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.
With T1 already well underway and Semester 1 about to begin, this newsletter outlines key supports and updates to help with your final teaching preparations. Best wishes to you and your students for a strong start to the academic year.
A reminder that all unit leaders must ensure their Canvas units align with the Canvas Foundations Template before the units go live to students on Monday 16 February. Co-designed with staff and students, the template supports consistency, accessibility and ease of navigation. You can read more about this initiative in the recent Staff Bulletin. If you’re unsure if you’ve applied the right template, open your unit in Canvas and work through the Readiness checklist (a quick self-check guide).
Other CEI initiatives include the expansion of MyProgress to the Master of Teaching, Studiosity+ for all students, and observance of the 2026 Academic Timeline Focus Zones to support learning and teaching preparation and practice.
If you need any advice or assistance, please contact CEI@acu.edu.au.
Professor Anthony Whitty
Director, CEI
The Higher Education Learning and Teaching Academy (HELTA) is offering a series of seven online workshops to inform and support academic staff in preparation for Semester 1.
Next week’s sessions are designed to share practical strategies that can be applied directly in units, while also providing space to reflect on effective approaches before the semester begins. This is a fantastic opportunity to refresh your knowledge of best practices.
Each session is one hour in duration and conducted via webinar. Please find workshop details and registration links below:
Monday 16 February
10.30 - 11.30am (AEDT): Preparing for teaching in 2026 and beyond
Tuesday 17 February
11.00am - 12.00pm (AEDT): AI for Engaging, Effective and Inclusive Teaching
2.00 - 3.00pm (AEDT): Engaging through classroom quizzes
Wednesday 18 February
11.00am - 12.00pm (AEDT): Learning That Moves: Rethinking Engagement in University Teaching
2.00 - 3.00pm (AEDT): Employing a ‘course level nudge protocol’ to heighten online student engagement
Thursday 19 February
11.00am - 12.00pm (AEDT): Engaging through motivation
2.00 - 3.00pm (AEDT): Engaging online
Sessions will be recorded and shared to HELTA Teams, all staff are welcome to join.
From Semester 1, 2026, students will have access to Studiosity+, a 24/7 AI-powered support service designed to support learning through formative feedback. It’s fully compliant with ACU’s academic integrity policies and does not write or rewrite student work.
Studiosity’s Writing Feedback and Connect Live services have been replaced by Studiosity+, which includes two new services:
Writing Feedback+
Study Assist
Academic staff continue to play a critical role in guiding students on responsible AI use and reinforcing academic integrity expectations. Studiosity+ is not being introduced to replace human-led support from teaching teams or the Academic Skills Unit.
The Academic Skills Unit is available to assist students with deeper skill development and teaching staff with developing and embedding assessment-aligned online support resources, and mapping support to unit outlines. Explore this service here.
For academics who wish to request a centrally managed end‑of‑semester exam, please refer to the following:
Key dates:
Semester 1 2026 exam requests are open between 2 March to 20 March 2026 on the Examination Management System (EMS).
You may request the following exam types in Semester 1:
Exam papers may be provided via one of two methods:
Key deadlines:
If no exam paper is submitted by 1 June, the exam will automatically revert to a school‑based exam managed internally.
For further information, please refer to the Examination information for staff or contact Examinations@acu.edu.au.
The ESSP is ACU’s long‑term strategy to improve student outcomes and enhance the learning experience, positioning the university to be truly student-centred by 2033.
As one of the key foundational activities, ACU has engaged TODAY, a strategic design agency to refresh ACU’s end-to-end student journey map. Building on previous work and research, this project will identify what works well and where barriers exist for learners of today and 2033, with particular attention to equity cohorts and future learners.
The project was kicked off in November 2025 and we have completed discovery and scoping activities, including project planning, research priority setting, a gap analysis, landscape and trends review, stakeholder interviews, and development of a current‑state hypothesis journey map. Read more about the Phase 1 findings.
Upcoming activities
Phase 2 will focus on detailed current‑state mapping through student workshops with priority cohorts over March 10-19, and a broad student survey. Results will inform refined journey maps and pain point identification, leading into Phase 3: systems mapping and opportunity prioritisation.
For more information on ESSP and the student journey mapping project please contact Sue Bolt or Monica Chen.
The New Teacher Induction resource developed by CEI is a practical and flexible guide designed to support teachers as they settle into their roles. It provides information they can return to whenever they need clarity or direction. Faculties, schools and directorates are encouraged to integrate it into their local onboarding processes to ensure a consistent, high‑quality induction experience across the University.
Suggestions or feedback to further enhance the resource can be directed to A/Prof Alison Owens at Alison.Owens@acu.edu.au.
To streamline and improve staff and student experience of extension management, CEI is currently trialling the Assignment Extension Tool for Special Consideration management and processing.
The tool was piloted in Summer Term for all students and is continuing in ACU Term 1. Feedback from staff and students will be gathered on their experience to assist in determining whether this system is appropriate for the university-wide management of Special Consideration requests.
Staff resources
For questions, please contact Learning.Technologies@acu.edu.au.
A clear, welcoming introduction at the start of Semester 1 helps students feel connected and sets expectations early. A short welcome video is a simple way to introduce yourself, outline how the unit will run, and establish a supportive tone for learning, whether students are studying on campus or online.
ACU’s Self-Service Studios make it easy to record a professional welcome video without prior experience. Each studio is equipped with high-quality cameras, audio and lighting, and is designed to be quick and straightforward to use. The Studios team has prepared a welcome video template that you can adapt for your unit.
Download the ACU Welcome Video template
Every ACU campus is equipped with a Self-Service Studio, so no matter where you are, you can easily visit a campus and record your video. Ready to record? Book a Self-Service Studio online. If this is your first time using the studio, please book a short induction session so a team member can help get you started.
Enrolments and Student Records will hold information sessions ahead of Semester 1 2026 to support staff with key enrolment processes and common scenarios that arise at the start of semester. Professional and academic staff are encouraged to attend, particularly Course Coordinators, Lecturers in Charge and school- and faculty-based staff who support teaching teams.
What topics will be covered?
Key focus areas include:
Secure your spot
Register for your preferred session using the relevant link below. A confirmation email will be sent after registration, which you can use to add the session to your calendar.
Tuesday 3 March 2026 11am – 12pm (AEDT)
Thursday 5 March 2026 2:30pm – 3:30pm (AEDT)
If you're unable to join the live sessions, the video recording and handbook will be posted on the E&SR SharePoint site.
Access and Disability Service (A&DS) support students with temporary or ongoing health conditions, disabilities, mental health conditions, neurodivergence or significant carer responsibilities. We also work closely with staff to ensure adjustments are implemented effectively.
Staff are encouraged to contact an Access and Disability Advisor (ADA) whenever they need guidance on implementing the reasonable adjustments within an Education Inclusion Plan (EIP). Early discussions with an ADA can help avoid last-minute complications and ensure the timely implementation of adjustments.
The staff A&DS page outlines the university’s responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA), Disability Standards for Education (2005), and provides guidance on reasonable adjustments, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), condition-specific case studies, and links to relevant external agencies.
Facilitate a simple reminder for students
A short prompt in-class or on Canvas can help students who may be unsure about when or how to seek help. Encourage students to register early with our service and remind those with an EIP to share them with you as soon as possible.
Common EIP adjustments
For further information, get in touch with our team.
| 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 |
| Professor Stephen Guinea | Associate Dean, Learning, Teaching and Professional Experience, Faculty of Health Sciences |
| Professor Bhavani Sridharan | Associate Dean (Learning Teaching and Accreditation), Faculty of Law and Business |
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