Jan McLean's Profile

Jan McLean is the Director of the Institute for Interactive Media and Learning. She is an Associate Professor and researcher in higher education and development with a particular interest in the effects of the changing higher education context upon academic life and practice as well as student belonging and learning. Jan joined UTS in 2016 after more than 20 years working in the field of educational development at UNSW. She has extensive experience in working with staff, students and senior managers across numerous facets of teaching and research development, academic careers, curriculum design, innovation and change. She has led initiatives around Students as Partners, research integrated teaching, peer inquiry and observation and the scholarship of learning and teaching. She has particular expertise and interest in the area of learning and particularly creating collaborative learning experiences that inspire academics to explore emerging and innovative ways to approach their own practice, and which build connections and communities. Throughout her career, Jan has led teams to develop a broad range of learning opportunities and initiatives to support academics to survive and thrive within an increasingly busy, complex and uncertain higher education context. These have included formal accredited programs and courses aimed at developing scholarly teaching for those beginning their careers through to experienced staff, research development programs for women, initiatives designed to respond to strategic priorities such as grant schemes to encourage innovation, as well as initiatives to support recognition for teaching such as through promotion and awards. She has undertaken roles at local, national and international levels to encourage research into higher education and is currently co-convenor of the AARE Professional and Higher Education SIG, and guest editor for the special edition of HERD: Academic life in the Measured University: Paradoxes, pleasures and Politics. She was formerly the Regional VIP for the Australasian sector of ISSoTL (International Society for Scholarship in Teaching and Learning) and has played a key role in organizing events and conferences through key HE bodies including AARE, HERDSA, ISSoTL as well in 2010 leading an international symposium on Threshold Concepts.