MsNorma Barrett

Norma Barrett is an award-winning educator with extensive expertise in online and blended learning. Her work focuses on creating inclusive, engaging, and authentic learning experiences that support students from diverse educational backgrounds to succeed and develop confidence in their professional futures.

A central feature of Norma's teaching practice is the design of learning environments that are both student-centred and scalable. She is particularly interested in how curriculum, assessment, and feedback can enhance engagement, build professional identity, and support student success. 

For 12 years, Norma coordinated the Bachelor of Health Sciences at Deakin's Warrnambool campus while teaching all Health Promotion units delivered on site. During this time, she also led large core units with enrolments of more than 1,700 students per trimester across multiple courses and campuses, supporting high-quality learning experiences at scale.

Her teaching is grounded in educational scholarship and continuous improvement. Norma applies evidence-informed approaches to curriculum design and has contributed to scholarship on student engagement, digital learning, and ethical AI use in higher education.

Norma is an experienced supervisor of Honours and Masters research students, supporting their development as independent researchers and guiding projects from conception through to dissemination and publication. Her supervision has contributed to award-winning student research, progression to doctoral study, and successful careers across the health sector.

Norma's contributions to teaching and learning have been recognised through Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and national and institutional awards, most notably:

• Australian Award for University Teaching

For excellence in developing coherent and imaginative digital learning resources that transform how students critically assess and interpret information and statistics.

• Deakin University Vice-Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching and Learning

For creating an innovative cloud-based learning environment for a core Health Sciences unit characterised by media-rich learning resources and high levels of student engagement.