Thomas NIELSEN

Associate Professor Thomas William Nielsen is a faculty member in the Department of Education at the University of Canberra, specializing in values education, student wellbeing, and pedagogical innovation. He has led numerous government-funded projects focusing on wellbeing in schools and juvenile detention centers, contributing to national policy frameworks like the Australian Government’s Values Education Projects. His research emphasizes service learning and the 'Curriculum of Giving,' linking altruism to academic success and mental health. Nielsen has authored/co-authored over 60 publications, including the book Values Education, Quality Teaching and Service Learning.

Research Interests: Through qualitative methodologies, Dr. Nielsen explores how values education and service-oriented curricula enhance student and staff wellbeing. His work bridges positive psychology, pedagogy, and social cohesion, with recent studies on post-disaster family dynamics and Danish cultural concepts like 'hygge.'

Key Projects: Current initiatives include wellbeing pedagogy partnerships with Maribyrnong Primary School and Communities@Work children’s services. Past projects include a decade-long national values education program evaluation.

Awards: Recipient of the 2008 Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning.

Teaching & Supervision: Convenes undergraduate courses in Educational Philosophy and supervises PhD students exploring wellbeing measurement in schools. His teaching integrates action research, such as daily gratitude/giving exercises for pre-service teachers.

Labs/Teams: Leads the International Beliefs and Values Institute (IBAVI) chapter at UC, collaborating on global wellbeing initiatives. Active in policy advisory roles, including the National Values Education Project Advisory Committee (2009-2010).

Grants/Publications: Over 60 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and reports, including studies on youth depression correlates, imagination in education, and multicultural pedagogy.