Rate My Professor Gayani Samarawickrema

Gayani Samarawickrema is a senior lecturer at Victoria University in Australia, renowned for her expertise in higher education pedagogy, with a focus on e-learning, blended learning environments, and intensive block model teaching approaches. Her research explores how innovative delivery models like the block mode—where units are delivered intensively over shorter periods—impact student achievement, engagement, and success, particularly for non-traditional and first-year learners. A pivotal publication, 'Block Mode Study: Opportunities and Challenges for a New Generation of Learners in an Australian University' (2021, Student Success), has garnered over 70 citations and highlights the benefits and hurdles of this pedagogy in supporting diverse student cohorts. Samarawickrema's work addresses critical issues such as transitioning to emergency remote teaching during COVID-19 within block models and the professional learning needs of academics delivering intensive modes.

Key contributions include co-authoring the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) guide 'Designing Learning for Intensive Modes of Study' (2022) with Kaye Cleary, Sally Male, and Trish McCluskey, offering evidence-based strategies for curriculum design and assessment in compressed timelines. Other notable publications are 'Academics' Experiences of Block Model Assessment During COVID-19' (2023), 'Insights into Professional Learning for Intensive Block Model: Lessons from a Group Project in Sri Lanka' (2024), 'Transitioning to Emergency Remote Teaching in a Block Model University During COVID-19' (2024, British Journal of Educational Studies), and an editorial on 'Intensive Modes of Teaching: Past, Present, and Future' (2024, Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice). In 2022, she received a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning from the Australian Awards for University Teaching for developing an immersive experiential learning program for first-year law and justice students alongside Kathleen Raponi. With over 1,000 citations across her oeuvre, Samarawickrema's scholarship influences faculty development, curriculum innovation, and the adoption of immersive scheduling in Australian universities. Her career spans roles at Victoria University, Deakin University, and Monash University, where she has advanced electronic learning design and student-centered pedagogies.