About

Matt Riddle.

Educational consultant, designer, builder. 25+ years across Melbourne, Cambridge, La Trobe and CQUniversity. RocketShoes is my after-hours studio, run from Melbourne.

Portrait of Matt Riddle

Short story

I’ve spent most of my career at the messy edge of learning and technology, helping educators, designers, and institutions figure out what actually works when the tools keep changing underneath them.

For the last few years the question has been the same: what does good learning design look like when AI is part of the workflow? That’s the problem I’m most interested in helping teams solve.

On the side, I develop software. Photon was the first project. Project Hail Money is next.

Current role

Now
Deputy Director, Learning Design Futures
CQUniversity
Mar 2025 – present

Previously

  • Director of Learning Experiences
    Curio
  • Acting PVC & Director of Ed. Innovation
    La Trobe University
  • Research Associate
    Cambridge (CARET)
  • Educational Designer
    University of Melbourne
Spaces for Knowledge Generation: line drawing postcard of a tree, seated figures, and open books
Selected work

Spaces for Knowledge Generation

A national research project on the design of informal learning spaces in Australian universities.

Co-led with colleagues from La Trobe, Melbourne, and CQU, SKG examined how the physical environments of higher education shape, and are shaped by, the ways students actually learn. The project produced a widely-used survey tool, a framework for evaluating learning spaces, and a body of work that has informed campus design across the sector.

“Extremely able, creative, hardworking and collegial, and well able to work with a team to bring a project to completion.”
Assoc. Prof. Kay Souter
“An outstanding educational designer who was involved in a number of award-winning multimedia productions.”
Dr Michael Keppell
“Deep knowledge of curriculum theory, as well as the relatively rare ability to apply that theory in very practical ways.”
Prof. Russell Hoye
“Highly organised and pro-active… key to the success of the project.”
Rod Rivers