About Us
Executive Committee
ODLAA is managed by an unpaid volunteer executive committee with support of a paid Executive Officer. The executive committee is elected for a two-year period by ODLAA members at the Annual General Meeting, with half of the executive committee being elected each year.
Each month the executive committee meets to formulate strategy, approve association expenditure, and undertake planning of member activities and events. Executive members are assigned a portfolio responsibility for advancing the association.
These portfolios include:
- Affiliations and Partnerships
- Webinars
- Website
- Events and Conference
- Marketing and Communication
Executive Committee
President
Dr Dawn Marie Gilmore
RMIT
Dawn is the Academic Director at RMIT Online. She plays a leading role in managing and interpreting academic standards and processes for RMIT Online – ensuring that the creation of all accredited and non-accredited online services and experiences are both at the forefront of the digital education industry and informed by a robust system of academic quality and continuous improvement.
Dawn’s passion is in online education. In addition to her extensive experience teaching online, her previous roles have included Director of Quality and Enhancement at RMIT’s Centre for Academic Quality and Enhancement and Director of Teaching & Learning at RMIT Online where she developed and scaled evidence led practices in the recruitment and training of online teachers and in online student support from enrolment to graduation.
She has authored peer review academic journal articles, news articles, and blogs about online teaching, learning, and quality. During the pandemic her short online teaching tips were read globally by a community of more than 15,000 and endorsed as best practice by colleges, schools, and organisations around the world.
In 2015, Dawn was awarded funding as a Visiting Research Scholar at South Africa’s University of Witwatersrand Centre for Learning, Teaching & Development. More recently, she has been invited to speak locally and globally at various events including for the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Australia), Distance Education Accrediting Commission (United States), Ministry of Education and Training (Vietnam), and Fatima Jinnah Women’s University (Pakistan).
Vice President
Dr Sarah Prestridge
Griffith University
Sarah is an Associate Professor of Digital Pedagogies at Griffith University. She was a classroom teacher, deputy, education adviser then lecturer and academic always focused on how technologies enable engagement and learning. She researches in both the k-12 schooling context, further education (Uni, Tafe) and self-directed professional learning through social media.
In 2020 and 2021 Sarah was awarded national recognition as the top scholar in the field of Teaching and Teacher Education. She researchers and publishes extensively in the field of digital pedagogies and online learning. Over the last 3 years she has presented 12 international Keynotes and been an invited scholar at the University of Regensburg, Germany; University of Padua, Italy; National University of Galway, Ireland; and the American University of Sharjah, UAE.
She has co-author over 77 high quality publications with experts from over 20 countries exploring theoretical frameworks while building relevance to local issues for impact on policy and practice, such as guidelines for improving pedagogy with technology as an outcome of remote schooling and k-12 schooling.
Research interests: Educational technologies in teaching and learning; Distance Education; online professional learning; K-12 online learning
treasurer - previous president
Dr Mutuota Kigotho
University of New England
Mutuota has been involved in distance education in Australia since 2009 when he took up a position as Lecturer at the University of New England (UNE) where over 80% of the student’s study online and by distance learning.
His expertise lies in digital literacy where his focus has been the intersection between broadband and analogue investigating the literacies that users need to make sense of their learning environment. He has published in the Journal of Distance Education and in Literacy Learning- the Middle Years. He has also presented papers at the International Council of Distance Education (ICDE) conferences in Sydney and in Bali – Indonesia.
Mutuota is a long-standing member of ODLAA having served as a committee member, secretary, vice-president, treasurer, and between 2017 and 2021, as president of the association. He believes that access continues to be one of the biggest challenges of our time and is strongly persuaded in sharing content at minimal cost.
Research interests: Distance Education, eLearning, the uptake in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in African Educational systems, and the use of social media and ICT for educational purposes.
secretary
Lucia Stejer
TAFE NSW
Lucia is the Director, Product Operations and Performance at TAFE NSW. In this strategic role, Lucia leads a large team responsible for the curriculum design and development of vocational and higher education courses.
Previously, Lucia was the General Manager, Teaching and Learning at Kaplan Professional. Lucia has over 25 years experience in secondary, vocational education and higher education sectors. She has a strong background in engaging external partners; managing accreditation and quality assurance of education programs; and advocating for educational innovation that enhances the learner experience and outcomes.
Member representative
Sharon Altena
Queensland University of Technology
Sharon Altena (SFHEA) is a Senior Curriculum and Learning Designer in the Learning and Teaching unit at Queensland University of Technology. She has worked in curriculum and learning design for the past 30 years across the secondary, vocational education and higher education sectors.
In her current role, Sharon leads course teams to re-imagine their curriculum and implement evidence-based digital learning practices into their on-campus, blended, flipped and online classrooms. Sharon is a member of the Digital Learning for Change Research Group at Queensland University of Technology.
Research interests: Third space workers, online learning, curriculum, and educational technology.
Member representative
Dr Mitchell Parkes
University of New England
Mitchell Parkes is Director, Academic Development at the University of New England in Armidale, Australia. He specialises in the design and delivery of digitally enhanced learning environments. Mitchell’s main educational research interests are online and distance education, digital literacy, assessment, feedback, and learning design.
Mitchell has had a long connection with distance education that goes back to the days of notes and readings delivered in the post which he has experienced both as a student and an educator.
Research interests: Online and distance education, digital literacy, assessment, feedback, and learning design.
Member representative
Chen Wang
University of Otago
Chen Wang has a deep-rooted passion for enhancing digital learning experiences, I currently serve as a Senior Professional Practice Fellow eLearning at the University of Otago.
In her role, Chen is responsible for delivering comprehensive digital learning professional development programs tailored to meet the needs of both teaching staff and students. At the heart of her work lies a dedication to research-informed practical solutions. Chen is deeply invested in exploring innovative approaches that leverage educational technologies, data analysis, and research methodologies to create interactive, adaptive, and inclusive learning environments.
Research interests: Educational technology, learning analytics and self-regulated learning. Chen aims to contribute to the body of knowledge and foster evidence-based decision-making in eLearning.
Find Out More about ODLAA
Contact
