The Learning and Teaching Matters newsletter provides just in time resources to support academics and professional staff. Keep up to date with current news and resources through the latest edition below.
The Learning and Teaching Matters newsletter provides just in time resources to support academics and professional staff. Keep up to date with current news and resources through the latest edition below.
I hope your Semester 2 is off to a strong and rewarding start. We know this time of year can be particularly busy, with staff deeply engaged in teaching and supporting students. To assist you, please engage with this short selection of timely resources to support your learning and teaching practice.
I'm thrilled to share that the Office of CEI recently approved its 1,000th student application for the Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP). This is a huge achievement and a testament to the team's dedication, the effectiveness of the implemented solution, and the successful coordination of resources and support provided to students by academic and professional staff across the University since the program's launch in July. Congratulations!
I invite you to get in touch with CEI@acu.edu.au if you need support with any aspect of learning and teaching.
Professor Anthony Whitty
Director, CEI
Lecturers in Charge (LICs) can make a direct determination of Poor Academic Practice (PAP) for students who engage in minor academic misconduct. While not classified as misconduct, PAP is a formal adverse finding under the Student Academic Misconduct Procedure. It is recorded, and students receive academic counselling and may need to complete a compulsory Canvas education module.
Benefits of LIC-assigned PAPs
Considerations for teaching teams
PAP can be applied to students at any year level, provided there is no significant academic advantage gained. It is particularly useful for early-year students, where the focus is on supporting learning rather than penalising. The key factor in determining PAP is whether the student has demonstrated the essential learning outcomes of the assessment.
To ensure fairness, teaching teams must apply PAP consistently across all campuses.
As students progress, academic integrity expectations increase. Missing early intervention opportunities may result in similar behaviours being treated as academic misconduct in later units, without the benefit of prior feedback and support.
A PAP finding should not be used for general academic skill issues like poor writing or structure. In these cases, students should be referred to appropriate support services such as the Academic Skills Unit, Studiosity and ACU Library Referencing Guides.
Does a PAP attract a mark deduction?
There is no mark penalty associated with a determination of PAP. Only an Academic Integrity Officer can apply a penalty following a formal misconduct determination. LICs must mark assessments at face value using the rubric, and cannot impose penalties outside this process, as doing so would breach policy and may be subject to appeal.
Resources and support
LIC Guide to Determining the Application of Poor Academic Practice
LIC Process for Determining Poor Academic Practice (Flowchart)
LIC Summary: Lodging a determination of Poor Academic Practice
Workshops can also be arranged for teaching teams and national or campus-based cohorts. For support or to schedule a session, please contact academic.integrity@acu.edu.au.
The Academic Skills Unit (ASU) has introduced AI Peer Mentor drop-in sessions to help students understand how to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools ethically and confidently in their studies. In these sessions, students can:
Students can drop in online any time, Monday to Friday between 10am and 5pm during Semester 2 2025 via Zoom.
EBSCO databases such as Medline, CINAHL, ERIC and others have a new look, with a recently upgraded interface. The main updates are to the Search options. Adding a subject heading to a search is more intuitive. Searches are recorded under the Recent activity function and the My dashboard features let you save and organise searches.
A centrally placed filters option allows for the easy refinement of search results. The new updates also include a Natural Language search function. This AI generated feature allows queries in everyday language instead of keyword searching. It is suitable for quick answers to research questions rather than as a replacement for systematic searching.
More changes to the databases are planned in the coming months, including date filter enhancements and bulk delete.
For support using EBSCO, email library@acu.edu.au.
Navigating university processes can be challenging, but students don't have to do it alone. The Student Advocacy service offers confidential, independent support to help students understand university rules, decisions, and procedures.
We aim to build student confidence by equipping them with the tools and knowledge to handle issues themselves. Whether they're facing an academic challenge or need support responding to a university decision, we're here to guide them through it.
We provide clear, practical advice and explain their rights and options every step of the way. If they're unsure what to do or where to start, we're a safe first point of contact.
Our support includes:
Please encourage students needing any assistance in these areas to visit Student Advocacy or to email advocacy.service@acu.edu.au.
CEI are excited to introduce a new integration between the Disability Data Management System (DDMS) and Canvas, to streamline support for students with approved Education Inclusion Plans (EIPs).
The new Canvas and DDMS integration automatically applies additional time to Canvas classic quizzes, for students with an applicable EIP.
Important information:
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please reach out to the Learning Technology Team via Service Central.
An online symposium will be held on 4 December 2025. We welcome your abstracts reporting strategies, innovations and reflections on improving student learning experiences and outcomes at ACU.
This may be focused on face to face, blended or online teaching, curriculum and resource development, assessment reform, work-integrated learning options and supporting the student learning journey. A call for abstracts is open, with a closing date of 13 October.
Papers accepted for the Symposium will be delivered online with 15 minutes for presentation and 5 minutes for questions.
If you have any questions, please contact CEI@acu.edu.au.
This year's theme of the CEI Teaching and Learning Showcase is Reimagining Human Connection in the Age of Digital Disruption.
When: 22 October 2025
Where: Hybrid format presented from Melbourne, with on-campus rooms in Ballarat, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, North Sydney and Strathfield.
All academic and professional staff are encouraged to attend the Showcase. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about initiatives happening across the education sector, beyond your own school and faculty. The Showcase Day will culminate with the third Campus Community of Learning Advancement (CCoLA) meeting.
The full program is also available. If you have any questions, please contact CEI@acu.edu.au.
In our ongoing effort to foster collaboration and streamline communication, we invite all team members to join both the HELTA Teams and HELTA LinkedIn pages.
Why join?
HELTA Teams: Get instant updates, share ideas, participate in group discussions, and access important resources - all in one central hub.
HELTA LinkedIn: Connect with a wider professional network, stay up to date with the latest news, events, and achievements, and showcase your involvement with HELTA to your connections.
By joining both platforms, you'll stay connected, informed, and empowered to contribute to our shared success. If you have any queries, please contact us at CEI@acu.edu.au.
At the recent IEAA Teaching and Learning Forum, ACU's Education Pathways team delivered an energising workshop titled "What's Left to Assess? Rubrics optimised to acknowledge and reward learning." Designed as the finale of the conference, the workshop brought together academic staff in a collaborative and interactive format.
Participants were challenged to rethink rubric descriptors and explore how changes can allow staff to acknowledge and value authenticity. Modifying descriptors can make it clear that completing an assessment without the use of genAI has more value and can improve their results. It can also provide teachers with recourse when a student has over relied on an automated tool.
The centrepiece of the workshop was a Rubric Re-Design Sprint, where participants rewrote sample descriptors to reward human voice and evidence of progressive learning. For instance, using words like original, unique, or personal in descriptors gives academic staff some leeway in awarding marks for students who "show up".
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with participants leaving energised and equipped with actionable strategies to trial in their own courses. The workshop demonstrated how innovation and collaboration can reshape assessment in the GenAI era.
To learn more or engage with the Pathways team about this project, please contact Stuart.Parker@acu.edu.au.
| Assoc Professor Jennifer Carpenter | Associate Dean Learning Teaching and Governance, Faculty of Education and Arts |
| Dr Ian Elmer | Acting Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching, Faculty of Theology and Philosophy |
| Assoc Professor Stephen Guinea | Associate Dean, Learning, Teaching and Professional Experience, Faculty of Health Sciences |
| Assoc Professor Bhavani Sridharan | Associate Dean (Learning Teaching and Accreditation), Faculty of Law and Business |
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