Speakers
We are planning a number of diverse and engaging sessions in the forum. Speakers will be added to this page once confirmed.
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Thomas Lancaster | Associate Head of School (Marketing and Recruitment) Principal Lecturer School of Computing, Electronics and Mathematics Coventry University
As an originator of the term contract cheating, Thomas Lancaster has played an active role in plagiarism and academic integrity research since beginning his PhD in 2000. He regularly delivers seminars on contract cheating to academics and discusses the implications of this unethical behaviour in online, print and broadcast media. Thomas' career has seen him work and study at a varied selection of UK universities, including University of Oxford, University of York, London South Bank University and Birmingham City University, allowing him to observe the different ways that academics and students approach assessment. Thomas joined Coventry University in 2016, where he currently works as Associate Head of School and Principal Lecturer.
2016 marks ten years since Thomas' first presentation on contract cheating, which looked at the students who were using contracting websites to competitively outsource their assessed work. His current research focuses on the marketing behind contract cheating websites and essay mills and the massive infrastructure behind the thriving student cheating industry.
Thomas is also an active researcher into student employability particularly within Computer Science, exploring the additional opportunities available to students to join technology startup companies, promote their abilities through social media and to ensure that students recognise the benefits of completing their own work to prepare themselves for the competitive job market.
More information about Thomas can be found on his website at and his discussions about his wider work can be found on his blog.
Speakers
Dr Joe Clare | Lecturer in Criminology & Criminology Academic Chair School Of Law - Murdoch University
Dr Joe Clare is a Lecturer in Criminology at Murdoch University, Western Australia and has a MA in Criminology and Criminal Justice and a PhD in Forensic Cognition. Joe has worked for universities and governments in Australia and Canada to conduct applied, operations-focused research with emergency first responders and criminal justice agencies. Joe’s research focus is on using available data to contribute to solving applied problems.
Dr. Michael Baird | PhD, M.Com, B.Com (Hons), AMAMI CPM (Certified Practising Marketer) Curtin Business School (CBS)
Dr Michael Baird is a Lecturer in a teaching focused role in the School of Marketing at Curtin University, Western Australia. Michael is the Unit Coordinator for Strategic Marketing, a core marketing unit, and Business Capstone, a common core Commerce unit. Michael has taught more than ten different marketing and advertising units in the Curtin Business School since 2004. Michael has a Bachelor of Commerce with first class Honours, Masters by Research and a PhD in Marketing.
Dr. Glenda Jackson | Director of Student Services Centre and Academic Registrar at Edith Cowan University (ECU)
Dr. Glenda Jackson is the Director of Student Services and Academic Registrar at Edith Cowan University (ECU). She has worked in this role since 2006 and prior to this worked in academic planning and as an academic staff member at ECU.
Simon Roy | Associate Director, Student Services - Curtin Student Guild
With 10 years’ experience in his current role and an extensive background in Social Work and Social Policy development both in Australia and the UK, Simon heads the Student Assist department of Curtin Student Guild. Student Assist is the advocacy, support and welfare department of the Guild and helps, supports and empowers students to navigate the university system. Supporting students through allegations of academic misconduct forms a major portion of the department's casework, and has provided exposure to the innocent, the guilty and the genuinely bewildered.
