Dr Cathy Stone
Conjoint Associate Professor
School of Humanities and Social Science (Social Work)
- Email:cathy.stone@newcastle.edu.au
- Phone:0410348794
Career Summary
Biography
Cathy's professional background is in Social Work, student support and research aimed at enhancing student equity in higher education. She was an inaugural Equity Fellow during 2016 with the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education, where she is currently an Adjunct Fellow.
Accredited as a Mental Health Social Worker with the AASW, Cathy has a long standing interest in and commitment to student equity, widening participation and improving the student experience for increasingly diverse university student cohorts. Her doctoral dissertation was on the experiences of mature-age students entering university via an enabling program. Cathy has continued to be an active researcher, examining the experiences of mature-age, first-in-family, and online students, in which she has a number of publications.
Following nearly 20 years in management and counselling within Student and Academic Services at the University of Newcastle, Cathy worked with Open Universities Australia as the Director of Student Success until the end of 2014. Cathy is a recipient of a Carrick (later known as OLT) Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning for her role in developing innovative student mentor programs.
Cathy is a life-time member and Fellow of the Australian & New Zealand Student Services Association (ANZSSA), having served as its President for the maximum four-year term from 2004-2007. From 2010 to 2018 she was co-editor of ANZSSA's professional journal, JANZSSA. Cathy also works as a private consultant in student success in the higher education sector.
Research ExpertiseStudent experience; mature age students; first-in-family students; online students; equity in education; student support
Teaching Expertise
Social work
Administrative Expertise
Student support services; Management; Counselling
Collaborations
Research into the experiences of mature-age, first-in-family and online students.
Qualifications
- PhD, University of Sydney
Keywords
- First-in-family students
- Mature age students
- Online students
- Social Work
- Student Equity
- Student Experience
- Student Success
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 139999 | Education not elsewhere classified | 100 |
Professional Experience
Academic appointment
| Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|---|
| 1/11/2005 - 1/4/2010 | Deputy Academic Registrar, Student Support Services | University of Newcastle Student and Academic Services- Human Services Australia |
| 1/4/1994 - 1/11/2005 | Senior Counsellor/ Manager Student Support Ourimbah | University of Newcastle Student and Academic Services (formerly Academic Registrar) Australia |
| 1/6/2011 - 1/12/2014 | Director, Student Success | Open Universities Australia Student Experience- Student Services Management Australia |
| 1/1/2010 - 31/12/2018 | Editor | Journal of the Australia and New Zealand Student Services Association (JANZSSA) Australia |
| 1/1/2016 - 31/3/2017 |
Equity Fellow Equity Fellow undertaking research into improving outcomes in online learning |
National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) |
Professional appointment
| Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|---|
| 1/12/2010 - | Consultant in Higher Education Student Success | CopaConnect Consulting Private Consultancy Australia |
Awards
Prize
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2013 |
Best Paper Award, THETA Conference 2013 The Higher Education Technology Agenda (THETA) |
Recognition
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2007 |
Carrick Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning Carrick Institute |
| 2007 |
Vice Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning University of Newcastle |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Book (2 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |
O'Shea S, May J, Stone C, Delahunty J, First-in-Family Students, University Experience and Family Life Motivations, Transitions and Participation, Springer, 223 (2017) [A1]
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| 2012 | Stone CM, O'Shea S, Transformations and self discovery : Stories of women returning to education, Common Ground, Champaign, IL, 110 (2012) [A2] |
Journal article (27 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |
Dyment J, Stone C, Milthorpe N, 'Beyond busy work: rethinking the measurement of online student engagement', Higher Education Research and Development, 39 1440-1453 (2020) [C1] © 2020 HERDSA. To combat high failure and student drop-out rates, universities have developed strategies to monitor online student engagement through measurable activities. In thi... [more] © 2020 HERDSA. To combat high failure and student drop-out rates, universities have developed strategies to monitor online student engagement through measurable activities. In this study, we explore if and how these monitoring activities accurately measure online engagement. We interviewed nine highly engaged online third-year students throughout a semester to find out more about what engagement meant for them and how they enacted it in the online space, both visibly and invisibly. According to students in this study, traditional measures of online engagement were not perceived as valuable to their learning. The students complained about the ¿busy work¿¿tasks that kept them busy or that monitored their engagement through a metrics-based tool. The students reported a number of other activities that prompted their engagement in learning; many of these would not be picked up by the usual ways of measuring engagement. These findings invite educators to move away from having fixed ideas about where and how and when online students should be engaging. They invite critique of the superficial, descriptive, tick-the-box exercises that are usually designed to monitor engagement by computer rather than through human interaction. They offer educators an opportunity to explore other ways of understanding student engagement in the online space.
