Register for the CEI Showcase

Registrations are now open for the 2026 Teaching and Learning Showcase, to be held on Thursday 3 December, 9.30am–3pm (AEDT) / 8.30am–2pm (QLD).

Hosted by the Centre for Education and Innovation in partnership with Student Experience and Enhancement, this year’s theme is Students as Partners. The morning program will be delivered across North Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with livestream access available to most campuses.

What to expect on the day:

• student-led afternoon breakout sessions focused on careers and employability
• opportunities to hear directly from students and colleagues about partnership in practice
• discussion on ACU’s potential to contribute to reskilling for career change.

View the program and register to attend to join colleagues from across ACU for a day of ideas, discussion and student partnership in practice.

Changes to Canvas guest accounts

Canvas guest accounts are now limited to external users who need access to an existing Canvas unit for a defined non-learner role.

Guest access may be provided where the external user:

• has a named ACU staff sponsor who is accountable for the relationship
• is a guest lecturer or industry partner who needs to interact with students in a live course
• is an auditor or observer with a formal arrangement, such as an accreditation reviewer or community clinical supervisor.

The ACU sponsor is responsible for considering relevant University policies, including the Acceptable Use of IT Policy, and ensuring appropriate arrangements are in place where the guest will interact with students or access student data.

Guest account duration
Guest accounts are temporary and requests must include an end date. Access will expire at the end of the approved period unless an extension is requested and approved.

CEI will conduct an annual audit of guest accounts.

Longer-term access
Where access is required for longer than a term or semester, an ACU account should be considered instead to address licensing and policy requirements.

Lucid Whiteboard now available in Canvas

Lucid Whiteboard is now integrated with Canvas and available to try in the staff sandbox. It will be available for use in teaching units from Summer Term 2027.

Lucid Whiteboard enables teaching staff to create interactive assignments, facilitate collaborative whiteboarding and design more engaging learning activities.

View the resources below to see how Lucid works in Canvas and find teaching examples, tips and ideas for using it with students:

• Lucid in Canvas – see how Lucid works within Canvas and explore teaching examples
• Higher Education resource hub – access higher education resources, tips and ideas for using Lucid with students

2026 Simulation in Health Education Showcase

The Faculty of Health Sciences invites academics and technicians working with health simulation in higher education to take part in the 16th ACU Simulation in Health Education Showcase, held at ACU’s Brisbane Campus on 1–2 December 2026.

This year’s theme is Simulation for Future-Ready, Human-Centred, Resilient Practice: Tomorrow’s practice begins with human-centred learning today.

Register your attendance and join like-minded academics and technicians using health simulation in higher education to share knowledge and resources, strengthen practice, build skills and connect with peers.

For enquiries about the showcase, please contact Melanie Barlow.

Please note: this event is separate from CEI’s Learning and Teaching Showcase, which will be streamed via the North Sydney campus on Thursday 3 December 2026.

Applying Poor Academic Practice consistently

National Unit Leaders (NULs) and Local Unit Facilitators (LUFs) can make a direct determination of Poor Academic Practice (PAP) for minor academic misconduct. PAP is not classified as academic misconduct, but it is a formal adverse finding under the Student Academic Misconduct Procedure and is recorded.

PAP determinations give students an opportunity to receive timely feedback, address concerning academic behaviour and improve before similar issues escalate.

Supporting consistency across teaching teams

To support fair and consistent decisions, teaching teams should:

• agree on when PAP is appropriate across all campuses
• use national moderation to align expectations
• consider whether the student has demonstrated the essential learning outcomes of the assessment
• only apply PAP where there is no significant academic advantage.

Before advising a student that they may receive an LUF/NUL-assigned PAP, first confirm they are eligible. Students are only eligible if they have not previously received two PAP findings and have not had a previous determination of academic misconduct. If a student is told to expect a PAP and is later found to be ineligible, the change in process may cause unnecessary distress.

There is no mark penalty for PAP. Assessments must be marked at face value using the rubric. Only an Academic Integrity Officer can apply a penalty following a formal misconduct determination.

PAP should not be used for general academic skill issues such as poor writing or poor referencing conventions. In these cases, refer students to appropriate academic support.

