melbourne, Victoria, ACER Press: 82-91.
Andrews, T., R. Smyth, et al. (2011). Mobile Technologies and Rich Media: Expanding Tertiary Education Opportunities in Developing Countries Mobile Information Communication Technologies Adoption in Developing Countries: Effects and Implications. A. G. Abdel-Wahab and A. El-Masry, IGI-Global: 103-116.
Smyth, R. (2011). "Enhancing learner-learner interaction using video communications in higher education: Implications from theorising about a new model." British Journal of Educational Technology 42(1): 113-127.