Professor Rick Bennett
Raised and educated in London, Rick completed undergraduate studies in the Fine Arts before working for 7 years within the UK film & television industry specialising in TV commercials and music video production.
After emigrating to Australia in 1990, Rick worked at the University of New South Wales (in Sydney) where for 24 years he was based within the School of Design Studies before leading a new online education department and managing the curriculum design and teaching of more than 40 fully online courses in art and design, ultimately leading to production of the first fully-online Masters (coursework) program at UNSW.
Rick’s research over the last 20 years has explored advances in digital technology and the interdependence between design professions and design education and potentials for online offerings. This resulted in invitations to numerous talks worldwide, significant research grants and publications, as well as prestigious awards. Notably, in 2004, he was awarded the Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools – Australian Teacher of the Year.
In 2015, Rick relocated to Vietnam as Dean, School of Communication & Design at RMIT University. In 2018, he was later appointed as RMIT Vietnam Executive Dean (Academic & Students) before moving to the British University Vietnam (BUV) in 2022, as Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President.
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Doctor of Philosophy (2004 – 2009)
The University of Sydney, Australia
Thesis: Drawing on the Virtual Collective: Exploring Online Collaborative Creativity
- Master of Higher Education (1994 -1998)
The University of New South Wales, Australia
- Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Fine Arts (1981-1984)
Bristol Polytechnic, England (UK)
PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS
- British University Vietnam (BUV)
Professor (2022 – Current)
Deputy Vice-Chancellor & Vice President
- RMIT University (Vietnam)
Professor (2015 – 2022)
Executive Dean (Academic & Students) (2019 – 2022)
Vice-President (Academic) (2018-19)
Dean, School of Communication & Design (2015-2018)
- University of New South Wales (Australia)
Assoc. Lecturer to Assoc. Professor (1990 – 2015)
Head, College of Fine Arts Online
RESEARCH AREAS / FIELDS
- Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
- Online Learning & Teaching
- Graphic Design, Foundation Design Theories
RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS
- Polaine, A., & Bennett, R. (2010)
Creative Waves: Exploring Emerging Online Cultures, Social Networking and Creative Collaboration Through e-Learning to Offer Visual Campaigns for Local Kenyan Health Needs. In Collaborative Technologies and Applications for Interactive Information Design: Emerging Trends in User Experiences, Rummler, Scott & Ng, Kwong-Bor (Eds.), Hershey, PA: IGI Global. ISBN: 978-1-60566-727-7
- Martini, N., Harrison, J., & Bennett, R. (2010)
Creating Waves across geographical and disciplinary divides through online creative collaboration. In Interaction in Communication Technologies & Virtual Learning Environments, Ragusa, Angela, T. (Ed), Human Factors, IGI Global, pp 9-25.
ISBN: 978-1-60566-874-1
- Bennett, R. & Dziekan, V. (2005)
Online Collaboration in the Creative Process: Working With the Most Interactive Community of Designers We Have [N]ever Met.
Designs on E-Learning International Conference Proceedings: The University of the Arts, London, England, ISBN: 1-903455-09-X
RESEARCH & CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS / EXHIBITIONS
- Bennett, R. (2021)
Barriers to Online Education for Higher Education in Vietnam – (Keynote Address)
2021 Auscham Education Conference Vietnam (Online)
- Bennett, R. (2014)
Global Classrooms, Local Benefits
2014 International Conference on Global Education for Digital Natives – (Keynote Address)
Tamkang University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
- Bennett, R. (2011)
Creative Outreach Through Computing in Education
Global Learn Asia Pacific 2011 Conference – (Keynote Address)
The Sebel Albert Park Hotel, Melbourne, Australia.
- Bennett, R. (2013)
The Banglos Project – Design Exhibition
Ayala Museum, Makati, Manila, Philippines.
- Bennett, R. (2011)
DasManila – Design Exhibition
Royal Botanic Gardens
Sydney, Australia.
