Rate My Professor Anthea Cochrane

Anthea Cochrane is an Associate Professor and Clinical Teaching Coordinator in the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences at the University of Melbourne's Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. As the Doctor of Optometry Course Coordinator, she oversees the third and fourth years of the program, including preclinical teaching, professional practice components, external clinical placements, and an overseas capstone experience. She was the first teaching specialist appointed in her department and led the transition of the optometry course from undergraduate to postgraduate level, introducing innovations such as preclinical teaching from the first year. An education-focused academic, Cochrane coordinates clinical placements and contributes to interprofessional education through roles on the Interprofessional Education and Practice Committee. She also serves as Academic Director for Melbourne ACE and is an alumna of the EXCITE program (2015/16), where she advanced her educational scholarship.

Cochrane's research specializes in low vision, clinical training and assessment, failure to fail scenarios, training educators, technology-enhanced learning in optometric education, culturally safe education practices, simulation for clinical skills, and automated feedback applications. Her key publications include 'Modelling systematic evaluation of technology enhanced learning in optometric education in Australia and New Zealand' (2025), 'Policy and preference: the intersection of attendance hurdles and student perceptions of practical classes' (2025), 'Developing culturally safe education practices in optometry schools across Australia and Aoteara New Zealand' (2022), 'The Equivalency of the Binocular Indirect Ophthalmoscope Simulator to Peer Practice: A Pilot Study' (2021), 'A digital resource to assess clinical competency' (2019), and 'Use of an automated feedback application to improve communication skills' (2018). She has received the University of Melbourne's David White Teaching Award for curriculum leadership, the ANZAHPE Associate Fellowship (2025), and a 2025 MDHS Staff Excellence Award. Her work enhances student learning outcomes and clinical readiness in optometry.