Overview
Background
Professor Kelly Matthews is an expert on the student experience in higher education—recently ranked amongst the top 5% of cited scholars globally in higher education, teaching and curriculum, and student partnership—and is an award-winning university teacher.
Her research, spanning over 150 publications and 100 invited talks, is about impact---shaping how students actively participate in their learning, directly improving experiences for students and informing the practices of teaching staff globally. Awarded an Australian Teaching Fellowship and a Higher Education Academy Principal Fellowship, Kelly has
- established influential international writing groups that mentor and motivate emerging scholars to publish about their educational practices,
- co-founded the International Journal for Students as Partners to enable students and staff from across the world to shape what counts as knowledge,
- created and sustained the Students as Partners Network to both celebrate and inspire educational practices across universities worldwide, and
- led collaborative, multi-institutional projects that recognise and promote educational leadership and change through applied research.
In 2025, Kelly is leading a multi-institutional project with Deakin, Monash, and UTS to shape AI policy and practice through student voice.
Kelly is the Academic Lead for Student Experience and Strategic Initiatives in the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Portfolio in the Institute of Teaching and Learning Innovation.
Availability
- Professor Kelly Matthews is:
- Not available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Arts, University of New Orleans
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
- Member, Australian Institute of Company Directors, Australian Institute of Company Directors
Works
Search Professor Kelly Matthews’s works on UQ eSpace
2023
Book Chapter
Stretching the boundaries of pedagogical partnerships in higher education through the lens of recognition
Oberg, Glenys, Matthews, Kelly E., Lincoln, Jennifer and McGrath, Nathan (2023). Stretching the boundaries of pedagogical partnerships in higher education through the lens of recognition. The Bloomsbury handbook of student voice in higher education. (pp. 427-438) edited by Jarusha Conner, Rille Raaper, Carolina Guzman-Valenzuela and Launa Gauthier. London, United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Academic. doi: 10.5040/9781350342484.ch-030
2023
Journal Article
A qualitative exploration of expert perspectives on applying the science of learning to higher education
Nugent, Annita, Carroll, Annemaree, Lodge, Jason M., Matthews, Kelly E., MacMahon, Stephanie and Sah, Pankaj (2023). A qualitative exploration of expert perspectives on applying the science of learning to higher education. Frontiers in Education, 8 1233651, 1-10. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2023.1233651
2023
Journal Article
Practising student voice in university teaching and learning: three anchoring principles
Cook-Sather, Alison and Matthews, Kelly (2023). Practising student voice in university teaching and learning: three anchoring principles. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 20 (6) 02, 1-13. doi: 10.53761/1.20.6.2
2023
Conference Publication
Followers, customers, or partners: comparing conceptualisations of students as partners in Australian, Mainland China, and Hong Kong universities
Liang, Yifei, Matthews, Kelly and Dai, Kun (2023). Followers, customers, or partners: comparing conceptualisations of students as partners in Australian, Mainland China, and Hong Kong universities. Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA), Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 4 - 7 July 2023. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: HERDSA.
2023
Conference Publication
Power and process: an exploration of intercultural student-teacher partnership
Zhang, Meng and Matthews, Kelly (2023). Power and process: an exploration of intercultural student-teacher partnership. Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA), Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 4 - 7 July. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: HERDSA.
2023
Book Chapter
Culturally respectful pedagogical partnership (Asia)
Liang, Yifei and Matthews, Kelly (2023). Culturally respectful pedagogical partnership (Asia). Inclusive learning design in higher education. (pp. 56-59) edited by Virna Rossi. London, United Kingdom: Routledge.
2023
Journal Article
‘I wish to participate but…’: investigating students’ perceptions of student-staff pedagogical partnerships at a Hong Kong University
Dai, Kun, Matthews, Kelly E. and Liang, Yifei (2023). ‘I wish to participate but…’: investigating students’ perceptions of student-staff pedagogical partnerships at a Hong Kong University. Higher Education, 87 (3), 779-793. doi: 10.1007/s10734-023-01035-7
2023
Journal Article
What do students and teachers talk about when they talk together about feedback and assessment? Expanding notions of feedback literacy through pedagogical partnership
Matthews, Kelly E, Sherwood, Catherine, Enright, Eimear and Cook-Sather, Alison (2023). What do students and teachers talk about when they talk together about feedback and assessment? Expanding notions of feedback literacy through pedagogical partnership. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 49 (1), 1-13. doi: 10.1080/02602938.2023.2170977
2023
Journal Article
Engaging students as partners in intercultural partnership practices: a scoping review
Zhang, Meng, Matthews, Kelly E. and Liu, Shuang (2023). Engaging students as partners in intercultural partnership practices: a scoping review. Higher Education Research and Development, 42 (7), 1792-1807. doi: 10.1080/07294360.2022.2157800
2023
Journal Article
Capturing teaching focused academic work: a learning-practice framework for a richer understanding of changing academic roles
Godbold, N., Matthews, K. E. and Gannaway, D. (2023). Capturing teaching focused academic work: a learning-practice framework for a richer understanding of changing academic roles. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 45 (3), 323-334. doi: 10.1080/1360080x.2022.2148237
2022
Journal Article
Investigating the authentic learning practices of teaching focused academics: leveraging Activity-Centred Analysis and Design (ACAD)
Godbold, N., Matthews, K. E. and Gannaway, D. (2022). Investigating the authentic learning practices of teaching focused academics: leveraging Activity-Centred Analysis and Design (ACAD). International Journal for Academic Development, 29 (3), 1-13. doi: 10.1080/1360144x.2022.2158835
2022
Conference Publication
Nurturing relationship-rich practices
Matthews, Kelly and Felten, Peter (2022). Nurturing relationship-rich practices. ASCILITE 2022 Conference, Sydney, NSW Australia, 4-7 December 2022. Tugun, QLD Australia: Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education. doi: 10.14742/apubs.2022.268
2022
Journal Article
Are Confucian educational values a barrier to engaging students as partners in Chinese universities?