RESEARCH GRANTS
- McIntyre, S., Bennett, R., & Watson, K. (2009)
Australian Learning & Teaching Council (ALTC)
Learning to Teach Online: Developing high-quality video and text resources to help educators teach online. ($219,000)
- Bennett, R. & McIntyre, S. (2007)
UNSW Learning & Teaching Performance Fund
Planning, Infrastructure Provision and Establishment of the UNSW Academy of Online Art and Design Education ($68,000)
- Bennett, R. & Chan, L. (2004-06)
Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Grant
Formalising a System and Approach for an Effective Online Collaborative Design Process in Visual Communication. ($260,000)
AWARDS & HONOURS
- Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2006)
Carrick Institute (now ALTC)
‘For pioneering internationally recognised best practice in online education in the creative arts and design’
- AUQA Commendation (2006)
Australian University Quality Agency
‘For good practice in systematisation of online delivery and innovation in online collaborative education.’
- President’s Award (2005)
Australasian Society of Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (Ascilite)
‘For innovation and exemplary use of technology in higher education’.
- ACUADS Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award (2004)
Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools (ACUADS)
- UNSW Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence (2001)
‘For exemplary innovation in the use of technology in teaching
- Share
Read more 
Senior Teaching Fellow
Sven PfrommerSven is a well-rounded creative director & visual artist, with a background in visual communication and 20+ years of industry experience. He was running a design & advertising agency and established a gallery for contemporary photography in the art capital Berlin. Sven was born in Berlin, studied visual communication design at the HAWK University of […]
Senior Teaching Fellow - Academic Ambassador
Lee McMillanRaised and educated in the UK, Lee holds a TEFL, PGDBJ and an MA Degree in History from the University of Glasgow. Lee moved to Vietnam in 2015 working as an IELTS teacher, examiner and VTV4 presenter before starting her role at BUV in 2018 under part time employment as an English teacher. In 2020 […]
Teaching Fellow
Nguyen Ngoc QuyNguyễn Ngọc Quý is a 3D artist, educator, and researcher based in Hanoi. He completed his undergraduate studies in Contemporary Creative Practice at Staffordshire University and later finished a Master of Research in the Arts at Arts University Bournemouth, where his work explored generative art as an approach to documenting Vietnam’s intangible cultural heritage. Quý […]
Lecturer
Dr. Chia-Liang LinBefore joining BUV, Chia-Liang Lin served as a Full Professor at the Quzhou College of Technology. He holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics under the supervision of Professor Dr. Theodore Simos (Highly Cited Researcher in Mathematics), General Department, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens. He has substantial related research and teaching experience. With more than 10 […]
Senior Lecturer
Programme Lead – Professional Communication
Before joining BUV, Dr. Pham Hai Chung was a researcher at Harvard Kennedy School in the U.S. She earned her Ph.D. in Media and Communication from Bournemouth University, England, and holds an M.A. in International Journalism from Hong Kong Baptist University. Chung’s Ph.D research focuses on the evolving narratives of Vietnam, examining its war-torn past […]
Associate Lecturer
Ajay PillaiAjay Kumar Pillai is employed as a full-time faculty in British University Vietnam (BUV) and is the programme leader for Finance and Economics. He has an MBA from University of Surrey, UK and holds certificates from The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK (CIMA) and The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). His main […]
Senior Teaching Fellow
Discipline Lead - Business (University of London)
Born in Canada, raised and educated in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Mark completed a B.Sc. (Econ) at the University of Buckingham, England. Following graduation in 1984, he worked with an Economics Consultancy for a year before returning to Buckingham as a tutor. While completing his Master’s degree, he worked his way up to Lecturer before leaving […]
Associate Lecturer
Programme Lead - Software Engineering
Born in Scotland, Fraser completed a Software Engineering degree (Bachelor of Engineering with Honours) from Edinburgh Napier University in 2013. With a primary focus on machine learning and genetic algorithms. After graduating, Fraser worked as a software developer in the oil and gas industry and as a cloud-based consultant developing and customizing customer relationship management […]
Vice Chancellor and President
Professor Raymond GordonProfessor Dr. Raymond Gordon is an experienced academic leader, teacher and researcher holding positions at universities throughout the world including the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), the University of Sydney, University of Warwick (UK), Reitaku University Japan, New Mexico State University (USA), Copenhagen Business School Denmark and others. He has an esteemed research and publication […]
Lecturer
Lecturer, Programme Lead for MBA
Nguyen holds a bachelor’s degree in international business and economics from Foreign Trade University Vietnam, a Master of Management from Keele University in the UK, and a PhD in Marketing from RMIT University in Australia. Nguyen’s PhD research explores the emergence of social enterprises, and she plans to further pursue impactful research. Nguyen has more […]
