Dr. Michelle Vanderburg
Head of College, Education; Head of Course - Master of Teaching (Primary)
School of Education and the Arts
Centre for Research in Equity & Advancement of Teaching & Education (CREATE)
- m.vanderburg@cqu.edu.au
- ORCID: 0000-0003-3769-0394
- (07) 4150 7051
-
Bundaberg
Building 5
School of Education and the Arts
About Me
Dr Michelle Avila Vanderburg is Head of College, Education, in CQUniversity’s School of Education and the Arts. She also serves as Head of Course for the Master of Teaching (Primary) and Manager of the CQUniversity Bundaberg Makerspace. With more than two decades of experience in school and higher education across Australia and the United States, Michelle is passionate about creating meaningful learning opportunities for students, educators and communities.
Her teaching and scholarship span literacy education, Initial Teacher Education, digital pedagogy, generative AI, and makerspace and STEM education. She is particularly interested in how educators can respond thoughtfully to emerging technologies while remaining grounded in what we know about good teaching and learning. Her work includes peer-reviewed publications, national and international presentations, research and engagement projects, and the supervision and mentoring of Research Higher Degree candidates.
Michelle established the CQUniversity Bundaberg Makerspace in 2020, bringing together university teaching, research and community engagement through hands-on STEM and digital learning experiences. Within CQUniversity, she also provides leadership in learning and teaching, accreditation and course quality, academic integrity, and educator capability development. Across these roles, she enjoys bringing people together, sharing ideas and turning those ideas into practical opportunities for learning.
General
Background
Michelle began her career as an English and Social Studies teacher in California before moving into teacher education and higher education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with a minor in Teacher Education from the University of California, San Diego, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Chapman University, and a PhD in Language and Literacy from the University of South Carolina.
Before joining CQUniversity in 2017, Michelle was an Assistant Professor and Head of the Elementary Education Program at the University of South Carolina Aiken. Her early work in schools and universities developed her long-standing interests in literacy, teacher education, inclusive practice and university-school partnerships.
Since moving to Australia, her work has expanded to include digital pedagogy, generative AI, STEM and makerspace education, academic leadership and community engagement. Although these interests are diverse, they share a common focus: creating better opportunities for people to learn, connect and grow.
Universities Studied At
University of South Carolina (2013) - PhD in Language and Literacy
Chapman University (2002) - Masters of Arts in Teaching, Specialization in K-8 Education
University of California, San Diego (1997) - Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with Minor in Teacher Education
Credentials held: Single Subject English and Multiple Subject
Universities Worked At
Central Queensland University, Australia (2017-Present) - Senior Lecturer, Deputy Dean of Learning & Teaching, Head of Course - Master of Teaching (Primary), Head of College (Education)
University of South Carolina Aiken (2011-2016) - Assistant Professor, Head of Elementary School Program
University of South Carolina Columbia (2007-2016) - Adjunct Instructor
Awards
James A. Stoddard Memorial Fellowship, USC College of Education (2008)
CQUniversity Teaching Scholar recognition
Graduate Teacher Preparation Assessment (GTPA) Recognised Assessor
Media Citations
“Bundaberg partnership supports brushstrokes and bytes” – CQUniversity News, January 15, 2026
“Makerspace workshops to ignite young minds” – Bundaberg Now, June 7, 2025
"Ignite young minds with CQUniversity's Makerspace workshops" - CQUniversity News, May 27, 2025
"STEMtastic fun for school holidays" - Bundaberg Today, December 25, 2024, Bundaberg Now, December 14, 2024, CQUniversity News, December 11, 2024
"CQU challenge young minds" - Bundaberg Today, October 1, 2024
"CQU Makerspace 'making the maker' to future-proof Bundy" - CQUniversity News, October 1, 2024
"Seven Local News" coverage of CQU robotics programme - Seven Bundaberg Wide Bay, August 7, 2024
Wiemers, H., & Vanderburg, M. A. (2023). Agriculture and drones: Building student skills for future careers. Teacher Magazine, August 2023
"Drone program rise" - Bundaberg Today, June 10, 2022
"Drone program proves beneficial for students" - Bundaberg Today (online), May 19, 2022
"Drones to help students" - Bundaberg Today, March 18, 2022
"Agricultural drone project to inspire students" - Bundaberg Now, March 15, 2022
Television coverage featuring drone education project - Seven Local News, May 16, 2022
Professional Memberships
Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE)
Australian Literacy Educators' Association (ALEA)
