Tamra is a Senior Lecturer at Adelaide University Pathways College, where she supports students’ development of English language and academic literacies, coordinating Language and Literacy for Effective Communication (COMM 1035) and Critical Thinking: Media and Academia (COMM 1032).
 
Tamra is an award-winning educator. She is the recipient of a 2020 Australian Award for University Teaching and a 2019 UniSA Teaching Citation for her leadership in enhancing support provisions to meet the academic language and literacy learning needs of non-English Speaking Background (NESB) students. Further, Tamra, with colleagues Anthea Fudge and Snjezana Bilic, received a 2019 Australian Award for University Teaching and a 2018 UniSA Teaching Citation for leadership in supporting students’ learning of academic integrity.
 
She believes in the use of critical pedagogies to motivate and engage students from various equity groups to achieve their potential. Tamra has published and presented nationally and internationally on the themes of policy and enabling programs. In recent years, her research has focused on how dialogic pedagogy can foster students’ development of critical AI literacies and how students can make informed decisions about their use of Generative AI (Gen AI) without compromising their learning process.
 
Tamra is also a PhD candidate investigating how Gen AI is shaping academic writing practices for culturally and linguistically diverse students in Australian university Enabling Pathway Programs. This research examines how students’ cultural and linguistic diversity influences their interactions with Gen AI, and the challenges and opportunities that emerge in AI-mediated academic writing.
 
Tamra has extensive experience as an Academic Integrity Officer for 14 years at the University of South Australia. In 2020, she was the lead Academic Integrity Officer for the university, providing expertise and support for academic integrity across the university to ensure consistent and appropriate application of academic integrity policy and procedure. This work has included advising staff on how to consider assessment and curriculum design in light of the impact of Gen AI.
 
In 2016, Tamra created and led the implementation of the online literacy diagnostic which has been used to assess the language level of college students pre-enrolment and was later developed into the Academic Success Literacy Assessment tool for commencing students at UniSA. The diagnostic has been instrumental in advising students to enrol in the language and literacy course which best suits their learning needs.  
 
Tamra’s interest in second language learning and teaching began when she was studying a BA in Asian Studies majoring in Japanese at Adelaide University. She felt encouraged to further explore this interest in future employment and research. In 2002, she was accepted into the JET (Japan Exchange Teacher’s) Programme. She worked in Japan for 2 years as an Assistant English Language Teacher and Coordinator for International Relations for the Isehara Board of Education in Kanagawa Prefecture. Upon her return to Australia she decided to utilise herJapanese language skills in a new field of work- Tourism and Hospitality and was employed as the Japanese Guest Liaison Officer and as a Sales and Marketing Coordinator for Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast. In 2006, she returned to education in a dual position as an ESL instructor and the Activities Officer for the Griffith English Language Institute at Griffith University, Gold Coast. This sparked her interest in language learning once again, and was the catalyst in commencing a Master’s Degree in Applied Linguistics (completed in 2009). In 2008, she returned to Adelaide and continued her career in (ELICOS) - English language courses for overseas students at the Centre of English Language at the University Of South Australia (CELUSA). During this time she made significant contributions to curriculum with the development of course books and was a member of the Assessment Vetting Committee. In 2011, she was employed at UniSA College as course coordinator of English Language Studies (LANG 46) and designed a study program to support the cohort of college students from non- English speaking backgrounds. Tamra is one of the three original UniSA College teaching academics and has a strong presence in the college community.