HELTA Symposium: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Registrations are now open for the HELTA Symposium, our final event in 2025. The symposium will explore scholarship and innovation in teaching and learning across ACU, with presentations focused on enhancing student experiences and outcomes.

View the program and read the abstracts

Where: Online
When: Thursday 4 December
Time: 10:00am - 12:30pm (AEDT)

Register your attendance

RW Grades and Academic Integrity cases

In readiness for Results Release next week, the Academic Integrity Team (AIT) will work with the Student Results Team to apply Results Withheld (RW) grades where needed until COB Thursday, 4 December.

An RW grade will be applied to a student's unit at the end of the study period if:

• Their academic integrity case is still under investigation and no outcome has been reached.
• The student has not notified the AIT that they have completed the compulsory education modules assigned as part of a misconduct breach.

Note: Students with a finding of Poor Academic Practice (PAP) do not have a hold on their grade. LICs must finalise and release grades for any student for whom you have received a PAP letter.

RW grades will only be requested by the AIT for cases that are lodged in SAMMS by COB Thursday 4 December.

LICs are required to request an RW for cases submitted after COB 4 December by emailing stresults@acu.edu.au cc. academic.integrity@acu.edu.au.

Special Consideration pilot during Summer Term and ACUO T1

From Summer Term and ACU Online Term 1 2026, students will be able to submit Special Consideration requests directly through the Assignment Extension Tool in Canvas. This enhancement supports:

• Longer-term assignment extension, with the ability to upload supporting documentation (e.g. medical certificates or Education Inclusion Plans).
• Progress tracking directly in Canvas.

Staff resources

• How do I review and approve Special Consideration requests using the Assignment Extension Tool?
• Staff training video

The existing 72-hour automatic extension process remains unchanged. This pilot will help evaluate whether the tool can streamline the management of Special Consideration requests across the University and inform future policy updates.

For questions, please contact Learning.Technologies@acu.edu.au.

An update on the Your Voice Matters project

Your Voice Matters is a university-wide initiative that enhances the quality, consistency, and transparency of student learning experiences through improved feedback, Canvas LMS design, and academic quality assurance processes. Implementation of key deliverables is planned from Semester 1 2026.

A summary of the project streams and their coordinators is provided below:

1. Feedback & Rubric Design (Dr Louise Maddock, A/Prof Jennifer Carpenter, Miss Nicole Blakey): Developing an evidence-informed feedback framework and consistent rubric guidelines to improve clarity, timeliness, and student engagement.
2. LMS Foundation Standards (Ms Carly Milanovic): Establishing a university-wide Canvas template and minimum standards to ensure consistency and accessibility in unit design.
3. SELT Review (Mr David Heath): Redesigning ACU's internal feedback surveys to generate actionable insights using the Ask-Listen-Act model.
4. Unit Evaluation & Moderation (A/Prof Alison Owens, A/Prof Jodi Sita): Creating a standardised moderation template to strengthen fairness, quality, and accountability in delivery and review.
5. ACU Thrive Expansion (Dr John Mahoney, Mr James Nicholson): Extending the ACU Thrive learning model beyond first year to enhance retention, satisfaction, and success across all undergraduate programs.

ASU: Expanding maths and numeracy support for Education and Health students

The Academic Skills Unit (ASU) has developed new Canvas-based resources to support two of ACU's largest cohorts. These can be embedded into units or promoted as targeted student support.

Numeracy for Teaching - Building Numeracy and Problem-Solving Skills

This resource is the core output of an AALL-funded project focused on proven techniques for solving mathematical problems. The Canvas modules include:

• Core numeracy skills for pre-service teachers.
• Explicit teaching and practice of problem-solving strategies.
• "Co-solving with AI" activities, where students apply these techniques using AI tools.

It is available as a standalone unit to support LANTITE numeracy preparation and can also be linked into Education units or promoted alongside existing maths support materials.

Healthcare Maths - Drug Calculation and Clinical Numeracy

This Canvas module is designed for Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine students and focuses on drug calculations and related numeracy skills. It combines:

• Short explanations, worked examples, and practice exercises.
• Content aligned with first-year healthcare units.

The module was co-designed with academics in Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine, providing a model that can be extended across other health disciplines.

To embed these resources in your units or discuss similar maths support options for your course, please contact academicskills@acu.edu.au.

End of year Commonwealth Prac Payments

During ACU's Christmas closedown period, the Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) schedule will be temporarily impacted.

