Dr Dan Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards, BA (Hons), PhD Monash, is Head of ACER's Education Research, Policy & Development Division. Dr Edwards is responsible for coordinating ACER’s education research programs, covering early childhood to vocational and professional education and training. He leads a department of researchers with a wide range of expertise in policy research, assessments and surveys.

 

Dr Edwards has been a member of the ACER Board of Directors (2017-2022), a member of the Australian Government's Equity in Higher Education Panel (2018 to 2021), and is an Honorary Senior Fellow at the Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne.

 

Dr Edwards’ research encompasses a range of educational issues, with particular emphasis on higher education. He has a keen interest in all aspects of education policy and has explored issues relating to graduate and alumni outcomes, supply of and demand for higher education, student achievement, student aspirations and pathways, selection policies for entrance to university, assessment development and educational ‘choice’ theories. He also has experience researching wider social issues regarding social stratification and demographic change. Dr Edwards’ PhD thesis, completed in 2007, explored the increasing competition in the school education market in Victoria and the influence of this competition on pathways to university.

 

As Facility Manager for the DFAT Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility, Dan led a research facility designed to collect, analyse and disseminate insight into the outcomes of Alumni from the Australia Awards and similar Australian Government scholarships. He has also led numerous large projects in higher education designed to enhance policy development such as National Project Management of AHELO in Australia, the National Research Student Survey, the Japanese University Experience Survey, the Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration, a stocktake of Work Integrated Learning in STEM, the development of the AHELO Contextual Dimension, research and advice to the Victorian Higher Education Expert Panel and analysis and modelling of supply and demand for researchers in Australia.