My new job role!
In Sept 2025, I started a new full time role as an Educational Designer for Accessibility at Edith Cowan University. As part of their Curriculum Transformation Project, I’m contracted to Dec 2027 to work with academic staff to help ensure university learning is designed to be more inclusive and accessible for everyone. My focus will be on helping create classrooms (online and in-person) where all students can thrive – especially those with disabilities, health conditions, or who are neurodivergent. UDL for the win! I’ll also be running training and supporting staff to use teaching strategies and technologies that make learning fairer, more engaging, and more effective.
It’s been a few years since I worked full time (although some might argue full time doctoral study + 4 casual jobs at once counts!) and this is also my first full time role since my degenerative spinal condition worsened. ECU have been great about negotiating flexible start/finish times and 3 days a week as work from home.
Current thesis stage: submitted for examination!
Furry Friends and Fluent Readers: A Qualitative Exploration of Participant Experiences in Reading-to-Dog Programs
Sept 2025 – THESIS SUBMITTED for examination! Now we wait as the next steps are: two external examiners review it over a few months → I make any required changes → final submission → Conferral (Dr title time!) → graduation.
August 2025: sent to uni approved proofreader and also made some final tweaks and edits.
March – August 2025: writing up my findings and discussion. I was also offered a competitive spot in the Thesis Completion Initiative at CQU. This program allows candidates to redirect unused RHD funding to thesis drafting while providing peer support, motivation, and productive writing strategies through structured goal-setting and problem-solving sessions.
Jan 2025 – March 2025: data analysis begins! I moved past the first coding stage in Braun and Clarke’s RTA process and embraced the second, more detailed attempt.
Sept 2024 – Dec 2024: data collection! After much negotiation with various education departments, I was able to interview some teachers, school leaders, librarians and volunteers. Collecting children’s images was much trickier and while I got a few, ethics was an issue. Part of my discussion and recommendations chapters will explore how challenging this was.
July – Sept 2024: AARE ethics approval (required for all school based research). I then had to work my way through many layers of ethics approvals at devote, diocese, school region, school board and principal level! While dealing with all the paperwork, I used my pilot study data for attendance at a Thematic Analysis workshop.
July 2024: CQU ethics approval received
Feb – June 2024: confirmation of candidature submitted to external reviewers, review comments actioned, and final version approved!
Feb – Nov 2023: commenced EdD and began to scope literature review and explore methodology. In the second half of the year I completed a mandatory coursework unit which helped to shape my 10k word confirmation of candidature submission milestone.
Melissa Smith 