Overview
Background
Professor Kelly Matthews is a highly respected scholar of higher education curriculum, pedagogy, and student experience, multiple award-winning university teacher, and senior leader collaborating on university-wide teaching, learning, and student experience strategic initiatives.
Her research has shaped the discourse of student voice, arguing for students as partners in higher education. With over 120 academic publications and 80 invited talks, Kelly aims to impact the everyday relational practices of students, academics, and staff associated with connection, care, community, and commitment to collaborative learning.
Her strategic leadership has had a positive impact across disciplines and universities, and she has been recognised with an Australian Teaching Fellowship and a UK-based HEA Principal Fellowship. Kelly has played a key role in establishing international collaborative writing groups and change institutes, creating and sustaining the Students as Partners Network (now in its 10th year), co-founding the International Journal for Students as Partners, and mentoring scholars to write and publish about their teaching and learning.
In 2024, Kelly is collaborating on a cross-institutional study to explore student perspectives on artificial intelligence (AI), co-funded by Deakin, Monash, UQ, and UTS. She is also co-organising the 10th annual Students as Partners (SaP) Roundtable with students and staff from Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, the US, and the UK. With teaching-focused colleagues at Monash, UNSW, UQ, and Sydney, she is co-creating an Australian Teaching/Education Focused Academic Network to connect academics committed to positive educational impact through university teaching. At UQ, she is collaborating with colleagues to develop the Women at E (WE) Network to nurture the leadership capability and positive impact of women professors.
Kelly stepped into the Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) role in July 2024.
Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn and read her latest co-authored book, Writing about teaching and learning in higher education.
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
Works
Search Professor Kelly Matthews’s works on UQ eSpace
2012
Journal Article
Some reflections by early career academics
Lodge, Jason, Bosanquet, Agnes and Matthews, Kelly (2012). Some reflections by early career academics. HERDSA News, 34 (3), 17-18.
2012
Journal Article
Two perspectives, one conference: ISSoTL 2012
Matthews, Kelly and Roxa, Torgny (2012). Two perspectives, one conference: ISSoTL 2012. HERDSA News, 34 (3), 24-25.
2012
Journal Article
Musings of an early career academic: testing threat gone but where were our leaders?
Matthews, Kelly (2012). Musings of an early career academic: testing threat gone but where were our leaders?. HERDSA News, 34 (2), 14-15.
2012
Journal Article
Learning to lead change: SaMnet’s action-learning projects
Rifkin, Will, Sharma, Manjula, Crampton, Andrea, Yates, Brian, Matthews, Kelly, Beames, Stephanie, Varsavsky, Cristina, Johnson, Elizabeth, Jones, Susan, Zadnik, Marjan and Pyke, Simon (2012). Learning to lead change: SaMnet’s action-learning projects. Australian Journal of Education in Chemistry, 72, 9-15.
2012
Journal Article
The science students skills inventory: Capturing graduate perceptions of their learning outcomes
Matthews, Kelly E. and Hodgson, Yvonne (2012). The science students skills inventory: Capturing graduate perceptions of their learning outcomes. International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 20 (1), 24-43.
2012
Journal Article
Embedding case studies into statistical teaching to enhance quantitative skills of biomedicine students
Familari, Mary, Elliott, Kristine, Watson, Ray and Matthews, Kelly E. (2012). Embedding case studies into statistical teaching to enhance quantitative skills of biomedicine students. International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 20 (1), 44-56.
2012
Book
The state of quantitative skills in undergraduate science education: Findings from an Australian study July 2012
Matthews, Kelly E., Belward, Shaun, Coady, Carmel, Rylands, Leanne and Simbag, Vilma (2012). The state of quantitative skills in undergraduate science education: Findings from an Australian study July 2012. Sydney, Australia: Australian Government, Office for Learning and Teaching.
2012
Journal Article
Identities and transformational experiences for quantitative problem solving: Gender comparisons of first-year university science students
Hudson, Peter and Matthews, Kelly (2012). Identities and transformational experiences for quantitative problem solving: Gender comparisons of first-year university science students. Journal of Science and Mathematics Education in Southeast Asia, 35 (1), 22-46.
