Wendy Palmer, Director
Wendy Palmer is a senior executive with over 30 years of experience in both corporate and academic environments, specialising in the design and implementation of innovative learning strategies. Her expertise lies in crafting solutions for complex higher education and industry settings, where the boundaries between formal and informal learning are increasingly blurred. Wendy’s ability to adapt to disruption has positioned her as a leader in delivering solutions that meet the evolving needs of learners and industry.
Throughout her career, Wendy has led large-scale, organisation-wide transformations by fostering collaboration and innovation. She has pioneered groundbreaking approaches in digital learning, microcredentials, and intertwined learning and career pathways. From 2018 to 2024, Wendy led Deakin University’s Global Studio, a strategic innovation team focused on emerging education models and markets. Under her leadership, Deakin partnered with FutureLearn to become the first university to offer full degrees on an open online platform. This initiative attracted over 650,000 learners globally, driving Deakin to rank 8th in the world on MOOCLab in 2019 and 2020.
In 2021, Wendy was appointed to lead a three-year project to integrate short-form learning into university policy, processes, and curriculum. This project resulted in the creation of over 35 stackable, credit-bearing microcredentials that provide both standalone learning opportunities and pathways into degree programs, positioning Deakin as a leader in lifelong learning.
Affiliations
Australasian Microcredential Network – Cofounder
Victorian Micro-Credentials Community of Practice – Cofounder
Queensland Cross Sector microcredential working party – Member
ATN+ Microcredentials Community of Practice and working group – Member
“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”
Socrates
Professional Engagements
Upcoming – July 2025 – The Badge Summit, Boulder, Colorado
Presentation – Navigating the Messy Middle: Overcoming Challenges in Digital Credential Innovation
Upcoming – June 2025 – The Warsaw Microcredential Summit, Warsaw, Poland
Presentation – Between Innovation and Integration: Microcredentials in the Australian Policy Landscape
Presentation – Visible Skills, Valuable Signals: Microcredentials for Learners and Labour Markets
Upcoming – June 2025 – EDUTechAU, Sydney Australia
Presentation – Proof of progress: Unlocking potential with digital evidence
March 2025 – 1EdTech Digital Credentials Summit, Phoenix, Arizona
Workshop – Unlock the Power of Microcredentials: Sustainable and scalable models
February 2025 – CredX, Vancouver, Canada
Presentation – The Messy Middle: Lessons from the Australian context
November 2024 – Workshop hosted by AMCN and Engineers Education Australia
Facilitator – Microcredentials – Cross-Sector Partnerships: Opportunities and Obstacles
November 2024 – Microcredential Bootcamp: Sustainable and Scalable Models
One day public workshop, Brisbane, Australia
November 2024 – ePIC Open Recognition 2024, Paris
Presentation – Lessons from Australia’s National Microcredential Framework
September 2024 – The PIEoneer Awards 2024, London
International Judge
August 2024 – Workshop hosted by the QLD Cross Sector Working Party, Brisbane
Facilitator – Microcredentials – The Opportunities in the Obstacles
August 2024 – FutureLearn APAC Forum, Brisbane
Workshop session – Thinking big about microcredentials
March 2024 – 1EdTech Digital Credentials Summit, New Orleans, Louisiana
Presentation – Implementing a Uni wide Digital Credential Taxonomy – Highs and Lows
August 2023 – Melbourne EdTech Week, Melbourne Australia
Panelist – Online Delivery to Meet the Needs of the Global Learner
July 2023 – The PIE Live Australia, Gold Coast, Australia
Panelist – Delivery of radical education
March 2023 – Digital Credentials Summit, Austin, Texas
Presentation – Stackable Microcredentials with Industry Partners
September 2022 – D2L Round Table, Melbourne, Australia
Speaker – Future of Microcredentials
August 2022 – EduGrowth, Melbourne, Australia
Panelist – Digital Transformation and the Third Sector
May 2019 – Online & e-learning Summit, Melbourne, Australia
Presentation – Delivering Post Graduate Degrees Online – an Introduction to Deakin Degrees at Future Learn
Jan 2019 – LearnIT , London UK
Panel Chair – Learner Centred Digital Environments
April 2018 – FutureLearn US Partner Forum, Purdue University Indiana
Presentation – Impacts of globalisation on online learningthe digital world
