Sarah Hattam

APrf Sarah Hattam

Director, Domestic Pathways

AU Pathways and Participation

Academic

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Available For Media Comment.

An accomplished academic leader with extensive experience in higher education, I have consistently driven strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing student access, equity, and teaching quality. With $639, 659 in funding grants, I have led and collaborated with key researchers, partner organizations, and schools to drive impactful research that enhances enabling programs and educational practices. My leadership roles at UniSA have included overseeing program development and restructuring, co-leading initiatives to promote inclusive pedagogies, and fostering academic research excellence. I have successfully led cross-functional teams in the development of new programs, the establishment of research networks, and the implementation of professional development initiatives for staff. With a passion for empowering underrepresented groups and a track record of delivering impactful, evidence-based strategies, I am committed to advancing higher education outcomes and fostering an inclusive academic environment. 

Launched Higher Education Research Network (HERN) 

The objectives of the UniSA Higher Education Research Group (HERN) is to make visible Higher Education research as a discipline area of excellence at UniSA nationally and internationally. We sustain a group of 129 Higher Education researchers across disciplines to forge local networks and advance high quality Higher Education research across the university and with stakeholders, national and international partners and collaborators.We facilitate Higher Education Early Career Researcher (ECR) mentorship as well asprovide advice to relevant bodies on higher education practice and policy. Our aim is to advance understanding and application of socially just and equitable practices in HE and foster research at the cutting-edge in digital learning in Higher Education (Co-Directors As Prof Negin Mirriahi, As Prof Chris Deneen & As Prof Sarah Hattam). 

Recently Published

Book

Hattam, S., Hattam, R., Weiler, T. & King, S., (eds) (2024) Enabling pedagogy and action research in Higher Education, DOI Publishers. 

Journal articles

Weiler, T., Hattam, S. Resisting the neo-liberalising of universities through continuous professional development: The unexpected impact on educator wellbeing in an enabling program. Aust. Educ. Res. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-025-00850-4

Shannon, B., Mansfield, M., Hattam, S. et al. ‘Do I have to go through all of that again?’ Class and rurality as barriers in the higher education pathways of queer students. Aust. Educ. Res. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-025-00879-5

Davis, C., Cook, C., Syme, S., Dempster, S., Duffy, L., Hattam, S., Lambrinidis, G., Lawson, K., & Levy, S. (2023). Benchmarking Australian enabling programs for a national framework of standards: A practice report. Student Success, 14(2), 41-49. (Q1).

Projects - current

2024-Current - Building student’s perceptions of preparedness, capability, confidence and belonging in Higher (Co-investigators As Prof Sarah Hattam, Dr Tanya Weiler, Dr Alice Betteridge, Dr Natasha Wilson, Tristan King, Dr Nazz Oldham, Myfanway Tilley) 

2023 – Current Student diversity and LGBTIQA+ pathways through tertiary enabling programs (Co-investigators Dr Barrie Shannon (UniSA), Dr Michelle Mansfield & Dr Zoe Griffiths, University of Newcastle, Sarah Hattam)

Year Citation
2025 Weiler, T., & Hattam, S. (2025). Resisting the neo-liberalising of universities through continuous professional development: the unexpected impact on educator wellbeing in an enabling program. Australian Educational Researcher, online(5), 1-24.
DOI
2025 Shannon, B., Mansfield, M., Hattam, S., & Griffiths, Z. (2025). 'Do I have to go through all of that again?' Class and rurality as barriers in the higher education pathways of queer students. The Australian Educational Researcher, online(5), 1-19.
DOI
2024 Hattam, S. K., & Weiler, T. (2024). Reframing the 'illegitimate' academic: the critical role of professional development for sessional staff. Teaching in Higher Education, 29(4), 1023-1041.
DOI Scopus12
2024 Bills, A., Howard, N., & Hattam, S. (2024). Problematising "World Class" public education policy in South Australia: Insights for education policy makers. Journal of Educational Leadership, Policy and Practice, 38(1), 22-45.
DOI
2023 Davis, C., Cook, C., Syme, S., Dempster, S., Duffy, L., Hattam, S., . . . Levy, S. (2023). Benchmarking Australian enabling programs for a National Framework of Standards. Student Success, 14(2), 41-49.
DOI Scopus2
2021 Hattam, S. K., & Weiler, T. (2021). 'Every single student counts': leadership of professional development underpinned by social justice for sessional staff in a South Australian university. Professional Development in Education, 47(1), 128-140.
DOI Scopus8
2019 Bilic, S., & Hattam, S. K. (2019). 'I can be powerful as an individual agent': Experiences of recently homeless women in an enabling program, transformative pedagogies and spaces of empowerment in higher education. International studies in widening participation, 6(1), 65-79.
2018 Hattam, S., Stokes, J., & Ulpen, T. (2018). Should I stay or should I go? Understanding student subjectivity, institutional discourse, and the role enabling academics can play in empowering students within the system. International journal of educational organization and leadership, 25(1-2), 1-14.
DOI Scopus4