2012
Conference Publication
Computer-mediated collaborative learning in large first-year STEM classes facilitating interdisciplinary scenario-inquiry tasks
Lawrie, Gwendolyn and Matthews, Kelly (2012). Computer-mediated collaborative learning in large first-year STEM classes facilitating interdisciplinary scenario-inquiry tasks. ASCILITE 2012 - Annual conference of the Australian Society for Computers in Tertiary Education, Auckland, New Zealand, 25 - 28 November 2012. Tugun, QLD Australia: ASCILITE.
2012
Conference Publication
Quantitative skills in science: findings from 13 case studies
Matthews, Kelly, Adams, Peter, Belward, Shaun, Coady, Carmel, Rylands, Leanne and Simbag, Vilma (2012). Quantitative skills in science: findings from 13 case studies. The Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education, Sydney Australia, 26-28 September 2012.
2012
Conference Publication
Making curriculum visible: strategies for articulating, communicating and evaluating degree program learning outcomes at large, research-intensive universities
Matthews, Kelly and Seifert, Kyle (2012). Making curriculum visible: strategies for articulating, communicating and evaluating degree program learning outcomes at large, research-intensive universities. 9th Annual International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Conference (ISSOTL12), Hamilton, ON, Canada, 24-27 October 2012.
2011
Journal Article
The dance of science and mathematics in higher education: the quantitative skills (QS) in science project
Matthews, Kelly E. (2011). The dance of science and mathematics in higher education: the quantitative skills (QS) in science project. HERDSA news, 33 (3), 13-14.
2011
Journal Article
Science enrolments up but challenges still exist
Egan, Natasha and Matthews, Kelly E. (2011). Science enrolments up but challenges still exist. Campus Review.
2011
Book
IS-IT Learning? Online interdisciplinary scenario-inquiry tasks for active learning in large, first year STEM courses : Draft/Final report
Gahan, Lawrence, Lawrie, Gwen, Matthews, Kelly, Adams, Peter, Long, Phil, Kavanagh, Lydia and Weaver, Gabriela (2011). IS-IT Learning? Online interdisciplinary scenario-inquiry tasks for active learning in large, first year STEM courses : Draft/Final report. CG9-1112 Australia: Australian Learning and Teaching Council.
2011
Journal Article
Social learning spaces and student engagement
Matthews, KE, Andrews, V and Adams, P (2011). Social learning spaces and student engagement. Higher Education Research and Development, 30 (2), 105-120. doi: 10.1080/07294360.2010.512629
2011
Conference Publication
The student voice hidden in the quality and standards
Matthews, Kelly E. (2011). The student voice hidden in the quality and standards. Higher Education Research and Development (HERDSA 2011), Gold Coast , QLD, Australia, 4-7 July 2011. Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia.
2011
Conference Publication
Evidencing learning standards in science: Graduate perceptions of gaining knowledge and skills at two research-intensive universities
Matthews, Kelly and Hodgson, Yvonne (2011). Evidencing learning standards in science: Graduate perceptions of gaining knowledge and skills at two research-intensive universities. Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education 2011, Melbourne, Australia, 28-30 September 2011. Sydney, Australia: UniServe Science.
2011
Conference Publication
Building the mathematical and statistical skills of undergraduate students
Matthews, Kelly, Thompson, Katerina, Belward, Shaun and Coady, Carmel (2011). Building the mathematical and statistical skills of undergraduate students. Engaged STEM Learning: From Promising to Pervasive Practices, Miami Beach, FL, USA, 24-26 March 2011.
2011
Conference Publication
Computer-assisted collaborative learning in large 1st year classes through interdisciplinary scenario-inquiry tasks: IS-IT chemistry?
Lawrie, G. A., Matthews, K., Taylor, M., Adams, P. and Gahan, L. R. (2011). Computer-assisted collaborative learning in large 1st year classes through interdisciplinary scenario-inquiry tasks: IS-IT chemistry?. The 2011 CAL Conference, Manchester, United Kingdom, 13-15 April 2011.
2011
Conference Publication
The hidden experience: Mathematics in science
Matthews, Kelly (2011). The hidden experience: Mathematics in science. The First International Conference of STEM in Education, Brisbane, Australia, 26-27 November 2011. Queensland University of Technology: Brisbane, Australia.
Funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Kelly Matthews is:
- Not available for supervision
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
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
Completed supervision
-
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: Associate 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:
- assessment
- education quality
- higher education
- student engagement
- student voice
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