Research

My research in this area investigates how to effectively design and evaluate professional learning programs that support K-12 teachers in teaching the Australian Digital Technologies Curriculum, with a focus on computer coding and computational thinking.

Some of my publications in this area include:

• Hickmott, D. (2020). A study of a professional learning program for primary school teachers implementing the New South Wales science and technology syllabus (Doctoral dissertation, University of Newcastle). (View on OpenResearch Website)
• Hickmott, D., & Prieto-Rodriguez, E. (2018). To assess or not to assess: Tensions negotiated in six years of teaching teachers about computational thinking. Informatics in Education, 17(2), 229–244. (View on Informatics in Education Website)
• Hickmott, D., & Prieto-Rodriguez, E. (2018, August). Constructionist experiences in teacher professional development: A tale of five years. Paper presented at Constructionism 2018, Vilnius, Lithuania. (View on Constructionism 2018 Website)

I have investigated pedagogical strategies and curriculum design for integrating computational thinking and coding concepts within subject areas, including Mathematics and Science.

Some of my publications in this area include:

• Hickmott, D. (2020). A study of a professional learning program for primary school teachers implementing the New South Wales science and technology syllabus (Doctoral dissertation, University of Newcastle). (View on OpenResearch Website)
• Hickmott, D., Prieto-Rodriguez, E., & Holmes, K. (2018). A scoping review of studies on computational thinking in K-12 mathematics classrooms. Digital Experiences in Mathematics Education, 4, 48–69. (View on SpringerLink Website)

I have designed and created prototypes of Learning Analytics Dashboards that support students' and teachers' agency. I have also conducted user studies with teachers and students to gather feedback on the prototypes and uncover insights that inform future dashboard design.

I have collected and analysed log data from educational software (mobile games and dashboards) to gather insights about student behavior and alignment with pedagogical intent.

Some of my publications in this area include:

• Hickmott, D., Goulding, J., Southgate, E., Rendoth, T., Spray, E., & Atherton, M. (2025, December). Exploring inclusivity, transparency, explainability and agency in learning analytics dashboard design. [Paper presentation]. ASCILITE 2025, Adelaide, Australia. (View on OpenPublishing Website)
• Smith, S. P., Hickmott, D., Southgate, E., Bille, R., & Stephens, L. (2016, September). Exploring play-learners' analytics in a serious game for literacy improvement. [Paper presentation]. Joint International Conference on Serious Games 2016 conference, Brisbane, Australia. (View on SpringerLink Website)

My work in serious games explores the development methodologies, cross-disciplinary challenges, and pedagogical impacts of educational mobile games.

Some of my publications in this area include:

• Hickmott, D., Smith, S. P., Bille, R., Burd, E., Stephens, L., & Southgate, E. (2016, February). Building apostrophe power: Lessons learnt for serious games development. [Paper presentation]. 2016 International Conference on Interactive Entertainment, Canberra, Australia. (View on ACM Digital Library)
• Smith, S. P., Hickmott, D., Bille, R., Burd, E., Southgate, E., & Stephens, L. (2015, December). Improving undergraduate soft skills using m-learning and serious games. [Paper presentation]. 2015 IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering (TALE), Zhuhai, China. (View on IEEE Xplore Website)