Louise Kaktiņš | BA, BSc, PGCertTESOL, PGCertEdLead (Higher Education), MEd, MAppLing Macquarie University
Louise Kaktiņš teaches academic communication in the Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University and is also a learning advisor in the Learning Skills Unit at the same university. She has taught international students (in pathway programs) for several years and has had extensive experience in developing courses related to English for Academic Purposes (EAP), effective professional communication, academic literacy, and professional ethics. Her research interests include the first year experience (FYE) of tertiary students, academic literacy, and the cultural context of plagiarism and what this means for future directions in academia. Louise is currently a PhD candidate at Macquarie University researching the academic identities of international students in pathway programs and the pedagogical implications. She can be contacted by email at louise.kaktins@mq.edu.au
Siri Barrett-Lennard | Team Leader, STUDYSmarter, the University of Western Australia
Siri Barrett-Lennard leads UWA’s STUDYSmarter team of academic skills advisers with expertise in writing, research, numeracy and English language skills development. At UWA, Siri’s innovations include two first-year units in English Language and Academic Communication, a semester-long English Language Bootcamp program, a suite of online English language and writing skills resources, and the award winning Language and Cultural Exchange friendship program for postgraduates and staff. Siri co-developed the UWA Communication Skills Framework and two online compulsory transition units in Communication and Research Skills and Academic Conduct Essentials. She co-founded the UWA Toastmasters Club and the Association for Academic Language and Learning, and since 2004 has played a leading role in driving the development of STUDYSmarter’s vibrant on-campus and online programs that reach over 8,000 students each semester. Siri is passionate about student engagement and in 2011 received a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning in the 2011 Australian Awards for University Teaching.
Dr Ainslie Robinson | Academic Developer and Senior Lecturer in the Learning and Teaching Office (LTO) at the University of Notre Dame, Australia
Dr Ainslie Robinson is an Academic Developer and Senior Lecturer in the Learning and Teaching Office (LTO) at the University of Notre Dame, Australia. Her main roles involve co-ordinating and teaching units in the Graduate Certificate in University Teaching (GCUT), co-ordinating the University’s internal and external grants and awards programmes, and liaising to provide Professional Development opportunities to academic staff. Ainslie has a range of lecturing and research experiences in various disciplines on which she can draw to help staff to progress towards academic excellence and recognition. Since joining Notre Dame in 2012, Ainslie has represented Notre Dame in local, national and international capacities in such networks as HERDSA WA, WAND and OLT. She has recently been accepted as an Associate Fellow HERDSA (AFHERDSA). In the area of Learning and Teaching, Ainslie is currently collaborating on a number of SOTL projects in the areas of assessment, blended learning and curriculum design.
Mrs Pnina Levine | Associate Lecturer Curtin Law School
Pnina worked as a legal practitioner for over 10 years including in senior legal roles, before commencing in an academic position at Curtin University in 2014. Since joining Curtin, Pnina has coordinated and taught large units in the Curtin Law School, including Company Law for Business, a course running over several national and international campuses with an enrolment of approximately 2000 students each year.
While coordinating the Company Law for Business unit, Pnina was confronted with having to deal with multiple instances of suspected academic misconduct by students. This led to her developing a research interest in the area of academic integrity and the law. Together with her colleague Dr Michelle Evans, she has written a paper on the need for procedural fairness to be afforded to a student who is suspected of committing academic misconduct which has been accepted for publication in the Monash University Law Review. They are currently working on another paper in this area.
Mr Jake Wittey | Curtin Student Guild President
Jake is the Current President of the Curtin Student Guild, and has previously been the Curtin Student Guild’s General Secretary, as well as the WA State Branch President for the National Union of Students. He is also a rural student from Manjimup in WA’s South-West who studies International Relations at Curtin University. Through his roles, as well as currently being a student, Jake has been exposed to the rationales behind academic misconduct, as well as the University’s and Guild’s responses to it.
Alastair Steel | Dip. Crim. Co-founder / Owner at Polonious
Alastair Steel is the business owner of Polonious, a software development company focusing on case management, investigation and analysis solutions. He has a background with Law Enforcement, SIU management, Private Investigation and Criminal Investigation specializing in investigation methodology. Has guided the roll out of the Polonious Investigation Management System to over 50 organizations across the globe with varied business processes and requirements from large organisation to small forensic teams. Each now has a customised solution to meet their needs. They are supported by ten consultants in the area of software development, business intelligence expertise and customer relation services, located in Sydney, Australia (7 employees) and Palm Beach, Florida (3 employees ).
