Research Interests
Educational Psychology Educational Technology and Computing Higher Education PsychologyDr Samantha Newell
Lecturer
School of Psychology
College of Education, Behavioural and Social Sciences
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.
Dr Samantha Newell is a Senior Fellow of the HEA and a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at The University of Adelaide. Dr Newell is emerging as a leading voice in GenerativeAI in Higher Education, with publications co-authored with international AI scholars. Her recent national survey explores perceptions of GenerativeAI among Australian University students. Samantha also conducts research into the use of technology to foster rapport and enhance engagement in asynchronous environments. Her other published research explores ways to increase student voice, negotiation, and co-creation of the learning environment.
I am interested in improving practice in the field of psychology education, whilst engaging in SoTL more broadly. I was awarded the prize for best paper at the 2022 ASCILITE conference for my study that explored ways to build rapport in the online learning environment. My recent peer-reviewed publications showcase my dedication to deepening the understanding of the relationship between AI and academic integrity. I am engaged with various scholarly communities, including HERDSA, ASCILITE, and ISSOTL.
I am open to a range of research topics, but I predominately use qualitative methods in my research (including Reflexive Thematic Analysis, Qualitative Content Analysis, and Reflexive Content Analysis).
Potential students are welcome to negotiate a project that seeks to explore innovative practices for educators that design and teach intensive, online psychology courses.
Potential projects:
- Exploring innovative ways to develop a sense of community among students
- Practices that seek to increase engagement in asynchronous learning spaces (including alternatives to discussion boards)
- Explore ways to increase student negotiation and co-creation of the curriculum
- Innovative assessment practices that utilise AI as a pedagogical tool
I predominately utilise qualitative research methods, so these would form the methodological basis for any project that you wish to undertake.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 - ongoing | Lecturer | University of Adelaide |
| 2022 - 2022 | Course Coordinator | Monash University |
| 2020 - 2021 | Assistant Academic Lead (Academic Developer) for the ADEPT program | University of Adelaide |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Research Award | Best Conference Paper | ASCILITE | Australia | - |
| 2023 | Teaching Award | Australian Psychological Society National Early Career Teaching Award 2023 | Australian Psychological Society | Australia | - |
| 2020 | - | Psychology Programs Board | University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2020 | Teaching Award | Excellence in Tutoring Award | University of Adelaide | Australia | 500 |
| 2016 | Honour | Golden Key International Honour Society, University of Adelaide Chapter | University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2016 | Scholarship | Zonta Club of Adelaide Honours Scholarship | Zonta Club of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2015 | Award | Chancellor's Letter of Commendation | University of South Australia | Australia | - |
| 2015 | Teaching Award | South Australian Outstanding Science Educator prize | South Australian Science Teachers Association (SASTA) | Australia | - |
| 2014 | Award | Chancellor's Letters of Commendation | University of South Australia | Australia | - |
| 2013 | Award | University Merit Award | University of South Australia | Australia | - |
| 2012 | Award | University Merit Award | University of South Australia | Australia | - |
| 2012 | Honour | Golden Key International Honour Society, UniSA Chapter | University of South Australia | Australia | - |
| Language | Competency |
|---|---|
| Korean | Can read and understand spoken |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Puccini, O., & Newell, S. (2025). Exploring the experiences of social loafing in group work among online psychology students. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 22(4), 15 pages. |
| 2025 | Mills, J., Beynen, T., May, I. C. S., Fitzgerald, R., Hall, K. A., Lai, E., . . . Newell, S. (2025). Re-thinking SoTL for the Age of GenAI: Diffracted, Entangled, and Human. TEACHING & LEARNING INQUIRY-THE ISSOTL JOURNAL, 13, 19 pages. |
| 2025 | Newell, S. (2025). Don’t assess what you don’t teach: Scaffolding teamwork & oral presentation skills. HERDSA Connect. |
| 2025 | Gladwin, A., Newell, S., & Callaghan, P. (2025). Exploring student motivations and perceptions towards Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) systems: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 22(7), 19 pages. |
| 2025 | Newell, S. (2025). Employing the interactive oral to mitigate threats to academic integrity from ChatGPT. Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning In Psychology, 11(3), 527-536. Scopus11 |
