Amanda Edgar

Chair the Campus Learning Spaces Working Group, providing cross‑university leadership for learning space design and investment. This work informs major infrastructure decisions and aligns academic, digital and infrastructure portfolios, embedding pedagogy and student experience into campus planning and refurbishment across multiple campuses.

Led development of a multi-award winning virtual simulation model embedded across multiple years of the optometry program and extended internationally. Scaled from 8 students to 167 students and 668 placement hours in 3 months, replacing limited placement opportunities with structured capability development. Evaluation showed improved student engagement (85% agreement on learning effectiveness, up from 75%) and increased confidence in professional capabilities.

Led development of a national, open‑access digital learning platform supporting integration of Indigenous knowledges into higher education curricula. Reaching 10,00+ students anually across 33 universities, influencing teaching practice and supporting culturally responsive curriculum design. Contributed to workforce development, including transition of Indigenous student contributors into employment. Recognised internationally through QS Reimagine Education Award (2024).

Led the transition from fixed computer laboratories to BYOD learning environments across four campuses. Evaluation shows improved utilisation (up to ~80%), increased use of spaces beyond timetabled teaching, and staff-reported shifts toward more collaborative and flexible teaching practices.

Led cross‑university implementation of a shared learning activity nomenclature, aligning policy, curriculum design and institutional systems. Embedded across BRUCE, Syllabus Plus and student-facing platforms, improving consistency in learning design and supporting clearer communication of learning expectations to staff and students, supported by co‑designed with students.

Leads a cross-institution network in extended reality, identifying 19 initiatives involving around 40 academic leads across all faculties and supporting capability development in simulation and immersive learning. This has influenced the upcoming investment in a dedicated XR learning space at Deakin.

Leading cross‑university development of a shared learning space nomenclature addressing inconsistencies across over 46 terms used in institutional systems. Aligns policy (learning environments and activities), curriculum, timetabling and infrastructure platforms, improving clarity of learning expectations and enabling more effective decision‑making and utilisation of learning environments at scale.

Led the implementation and scaling of Teaching Pods to support online and hybrid teaching. Usage increased from 1,398 instances (2023) to 2,546 instances (2025), supporting shifts toward digitally enabled and flexible teaching practices.