Higher Education Research Network

Transforming higher education research. Empowering futures. Together.

Adelaide University’s Higher Education Research Network (HERN) connects and amplifies a vibrant community of scholars dedicated to advancing higher education research and practice. We champion research that enhances equity, integrity, and innovation across teaching, learning, and assessment – particularly in the digital and AI-enabled era.

HERN brings together diverse researchers, educators and partners to tackle the sector’s most pressing challenges. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, mentoring and policy engagement, we translate research into impact that shapes practices and understandings at institutional, national and international levels.

Recognised by university senior leaders through nomination for a university-level research and enterprise award, HERN continues to build research excellence that is inclusive, future-focused, and socially just – ensuring higher education remains responsive to the needs of learners, communities and society.

Explore our research

Our research themes include digital learning, assessment, TESOL, equity, wellbeing, transition to university, reflective practice, employability and work integrated learning, and neurodiversity.

Engage with us

We collaborate with researchers, other organisations, government bodies across Australia, and individuals to propel our goals forward.

Explore the Higher Education Research Network

Research capabilities Research capabilities
Research impact Research impact
Our people Our people
Our partners Our partners

HERN’s research strives to keep higher education research relevant, impactful and accessible in an ever-changing world. This field of research is crucial to ensuring that education meets the needs of society, prepares students for future challenges, and promotes innovation in teaching and learning.

HERN’s research tackles higher education’s most urgent challenges – from digital transformation and assessment reform to inclusion and wellbeing. We translate rigorous research into actionable insights that strengthen policy and practice across the sector. Through focused mentorship and development programs for early- and mid-career researchers, we build research capacity and support impactful research publications.

Our research is clustered around nine key themes:

Assessment

Dedicated to investigating, improving and implementing assessment strategies at Adelaide University, our mission is to take a multidisciplinary approach to assessment practices that enhance student learning and engagement.

Digital learning

Exploring the transformative impact of digital learning technologies and artificial intelligence in higher education, we focus on fostering and pursuing critical inquiry and collaborative research into how digital technology is utilised in higher education.

Employability, graduate transition and work integrated learning

We support higher education’s critical role in enhancing graduate employability and facilitating smooth transitions from education to employment.

Equity, inclusion and access

The central concern of this cluster is student equity in higher education – a longstanding and evolving priority in the Australian context.

Mental health and wellbeing

We focus on promoting research and practices on wellbeing for students, staff and the wider academic community.

Reflective practice, professional and academic development

Established to advance higher education research that supports educators in critically inquiring into their own practice.

Teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL)

We investigate the linguistic, cultural and pedagogical dimensions of English language education and learning, particularly for international, migrant and refugee learners in both domestic and international classroom settings.

Transition to university

We bring together higher education researchers and educators interested in understanding and improving the transition into and through university.

Neurodiversity

We provide a research-focused platform designed to inform both policy and practice, enabling practitioners to collaborate with researchers to collect and analyse evaluation data on neurodiversity-related initiatives.

HERN plays a central role in strengthening Adelaide University’s higher education research ecosystem through mentoring, capacity building and research-informed policy engagement. Our peer mentoring framework and structured development programs provide tailored support for early- and mid-career researchers, fostering collaboration, reflective practice and sustainable research growth. This distributed model of mentorship – embedded across clusters and supported by the HERN Peer Mentoring Handbook – is a cornerstone of our collegial and developmental culture.

Beyond the University, HERN’s members contribute to national and international higher education reform through research leadership and expert consultation. HERN researchers have advised and collaborated with key organisations such as TEQSA and UNESCO, ensuring that our research directly informs evidence-based policy and practice. The Network’s influence is exemplified by its co-authored TEQSA paper Assessment Reform for the Age of Artificial Intelligence, which received the 2024 Tracey Bretag Prize for Academic Integrity.

Through this dual focus on research capacity and policy impact, HERN bridges scholarship and practice – cultivating the next generation of higher education researchers while shaping the sector’s responses to emerging challenges in assessment, digital learning, inclusion, and integrity.

Executive group

Associate Professor Negin Mirriahi
Associate Professor Chris Deneen
Associate Professor Sarah Hattam
Associate Professor Maurizio Costabile

HERN will be focused on expanding its national and international partners in 2026.

Contact us

Higher Education Research Network

Location
Higher Education Research Network
Adelaide University
City Campus, Adelaide SA 5000

Email: EDC-HERN@unisa.edu.au