School of Education

Dr Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is the Learning Area Coordinator for Food and Materials Technologies: Home Economics in the School of Education.

Background

Sandy is the Coordinator of Food and Materials: Home Economics, with extensive curriculum and teaching experience related to this subject, including associated Technologies units throughout Western Australia. Sandy has previously executed professional development sessions for teachers in Home Economics and Technologies Learning Areas for Schools, Sectors, Curriculum Council, HEIAWA and ECU, including metropolitan and regional areas of WA.

Sandy works with the International Federation of Home Economics (IFHE) and since 2024 she has been on the IFHE Executive Committee, as a representative of the Pacific Region and a member of the IFHE Education Standing Committee. Sandy is a past president of the Home Economics Institute of Australia, WA (HEIAWA) division in 2020, and five years previously worked as an Executive member for HEIAWA.

Current Teaching

Teaching:

• PPA1270: First Professional Experience
• EDU1010: Becoming a Teacher (Food and Materials Technologies: Home Economics tutorials)
• CUR3211: Integrating Curriculum with practice (Food and Materials Technologies: Home Economics)
• PPA4311: Assistant Teacher Program (Food and Materials Technologies: Home Economics)
• CUR4210: Curriculum Enrichment for the Major Secondary Specialisation (Food and Materials Technologies: Home Economics)
• CUR6210: Curriculum Enrichment for the Major Secondary Specialisation (Food and Materials Technologies: Home Economics)

Unit Coordinator:

• HOS2500: Food Service Management
• CSC3275: Textiles and Clothing 2
• FME2107: Fashion and Materials

Both Teaching and Coordinating:

• CSC1175: Textiles and Clothing 1
• FME2312: Home Economics Curriculum 1
• FME2313: Home Economics Curriculum 2
• FME2113: Food Knowledge and Appreciation
• FME6711: Home Economics Education Specialisation
• FME6712: Secondary Home Economics Education

Professional associations

• 2026: School Curriculum and Standards Authority Technologies years 7-10 Curriculum Advisory Committee Chair
• 2025 - Present: HEIAWA Advocacy Committee - Chair
• 2024 - 2026: International Federation of Home Economics Executive Committee member and
  Pacific Region Liaison Representative
• 2023 - 2026: International Federation of Home Economics (IFHE) member
• 2015 - Present: Home Economics Institute of Australia (HEIA) member

Awards and recognition

National and International Awards

• 2025: Certificate of Recognition for 10 years of dedicated service and commitment to the School of Education, Edith Cowan University
• 2024: HEIAWA scholarship to attend national HEIA conference.
• 2023 and 2024: King and Amy O’Malley Trust post graduate part-time recipient.
• 2021: School of Education Research Award (ECU): Best collaboration across disciplines, joint winner with Dr Donna Barwood and Dr Julie Boston

Research areas and interests

• Food and Materials Technologies: Home Economics
• Curriculum and Pedagogy

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy, Edith Cowan University, 2024.
• Master of Research Practice, Edith Cowan University, 2020.
• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, TAFE WA, 2011.
• Cert III in Commercial Cookery, TAFE WA, 1999.
• Graduate Diploma of Education, Western Australian CAE, 1989.
• Bachelor of Applied Science Home Economics, Curtin University of Technology, 1988.

Research Outputs

Research Projects

• Transformational games: A way to engage adolescents in nutrition education? , Healthway (WA Health Promotion Foundation), Health Promotion Research - Exploratory Research Grants, 2016 ‑ 2018, $56,634.