Kerry Russo

Associate Professor Kerry Russo is the Associate Dean, Learning & Teaching at James Cook University, College of Business, Law and Governance. Her main responsibility as Associate Dean is to develop a learning and teaching culture focused on excellence, innovation, and providing a positive student experience. Kerry is an experienced educator interested in incorporating digital fluency and critical literacies in business curricula to ensure students' employability. 

Kerry's research area is in the digital divide, digital fluency & disadvantage. Pre-pandemic, her research found a digital divide predicated on differing digital skills & usage patterns was emerging in the Australian higher education sector. Many students from disadvantaged backgrounds entering university were grappling with the necessary digital skills required to participate in a digital learning setting. Kerry conceptualised the growing inequalities arising from a widening digital divide and investigated the impacts of a digital divide on the university student experience.

As Associate Dean, Kerry developed a digital support team to build staff capacity to teach in a digital learning environment. This team also supports students in navigating the digital learning environment. The team removes barriers to enable all students to participate equally in higher education's digital space.

Aside from her role as Associate Dean, Kerry is also involved in various boards and organizations. She serves as the Queensland Branch Chair of the Higher Education Research Society Australia and was the co-convener of the HERDSA23 conference. Kerry is also an executive member of the Australian Business Deans Council, Teaching & Learning Network. These roles allow Kerry to contribute to the higher education sector and demonstrate a commitment to quality education.