Members

Rachel Atkinson is an early career researcher and VET Practitioner specialising in Business, Entrepreneurship, and Finance. Her teaching emphasizes developing communication, business planning, workplace relationships and team facilitation competencies. Rachel's research interest is in exploring and enhancing Student Engagement.

Monika Kansal is an award-winning educator, celebrated globally for her exceptional teaching and learning practices. She received prestigious awards like IEAA's Best Practice in International Education, Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Outstanding Contributions to Learning and Teaching, and the United Nation's Golden Pin award. With numerous international workshops and Australian grants totalling $83,150, she passionately integrates real-world knowledge into Financial Accounting, engaging industry and community through workshops, press and radio interviews.

Monika's Projects

• Alleviating cross-cultural Challenges of Indian Subcontinent Students: University Staff Perspectives
• Why do Mongolian students choose to study in Australia
• IEAA Award for Best Practice in International Education for cross-cultural engagement with students from the sub-continent
• Cross-Cultural Engagement with Students from the Subcontinent Tool Kit
• Senior Lecturer and Learning Designer’s Reflections on AI
• Integrating Generative Artificial Intelligence Across the Curriculum in Higher Education: Multi-Disciplinary Case Studies

Associate Professor Anthony Weber is Deputy Dean (Learning and Teaching) within the School of Business and Law. In 2022 Anthony received a Vice-Chancellor's Commendation for Outstanding Practice in Learning and Teaching in recognition of the sustained positive impact on the overall student experience, for the innovative creation of the first student-developed and student-led academic integrity program - Students Against Academic Misconduct - centred on education and preventing academic misconduct. Anthony was also the recipient of the Vice-chancellor's Award for Outstanding Contributions to Learning and Teaching in 2019. In 2022 was appointed Fellow Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia and Senior Fellow HEA in 2021. In 2022 Anthony was part of a team that received an award for Best Practice in International Education award for Cross-Cultural Engagement with Students from the Subcontinent Academic and Professional Staff Resource Kit (CQU).

Anthony's Projects

• Students Against Academic Misconduct (SAAM): A Case Study of a Regional University

Cait White is Lecturer in Business Communications at CQUniversity’s School of Business and Law. She is a senior fellow of HEA, and she teaches in the area of Internal Business Communications and is an active supervisor of research higher degree students. Cait has an interest in student engagement and her most recent research has explored the use of instructional videos within the classroom. Cait’s teaching and learning based research has presented at both national and international conferences.

Stephanie Macht is Senior Lecturer in Strategic Management at CQUniversity’s School of Business and Law. She teaches in the areas of entrepreneurship, professional development, and research methods, and is an active supervisor of research higher degree students. Stephanie’s most recent research interests revolve around learning and teaching in Higher Education, with a specific focus on research that explores, supports, and enhances the student experience, for example through gamification and contemporary approaches like Design Thinking.

Geoff Chapman is a senior lecturer in the School of Business and Law, specialising in Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour. He is a senior fellow of HEA, and a member of ANZAM and MOBTS. His research expertise spans many areas of student engagement, from group dynamics to gamification, and his latest LTRD-funded research project focused on how an online escape room activity improved student experience.

Steven Boyd is a practicing property valuer and real estate educator with an interest in how students learn. His research extends from the design and development of serious games to incorporate a diverse suite of learning activities and assessments to help non-traditional students learn more effectively. Most recently Steven’s research has focused on AI in real estate education (AIREE), and applied in delivery of industry modules for valuers, asset and funds management along with property developers.

Martin Turner has 25 years’ experience in the financial markets: private equity, funds management and investments banking. He has two decades of experience as an academic. He has a PhD in Accounting Education and has taught over 10,000 students. His research interests include how to support students to demonstrate professional skills, such as critical thinking, while studying accounting at university.

Martin's Projects

• Individualised, authentic assessments: stress-tested in critical times

Alexandra McEwan teaches Equity and Trusts, Animal Law, and Legal Research in CQU’s undergraduate LLB program. In 2022 Alexandra was awarded a Vice Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Commendation for incorporating transformative learning principles into her teaching strategies. She is currently writing a results paper with Dr Luke Price on a transformative learning student experience study in the context of an international study tour focusing on wildlife law and protection.

John McLaren has formal qualifications in university teaching with a Graduate Certificate of University Teaching and Learning from Charles Darwin University. He has published in the area of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) with colleagues from other Universities with Tax Clinics as part of the National Tax Clinic Program. He presented research findings at the Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN) 2022 Conference on the impact of WIL with international students. His co-collaborators were Professor Freudenberg from Griffith University and Associate Profess Cull from Western Sydney University.