Resources and support

• NUL Guide to Determining the Application of Poor Academic Practice
• NUL Process for Determining Poor Academic Practice (Flowchart)
• NUL Summary: Lodging a determination of Poor Academic Practice

Workshops are also available for teaching teams and national or campus-based cohorts. For support or to arrange a session, contact [email protected].

Simpler CPP process for students

Students who have had a Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) application approved within the past 12 months may now be eligible for a simpler application process for another placement.

Students still need to apply for each eligible placement. If ongoing eligibility applies, they’ll be taken to the Confirmation of Ongoing Eligibility questions. If their circumstances have not changed, they generally won’t need to provide their means-testing evidence again.

Resources for students

Staff can direct students to the Student Portal CPP page for application timing, access to the CPP Portal and further guidance. More information is also available in these Knowledge Base articles:

• Do I need to apply for the CPP for every placement?
• Do I need to provide new evidence for eligibility of the CPP?
• What counts as a change in circumstances for my CPP?

For questions about CPP, contact [email protected].

New short courses and enhanced English language support

Education Pathways has launched two new online Short Courses in Mathematics and Human Biology, designed to help prospective students develop the assumed knowledge required for university study.

Available free through Canvas Catalogue, the self-paced courses provide flexible learning opportunities for students preparing for entry into higher education and support ACU's commitment to widening participation and student success.

Students who need to formally demonstrate prerequisite knowledge can complete a university entrance test (ACU Test) after finishing the short course, providing an alternative pathway to meeting entry requirements.

Post-Entry English Language (PEEL) resources have also been integrated into Academic Skills on Canvas, making targeted language and academic communication support more accessible to students throughout their studies.

Together, these initiatives strengthen the learning support available to students before and during their university journey, helping them build the skills and confidence needed for academic success.

Capturing Paramedic Skills with ACU Studios

Go behind the scenes with Jacob Dyer, one of ACU Studios’ multimedia developers based in Melbourne, to discover how videos help first-year paramedicine students brush up on their clinical skills. In 2024, Jacob partnered with Jess Molhuysen and the PARA127 teaching team to create 40 clinical skills videos.

Featuring practising paramedic Matt Rose, the concise demonstrations connect theory with practice. Embedded in weekly online learning and accessible through QR codes in paramedicine labs, the videos let students revisit skills whenever they need support.

The videos continue to make an impact. Analytics show repeated viewing throughout the semester, particularly before final assessments. SELT comments highlight their value, and some students have even re-watched them to refresh their skills during placement. For Jacob and the team, seeing students benefit makes the work especially rewarding.

See the project in action and go behind the scenes →

Have an idea for your unit or course?
Contact ACU Studios at [email protected] to bring it to life.

Open Knowledge: Supporting learning and teaching

Do you want to reduce textbook costs for students, access more flexible teaching content or encourage students to co-create and contribute to knowledge? Open Knowledge can support these outcomes.

Open Knowledge is more than making research open access. It involves creating, sharing and using knowledge in ways that maximise access, transparency, collaboration and reuse across ACU and beyond. It encompasses:

• open access publishing
• open-source software
• open education
• open data
• open research practices
• open pedagogy.

By reducing barriers to information, Open Knowledge makes scholarly resources, research processes and data more accessible to educators, students and the wider community. For professionals, this can also provide greater access to current evidence that informs practice.

Open Knowledge in learning and teaching
In learning and teaching, Open Knowledge brings accessible, reusable knowledge into the classroom. It can help students develop skills to find, evaluate and apply evidence in their future professions, including workplaces where subscription-based resources may not be available.

Library support
For support incorporating Open Knowledge into your academic practice, including finding open research, evaluating publishing options, exploring open educational resources or adopting open research practices, contact the library for guidance.

Resources to support your SoTL project

ACU staff can register for access to the HERDSA Scholarship of Teaching and Learning modules which can support the development of a SoTL project or Symposium abstract.

Register for access →

Already registered but having trouble accessing the new Moodle site? Follow the HERDSA access instructions. If you still need help after following the instructions, contact [email protected].