Dr Janine Delahunty
Learning, Teaching and Curriculum

Striving to create better learning experiences and educational practice for students

Dr Janine Delahunty is motivated to enhance educational practice and improve the learning experience of students, particularly those from diverse and less advantaged backgrounds.

Commencing her academic career within the diversity portfolio of the Academic Development and Recognition Team at UOW put her in an exceptional position to be inspired by the people she aims to assist.

Her research work has been largely based upon witnessing first-hand the challenges faced by her student peers. Dr Delahunty has built upon her experience as a mature age student to inform an extensive research agenda in the field of higher education participation and access.

Her PhD thesis focused on the online learning space, particularly on the complexities of forum discussion and its effect on the teaching-learning experience. It honed in on the extent to which perceptions of ‘being listened to’ impacted on collaborative learning, sense of belonging and identity formation.

Dr Delahunty’s ongoing research spans all facets of the student learning journey. She has examined the experiences of first-in-family university students and how these students impact upon their family members and significant others not only in terms of educational goals, but in the transformative potential of higher education that reaches far beyond the individual.

Dr Delahunty has proudly played a significant role in the design and development of the new Jindaola grant program – where a number of faculty teams are embedding Aboriginal perspectives into their curriculum. Her work on this project includes implementation, evaluation, ongoing scholarly research and collaborative dissemination through publications and presentations. It builds on an earlier project in which she led the collaborative creation of online resources for working effectively with Aboriginal students.

In future, Dr Delahunty will continue to pursue research activities that directly impact approaches to supporting and engaging learners in the higher education sector, which includes supporting the academic development of staff at UOW.