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| 2019 |
Stone C, Springer M, 'Interactivity, connectedness and teacher-presence': Engaging and retaining students online', Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 59 146-169 (2019)
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| 2019 |
Stone C, 'Online learning in Australian higher education: Opportunities, challenges and transformations', STUDENT SUCCESS, 10 1-11 (2019) [C1]
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| 2019 | Stone C, Freeman E, Dyment J, Muir T, Milthorpe N, 'EQUAL OR EQUITABLE? THE ROLE OF FLEXIBILITY WITHIN ONLINE EDUCATION', Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 29 78-92 (2019) [C1] | ||||||||||
| 2019 |
Stone C, O'Shea S, 'My children ... think it's cool that Mum is a uni student: Women with caring responsibilities studying online', AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, 35 97-110 (2019) [C1]
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| 2019 |
Downing JJ, Dyment JE, Stone C, 'Online initial teacher education in Australia: Affordances for pedagogy, practice and outcomes', Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 44 57-78 (2019) [C1] © 2019, Social Science Press. This paper reports on interviews with 19 senior teacher educators from 18 universities across Australia who offer fully online courses in initial tea... [more] © 2019, Social Science Press. This paper reports on interviews with 19 senior teacher educators from 18 universities across Australia who offer fully online courses in initial teacher education (ITE). Teacher educators provided insight into four focus areas related to online ITE: 1) institutional practices; 2) affordances; 3) challenges; and 4) research priorities. Analysis revealed teacher educators perceived that online ITE can not only match on campus delivery but is also able to respond to reform agendas in ITE, including attracting students with attributes and characteristics that are likely to see them succeed as teachers, enabling students to experience contemporary approaches to learning, building strong partnerships between schools and universities, and helping address teacher shortages in rural/regional areas.
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| 2018 |
Stone C, O'Shea S, 'Older, online and first: Recommendations for retention and success', Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 35 57-69 (2018) [C1]
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| 2018 |
O'Shea S, Stone C, Delahunty J, May JR, 'Discourses of betterment and opportunity: exploring the privileging of university attendance for first-in-family learners', Studies in Higher Education, 43 1010-1033 (2018) [C1]
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| 2016 |
May JR, Delahunty J, O'Shea S, Stone C, 'Seeking the passionate career: first-in-family enabling students and the idea of the Australian university', Higher Education Quarterly, 70 384-399 (2016) [C1]
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| 2016 |
Stone C, O'Shea S, May JR, Delahunty J, Partington Z, 'Opportunity through online learning: experiences of first-in-family students in online open-entry higher education', Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 56 146-169 (2016) [C1]
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| 2015 |
O'Shea S, Stone C, Delahunty J, ' I feel like I am at university even though I am online. Exploring how students narrate their engagement with higher education institutions in an online learning environment', Distance Education, 36 41-58 (2015) [C1]
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| 2014 | O'Shea S, Stone C, 'The hero s journey: Stories of women returning to education', The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education, 5 79-91 (2014) [C1] | ||||||||||
| 2013 |
Stone C, O'Shea S, 'Time, money, leisure and guilt - the gendered challenges of higher education for mature-age students', AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ADULT LEARNING, 53 95-116 (2013) [C1]
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| 2012 |
Stone C, 'Engaging students across distance and place:', Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association, 49-55 (2012) There is a wealth of both anecdotal and sound research evidence which demonstrates a clear link between a student's engagement with their learning community and their academi... [more] There is a wealth of both anecdotal and sound research evidence which demonstrates a clear link between a student's engagement with their learning community and their academic outcomes. Having a sense of connection and engagement with the institution, through their contact with lecturers, fellow students, other university staff, can make all the difference between persistence and academic success; and disillusionment, disappointment and abandonment of studies. With the expansion of on-line studies an additional challenge for all of us working with tertiary students, is to develop a better understanding of the needs of those who are studying solely in an on-line environment. We need to learn more about ways in which we can successfully engage and support students whom we may never meet face-to-face. This paper discusses some of those challenges for the Student Experience Unit at Open Universities Australia and the strategies being developed in order to meet them.