Students with approved CPP applications who complete eligible placement weeks between 15 December 2025 and 4 January 2026 will receive their payments after the closedown, with a lump-sum payment expected on Friday, 9 January 2026.

Applications submitted and finalised before December for placements prior to mid-December will be prioritised for approval and payment before the closedown. Applications requiring additional information may be delayed until January 2026 once the University reopens.

The CPP rate depends on the calendar year in which placement weeks are completed:

• 2025 placements: $331.65 per week
• 2026 placements: rate to be confirmed (applies to weeks completed from 5 January 2026 onwards)

For further enquiries, please contact CPP@acu.edu.au.

Student Advocacy Service information sessions

As results are released, many students experience a mix of relief and uncertainty. This period can be especially challenging for those who are disappointed with their grades or who receive academic progress notifications. You can play an important role in connecting these students with the Student Advocacy Service for guidance and support.

The Receiving Results Information Sessions help students understand their options after results are published. Sessions cover topics such as eligibility criteria required for supplementary assessment, the process of submitting an appeal, requesting Re-credit of Unit/s and Refund of Fees in Special Circumstances, and accessing ACU's student support services.

For students who have received At Risk, Show Cause, or Termination of Enrolment notifications, the Academic Progress Information Sessions outline the steps they can take to respond effectively and highlight available university supports to help them stay on track.

Please encourage students who express concern about their results or have received academic progress notifications to attend the relevant Advocacy service info session.

The Student Advocacy Service offers free, confidential advice, along with practical online resources to assist students in navigating university processes. Students can contact us at advocacy.service@acu.edu.au or visit studentportal.acu.edu.au/advocacy.

Preparing for a course review?

The Education-Research Nexus has become a core element of ACU's course review process, reinforcing the University's commitment to research-informed teaching and learning across all programs.

The Nexus focuses on four key principles:

• Courses shaped by current evidence and ACU research.
• Teaching grounded in robust, contemporary knowledge.
• Students using and evaluating evidence in real-world contexts.
• Building research skills within ethical frameworks.

A new CMAS section (C4): Course Design, Quality and Integrity has been introduced. Course teams are now asked to provide a concise narrative describing how the four Nexus principles are embedded throughout their program.

Staff resources are available to assist in understanding and articulating these principles within course documentation. More advice can be requested from CEI@acu.edu.au.

New QILT data released on ACU's DataHub

The 2024 Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) data is now published on the Educational Analytics page of DataHub.

These dashboards developed by CEI in partnership with the Data Excellence Team allow benchmarking of ACU's student experience with Universities Australia (UA) data, across the student lifecycle.

Filtering is available by faculty, school, discipline, and a variety of demographic cohorts. The DataHub dashboards have the following new data:

1. Student Experience Survey (SES): 2023 and 2024 UA data, with the updated focus areas
2. Employer Satisfaction Survey (GOS): 2024 ACU and UA data
3. Graduate Outcome Survey (GOS): 2024 UA data
4. Graduate Outcome Survey-Longitudinal: GOS-L

In February 2026, ACU's 2025 GOS and SES data will be released, and CEI and Data Excellence will co-facilitate training sessions on using the DataHub dashboards and interpreting QILT data. These sessions will be widely communicated to staff.

For further information, please contact Evaluations.CEI@acu.edu.au.

Vulnerability and trust

Dr Jeremy Koay (SFHEA), Lecturer in Academic Literacy from Diploma Programs, shares his insights on how openness strengthens rapport and promotes engagement in the classroom.

Allowing ourselves to be honest and vulnerable is not always seen as a virtue. Yet in my experience teaching Academic Literacy units in several Diploma courses, I have observed that openness is essential for building trust between students and teachers. In an environment that tends to frame teaching primarily as the transmission of information, it is worth reconsidering teachers as mentors. As Mackh (2025) notes in his book Teaching for Retention, rapport is a key element of effective mentoring, which grows out of empathy and respect.

In my classes, I regularly share with students that writing continues to challenge me, particularly when I am working on unfamiliar topics. I also admit that reviewing literature and working through multiple rounds of revisions can be both time-consuming and frustrating. At the same time, I highlight the satisfaction of discovering new ideas and shaping them into a coherent paragraph.

Although such honesty may compromise my credibility as an 'expert' writer, I offer these reflections in the hope that my students will recognise that writing is both demanding and deeply rewarding. I would like to encourage teachers to adopt openness and trust as the foundation of their practice.