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
2015
Journal Article
Social network perspectives reveal strength of academic developers as weak ties
Matthews, Kelly E., Crampton, Andrea, Hill, Matthew, Johnson, Elizabeth D., Sharma, Manjula D. and Varsavsky, Cristina (2015). Social network perspectives reveal strength of academic developers as weak ties. International Journal for Academic Development, 20 (3), 238-251. doi: 10.1080/1360144X.2015.1065495
2015
Conference Publication
Evidence-based teaching practices in science departments: Common practices or still just the champions.
Drinkwater, Michael J. and Matthews, Kelly (2015). Evidence-based teaching practices in science departments: Common practices or still just the champions.. International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Conference, Melbourme, Australia, 27-30 October 2015.
2015
Conference Publication
Redefining early career academia in uncertain times
Bosanquet, Agnes, Mailey, Alana, Matthews, Kelly and Lodge, Jason (2015). Redefining early career academia in uncertain times. Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA), Melbourme, VIC, Australia, 6-9 July 2015.
2015
Conference Publication
Quantitatve skills in Australian undergraduate biosciences curriculum
Matthews, Kelly (2015). Quantitatve skills in Australian undergraduate biosciences curriculum. Creating the Future, Biomedical Education Australia Network Conference, Australian Academy of Science, Canberra, 8-10 December 2015.
2014
Other Outputs
Quantitative Skills Assessment for Science Students (QSASS)
Matthews, Kelly (2014). Quantitative Skills Assessment for Science Students (QSASS).
2014
Other Outputs
Students’ perspectives on quantitative skills in an undergraduate science curriculum: a mixed methods study of the experienced curriculum
Matthews, Kelly (2014). Students’ perspectives on quantitative skills in an undergraduate science curriculum: a mixed methods study of the experienced curriculum. PhD Thesis, School of Education, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/uql.2015.87
2014
Journal Article
Science graduates are not that hot at maths: but why?
Matthews, Kelly E. (2014, 09 29). Science graduates are not that hot at maths: but why? The Conversation
2014
Journal Article
“I am working-class”: subjective self-definition as a missing measure of social class and socioeconomic status in higher education research
Rubin, Mark, Denson, Nida, Kilpatrick, Sue, Matthews, Kelly, Stehlik, Tom and Zyngier, David (2014). “I am working-class”: subjective self-definition as a missing measure of social class and socioeconomic status in higher education research. Educational Researcher, 43 (4), 196-200. doi: 10.3102/0013189X14528373
2014
Journal Article
Perceptions of science graduating students on their learning gains
Varsavsky, Cristina, Matthews, Kelly E. and Hodgson, Yvonne (2014). Perceptions of science graduating students on their learning gains. International Journal of Science Education, 36 (6), 929-951. doi: 10.1080/09500693.2013.830795
2014
Journal Article
Early career academic perceptions, attitudes and professional development activities: questioning the teaching and research gap to further academic development
Matthews, Kelly E., Lodge, Jason M. and Bosanquet, Agnes (2014). Early career academic perceptions, attitudes and professional development activities: questioning the teaching and research gap to further academic development. International Journal for Academic Development, 19 (2), 112-124. doi: 10.1080/1360144X.2012.724421
2014
Other Outputs
Extending quantitative skills (QS) in science: trialling and disseminating resources to link and build QS across life sciences majors
Matthews, Kelly, Adams, Peter, Hodgson, Yvonne, Johnson, Elizabeth, Thorn, Peter and Varsavsky, Cristina (2014). Extending quantitative skills (QS) in science: trialling and disseminating resources to link and build QS across life sciences majors. St. Lucia, QLD, Australia: Office for Learning and Teaching.
2014
Conference Publication
Adapting international collaborative writing groups as an academic development approach to build institutional collaborative partnerships.
Matthews, Kelly and Healey, Mick (2014). Adapting international collaborative writing groups as an academic development approach to build institutional collaborative partnerships.. ICED 2014: International Consortium for Educational Development, Stockholm, Sweden, 16-18 June, 2014. London, UK: The International Consortium for Educational Development.
2014
Journal Article
A new look at how to teach and learn
Matthews, Kelly (2014). A new look at how to teach and learn. Campus Review, 24 (4), 31-33.
2014
Journal Article
Technology supported facilitation and assessment of small group collaborative inquiry learning in large first-year classes
Lawrie, Gwendolyn A., Gahan, Lawrence R., Matthews, Kelly E., Weaver, Gabriela C., Bailey, Chantel, Adams, Peter, Kavanagh, Lydia, Long, Phillip D. and Taylor, Matthew (2014). Technology supported facilitation and assessment of small group collaborative inquiry learning in large first-year classes. Journal of Learning Design, 7 (2), 120-135. doi: 10.5204/jld.v7i2.204
2014
Journal Article
Assessment and teaching of science skills: whole of programme perceptions of graduating students
Hodgson, Yvonne, Varsavsky, Cristina and Matthews, Kelly (2014). Assessment and teaching of science skills: whole of programme perceptions of graduating students. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 39 (5), 515-530. doi: 10.1080/02602938.2013.842539
2014
Conference Publication
Curriculum development to achieve graduate learning outcomes in science: implications for academic developers
Matthews, Kelly (2014). Curriculum development to achieve graduate learning outcomes in science: implications for academic developers. ICED 2014: International Consortium for Educational Development, Stockholm, Sweden, 16-18 June 2014. London, United Kingdom: The International Consortium for Educational Development.
2013
Journal Article
Who learns in maths classes depends on how maths is taught
Matthews, Kelly E. (2013, 12 30). Who learns in maths classes depends on how maths is taught
2013
Journal Article
Learning or doing? Science degrees need reform and students can help
Matthews, Kelly (2013, 11 21). Learning or doing? Science degrees need reform and students can help The Conversation
2013
Journal Article
Foreword Delta Conference 2013: Shining through the fog
Matthews, Kelly (2013). Foreword Delta Conference 2013: Shining through the fog. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 44 (7), 961-962. doi: 10.1080/0020739X.2013.835905
2013
Journal Article
Factors influencing students’ perceptions of their quantitative skills
Matthews, Kelly E., Hodgson, Yvonne and Varsavsky, Cristina (2013). Factors influencing students’ perceptions of their quantitative skills. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 44 (6), 782-795. doi: 10.1080/0020739X.2013.814814
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: Associate 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: 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, Dr Vicente Reyes
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Kelly Matthews directly for media enquiries about:
- AI in higher education
- assessment
- education quality
- higher education
- student engagement
- student voice
- teaching impact
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