Rate My Professor Alison Hilton

Dr. Alison L. Hilton EdD is the Academic Chair for the Bachelor of Education (Secondary) and a Lecturer in the School of Education at Murdoch University. Her expertise spans secondary education and vocational education and training (VET), with research interests in teacher education, student experiences in higher education, pre-service teacher professional experiences, VET curriculum and pedagogy, and initial teacher education. She completed her Doctor of Education (EdD) at Murdoch University in 2021, with a thesis titled "The Heart, The Wallet and the Cookie Cutter," which investigates high-stakes testing in Australian initial teacher education.

Hilton's scholarly contributions address critical issues in teacher preparation and inclusion. Notable publications include "LANTITE’s impact on teacher diversity: Unintended consequences of testing pre-service teachers" (2023, co-authored with Rebecca A. Saunders, published in The Australian Educational Researcher), which analyzes the effects of mandatory literacy and numeracy testing on prospective teachers; "School choice in an information desert: a multimodal website analysis of vocational education offerings" (2024, with Sian Chapman and Laura B. Perry, Issues in Educational Research); "‘Differentiate! But don’t expect it for yourself’: experiences of teachers with disability undertaking high-stakes testing in ableist education assemblages" (2025, with Kirsten Lambert, International Journal of Inclusive Education); and "‘In LANTITE, No One Can Hear You Scream!’ Student and stakeholder experiences of undertaking LANTITE" (2020, with Rebecca Saunders and Caroline Mansfield, Australian Journal of Teacher Education). As Academic Chair, she has driven curriculum reforms, introducing a Secondary Education Support co-major and Inclusive Education Minor in the Bachelor of Education program commencing in 2025 to equip graduates for inclusive classrooms. She leads professional development events for pre-service teachers on supporting students with disabilities, stressing that such responsibility belongs to all educators. Hilton has presented at the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (2025) and contributed to conference papers on disability education and unqualified teachers' motivations.