National Association of Deans of Learning and Teaching in Education (NADLATE)
Australian Technologies Teacher Educators Network (ATTEN)
Association for Academic Language and Learning
Australasian Council for Undergraduate Research
American Educational Research Association
International Literacy Association
National Council of Teachers of English
Association of Middle Level Education
Professional Interests
Digital pedagogy and technology-enhanced learning
Generative AI in teaching, learning and assessment
Critical digital literacy and academic integrity
Initial Teacher Education and teacher professional learning
Authentic learning and assessment
Makerspace, STEM and experiential learning
Literacy and literacy education
Educational leadership and learning and teaching innovation
Students as partners in learning and teaching
Qualitative and design-based research
Key Achievements
Secured/contributed to over $1.3 million in competitive research and engagement funding (US and Australia)
Successfully supervised doctoral and master's research students
Published 30+ peer-reviewed articles, conference papers and book chapters
Delivered 25+ international and national conference presentations
Established and leads CQUniversity Bundaberg Makerspace
Led literacy and educator professional development across Australia and the United States
Led innovative approaches to digital pedagogy, generative AI, authentic assessment and academic integrity in higher education
Led Initial Teacher Education accreditation, course quality and continuous improvement initiatives
Provided strategic leadership for learning and teaching across the School of Education and the Arts
Industry Reports
Co-authored systematic review of makerspaces in Australian educational contexts
Contributed to research on mobile applications in nursing science education
Contributed to technology-enhanced learning implementation and evaluation studies
Conducted evaluations of the Bachelor of Medical Science (Pathway to Medicine)
Conducted evaluations of digital pedagogy interventions in higher education
Contributed to the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) funded project on individualised digital pedagogy to support Initial Teacher Education students’ LANTITE readiness
Contributed to research and evaluation informing equitable, personalised approaches to student learning and success in higher education
Editor
Editor - South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal (2012-2021)
Interim Editor - South Carolina Middle School Association Journal (2011)
Co-Editor - South Carolina Middle School Association Journal (2010)
Editorial Review Board Member - ALEA journal Literacy Learning: The Middle Years (2021-Present)
Consultancy Work
Literacy Consultant - District Five of Lexington & Richland Counties (2009-2016)
Educational Consultant - Queensland schools on literacy strategies and professional development
Research Consultant - Various educational institutions on literacy coaching and teacher development
Professional Development Facilitator - Workshops on literacy strategies, technology integration, and makerspace pedagogy
Manuscript Reviewer - Multiple prestigious educational journals including Middle School Journal, Teacher and Teacher Education Journal, Education Sciences, and Research in Middle Level Education
Recent Research Projects
STEM Central Collaborative 2026-2028
Grant: Contract Research (Category 3: Industry and Other)
Funding Schemes: Santos GLNG Operations Pty Ltd STEM Central Collaborative Sponsorship; Australia Pacific LNG STEM Central Collaborative Sponsorship; Shell QGC Communities Fund 2025
Total Funding: $555,000.00
Enhancing Academic Preparedness: A Comprehensive Study of Individualised Digital Pedagogy for Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Readiness - CTR-21150
Grant: Competitive Grant (Category 3: Industry and Other)
Funding Schemes: Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) Equity Frontiers Small-Scale Trials Grants Program 2024
Total Funding: $179,883.00
Online language learning approaches to enhance bioscience language acquisition in nursing students: A pilot study
Grant: Scholarly project (Internal L&T Grant)
Funding Schemes: CQU Learning and Teaching Research and Development Grants 2021
Total Funding: $11,962.00
RTP Scholarship, commencing 2021
Grant: Scholarship (Not Specified )
Funding Schemes: RTP Stipend Scholarship, Commencing 2021
Total Funding: N/A
Making the Maker: Hackerspace Grant Program
Grant: Competitive Grant (Category 2: Other Public Sector)
Funding Schemes: Queensland Hackerspace Grant
Total Funding: $13,083.73
National Science Week Regional STEM Pop-Up
Grant: Government Tender (Category 2: Other Public Sector)
Funding Schemes: Department of Environment and Science
Total Funding: N/A
Girls, self-concept and social identity in STEM: The Role of makerspace pedagogy
Grant: Competitive Grant (Public)
Funding Schemes: DET - 2017 Education Horizon Research Grants
Total Funding: $46,998.99
Research Supervision
Accreditation
I am currently accredited for supervision in the following:
- 3901 Curriculum and Pedagogy
- 3903 Education Systems
- 3999 Other Education
