Great work! Dr Darci Taylor graduates from CRADLE

2 February 2026

Darci Taylor completes her PhD journey with CRADLE

Dr Darci Taylor being presented with her doctorate

Darci’s thesis title is Enablers and Constraints to Student Becoming in Higher Education. Darci was supervised by CRADLE’s Professor David Boud and Professor Phill Dawson.

Darci graduated in September 2025 and is now Associate Professor and Director, Learning Design, within Deakin Learning Futures.

We asked Darci to describe the focus of her thesis and provide some reflections and highlights of her study experience.

What was the aim of your research?

My research aimed to elevate student voices of becoming and identify enablers constraints to becoming to generate insights into what a university for becoming could look like.

We know that students come to higher education with the promise of self-transformation, career advancement and the hope of becoming someone and something. Yet they do this within a predominantly neoliberalised higher education sector preoccupied with providing workplace training to equip graduates with job skills. These two aims are at times incompatible, as ‘what’ students can do is prioritised over ‘who’ they are becoming.

I took an interpretivist, multi-case study approach, drawing on social realism as a conceptual frame to understand the process of becoming through the lived experience of students.

My findings suggest that students’ narratives of becoming are embodied and emotive, and that students conceptualise becoming as fluid, ongoing and relational: becoming happens with, and is influenced by, significant others.

For students, becoming is about seeking a social role within society that reflects their personal identity. Further, the findings suggest that there exists a “will to become” someone meaningful, and that this will drives students to act agentically and persist in their degree.

Any highlights from your PhD journey?

Having the opportunity to learn from my supervisors and the other staff at CRADLE has been amazing, I feel so fortunate to have been able to undertake my research under their guidance.

Where to from here?

Since submitting I’ve finally tidied up and redecorated my study! I’ve also taken up knitting as I have my weekends back!

I’m currently working at Deakin University as the Director, Learning Design in Deakin Learning Futures and I am working on Deakin’s new assessment model in light of the challenges and opportunities due to genAI. It’s great to be able to continue working with CRADLE on this program of work, and to draw on CRADLE’s expertise to inform our new assessment approach. In 2026 I’m looking forward to developing some journal publications from my PhD research.