Critical Pedagogies for AI and Extended Reality Technology

Federation University is pleased to offer a PhD scholarship in Critical Pedagogies for AI and Extended Reality (XR) Technology

Scholarship details

Stipend: $39,000 tax free, per annum (paid fortnightly)
Project support: $2000 per annum
RTP Fee-offset Scholarship / Tuition Fee Scholarship: $22,680 per annum
Funding length: 3 years (only, no extensions permitted)
Location: Mt. Helen

Eligibility

Scholarship applicants must be eligible to undertake a PhD. Verify you can meet eligibility requirements outlined on the Graduate Research School website. If you are applying for ‘Honours equivalence,’ please ensure that you provide detailed information to support your case.

Applications will be accepted from Australian residents, permanent residents and international residents.

Applicants should contact Professor Garry Falloon prior to submitting an application.

Application closing date: 12 pm, Friday 20th December, 2024

How to apply: Applicants must submit their application with all necessary documents by completing the HDR Candidature application. Current students, or applicants who have received a Letter of Offer for their PhD program should email research.degrees@federation.edu.au to express interest in this scholarship opportunity.

Commencement date: February 10, 2025

Research project details

Project title: Critical Pedagogies for AI and Extended Reality (XR) Technology

The project involves collaboration with teachers from primary and secondary schools (state and private), and with technology industry partners across urban, regional and rural Australian contexts to equip students to use Artificial Intelligence/Extended Reality (AI-XR) texts as active agents to critically reflect on underlying biases, values and interests. Outcomes include evidence-based models and exemplars for teaching students to be confident users of AI and extended reality technologies for multimodal reading and authoring, and state-of-the-art skillsets that are now needed by all young Australians to sustain digital and workforce participation for Australian education—the engine room of Australia's future economy. The project aims to develop primary students’ multimodal reading and authoring in extended reality (XR) environments using virtual, mixed, and augmented reality technologies. Knowledge of next-generation pedagogies for teaching students new multimodal literacies in XR digital environments is needed for higher education and future workplaces. It addresses a key knowledge gap by advancing learners' multimodal literacies with new text processing, visualising, and authoring skills, and complex proprioceptive learning. Essential social and cultural benefits include high-level teaching expertise for students' advanced technology-mediated communication skills to strengthen Australia's economic future.

Industry Partner and Student Host: (INDUSTRY PARTNER)

Supervisors:

Principal Supervisor: Professor Garry Falloon

Garry Falloon is Professor of Education in the Institute of Education, Arts and Community at Federation University (Mt. Helen) and Honorary Professor in the School of Education at Macquarie University (Sydney). Before joining Federation in March 2023, he was Professor of Education and Director of International Engagement in the Macquarie University School of Education in Sydney, NSW (2017-2023) and Associate Professor and Professor of Digital Learning in the Faculty of Education at Waikato University in Hamilton, New Zealand (2010-2017). His background includes 22 years teaching and leadership of primary and secondary schools in New Zealand, as CI for the 2019-2022 ARC Discovery Project: Coding Animated Narratives as Contemporary Multimodal Authorship in Schools, and as NSW lead for the Federal Government’s Principals as STEM Leaders (PASL) project. His research interests are STEM-focused and include mobile learning, digital learning in primary and middle schools, online and blended learning, curriculum design, pedagogy and assessment in digitally-supported innovative learning environments, learning in primary science and technology, and educational research methods. Garry is ranked in the top 2% of education researchers worldwide (Elsevier, 2024) and has served on numerous advisory and writing panels for eLearning policy and curriculum development, industry and sector advisory boards, and the N.Z Prime Minister's Panel of Experts for Digital Learning.

Contact: g.falloon@federation.edu.au

Associate Supervisor: Associate Professor Dung Tran

Dr Dũng Trần is Associate Professor in Mathematics and STEM Education at the Institute of Education, Arts and Community. His research focuses on (a) designing and implementing curriculum to improve diverse students' mathematical literacy, and abilities to use mathematics and statistics to be functional and critical in the home, civic, and work-life; and (b) developing teacher competence to teach students mathematics, using holistic approaches. He has extensive experience in curriculum analysis and development at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. He also works with preservice and inservice teachers in several countries to develop their mathematics teaching competence. He has expertise in document analysis, design-based research, clinical (task-based) interviews, and using both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Associate Professor Trần is passionate about empowering Mathematics/STEM teachers to integrate ‘real-life’ problem solving and equity and social justice principles into Mathematics education. He maintains that teachers are the key agent in significantly improving student learning and that pedagogical content knowledge is foundational for these improvements.

Contact: dung.tran@federation.edu.au