2026-05-06 –, Track 1
Sense of belonging between students, educators, and their university is critical to career readiness and an important driver of retention. However, national Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching data shows that psychology students experience lower levels of peer engagement: only 44.8% reporting positive peer engagement, compared to students in other disciplines, which may be attributed to high levels of external study. In 2024, a team of tertiary psychology educators responded by launching a podcast series (released as Professionally Psyched on Spotify) aimed at enhancing students’ feelings of belongingness. This project prioritised authentic student engagement by providing multiple avenues for involvement in podcast production, with student ownership of the project further supported through the establishment of an advisory board which also actively deepened connections between students and educators. In this presentation, we share how this podcast series has cultivated a more connected, confident, and professionally engaged and resilient student community.
Dr Alison Sheaves, James Cook University, alison.sheaves1@jcu.edu.au
Dr Connar McShane, James Cook University, connar.mcshane@jcu.edu.au
Dr Dan Miller, James Cook University, daniel.miller1@jcu.edu.au
Dr Jonathan Connor, James Cook University, jonathan.connor@jcu.edu.au
Dr Jessica Muller, James Cook University, jessica.muller@jcu.edu.au
Mr Craig Ridep-Morris, James Cook University, craig.ridepmorris@my.jcu.edu.au
Dr Amanda Krause is a Senior Lecturer (Psychology) in the College of Healthcare Sciences at James Cook University (Queensland, Australia). She is also an Honorary Fellow at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and an Honorary Research Associate at The Kids Institute. Amanda is a champion of psychological literacy, Work-Integrated Learning, and researcher development. She mentors student-researchers through formal honours and postgraduate supervision duties as well as the JCU College of Healthcare Sciences’ Undergraduate Research Internship, and initiatives from the Australian Music & Psychology Society and Women in Music Information Retrieval. She has been awarded the 2023 JCU Excellence Award for Innovation, the 2025 JCU Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, and the 2025 APS Outstanding Mentor Award.
Tiahanna Carmel Curran is a fourth-year psychology student at James Cook University. She is a member of the Professionally Psyched podcast advisory board and contributes as a transcriber, and also serves on the executive team of the JCU Psychology Association.