Dr. Shweta Singh, recently appointed as Director VET Teaching and Learning at Central Queensland University, Australia, boasts over 20 years in tertiary education. Renowned for her dedication, she received three consecutive Qld Training Awards. Her expertise spans various industries, emphasizing safe learning environments and bridging knowledge gaps. A Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, she is also an accomplished author and contributor to academic literature. Volunteering as a Board member for a Brisbane community organization for nine years, her research focuses on sustainable living pedagogy, with interests in sustainable agriculture practices like carbon sequestration, waste management to advocate clean and green food to the community. Her role encompasses the continuum of teaching practice:

• Emerging
• Evolving
• Embedding
• Excelling

Ritesh Chugh, an Associate Professor in Information and Communication Technologies, specialises in educational systems, pedagogies, and tech-enhanced learning, with research featured in leading academic journals. He's acclaimed for nurturing student outcomes through reflective teaching. Notable accolades include the Best Practice in International Education Award and the Dean's Award for mid-career research excellence. He's also recognised with the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Good Practice in Learning and Teaching and a staff award for international education contributions. In mainstream media, Ritesh engages in public scholarship on socio-tech topics, nationally and internationally. He's a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, further affirming his dedication to advancing educational excellence.

Ritesh's Projects

• Mapping the cultural characteristics of subcontinent students and the challenges to their academic success

Jintao Zhang is a lecturer at the School of Business and Law. He has been teaching management and international business since 2009. His work earned him several teaching awards, including merit certificates and Dean's awards before he joined CQUniversity. Jintao has developed emerging research interests in student engagement and discipline-specific education, aiming to enhance the learning experience and teaching effectiveness. His current research and teaching efforts are focused on better engaging students and tailoring education to specific disciplines. 

Janitha Abeygunasekera is a Lecturer in Accounting at the School of Business and Law at CQU. She started her academic career in 2008 and has worked in several Universities within and outside Australia prior to joining CQU. Apart from teaching and research, she has experience in strategic planning, curriculum development, and quality assurance related tasks in Higher education. Also, she had been the Champion and Project Coordinator of a World Bank funded project (on Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development) while serving the Faculty of Management and Finance in the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. During these involvements, she had attempted to promote work integrated learning practices among students and to facilitate the promotion of research culture among students.  

Further, she had been continuously developing her knowledge and increasing her involvement in learning and teaching by obtaining qualifications such as Fellow in Higher Education Academy (FHEA) UK and Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education (CTHE) with accreditation from Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA) UK; as well as she had been researching and publishing related to teaching and learning.

Scott Beattie is a teacher in the fields of criminology and law who has long term experience as an L&T Coordinator and has served a term as Deputy Dean (Learning and Teaching). His publications have examine the role of interactive learning strategies including simulations and game based learning, use of digital badges to supplement the learning experience and the design of challenge based environments. Scott’s latest book Challenge Based Learning: Engaging Students through Interactivity (Springer 2024) explores the foundations of challenge design including interaction, playful learning and deployment of appropriate difficulty level. Scott’s current research includes integration of First Nations knowledges, simulation design practice and understanding the impact of neurodivergence on the tertiary learning experience.

Scott's Projects

• Challenge Based Learning: Engaging Students through Interactivity

Dr Mai Nguyen is a lecturer in Accounting at the School of Business and Law, CQUniversity. She teaches a wide range of Accounting units including introductory accounting, financial accounting and management accounting among all. Her research interests focus on the intersection between corporate governance, sustainability accounting and climate accounting. Currently, Mai is working extensively in improving student engagement and promoting sustainability in Accounting education, aiming to transform the teaching and learning in accounting to be  more contemporary and effective.

Dr Jingduan Li is a Lecturer in Accounting at CQUniversity's School of Business and Law. He started teaching in 2017 and gained extensive teaching experience in various courses in accounting and business. He coordinated and taught numerous units at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels at CQU and other universities in Australia, such as Management Accounting, Financial Accounting, Auditing & Professional Practice, Statistics, and organisation resources. His research primarily focuses on CSR, ESG, international accounting, financial reporting, carbon accounting, corporate governance and MNCs.

Dr Udari Ekanayake is a lecturer in Management with the school of Business and Law. Udari has previous teaching experience at postgraduate, undergraduate, and diploma courses at Monash University (Australia), Monash College (Australia), and University of Newcastle (Australia). Dr Udari Ekanayake was awarded Monash University’s Purple Band of Excellence (2021), received commendation for outstanding teaching performance (2020), and recognized for outstanding teaching evaluations (2022) by the Dean Faculty of Business and Economics and Head Monash Business School. 

Currently, at CQU Udari manages undergraduate and post-graduate units, where she has achieved over 80% student satisfaction and involved in Academic Literacy Skills Framework project in the capacity as an Associate Investigator for SBL.

Dr Ritangi Narang is a passionate academic and researcher with over ten years of extensive experience in business administration, academic teaching, and accounting. She specializes in integrating sustainability education into business and accounting curricula, fostering student engagement, and advancing pedagogical practices. Dr. Narang is dedicated to creating innovative and inclusive learning environments that promote critical thinking and ethical awareness. She continuously strives for professional development and actively contributes to academic literature and policy-making in higher education.

Ritangi's Projects

• The intention of academics regarding the integration of Sustainability education in business and accounting schools in India: A TPB based analysis
• Integrating Sustainability Education in Accounting Curricula: Perspectives of Indian Deans