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| 2011 |
O'Shea S, Stone CM, 'Transformations and self-discovery: Mature-age women's reflections on returning to university study', Studies in Continuing Education, 33 273-288 (2011) [C1]
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| 2011 | Stone CM, 'The secret of excellence in student services - a case example of cross-institution collaboration and cooperation', Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association, 37 70-73 (2011) [C3] | ||||||||||
| 2008 |
Stone CM, 'Listening to individual voices and stories: The mature-age student experience', Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 48 263-290 (2008) [C1]
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| 2005 | Stone CM, 'Promoting an integrated campus-wide approach to first year student retention', JANZSSA. Journal of the Australia and New Zealand Student Services Association, 26 33-40 (2005) [C2] | ||||||||||
| 2004 | Stone CM, 'Negotiating professional supervision in non-government welfare organisations', Psychotherapy in Australia, 11 72-77 (2004) [C3] | ||||||||||
| 2002 | Stone CM, 'Counselling via e-mail: Applying therapeutic letter-writing skills to new technologies', JANZSSA. Journal of the Australia and New Zealand Student Services Association, 19 61-77 (2002) [C2] | ||||||||||
| 1999 | Stone CM, 'Standing up to fear and self-doubt: Tackling the challenge of mature age study', JANZSSA. Journal of the Australia and New Zealand Student Services Association, 13 4-14 (1999) [C1] | ||||||||||
| Show 24 more journal articles | |||||||||||
Review (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Stone C, 'Effective teaching and support of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds: Resources for Australian Higher Education', Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association (2012) |
Conference (5 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 |
May JR, O'Shea S, Stone C, Delahunty J, 'Seeing what all the fuss was about: The narratives of two first-in-family men enrolled in an enabling program as sites of struggle over the cultural imaginary of the Australian university', Western Sydney University (2015) [E3]
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| 2014 |
O Shea S, Stone C, May JR, ''Breaking the Barriers: supporting and engaging mature age first-in-family university learners and their families'', Proceedings of the 17th International First Year in Higher Education (FYHE) Conference Darwin, Australia, July 2014., Darwin, NT (2014) [E1]
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| 2014 | Stone C, Hill R, 'ALIA National Conference 2014', http://nationalconference2014.alia.org.au/content/enhancing-online-learning-public-libraries-supporting-student-engagement-and-success, Melbourne, Australia (2014) | ||||
| 2014 |
O'Shea S, May JR, Stone C, 'Ripples of learning higher education participation, familial habitus, gender and first-in-family female students', The abstract was peer reviewed, accepted by email on 6 June 20014 from the conference committee and the paper was presented., University of Melbourne (2014)
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| Show 2 more conferences | |||||
Other (4 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 |
Stone C, May J, O'Shea S, Delahunty J, 'Launching the First in Family website', ( issue.June pp.2-3). ANZSSA@vuw.ac.nz: ANZSSA (2015)
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| 2015 |
O'Shea S, Stone C, May JR, 'It's a good life going to uni isn't it? Problematising perceptions of opportunity and betterment for first-in-family learners attending university', (2015)
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| 2015 |
Delahunty J, O'Shea S, Stone C, May JR, 'Listening to Emma and Liana: stories from two young Aboriginal women who are first in their families to attend university', (2015)
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| 2010 | Stone C, Andrews A, 'Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association: Editorial', ( issue.35) (2010) | ||||
| Show 1 more other | |||||
Report (2 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Stone C, 'Opportunity through online learning: Improving student access, participation and success in higher education', National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education, 85 (2017) | ||
| 2017 | Stone C, 'National Guidelines for Improving Student Outcomes in Online Learning', National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education, 8 (2017) |
Grants and Funding
Summary
| Number of grants | 1 |
|---|---|
| Total funding | $215,000 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
20161 grants / $215,000
Opportunity through online learning: Improving student access, participation and success in online higher education$215,000
Funding body: National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE)
| Funding body | National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Doctor Cathy Stone |
| Scheme | Equity Research Fellowship |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2016 |
| Funding Finish | 2016 |
| GNo | G1501404 |
| Type Of Funding | Other Public Sector - Commonwealth |
| Category | 2OPC |
| UON | Y |
Dr Cathy Stone
Position
Conjoint Associate Professor
School of Humanities and Social Science
School of Humanities and Social Science
Faculty of Education and Arts
Focus area
Social Work
Contact Details
| cathy.stone@newcastle.edu.au | |
| Phone | 0410348794 |
Office
| Room | Off-campus |
|---|---|
| Building | Off-campus |
| Location | Off campus , |
Connect with me
2016 Equity Fellow
Dr Cathy Stone has secured a prestigious 2016 Equity Fellowship from the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education.