Associate Professor Helen Wozniak

Overview

Helen has over 30 years’ experience as a clinician (orthoptist) and an innovative educator. She was the Academic Lead Assessment in the Academy for Medical Education from mid 2017 to March 2024. Helen’s expertise has been built on a career spanning clinical practice in rural and urban settings fuelling a passion for learning from her early mentor, the late Prof Fred Hollows. Her career in higher education has spanned several roles including lecturing and reforming the orthoptics curriculum, leading elearning projects across five health facilities at the University of Sydney before moving to lead academic development at Charles Darwin University. She has worked in three medical schools (University of Sydney, Flinders University and the University of Queensland) inspiring educators to enhance clinical skills teaching, developing clinical supervisors in Northern Australia and most recently leading assessment design for the new Doctor of Medicine program at University of Queensland. She has received multiple teaching and learning awards at University of Sydney (2003, 2004), Flinders University (2016) and the Australian Awards for University Teaching: Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2017).

Research Interests

  • Workplace-based assessment
  • Educational Design Research (also known as Design-based research)
  • Digital dashboards
  • Peer learning
  • Clinical supervision

Research Impacts

Helen’s research interests span a range of teaching and learning fields. She has a particular interest in learning designs that actively engage health science students across dispersed learning spaces and development of longitudinal assessment strategies that promote self-regulation, lifelong learning and the development of collaborative learning communities. Her doctoral thesis investigated health science students’ transition to online distance learning environments and was awarded the Pro-Vice Chancellor’s Prize for the most outstanding Doctor of Philosophy thesis. Her current research is focusing on understanding how students learn from feedback during workplace-based assessments and more broadly how digital data can be used to identify patterns of learner engagement and support at risk students. She has particular expertise in enabling researchers to apply the educational design research framework as they research the process and impact of educational innovations.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Charles Darwin University
  • Masters (Coursework), University of Sydney
  • Diploma of Vision Science, University of Sydney

Publications

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Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

View all Supervision

Publications

Featured Publications

Book

Book Chapter

  • Wozniak, Helen, Uys, Philip and Mahoney, Mary Jane (2012). Digital communication in a networked world. Communicating in the health sciences. (pp. 85-91) edited by Joy Higgs, Rola Ajjawi, Lindy McAllister, Franziska Trede and Stephen Loftus. South Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Oxford University Press.

  • Wozniak, Helen and Silveira, Sue (2007). Transforming learning: using structured online discussions to engage learners. Transforming a university: the scholarship of teaching and learning in practice. (pp. 163-173) edited by Angela Brew and Judyth Sachs. Sydney, NSW, Australia: The University of Sydney Press.

  • Wozniak, H. (2006). Empowering learners to interact effectively in asynchronous discussion activities. Making the Transition to E-Learning: Strategies and Issues. (pp. 208-228) Hershey, PA, United States: IGI Global. doi: 10.4018/978-1-59140-950-2.ch013

  • Mahony, M.J. and Wozniak, H. (2005). Diffusion of innovation and professional development in eLearning: the CHS eLearning Resource case study. Breaking down boundaries: international experience in open, distance and flexible learning: selected papers. (pp. 66-74) edited by M. Tulloch, S. Relf and P. Uys. Bathurst, NSW, Australia: Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia.

  • Wozniak, H. (2005). Online discussions: improving the quality of the student experience. Breaking down boundaries: international experience in open, distance and flexible learning: selected papers. (pp. 170-179) edited by M. Tulloch, S. Relf and P. Uys. Bathurst, NSW, Australia: Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia.

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Other Outputs

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor