Biography

Dr Lisa Jacka is a senior lecturer at the University of Southern Queensland in the School of Education. She has over 18 years of experience in Higher Education at USQ, SCU, JCU and UNE. Her outstanding contribution to higher education scholarship of teaching and learning was recognised with acceptance as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2019. As an academic, she has contributed to integrating technology for Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary education. She has been an innovator in online education for most of her career with her focus on engaging learners through the integration of emerging technologies. She was awarded a Vice-Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence in Student Engagement for innovative design and delivery of online learning experiences that facilitate education students’ readiness to teach in learning environments of the future in 2015. Her PhD research investigated Virtual Worlds in teacher education to promote innovative pedagogy. The study provided the basis for her sole-authored book Using Virtual Worlds in Educational Settings: Making Learning Real.