Associate Professor Kurt Seemann

Biography

Passionate transdisciplinary educator with a keen interest in initial teacher education, teacher confidence, creativity, cross-cultural and Indigenous Technologies education, and strategic leadership in fostering highly successful and collegial research outcomes. Personal areas of curriculum-method expertise include STEM education, with a sub-interest in design thinking in K-12 child development for fostering innovation and entrepreneurial capabilities.

National and international reputation of excellence in the role schools
play for building regional community resilience and fostering technological comprehension through technacy education strategies in the classroom, online or in the maker-space learning environment (holistic approaches to achieving developmental milestones in technology education inclusive use of play-based guided discovery, through to extension and enrichment via design thinking strategies and learning-innovations). I move easily between flipped classrooms, blended learning and wholly online learning using engaging technologies. I place a high value on scaffolding innovative capabilities among pre-service undergraduates, in-school professional development, and in-service-Masters and Doctoral candidates.

I have presented as a visiting scholar in Norway (Primary School teachers), England (STEM and Design ITE), Canada (Technology Education Academics), HongKong(Designthinkingpresentation), NewZealand(Technologyeducation), India (community resilience and design thinking), Denmark (Design thinking), Sweden (STEM and Design Thinking) and Finland (STEM and Design Thinking). I was invited, and presented to, the United Nations Habitat III Symposium in Ecuador in Oct 2016, including to give a statement to the UN Habitat Secretariat. UN Habitat only occurs every 20 years since 1976 to collate and develop global directional agreements on sustainable and fulfilling human, economic and ecological futures related to rural, regional and urban community needs and development in balance with ecology.

Research and leadership: Exceptional track record in establishing, leading and developing new high income and impact research centres, programs and PhD teacher-cohorts. I am an ARC assessor, was expert advisor to COAG (2010-2011) and have led as Lead Chief Investigator over $5.8 million in research grants (HERDC) in all four research categories the most recent being Cat 3 in 2020 for the Victorian Government's Digital Strategy for Teachers. I am a listed Mentor for fellow Swinburne colleagues called upon annually by the Research Office to lead and guide workshops on scholarship especially linked to education, innovation and cultures. I currently (2020) supervise 11 PhDs, eight of which are in-Service Teachers investigating learning through Digital and Design Innovation Technologies. I have supervised nine PhDs and 24 Honours (1 and 2A) thesis in education to completion, and a further 110 Final year undergraduate teacher research projects that met quality requirements to be cataloged and hard bound in the SCU Coffs Harbour Campus Library. I have examined 4 PhDs and 1 EdD.

As Chair of Ethics and member of the high risk Human Research Ethics Committee, I have reviewed over 1,500 Research Ethics applications since 2014 resulting in me having developed substantial insight into a diverse range of research methods to guide, teach, and lead colleagues, and higher degree research candidates. I have senior level governance expertise having been elected to the University Senate (2015-2016), the Governing Board of a K-12 College (current: 2020-2023) and previously (2011-2013) as an ASIC registered Board Director to an Aboriginal Aged Care organisation (to support their adult education strategies).

I have successfully established and led high growth research centres (as founding Centre Director), and CRC centres (as national Core Program/Theme Manager-Lead Investigator) that engaged regional and international communities and partnerships. I am particularly interested in the link between regional schools and the contributions they can make to strengthening community resilience through science, technology and key aspect of design-thinking education.

Teaching and Curriculum: I have extensive experience in developing innovative and award winning curriculum, supporting and assessing professional-experience placements, and writing and checking the integrity of year 12 exam papers for State authorities . Having taught secondary and TAFE in New South Wales (1 year part-time) and the Northern Territory (13 years Full-time): I created the award winning National Post Compulsory VET Program for Remote and Regional Aboriginal Communities known as the Certificates in Applied Design and Technology that graduated over 3000 Aboriginal Youth and Adults (as at 2013) in Central Australia to progress to further studies or employment.

I possess significant insight into mentoring early- and mid-career academics and the professional expectations demanded for K-12 schools. My trans-disciplinary background informs my passion for teaching in a diverse set of career contexts, the demands placed on new and career mobile teachers and ideas to support their professional aspirations within and beyond the 'classroom'.