Liang, Yifei and Matthews, Kelly E. (2022). Are Confucian educational values a barrier to engaging students as partners in Chinese universities?. Higher Education Research and Development, 42 (6), 1453-1466. doi: 10.1080/07294360.2022.2138276
2022
Journal Article
‘Students as partners rather than followers but … ’: understanding academics’ conceptions of changing learner-teacher relationships in Chinese higher education
Dai, Kun and Matthews, Kelly E. (2022). ‘Students as partners rather than followers but … ’: understanding academics’ conceptions of changing learner-teacher relationships in Chinese higher education. Higher Education Research and Development, 42 (6), 1-15. doi: 10.1080/07294360.2022.2135690
2022
Other Outputs
Modes of delivery in higher education: final report
Lodge, Jason, Matthews, Kelly, Kubler, Matthias and Johnstone, Melissa (2022). Modes of delivery in higher education: final report. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Institute for Social Science Research.
2022
Other Outputs
Impact of COVID-19 on teaching and learning across the higher education sector: a scoping review
Kelly E Matthews, Victoria Sullivan, Jasmine Huang and Caelan Rafferty (2022). Impact of COVID-19 on teaching and learning across the higher education sector: a scoping review. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: The University of Queensland.
2022
Other Outputs
5 problems with the Student Experience Survey’s attempt to understand what’s going on in higher education post-COVID
Matthews, Kelly E., Lodge, Jason M. and Johnstone, Melissa (2022, 08 22). 5 problems with the Student Experience Survey’s attempt to understand what’s going on in higher education post-COVID The Conversation
2022
Other Outputs
Stakeholder consultation report for the modes of delivery in higher education project. Appendix C to Modes of delivery in higher education final report
Kubler, Matthias, Johnstone, Melissa, Clague, Denise, Lodge, Jason and Matthews, Kelly E. (2022). Stakeholder consultation report for the modes of delivery in higher education project. Appendix C to Modes of delivery in higher education final report. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: The University of Queensland.
2022
Conference Publication
Thinking ecologically about engaging students as partners in learning and teaching
Liang, Yifei and Matthews, Kelly E. (2022). Thinking ecologically about engaging students as partners in learning and teaching. Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia, Melbourne, VIC Australia, 27-30 June 2022.
2022
Conference Publication
What do we know about cross-cultural learner-teacher partnership practices?
Zhang, Meng and Matthews, K.E. (2022). What do we know about cross-cultural learner-teacher partnership practices?. Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 27-30 June 2022.
Funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Kelly Matthews is:
- Not available for supervision
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Student engagement and partnership on teacher identity development: A comparative study between Indonesia and Australia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Robin Shields
Completed supervision
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
Disrupting and reproducing power: A focused ethnography of intercultural learner-teacher partnership using Bourdieu's social field theory and intercultural communication theory
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Shuang Liu
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Speaking for ourselves: Indian students co-constructed stories of engaging in partnership with staff in an Australian university
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Suraiya Abdul Hameed
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Relationship, engagement, and culture: Exploring the conceptions of students as partners in Chinese higher education
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jason Lodge
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Being a teaching-focused academic in a research-intensive university: A focused ethnography
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Deanne Gannaway
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Enacting Pasin as storying as research: Ways of rethinking the health workers' curriculum in Papua New Guinea
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emerita Professor Di Eley
-
2018
Doctor Philosophy
An exploration of Chinese students' learning experiences in China-Australia '2+2' articulation programmes: In between two systems.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Bob Lingard
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Kelly Matthews directly for media enquiries about:
- assessment
- education quality
- higher education
- student engagement
- student voice
- teaching impact
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