| 2024 | Newell, S., & van Antwerpen, N. (2024). “Can we not do group stuff?”: Student insights on implementing co-creation in online intensive programs. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 21(2), 25 pages. Scopus2 WoS2 |
| 2024 | Kaur, T., & Newell, S. (2024). The silent struggle: Experiences of non-native English-speaking psychology students. Australian Journal of Psychology, 76(1), 2565-2568. Scopus3 WoS3 |
| 2024 | Newell, S., & Sophie, D. (2024). The national student survey of GenerativeAI use among Australian university students: Preliminary findings. ASCILITE Publications. |
| 2024 | Newell, S., & Padvelskyte, S. (2024). Utilising asynchronous polling to widen participation and develop a sense of belonging in an online course. Advance HE’s Global Impact Grants, 2, 5-9. |
| 2023 | Newell, S. (2023). ChatGPT: The homework machine. HERDSA Connect, 45(1), 26. |
| 2022 | Pownall, M., Thompson, C., Blundell-Birtill, P., Newell, S. J., & Harris, R. (2022). Does “Psychological Literacy” Feature in Non-Psychology Degrees? A Cross-Discipline Study of Student Perceptions. Teaching of Psychology, 51(4), 009862832211302. Scopus3 WoS3 |
| 2022 | Newell, S., Chur-Hansen, A., & Strelan, P. (2022). A Revised Definition of Psychological Literacy: Multiple Stakeholder Perspectives. Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning In Psychology, 10(4), 578-590. Scopus12 |
| 2021 | Harris, R., Pownall, M., Thompson, C., Newell, S., & Blundell-Birtill, P. (2021). Students’ understanding of psychological literacy in the UK undergraduate curriculum. Psychology Teaching Review, 27(1), 56-68. |
| 2021 | Newell, S., Chur-Hansen, A., & Strelan, P. (2021). A Construct Validity Analysis of the Concept of Psychological Literacy. Australian Journal of Psychology, 73(4), 1-13. Scopus9 WoS4 |
| 2021 | Newell, S. (2021). Transitioning from study to work. Australian Psychological Society: Seven Days of Psychology. |
| 2020 | Newell, S., Chur-Hansen, A., & Strelan, P. (2020). A systematic narrative review of psychological literacy measurement. Australian Journal of Psychology, 72(2), 123-132. Scopus16 WoS12 |
| 2020 | Newell, S. (2020). Identity and roles within the PhD. The Journal of Academic Development and Education, 12, 4-5. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Newell, S., & Dahlenburg, S. (2024). The national student survey of GenerativeAI use among Australian university students: Preliminary findings. In Proceedings of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education Conference ASCILITE, 2024) (pp. 431-436). Melbourne, Australia: Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education. DOI |
| 2022 | Newell, S., & Adam, E. (2022). ‘We’ve become a little family now’: Maximising rapport in an accelerated, fully online learning environment.. In S. Wilson, N. Arthars, D. Wardack, P. Yeoman, E. Kalman, & D. Y. T. Liu (Eds.), Reconnecting relationships through technology: Proceedings of the 39th International Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE) 2022 Vol. 2022 (pp. 48-55). Online: ustralasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education. DOI |
| 2019 | Newell, S., Chur-Hansen, A., & Strelan, P. (2019). A methodological review of psychological literacy measurement. In Australian Psychology Learning and Teaching (AusPLaT) Conference 2019 proceedings. East Melbourne, Australia. |
| 2019 | Newell, S. (2019). Psychological Literacy: A Construct Validity Analysis. In https://www.esplat.org/_files/ugd/bd33d7_faced9d78b9245aabea86d0de8de0899.pdf. https://www.esplat.org/esplat-2019: ESPLAT. |
| - | Newell, S., & Adam, E. (2022). ‘We’ve become a little family now’: Maximising rapport in an accelerated, fully online learning environment. In ASCILITE Publications (pp. e22063). Open Access Publishing Association. DOI |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Newell, S. (2019). 21st Century Learning Environments: LLLP Position Paper 2019. |
2024 ACEN WIL Research Grant
2024 HERDSA Early Career Conference Grant
2024 Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences Early Grant Award: Perceptions and use of GenerativeAI among Higher Education undergraduate students
2024 AdvanceHE Global Impact Grant: Utilising asynchronous polling to widen participation and develop a sense of belonging in an online course
2024 Adelaide Education Academy, Learning and Teaching Advancement Grant: Making internships accessible: Exploring the value of individualised flexibility for psychology students experiencing competing demands
2024 Adelaide Education Academy, Learning and Teaching Advancement Grant: Task allocation and the development of interpersonal skills in online group work
2023 APS Teaching Award (Australian Psychological Society)
2023 Echo360 Innovation Grant recipient
2022 ASCILITE Award for Best Conference Paper
2018 ASCILITE Bursary for Educational Technology Research
2016 Zonta Club Honours Scholarship
2023 APS Teaching Award (Australian Psychological Society)
Member, Adelaide Education Academy and Adelaide College of Reviewers.
