Denise L. Wood (University of South Australia)

Denise is a Senior Lecturer in Media Arts, and Teaching and Learning Portfolio Leader in the School of Communication, International Studies and Languages at the University of South Australia. She has extensive experience in the multimedia industry as both a producer and training provider. Denise was a founding member of the Federal Government’s Information Policy Advisory Council, which was Chaired by Terry Cutler and established by the Telecommunications Minister in 1996. She was formerly the Director of Research and Development with the Crippled Children’s Association of SA (now called Novita Children’s Services), and the Director of OptCom SA Inc., a Federal and State Government funded organisation, which provided multimedia production and training for young people with disabilities in the late 1990s.

Denise is currently undertaking funded research in collaboration with Novita Children’s Services focusing on the use of Web 2.0 technologies for increasing the social participation of children with complex communication needs. She is also the Principal Investigator of two nationally funded research grants as well as several University funded projects focusing on the use of innovative technologies in teaching and learning, inclusive design, and enhancing the teaching and research nexus in the undergraduate curriculum. She is currently heading a research team on a project funded by the Australian Teaching and Learning Council, which involves the design and development on an open source, accessible 3D virtual learning platform. The findings from her research have been widely published in book chapters, peer reviewed journal papers and conference presentations, many of which focus on the use of Web 2.0 and 3D virtual worlds to promote social inclusivity, enhance employment opportunities and to engage young learners in virtual experiential learning that has an impact on ‘real lives’.

Denise is Associate Editor of the Higher Education and Research Development Society Journal (an A* ranked journal) and she is a reviewer of several books, peer reviewed journal publications and conferences. She is a member of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network, Standing Advisory Committee on Disability Issues as well as various industry and State Government Advisory Committees and Working Groups focusing on the use of Web 2.0 and virtual worlds in education, business and to enhance social inclusion. Denise has a regular segment on Radio 5RPH Adelaide in which she discusses innovative technologies to enhance accessibility for people with disabilities, and she maintains a strong social networking profile via Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo, various Ning Groups, a Wordpress Blog, Twitter, Del.icio.us, and of course, Second Life. Denise is perhaps better recognised by her avatar identity, Denlee Wobbit.

Denise has received several awards for her work in equity, community engagement, and teaching and learning including a University of South Australia Award for Teaching Excellence, UniSA Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, Quality Teaching Awards in 2007 and 2008, and a University Equity Award. South Australian awards include the Premier’s Public Sector Engagement Award for building communities (2009) as the Project Leader for the SA Government funded Sustainable Online Community Engagement project, South Australian Information Technology Achiever of the Year presented by the Premier of South Australia, Comtech'94 and an SA Great Award for services to a special field (disability) presented by the Governor of South Australia, Proclamation Day 1994.