Keith Heggart

Dr. Keith Heggart is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), where he also serves as Director of the Centre for Research on Education in a Digital Society (CREDS). With a PhD from UTS completed in 2018, he has established himself as a prominent researcher and educator in the fields of civics and citizenship education, learning design, and digital learning.

Dr. Heggart's educational background includes a PhD in Justice Pedagogy from UTS (2018), a Masters of Education from UTS (2021), and a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education from UNSW Australia (2002).

His research interests focus on civics and citizenship education, learning design, educational technology, critical pedagogy, and social justice. Dr. Heggart is particularly interested in how digital technologies can transform educational experiences, especially in the areas of citizenship education and social justice. His work emphasizes experiential learning approaches that enable students to engage in active citizenship through innovative technological means.

Dr. Heggart's recent publications reveal a strong focus on the intersection of education and emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and virtual reality. His research examines how these technologies impact teaching practices, teacher identity, and educational equity. He has published extensively on citizenship education, social justice, and learning design, including books such as "Activist Citizenship Education" (Springer, 2021) and "Empowering Teachers and Democratizing Schooling" (Springer, 2022).

His scientific achievements have been recognized through numerous awards:

• Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) Learner Engagement Division Innovation Award (2022)
• Culture, Language and Technology Outstanding Publication Award (2022)
• Teachers Guild of NSW Remote Teaching Award (2022)
• Emerging Scholar Award from ASCILITE (2021)
• Apple Distinguished Educator (2009)
• Google Certified Teacher (2011)
• Prime Minister's Volunteer Award (2013)

Dr. Heggart actively supervises doctoral and master's candidates, supporting the next generation of educators and researchers in developing critical digital literacy skills. He has received competitive research grants for projects including "Digital Community Safety Champions," "Youth Trust and Technology," and "In Their Shoes: Leveraging VR for Experiential Civics and Citizenship Education." As a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), he is committed to fostering excellence in tertiary teaching and learning through student-centered approaches and innovative curriculum design.

He leads the Centre for Research on Education in a Digital Society (CREDS) at UTS and contributes to educational policy through his membership in the Education Advisory Group for the Parliament of New South Wales. His work bridges academic research, practical application, and policy development in the rapidly evolving field of digital education.