Dr Siva Krishnan

Biography

I commenced employment at the Centre for Teaching and Learning in 2009 as Lecturer, Curriculum Design and Development. Prior to this I was employed at Victoria University's School of Electrical Engineering (2003 - 2006) and School of Education (2008 - 2009). In 2009 I was briefly employed in Swinburne Professional Learning at Swinburne University of Technology in a research capacity. I also bring on board the experience from my employment at two multinational engineering organisations and a major Australian financial institution.

My doctoral thesis "Student Experiences of Problem-Based Learning in Engineering: Learning cultures in PBL teams" investigated the experiences of first year engineering students to a newly implemented engineering problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum at Victoria University; its effects on their approaches to learning and their learning outcomes. Using ethnographic approaches to data collection and analysis, I explored the attitudes, behaviour and learning approaches of individuals in PBL teams and its effects on their team's learning culture with an emphasis on "what students learn" and "how they respond to the various learning opportunities" from a student view point. The findings of this study were instrumental in bringing about improvements to the design of engineering courses and the way they are implemented in the classroom.

In my current role I support and assist academic staff across all faculties in the University with strategies for enhancing their student learning. I coordinate and facilitate learning in a number of courses in the Graduate Certificate in the Practice of Tertiary Teaching (GCPTT) Program, design and facilitate academic development workshops. I represents the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the Student Experience and Engagement Working Groups at the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment and at the Faculty of Health.

My current research explores the practice and scholarship of higher education teaching and learning and student engagement strategies.

Qualifications

• PhD, Victoria University - Australia, 2009
• Master of Engineering Science, Victorian University of Technology - Australia, 2004
• Bachelor of Engineering, Bangalore University - India, 2000

Research

Research keywords

• Academic development
• Adult learning
• Collaborative learning
• Curriculum renewal
• Internationalisation of curriculum
• Learning design
• Problem-Based Learning

Research expertise

My current research explores the practice and scholarship of higher education teaching and learning and student engagement strategies.

Collaboration

Since completing my PhD in 2009, I have continued to collaborate with academics and researchers and have contributed to curriculum innovations. In June 2010, I designed and facilitated a showcase on "Engaging Students in Collaborative Learning". In this educational event, academic staff from across the university presented their research and engaged in discussions to share practice. I also organised the 2010 Foundations Colloquium hosted by the Centre for Teaching and Learning with support from colleagues. Academic Developers from over 28 Universities participated in this annual event.

I am keen to establish research collaboration with University staff and external stake holders in projects involving research into the scholarship of teaching and learning, enhancing student learning and experiences, curriculum renewal, design and implementation of learner-centred curriculum.

Languages

• Hindi
• Malayalam
• Tamil

Fields of Research

Teaching

Teaching keywords

• Academic development
• Curriculum design
• Education research methods
• Engineering
• Problem-Based Learning
• Qualitative data analysis
• RHD supervision