Matt Bower

Matt Bower is a professor in the School of Education at Macquarie University, who specialises in the innovative use of technology for learning purposes. He is particularly interested in how contemporary technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, augmented reality, web-based tools, virtual worlds, social networking, immersive virtual reality 3D design & printing software and so on can be most effectively used to support cognitive development and collaborative learning. Matt has over 120 peer reviewed publications in the area of technology-enhanced learning design, teacher education, and computing education that have been cited over 11,000 times according to Google Scholar. He has led over thirty funded grant projects and participated in many other research initiatives (total funding exceeds $3M). Matt is rated in the top 1% of educational researchers according to the Stanford Elsevier top scientists list. Matt contributed to the design of the Australian Framework for Generative AI in Schools, and currently leads the Research on AI in School Education (RAISE) Lab at Macquarie University.

Matt is a passionate educator who leads the educational technology teacher education subjects at Macquarie University. In 2021 he was one of four recipients of an Australian Award for University Teaching Excellence, and has received several other national and institutional teaching awards. His book “Design of technology-enhanced learning - integrating research and practice” won the 2018 Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) Design and Development Outstanding Book Award. More recently, he led a 45 member team of academics on the edited book Creative Technologies Education - Students as Digital Designers. Based on his educational expertise, Matt was invited to chair Macquarie University's Senate Learning and Teaching Committee, serving from 2021-2024.

Matt was also the inaugural chair of the Australian Technologies Teacher Educators Network (ATTEN) from 2019-2024. Matt has also been heavily engaged with government and policymaking, serving as the Australian Council of Deans of Education (ACDE) representative on the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) Technologies Panel, as well as serving on a number of panels for the NSW Educational Standards Authority (NESA). Matt specialises in learning innovation research partnerships with industry enterprises and the education sector (e.g. schools, universities, training and education technology companies). He has delivered numerous keynote and invited speaker presentations on topics such as artificial intelligence in education, augmented reality, blended-synchronous learning and learning design.