Your Guide to Wellbeing at University

Dr Gretchen Geng is a Professor in Innovative Education Futures at Flinders University. Gretchen has been a senior management member at universities for over ten years, including the Deputy Head of School in the School of Education Victoria (Melbourne campus) and the Head of Discipline (Early Childhood Education) at Australian Catholic University, Executive Director/Vice President of International Groups in Beijing Foreign Studies University, the Academic Lead at the DVC (Education) Office of RMIT University, and an Associate Professor in Pedagogy and Learning at Charles Darwin University.

Gretchen also has a distinguished international reputation in digital play in early childhood education. In particular, Gretchen has been leading the development of digital XR play teaching and learning programs for young children in the global learning context. She led the development of "Playful Reading" Framework, and it was chosen in the Online Teacher Training Course by the Victorian State Government, and delivered to more than 20,000 teachers among four countries across Southeast Asia.


Dr Leigh Disney is an Early Years lecturer within the Faculty of Education at Monash University. Prior to this, he was an Early Childhood lecturer at Charles Darwin University. During this time, Leigh has worked with both undergraduate and postgraduate students across the field of initial teacher education.

He began his career in the early years working as an early childhood educator in both prior to school and school-based settings for over 10 years. During this time, he developed a detailed knowledge of the educative and care needs of children within the 0-8 age range. Specialising in supporting young children's social and emotional development, as well as curricula domains of science, technology and mathematics. Leigh has also spent time working in China on projects related to cross-cultural early childhood practices and the implementation of play-based learning within Chinese preschools.