Dr Seb Dianati is a Senior Academic Lead at CDU in the Digital Learning Futures team in Education Strategy. Dr Seb comes from the University of Queensland, where he has been working since 2018, most recently as a Senior Teaching Fellow, Digital Curriculum Design and as the Director of the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Lab (CaLD Lab). As part of this role, he designed and conducted applied research that informed the development and use of digital technologies to support curricula and evaluated the impact of this on digital and e-learning pedagogies, particularly those focused on the enhancement of course and curriculum design in relation to student learning through student partnership. His work also involved him working collaboratively with academic staff to design, implement and evaluate digital and online technologies through blended, partnered, flexible, authentic, and active methods and models. Prior to working at UQ, Dr Seb worked at Flinders University, for 8 years, where he was an MBA Unit Coordinator and coordinated the Foundation Studies Numeracy Program. Among other things he developed online exemplar course that were used as benchmarks for all MBA units at Flinders. Interestingly (for CDU), he was involved in the design, delivery and implementation for the TAFESA-Flinders bridging program. While at Flinders he was also did a stint as a Lecturer in Critical Indigenous and Inclusive Pedagogies in the School of Education.

Melanie has over 15 years experience in higher education. Here research focuses on students transitions into, through and beyond university. Factors impacting entry to university and student outcomes are significant to her work. She uses critical pedagogy, participatory action research and career construction theory to frame her research. With a strong interest in the scholarship of teaching and learning she coordinates an Educational Research and Innovation group and a students as partners team that has been in existence since 2018.