Discipline Eduction

Innovating financial planning education, which is bound by Australian Government, Treasury-accredited guidelines, by integrating experiential learning models and generative AI tools into curriculum design. Students engage in simulated work-integrated learning through case studies and GenAI-driven prompt engineering. Partnerships such as Midwinter Financial Services provide hands-on experience with professional financial planning software. Training and education partnerships involve close collaboration with Australian Financial Services Licensees and financial planning practices across the country, with a strong focus on regional firms. These partnerships provide lecturers and unit coordinators with access to adviser platforms and real-world tools, enabling students to experience the practical craft of financial advice in an authentic setting. To further enrich learning, guest speakers and sessional staff from the financial services sector are regularly engaged, bringing industry insights and expertise directly into the classroom. Engaging to educate and inform the Australian public through professional and public media networks and channels

Project Team: Lead Researcher: Dr Angelique N.S. McInnes (Lecturer – Financial Planning, CQUniversity). Collaborators: Industry partners (Midwinter Financial Services), CQUniversity academic staff, and sessional advisers.

Project Status: In Progress

This project will achieve an understanding of how GenAI can be used responsibly by students in learning and by educators in teaching business subjects from different disciplines. It will also identify discipline-specific and overall implementation challenges in this regard and the set of principles that can guide such GenAI use. The project’s aim addresses the identified need for multi-disciplinary and comparative research to inform education policy development, particularly in a context similar to CQUniversity, where subjects are simultaneously delivered to online and on-campus cohorts and achieving an inclusive learning environment is paramount.

Grant: Learning and Teaching Research Development Grant 2024 Research

Project Team: Tasadduq Imam (Lead investigator), Prikshat Verma, Imran Ali, Huong Le, Angelique McInnes, Udari Ekanayake

Project Status: In Progress

Expected Completion Date: 2026

This project grew out of an International Study Tour conducted in 2022 and focusing on wildlife law and protection. My co-researcher, Dr Luke Price, and I embedded a student experience study into the unit, using transformative learning principles as a methodological frame. We collected data by survey, focus group, and analysed a unit assessment in which students reflected on their experience. The findings of this formative study demonstrate that IST can provide a catalyst for, and support, transformative learning. In the context of clinical legal education, transformative learning can support students to develop an understanding of the law that goes beyond stereotypical lawyer-client relationships. It can also nurture skills and perspective transformations that will be increasingly drawn upon to meet the challenges of our era. 

Project Team: Dr Alexandra McEwan and Dr Luke Price

Project Status: In Progress

Expected Completion Date: June 2026

This project with explore the impact of Generative AI on assessment outcomes for students completing the unit BSBSUS511. 

Students within the data collection period were given the option to use a Generative AI to facilitate the completion of a single assessment task. The implementation of the Generative AI brought assessment tasks into alignment with feedback from industry on their use of AI to and provided a safe learning environment to experiment with AI, critically evaluate information and increase their digital literacy.   

Students using the Generative AI are provided with a guide and critical analysis tool based uses Paul Elder’s Critical Thinking Framework to step students through the process of critical analysis. 

Submissions were analysed for frequency of use, demographic comparison and attempts taken for completion of the assessment. 

Project Team: Rachel Atkinson and Noal Atkinson

Project Status: In Progress

Expected Completion Date: 31/12/2024

This project critically examines strategies that support student learning, engagement, and progression in CQUniversity’s hyperflexible online MBA (Leadership) program. Delivered through the Be Different platform, the MBA (Leadership) enables continuous enrolment and self-paced study, presenting both opportunities and challenges for learner support and academic success. 

The project consists of three studies:
Study I draws on contemporary research and critically reviews how course design, pedagogical practices, and technological integration address learner diversity and foster inclusive, engaging learning environments. Study II examines learning strategies designed to improve engagement in the MBA (Leadership). Using an online survey, this study aims to identify interventions that hyperflexible students desire to improve their course engagement and academic progression in the MBA (Leadership). Study III explores the role of graduate mentorship in enhancing student motivation, professional development, and retention within the MBA program. Through semi-structured interviews with students and mentors, the research identifies key factors influencing success in hyperflexible education, including self-regulation and interpersonal support. Findings of these three studies will inform best practices for scalable and adaptable learning models across higher education, with particular attention to mentorship and progression monitoring in non-traditional learning contexts. By integrating theoretical insights with practical applications, this project contributes to the growing discourse on effective online learning, offering actionable recommendations to optimise student outcomes and strengthen institutional approaches to flexible learning design.

Project Team: Anja Pabel, Michelle Thompson, Noal Atkinson, Danielle MacRae

Project Status: In Progress

Expected Completion Date: December 2026