I am a Senior Lecturer and Senior HEA Fellow in the School of Psychology (at The University of Adelaide). I undertake a range of teaching and research activities, including the supervision of Honours students, Course Coordinator for the Graduate Diploma in Psychology, member of the Adelaide Education Academy, and a member of the Diversity and Inclusion in Teaching committee. I am interested in improving practice in the field of psychology education, whilst engaging in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning more broadly.
I am eligible to act as primary and co-supervisor for PhD and Masters students. I am open to a range of research topics, but I predominately use qualitative methods in my research (including Reflexive Thematic Analysis, Qualitative Content Analysis, and Reflexive Content Analysis).
Potential students are welcome to negotiate a project that seeks to explore innovative practices for educators that design and teach intensive, online psychology courses.
Potential projects:
- Exploring innovative ways to develop a sense of community among students
- Practices that seek to increase engagement in asynchronous learning spaces (including alternatives to discussion boards)
- Explore ways to increase student negotiation and co-creation of the curriculum
- Innovative assessment practices that utilise AI as a pedagogical tool
I predominately utilise qualitative research methods, so these would form the methodological basis for any project that you wish to undertake.
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Perceptions of Qualitative Research in Psychology | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Juliana Wu |
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Perceptions of Qualitative Research in Psychology | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Juliana Wu |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Location | Program | Supervision Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | Principal Supervisor | Exploring student motivations and perceptions towards Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) systems | The University of Adelaide | - | Honours | Full Time | Alivia Gladwin |
| 2024 - ongoing | Principal Supervisor | Exploring the experiences of social loafing in group work among online psychology students. | The University of Adelaide | - | Honours | Full Time | Olivia Puccini |
| 2023 - 2023 | Principal Supervisor | The Silent Struggle: Experiences of Non-native English-Speaking Psychology Students | The University of Adelaide | - | Honours | - | Tarandeep Kaur |
| Date | Role | Board name | Institution name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 - 2020 | Representative | Psychology Programs Board | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2013 - 2014 | Director | Psychology Students' Association | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| Date | Role | Committee | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | Member | Learning and Teaching Committee (School of Psychology) | The University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2023 - ongoing | Member | Diversity and Inclusion in Teaching Committee | The University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2020 - ongoing | Representative | School of Psychology Committee | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2019 - ongoing | Co-Chair | ADEPT Community of Practice | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2018 - ongoing | Member | eLearning Community of Practice | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2016 - 2016 | Chair | Student-Staff Consultative Committee | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 - ongoing | Member | Adelaide Education Academy | Australia |
| Date | Title | Engagement Type | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | Mentors Breakfast | Public Community Engagement | Kildare College | - |
| 2024 - ongoing | PSA Careers Night - invited speaker | Public Community Engagement | The University of Adelaide | - |
| 2024 - ongoing | 2023 Year 12 Psychology Merit Awards | Public Community Engagement | Australian Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools | Australia |
| 2023 - 2023 | HERDSA OESIG Events Lead | Scientific Community Engagement | HERDSA | - |
| 2014 - 2015 | Social Skills and Resilience Group Programs Co-Facilitator/Program Development | Scientific Community Engagement | Praesidium Psychological Services | Australia |
| Date | Role | Editorial Board Name | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - ongoing | Consulting Editor | Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology | APA | United States |
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