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MrsJillian Brandsema

Lecturer in Design & Technology

Education

Orcid identifier0000-0002-1965-2047 (opens in a new tab)⁠
  • Lecturer in Design & Technology
    Education
  • +61 3 (Fax)
  • +61 3 6430 4945 (Work)
  • Faculty of Education, Education, Level 2 Field Building, Cradle Coast Campus, TAS

RESEARCH SUMMARy

Expertise
Using quantitative and qualitative research methodologies Jillian’s current research is investigating the motivational drivers of women entrepreneurs in the Cradle Coast Region of Tasmania. Community connections have allowed Jillian to recruit suitable participants for this project from a broad range of industries and backgrounds. Jillian’s research endeavours to explore the motivations that drive these diverse women entrepreneurs who reside in the Cradle Coast Region adding economic value and creativity to the local community.

Areas of research interest:

Women entrepreneurs
Drivers and motivations – Pull/Push Theory
Design and Technology pedagogy and practice
Female aspirations

Collaboration
Working in collaboration with university colleagues Jillian helped to facilitate an investigation into female secondary school students’ knowledge and perceptions of computer science and their career aspirations. Pilot workshops were held at partnership schools and facilitated by experts from the Girls’ Programming Network. These successful pilot workshops lead to a successful funding grant from the Tasmanian Community Fund to assist in establishing the Girls’ Programming Network in North-West Tasmania.

‘Living Cultures’ workshop for Children’s University students using The Orb multimedia resource, created by the Tasmanian Department of Education Aboriginal Services, was facilitated by Jillian and university colleagues at the Cradle Coast Campus in Burnie. The purpose of the workshop was to guide pre-service teachers, and Year 11 and 12 students aspiring to be teachers, to plan and deliver the workshops. The research team investigated the pre-service teachers’ prior and post understanding and confidence in teaching Tasmanian Aboriginal culture, based on their experiences with the workshops and The Orb resource.

Current projects
NW Tasmania Girls Programming Network (2020 - 2021)

Fields of Research
Continuing and community education (390301)
Educational technology and computing (390405)

Research Objectives
Other education and training (169999)
Gender aspects in education (160202)

FUNDED PROJECTS

  • CONSULTANCY/CONTRACT RESEARCH
    NW Tasmania Girls Programming Network
    ZONTA CLUB OF CRADLE COAST INC1 Jan 2020 - 31 Mar 2024
    People funded by this grant:
    • Richey S,
    • Brandsema J
    Project Total: $10,382; The Girls' Programming Network (GPN) is a program which offers free, female-only programming workshops to adolescent girls. We are going to establish the first Tasmanian node of the Girls' Programming Network in the North West of Tasmania, a regional area which is situated in the poorest federal electorate of Braddon. Adolescent girls in this area are rural and regional students, and as such there is often a lack of educational services and opportunities. With a large portion of the region being of low socioeconomic status it is important to offer individualised training to improve attitudes and aspirations through learning opportunities. Providing attainable challenges in free programming workshops will empower young women and give them confidence that they can succeed in this area. Inclusivity and diversity are core values of the GPN, providing support in a safe and welcoming environment where new skills are learnt and new friends are made. Participation can also make them aware of the possibility of further programming experiences and career pathways. Research will investigate participants' experiences in the workshops and their perceptions of computer science. It will also track their participation in each workshop and aim to identify what impact learning programming and meeting role models in the industry has on their self-empowerment, confidence and aspirations. Funded by: ZONTA CLUB OF CRADLE COAST INC ($10,382); University of Tasmania.
  • UTAS INTERNAL FUNDING
    Girls Inspiring Girls Genuine Learning of Encoding Systems (GIGGLES)
    University of Tasmania13 Nov 2018 - 10 Jun 2019
    People funded by this grant:
    • Richey S,
    • Hawkins C,
    • Brandsema J,
    • Ringland N
    Project Total: $1,974; The proposed event will be a collaborative approach between the University of Tasmania ( Dr Stephanie Clayton, Dr Cherie Hawkins and Jillian Brandsema) and the University of Sydney (Dr Nicky Ringland) to hold a computer science workshop with the aim to engage young highschool aged females on the North West Coast in the prospective opportunities and career pathways in the computer science industry. This full day workshop will be facilitated by Dr. Nicky Ringland (with assistance from UTAS) who is a computing education specialist and the co-founder of Girls' Programming Network. Two workshops will be offered in the first week of September, each having a participant number of approximately 20 places. Students will be facilitated through the fun hands-on workshop by giving them the opportunity to learn and trial coding practices that can then be demonstrated in practical applications. No previous knowledge will be required to attend the workshop. The point of difference of these workshops is the focus on the girls leaving with greater knowledge of digital technology, a can-do attitude and a completed product that they have created. The workshop will provide the participants with the opportunity to explore specialised digital technology equipment within the CollabLab at the UTAS Cradle Coast Campus. Funded by: University of Tasmania; University of Tasmania.