معرفی
Wendy DeLuca serves as Senior Lecturer and Discipline Lead for Adult and Vocational Education at Charles Sturt University's School of Education, bringing over 25 years of experience across public and private sector training environments. Her expertise spans national vocational training initiatives, adult education systems, and educational multimedia development for the Department of Defence, where she has led multidisciplinary project teams.
Her educational background includes:
- Bachelor of Education (Secondary) - Charles Sturt University
- Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies
- Graduate Diploma in Educational Multimedia
- Master of Education - Charles Sturt University
- Master of Management - Australian Catholic University
- PhD - Charles Sturt University (Beth Southwell Thesis Award winner)
DeLuca's research centers on adult expertise development, with groundbreaking work in military ethics education using Constructivist Grounded Theory. Her PhD thesis analyzed ethical training in Australian Army Recruit Training, and she continues to investigate post-Afghanistan ethics frameworks while exploring international vocational education trends. As Co-Chair of the Grounded Theory Research Group, she advances qualitative methodology through workshops and publications.
Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals three dominant research streams: methodological innovation in grounded theory (40% of output), military ethics education (35%), and international vocational education partnerships (25%). Her 2022-2024 work demonstrates increasing focus on cross-cultural applications of vocational training and evolving ethics frameworks in defence contexts.
Notable recognitions include:
- Beth Southwell Outstanding Thesis Award (2022) for Defence Force ethics research
- Charles Sturt Executive Deans Award for Teaching (2022) for Nepal cultural exchange program
- CSU Vice Chancellors Award for Leadership Excellence (2013)
DeLuca actively mentors through the Nepal International Cultural Experience program and serves as thesis examiner, while her industry engagement includes Biosecurity Training Centre consultancy and Victoria Police advisory roles. She has developed train-the-trainer programs and staff development frameworks adopted by multiple government agencies.
As Co-Chair of the Grounded Theory Research Group, she fosters methodological development across disciplines. Her military connections extend to Army Reservist service in the Royal Australian Army Educational Corps and membership in the International Society of Military Ethics, creating unique pathways between academic research and defence training applications.
