Professor Elle Gregory

Leadership

• Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching), Faculty of Health 2021-current
• Director of International Engagement and Recruitment, School of Biomedical Sciences 2019-2020
• Director of Digital Learning, Teaching and Innovation, Faculty of Health 2019-2021
• Director of Academic Programs, School of Biomedical Sciences 2014-2018
• Course Coordinator of Bachelor of Biomedical Science (SC40/ LS40) 2011-2014

Teaching area

Current unit coordination: LQB670 Anatomical Dissection for Biomedical Science students. This capstone unit provides the unique opportunity for students to dissect a human donor body from the QUT Body Bequest Program at the Medical Engineering Research Facility (MERF). Students learn more about anatomical variation, pathologies, surgical and dissection skills, design thinking skills, learning and teaching pedagogy as well as a range of important employability skills such as digital capabilities, decision-making and professionalism.

• anatomy as a language
• anatomical variation
• anatomical dissection
• skeletal biology
• forensic osteology
• human systematic and regional anatomy
• radiographic and imaging anatomy
• sectional anatomy
• neuroanatomy
• histology

Top Learning and Teaching Achievements

1. Leadership in COVID-19 digital transformation and staff PD; developed Health Digitally Enabled Engagement for Purposeful (DEEP) Learning strategy; developed and implemented a novel modular team-led unit model by collapsing 3 anatomy units into one (LQB187; 2021) and created customised Pressbooks that met discipline-specific anatomical concept requirements for students across 7 courses.
2. Initiating and leading the Digital Health Futures working group to embed student digital capability development into the curriculum of all Health courses as part of reaccreditation (2021+). The team has published a resource for academics to guide curriculum development in the student assessment of relevant digital capabilities: Embedding Student Digital Capabilities in Higher Education. Currently the team is shortlisted for the QS Wharton Reimagine Education award for 2024.
3. Pitched, developed and presented four segments on National television science program Scope (2011, 2012, 2018 and 2019) demonstrating my national reputation as a STEM educator.
4. New Colombo Plan Short-term Mobility grants: Child Health in Thailand – QUT and Hands Across the Water ($59,000) and Biomedical Science Research Internship with Sri Lanka ($35,200) (2019) as part of my role as Director of International Engagement and Recruitment, School of Biomedical Sciences (2019-2020). Successfully led a study tour of 19 Health students in 2024 to support an orphanage in rural Thailand called Baan Home Hug.
5. Program creator and coordinator of Anatomy Peer Learning Community (2015-2023).

Recognition

• Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE)/ Council of Australasian University Leaders in Learning and Teaching (CAULLT) Award for Outstanding Leadership in Digital Learning in Higher Education (2023) for her work on student digital capability building.
• Associate Fellow of Higher Education Academy (Indigenous Knowledges) (AFHEA) (2023) awarded by Queensland University of Technology. Case studies focused on my pedagogical approach to embedding indigenous perspectives in LQB670 Anatomical Dissection and the publication of the OER Anatomical Variation: An Australian and New Zealand Context.
• Australian Award for University Teaching – Award for Teaching Excellence (2017). Extract from award: A/Prof Laura (Elle) Gregory has transformed anatomy teaching through her inventive approach to teaching. She has maximised student engagement in anatomical sciences, increased students’ depth of understanding and critical thinking abilities and consequently enhanced their employability on graduation.
• David Gardiner Teacher of the Year Award (2016) for ‘personal leadership and innovation in the context of the "classroom" and direct student learning and engagement, as well as on innovative curricula, creative and effective use of appropriate technologies, and demonstrated positive impact on student learning outcomes’.
• Council of Australian University Librarians Open Educational Resources Collective Grant ($2,500; 2022) to write the eBook Anatomical Variation: An Australian and New Zealand Context (published April 2023). This eBook employs a digitally innovative medium to support the L&T of anatomical variation such that all health professionals develop the necessary understanding of human diversity to be safe and effective practitioners.
• Citation Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) (2010) Citation title: For the development of a transformational linguistic approach to the teaching of anatomy while providing a learning environment that promotes actualisation of student potential.
• Anatomage Best Oral Award in the category of Learning and Teaching Research, Australian and New Zealand Clinical Anatomists Association (ANZACA) conference (2013) for the abstract ‘Establishing a student-centred learning environment that bridges anatomical concepts with interpersonal graduate capabilities.’ This award validates my national reputation in L&T research. Sustained scholarship of L&T is demonstrated at the ANZACA conferences through presentations in 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022.
• Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy (HEA) (2015) awarded by Australian National University. Case studies focused on my pedagogical approach to developing graduate capabilities, collaborative student-centred learning environments, and leading a L&T community of practice through mentoring and PD of colleagues.
• Invited speaker at the international Scalpel 2.0 Community led by Stanford Medical School, California (2021) and key-note speaker at the QUT Learning Innovation Forum on XR (2020) demonstrating my international reputation and institutional leadership in virtual reality platforms in education. This has led to continued collaboration on research projects and invitation to teach anatomy to medical students in Qatar using XR technology in anatomy with Stanford colleagues.
• Successful internal L&T grants that I have led: QUT Learning and Teaching Grant Scheme 2015 (80% contribution): ‘Finding the Student Voice: Investigating the Impact of Peer-Assisted Oral Tasks on Depth of Understanding’ $14,000. This project strengthened the evidence for my successful AAUT application in 2017 and positively impacted student learning through the design of student-centred workshops; publication drafted. Primary investigator of two QUT First Year Experience Seed Funding 2014 (95% contribution); $2,630 and $2,902: Led to the successful establishment of the Anatomy Peer Learning Community in 2015 (see Engagement and Leadership section) and creation of Human Donor Preparedness video series for mandatory induction of all anatomy students at QUT; results presented at two conferences (2015 and 2019).
• Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in recognition of exceptional sustained performance and outstanding achievement in Learning and Teaching, QUT (2013) demonstrating my institutional recognition of teaching quality and learning innovation.
• Successful Faculty awards: Individual Excellence in Teaching Award, Faculty of Science and Technology, QUT (2009) and the student nominated Student Choice Award, Faculty of Science and Technology, QUT (2009). Student panel identified the following outstanding elements: She remembers [students’] personal situation and background; she is approachable, friendly, making it a family within the class; she is well prepared with different learning options; Laura adjusts the teaching based on student feedback; Laura cares and is dedicated to each and every one of her students.