Rate My Professor Rebekah Sturniolo-Baker

Dr. Rebekah Sturniolo-Baker serves as a Lecturer and Unit Coordinator of the FlexiTrack High enabling program within the University Preparation Pathways in the School of Education at Murdoch University. She has been teaching in enabling programs for eight years, following her earlier career as a language teacher and academic. Her research interests center on promoting active learning and student engagement, as well as enhancing academic writing skills specifically for enabling students. Through her role, she contributes to initiatives that support underrepresented and diverse students in transitioning to higher education, emphasizing social justice-oriented approaches and transformative learning experiences.

Dr. Sturniolo-Baker has co-authored several peer-reviewed publications advancing the field of enabling education. Key works include 'High School Enabling Programs, Learning Journeys, and Transitions: Measuring Effectiveness from the Student Perspective' (2024, Student Success, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 38-47) with Anita Maclaurin, Sue Shaw, and Deb Monteith, which assesses student perceptions of programs like FlexiTrack High and TLC Learning for Tomorrow at Murdoch University. Other significant publications are 'School-Based Enabling Programs: Creating Opportunity and Connection. A Practice Report' (2022) with Anita Olds, Angela Jones, and others; 'Stop the Clocks: Enabling Practitioners and Precarity in Pandemic Time(s)' (2023) exploring practitioner experiences during COVID-19; and 'Looking into the "Dark Mirror": Autoethnographic Reflections on the Impact of COVID-19 and Online Delivery on Enabling Practitioners' (2023, Student Success, vol. 14, no. 3) with multiple co-authors. In 2023, she and the FlexiTrack High team, including Anita Olds and Angela Jones, received the Australian Award for Programs that Enhance Learning from Universities Australia for widening participation through an innovative, 'edupunked' program that prepares diverse enabling students to become passionate undergraduates. Her efforts underscore the importance of holistic evaluation of enabling programs, incorporating student voices on academic preparation, emotional support, and barriers to success such as financial pressures and isolation.