School of Education

Dr Carol Puddicombe

Carol is a Lecturer and the Design & Technology Secondary Education Coordinator in the School of Education.

Background

Carol also serves as Course Coordinator of the Graduate Certificate (Industry) with a focus on Design & Technology, providing leadership across undergraduate and postgraduate initial teacher education programs. She has had an extensive career in the Technologies area, spanning education, curriculum leadership, and the ICT industry. She worked in the ICT sector from 1987 to 2000 in London, Sydney, and Ottawa before transitioning into education. She completed her Diploma of Education (Technology Education) in 2001. In 2004, Carol was appointed Head of Technologies at an independent boys’ secondary school, a role she held until 2018. During this period, she led curriculum renewal aligned to state and national requirements, managed staff and faculty resources, and embedded digital technologies, including CAD/CAM, within teaching programs. Alongside her leadership role, Carol completed a Master of Arts, a Master of Education, and commenced her doctoral studies.

Carol completed her PhD at Edith Cowan University in 2025, with research examining the experiences, motivations, and beliefs of pre-service Design & Technology teachers in Western Australia. She has published in the field of Technologies education, including recent Routledge book chapters on students as designers and makers, digital design and fabrication, and technology teacher education. She has presented her research at both national and international conferences. Carol has worked extensively on a contract basis for the Schools Curriculum and Standards Authority in a range of roles, including Chief Examiner for ATAR examinations. Since 2019, she has worked closely with Design & Technology Pre-Service Teachers at ECU, supporting their professional learning and encouraging critical engagement with curriculum, assessment, and classroom practice.

Carol teaches across both undergraduate and postgraduate initial teacher education programs. She oversees the Design & Technology education specialisation and supports Pre-Service Teachers to engage with contemporary curriculum and pedagogies that integrate design-focused thinking with the designing and making of prototypes or artefacts. As Course Co-ordinator of the Graduate Certificate (Industry), she works with students from diverse professional pathways transitioning into Design & Technology education.

Professional associations

• Board Member, Kinross College
• Associate Editor, Australian Journal of Teacher Education
• Reviewer, American Journal of STEM Education
• Registered Teacher, Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia
• Member, Year 7–10 Technologies Education Course Advisory Committee

Awards and recognition

• 2023: Susan Holland Scholarship Award Winner
• 2005 & 2006: Finalist, Telstra Business Women Awards
• 2006 – present: Listed in Who’s Who of Australian Women

Research areas and interests

• Design & Technology education across early childhood, primary, secondary, and tertiary contexts
• ICT and digital technologies education
• Pre-service and in-service teacher education in Technologies
• Curriculum design, reform, and implementation in Technologies education
• Gender, participation, and diversity in Design & Technology education
• Design-based, hands-on, and maker-oriented pedagogies
• Digital design, fabrication, and emerging technologies in education

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy, Edith Cowan University, 2025.
• Master of Education, Macquarie University, 2016.
• Master of Arts, Macquarie University, 2011.
• Graduate Diploma of Education(Secondary), Edith Cowan University, 2001.
• Bachelor of Arts, The University of Western Australia, 1988.

Research Outputs