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.
Welcome to the 2025 academic year! I hope that you had a well-deserved and refreshing break. As Semester 1 approaches, there’s a lot happening across the university to support learning and teaching, including new learning technologies, professional learning opportunities, and support resources for both you and your students. To stay up to date, please take a moment to explore the just-in-time resources included in this newsletter.
A reminder that the New Teacher Induction resource is available and designed to help guide teachers in their new roles and can be returned to at any time. Additionally, I encourage you to familiarise yourself with the 2025 Academic Timeline Focus Zones and add them to your Outlook Calendar.
I’m wishing you all the best for the semester and year ahead, if CEI can offer support or guidance please don’t hesitate to contact CEI@acu.edu.au.
Professor Anthony Whitty
Director, CEI
Pending Academic Board approval, we anticipate the new Assignment Extension Tool will be available in Canvas from Semester 1 2025. This tool is being introduced to reduce the significant administrative workload associated with processing and responding to extension requests.
Key features include:
Students will need to apply for special consideration and provide supporting documentation in the following instances:
If a student requests an extension via email, please direct them to submit their request via the Assignment Extension Tool in Canvas. The tool will be automatically visible in your Canvas units from 24 February. Guides and video tutorials will also be available available on Canvas.
Read more about the Assignment Extension Tool here
Professional Learning Program
HELTA will be offering a series of six online session to support academic staff in preparation for Semester 1. Each session will be one hour in duration, conducted online, and recorded for those unable to attend.
Register and read about the sessions here
Best of 2024 Showcase Online
HELTA are hosting an online showcase featuring the most popular papers from our 2024 Showcase of Teaching and Learning. Join us Wednesday 26 March commencing at 10am AEDT. The Showcase will be recorded for those unable to attend. Programs will be available soon.
Teaching & Learning Showcase 2025
This year’s Teaching and Learning Showcases will run mid-year on 15 July. More information to come!
Campus Communities of Learning Advancement (CCoLA)
CEI and HELTA are expanding the previous Professional Learning Communities run by the Faculty of Health Sciences to all ACU staff. CCoLA sessions will be held in Week 5 of Semester 1, and Week 4 of Semester 2, on a Wednesday at 12noon. Staff from all areas of the university are invited to attend and discuss anything that might involve learning and teaching, relevant to their campus. Look out for upcoming communication.
Help students thrive in their studies by promoting Academic Skills Unit (ASU) services to build skills in maths, academic language and learning. Students have access to:
How you can promote ASU to students
You can collaborate with the Academic Skills Unit to create discipline-specific resources to support your students by submitting the Service Central forms below:
Work-Integrated Learning Australia (WILA), previously Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN), is hosting a seminar to present research findings by Professor Deanna Grant-Smith and Dr Laura de Zwaan. Their research identified placement experiences and characteristics associated with elevated levels of general and financial stress. It also explored the potential financial risk factors for students who choose not to undertake a placement. The session is open to all ACU staff to attend.
Workshop details
Title: Addressing the impact of financial literacy on financial stress, wellbeing & participation in unpaid WIL
Date: 11 March 2025
Time: 5:00pm - 6:00pm (AEST)
Location: Online
What is PASS?
We provide free, voluntary small-group study sessions to help you succeed in challenging subjects. Sessions are facilitated by current ACU students who excelled in the subject in the past. PASS provides an opportunity for students to connect with peers in a safe, relaxed environment.
When is PASS on?
PASS begins in the second week of semester, but confirmed sessions are starting to appear in the timetable. You can also check the timetable on the PASS Student Portal page.
PASS is being offered in the following units:
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If you are the LIC of one of these units and have not been contacted by the PASS Team, please reach out to passacu@acu.edu.au.
Changes to library guides in 2025
We're streamlining access to library resources based on student feedback. We’ve enhanced our Databases A-Z webpage and consolidated our subject library guides into targeted research guides.
You will need to update your Canvas units to direct students to either Databases A-Z or a new Library guide before the end of July 2025.
Your students now have:
From February 2025, links to subject library guides will temporarily redirect to either Databases A-Z or the relevant Library guide. At the end of July 2025, redirects will no longer function, and Canvas units must use updated links.
Copyright requirements
The library provides access to most resources you will come across in your teaching and research, including newspaper articles, images and videos. For example, Newsbank provides real-time access to key Australian and international newspapers.
Should you wish to share information with your colleagues or students, rather than download a pdf or contact the author for permission, always check the library first. It’s likely we already have access or can guide you as to how you can share that information in a way that is ethical and meets copyright and legal requirements.
If you can’t find what you are looking for, please contact library@acu.edu.au.
Enrolments and Student Records welcome both Academic and Professional staff to attend our Semester 1, 2025 Enrolment Information Sessions. The sessions will dive into student enrolment processes, policies and regulations. Learn about which Service Central forms to submit and key student systems including Banner, Student Connect and Argos.
Session highlights:
Session 1: Tuesday, 4 March, 2025, 11am – 12pm (AEDT)
Session 2: Thursday, 6 March 2025, 2:30pm – 3:30pm (AEDT)
Location: Online via MS Teams
To register, click on the link to your preferred session above. Once registered, open the confirmation email to add it to your calendar and click accept. If you're unable to join the live sessions, the video recording and handbook will be posted on the E&SR SharePoint site.
A well-crafted welcome video is a great way for academic staff to introduce themselves, set expectations, as well as connect and inspire students. ACU Studios has created templates that provide key steps to structure your welcome video effectively and create an eye-catching thumbnail.
A well-structured welcome video helps students feel connected and prepared for the unit. By following these tips, you can create an engaging and personalised introduction that sets the stage for a successful semester.
Find your MATCH! The MATCH (Mentoring for Academics in TeaCHing) programme allows staff to find a mentor in the teaching and learning space who is aligned with their interests, expertise, career ambitions and aspirations.
Interested in becoming a mentor to colleagues in teaching and learning?
The mentoring role will be as much or as little as you are able to provide. Potential mentees will contact you in the first instance to make a connection and you choose to take on the mentee dependent on your capacity.
Information provided in the EOI form will be added to a mentor profile in the MATCH Canvas page and as part of the role, you will be asked to complete brief online training (30-45 mins) to support you in your mentoring journey. If you are interested in starting your mentoring journey, complete this EOI form.
Interested in finding a mentor?
If you are interested in finding a mentor to help support your teaching and learning practices, you can self-enrol in our MATCH Canvas page here and then browse the mentor profiles based on your area of interest (e.g., ACU Thrive, Academic Promotions, L&T Grants and Awards).
Should you have any questions about the MATCH mentoring programme/role, please contact Dr Ann-Marie Gibson – HELTA ambassador.
Have you used the standard comment libraries for marking?
ASU recently developed and released a set of standard comment libraries that academics can use in their marking. Dr Rhonda Siu and Associate Professor Georgia Clarkson are now seeking feedback from academics to improve the libraries. Academics, including academic developers and those involved in Equity and Pathway programs, who have used at least one of the standard feedback comments in their marking are invited to participate in a research study.
To express interest in participating, please contact Dr Rhonda Siu.
Project title: 'Enhancing feedback literacy in higher education: Refining standard-comment libraries based on teaching staff's perceptions of their effectiveness' (2024-3132E).
| 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 |
Visit Service Central to access Corporate Services.