Denise Wood

Denise is Professor of Learning, Equity, Access and Participation at Central Queensland University. She also holds an Adjunct Senior Research Fellowship at the University of South Australia.

Her research focuses on the use of accessible information and communication technologies (ICTs) to increase social and educational participation, as well as the pedagogical benefits of social media in teaching and learning. She is the project leader of a multi-million dollar research project funded by the Australian Government, Department of Education, which aims to improve educational and employment outcomes of young people with disabilities and she has been project leader of four Australian Government, Office for Learning and Teaching funded projects focusing on technology enhanced learning. She is also the project leader of several State Government and industry funded projects and a chief investigator and project leader with the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre focusing on the ethical design considerations in undertaking participatory research involving people from special equity groups, especially young people with disabilities and young people from Indigenous communities. Denise is also undertaking collaborative research in South Africa with the Gauteng and Limpopo Provincial Governments, which involves investigating the use of accessible ICTs to enhance student learning and increase student retention in peri-urban, rural and special needs schools.

She is Assoc. Editor of the Higher Education and Research Development Journal and a peer reviewer of several high ranked journal publications.

Her work in innovative teaching and learning, and accessibility solutions for students from special equity groups has been recognised with several awards including an Australian Learning and Teaching Council Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, an SA Great Award, Comtec IT Achiever Award and the 2010 Telstra TJA Award for Telecommunications and Disability.