Dr Nicole Brownlie


Dr Nicole Brownlie
NameDr Nicole Brownlie
Email Addressnicole.brownlie@unisq.edu.au
Job TitleLecturer (Educational Counselling)
QualificationsBFET USQ, BEd USQ, MEd USQ, PhD USQ
DepartmentSchool of Education
ORCIDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7239-4104
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Biography

Dr Nicole Brownlie is a researcher and Lecturer in Education at the University of Southern Queensland. Her research investigates how teacher professional judgement and wellbeing can be preserved and enhanced through ethical, pedagogically sound integration of artificial intelligence in assessment practices. Nicole’s current projects explore the affordances and limitations of AI for reducing teacher workload while maintaining assessment integrity in primary and secondary contexts.

Her doctoral research examined the competence, confidence, and opportunity of early career secondary teachers to design effective summative assessments, and she continues to contribute to national and international dialogues on assessment literacy, teacher preparation, and policy-practice alignment.

Nicole’s broader research agenda spans school transitions, social-emotional wellbeing, and the evolving role of guidance counsellors in supporting vulnerable students. She supervises higher degree research students in areas including trauma-informed education, student voice, and parental engagement in career development.

An experienced educator and curriculum designer, Nicole draws on deep classroom expertise to inform applied, contextually relevant research. She is a member of AARE, ATEA, HERDSA and the STAR Scholars Network, and actively publishes in journals focused on education policy, assessment reform, and teacher professional learning.

Employment

PositionOrganisationFromTo
Lecturer (Educational Counselling)University of Southern Queensland2013

Expertise

Artificial Intelligence in Education

Assessment Design and Teacher Professional Judgement

Teacher Wellbeing

Initial Teacher Education

Social and Emotional Wellbeing in School Contexts

Teaching

EDC1001–Understanding Learner Development

ESP3100–Social and Emotional Well-being in Secondary Schools

EDM5001–Understanding Learners and Learning

EDU5325&EDU3325–Child Abuse and Neglect

EDU6113&EDU3335–Emotional Dysregulation

EDU6114-Counselling in Educational Contexts

Fields of Research

  • 390306. Secondary education
  • 390307. Teacher education and professional development of educators
  • 390402. Education assessment and evaluation
  • 390412. Teacher and student wellbeing

Professional Membership

Professional MembershipYear
Queensland College of Teachers
Australian Teacher Educators Association
Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association
Australian Association for Research in Education
STAR Scholars Network
BFET
USQ
2008
BEd
USQ
2009
MEd
USQ
2017
PhD
USQ
2024

Current Supervisions

Research TitleSupervisor TypeLevel of StudyCommenced
Forming child career self-concept through parent participation.Associate SupervisorDoctoral2025
General Practitioners in schools Pilot Program. How might this program change the health and educational engagement outcomes for First Nations students with cognitive disabilityPrincipal SupervisorDoctoral2025
Nothing for us, without us: An exploration of student voice and agency within school can¿t experiencesAssociate SupervisorMasters2025

Completed Supervisions

Research TitleSupervisor TypeLevel of StudyCompleted
Investigating UbD as a course design framework for educators to evidence pedagogical decision sin higher education.Associate SupervisorMasters2023
An Exploratory Case Study Investigating Offshore High School Teacher Perspectives of the Delivery of Transnational Curriculum in Senior YearsAssociate SupervisorMasters2023
Personal responsibility and the role of self-identity in adolescents: A female regional Queensland perspectiveAssociate SupervisorMasters2021
Item reviewedYear
Educational Research Review2023
Introduction to Teaching - Cengage2019
Assessment, Feedback and Reporting - Cengage2020
Child & Adolescent Development for Educators - Cengage2020
Learning to Teach in a New Era - Cambridge University Press2020
Science of Learning and Development in Education - Cambridge University Press2021
Australian Educational Researcher2022
Educational Research Review2021

Why so many new teachers feel unprepared – and what we can do about it

Brownlie, Nicole. 2025. "Why so many new teachers feel unprepared – and what we can do about it ." EduResearch Matters: A Voice for Australian Education Researchers.

Effective teacher-created summative assessment survey results

Brownlie, Nicole, Burke, Katie and van der Laan, Luke. 2023. Effective teacher-created summative assessment survey results. G407. University of Southern Queensland. https://doi.org/10.26192/yyvv9

Competence, confidence and opportunity of early career secondary teachers to create effective summative assessment

Brownlie, Nicole. 2023. Competence, confidence and opportunity of early career secondary teachers to create effective summative assessment. PhD by Publication Doctor of Philosophy. University of Southern Queensland. https://doi.org/10.26192/z61zv

Quality indicators of effective teacher-created summative assessment

Brownlie, Nicole, Burke, Katie and van der Laan, Luke. 2024. "Quality indicators of effective teacher-created summative assessment ." Quality Assurance in Education. 32 (1), pp. 30-45. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-04-2023-0062

Capacity and opportunity in creating effective summative assessment: The practice based perceptions of early career teachers in Queensland

Brownlie, Nicole, van der Laan, Luke and Burke, Katie. 2021. "Capacity and opportunity in creating effective summative assessment: The practice based perceptions of early career teachers in Queensland." 43rd Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia Annual Conference (HERDSA 2021). Brisbane, Australia 07 - 10 Jul 2021 Australia.

Capacity and opportunity in creating effective summative assessment: the the practice-based perceptions of early career teachers in Queensland

Brownlie, Nicole, Burke, Katie and van der Laan, Luke. 2021. "Capacity and opportunity in creating effective summative assessment: the the practice-based perceptions of early career teachers in Queensland." 43rd Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia Annual Conference (HERDSA 2021). Brisbane, Australia 07 - 10 Jul 2021 Australia.