Year Citation
2025 Hetz, H., & Hattam, S. (2025). Using the H5P interactive tool to teach critical thinking and text analysis skills to online students. In M. Jarldorn, & C. Hudson (Eds.), Source details - Title: Tutorial Ideas for Educators on The Run: Innovative and Engaging Teaching Activities (pp. 167-176). Singapore: Springer Nature Link.
DOI
2024 Hattam, S., Weiler, T., & King, S. (2024). Enabling pedagogy and critical teaching approaches in diverse learning contexts. In Source details - Title: Teaching to Transform Learning: Pedagogies for Inclusive, Responsive and Socially Just Education (pp. 92-104). UK: Cambridge University Press.
DOI
2024 Hattam, S., Marsh, P., & Ovsienko, H. (2024). Making lifeworld connections through critical pedagogies. In D. Green, & D. Price (Eds.), Source details - Title: Teaching to Transform Learning: Pedagogies for Inclusive, Responsive and Socially Just Education (pp. 30-41). UK: Cambridge University Press.
DOI
2024 Hattam, S., Hattam, R., Weiler, T., King, S., Abi Abdallah, M., Bilic, S., . . . Wilson, N. (2024). Toward a theory of critical enabling pedagogy for Australian higher education. In S. Hattam, R. Hattam, T. Weiler, & S. King (Eds.), Source details - Title: Enabling pedagogy and action research in higher education (pp. 285-317). US: DIO Press Inc.
2024 Hattam, S. (2024). Apathy, boredom or misunderstood? Engaging students in the politics of language and the language of politics in a critical literacy course. In S. Hattam, R. Hattam, T. Weiler, & S. King (Eds.), Source details - Title: Enabling pedagogy and action research for Higher Education in Australia (pp. 41-66). US: DIO Press.
2024 Hattam, S., Weiler, T., Hattam, R., & King, S. (2024). Working on enabling pedagogies at UniSA College: hopeful ideas. In S. Hattam, R. Hattam, T. Weiler, & S. King (Eds.), Source details - Title: Enabling pedagogy and action research for Higher Education in Australia (pp. 1-40). US: DIO Press.
2019 Hattam, S., & Stokes, J. (2019). Liberation and connection: fostering critical students as active agents of their own learning. In A. Jones, A. Olds, & J. G. Lisciandro (Eds.), Source details - Title: Transitioning students into higher education: philosophy, pedagogy and practice (pp. 45-53). UK: Routledge.
DOI
2014 Hattam, S., & Stokes, J. (2014). Critical thinking: argument, logic and persuasion. In D. Carroll (Ed.), Source details - Title: Skills for academic and career success (pp. 72-97). Australia: Pearson Australia.

Courses I teach

  • EDUC 1119 UO Foundations of Academic Literacy (2025)
  • SCEDC 90043 Understanding Generation Z SC (2025)
  • SCUCO 90003 Research in the Social Sciences SC (2025)
  • EDUC 1114 Developing Academic Skills (2024)
  • LANG 1068 Critical Thinking: Media and Academia (2024)
  • SCUCO 90001 Introduction to Global Issues and Identities SC (2024)

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2025 Co-Supervisor - Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Ben Archer
2024 Co-Supervisor - Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Phoebe Lake
2024 Co-Supervisor - Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Katerina Schmitt
2021 Co-Supervisor - - Doctorate Full Time Ms Tanya Marie Tedesco-Malone

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