![](/-/media/feature/micrositesnewsandevents/staffnews/suzanne-chambers-460px.jpg)
Innovation in practice
News 24 JulyA message from Executive Dean of Health Sciences Professor Suzanne Chambers: Winter has so far been a season of future-thinking and action for the Faculty of Health Sciences.
26 November 2019
Share
The inaugural Service-Learning Australia Summit was held at Griffith University on the Gold Coast from 14-15 November 2019. The summit brought together professional and academic staff from around Australia to workshop best-practice in student service-learning (a part of community engagement at ACU).
ACU’s National Community Engagement Manager Dr Matthew Pink attended the summit.
“Service-learning as part of university-community engagement has long been a part of the Australian landscape, but often in a way that has lacked unification,” Dr Pink said.
“It is wonderful to see that the passionate groups who use this pedagogy are finding forums that speak directly to service-learning. I can see this network and associated summits furthering the ideas sharing and co-creation of knowledge for the mutual benefit of students and the community.”
Dr Richard Kiely, Senior Fellow in the Office of Engagement Initiatives (OEI) at Cornell University, was the keynote speaker and also ran insightful workshops on improving service-learning pedagogy. A key ‘take home’ message from these workshops was the importance of developing robust critical reflection frameworks for students, as this leads to the deepest insights and learning. Another standout at the summit was a theatre-based workshop presented by Lisa Anderson and her team from University of Technology Sydney, that deconstructed ‘when project-based service-learning projects fail’. Appropriate student preparation, open and complete communication with partners, and regular ‘checking-in’ with students and partners was identified as keys to optimising project outcomes. These points were discussed in recognition of the resource challenges that occur in both the community and universities.
There was also a panel on the upcoming Carnegie community engagement classification pilot. This classification system promotes the highest standards in university-community engagement and has been operating in the United States since 2006. Ten Australian universities (including ACU) are developing and piloting an Australian-based version of the classification system.
“The Carnegie panel was a great opportunity to share the Carnegie classification system with those passionate about service-learning and what it will mean for furthering university-community engagement and service-learning in Australia,” Dr Pink said.
"There was great interest shown by those in attendance, and a general sense of the opportunity this holds for Australian universities.”
The summit finished with the official formation of the Service-Learning Australia Network which seeks to further service-learning as an established and valued pedagogy in Australia.
A message from Executive Dean of Health Sciences Professor Suzanne Chambers: Winter has so far been a season of future-thinking and action for the Faculty of Health Sciences.
From Monday 22 July to Friday 9 August, Service Central will be available for extended hours to support staff.
A message from Vice President Father Anthony Casamento csma: From 5 – 9 August we will celebrate Mission Week across our campuses. This is an opportunity for us to come together as a community to cele...
Are you going to be a grandparent soon? Did you know ACU offers personal leave for staff to care for their child or grandchild after birth or adoption?
Discover the learning and career development opportunities that are available online, including the brand-new leadership development program, 'The Edge Series'.
Join ASCILITE and become a member of one of Australasia’s most vibrant professional technology enhanced learning communities, with more than 2200 members from tertiary institutions across Australia an...
Phones will be removed from all classrooms over the mid-semester break, from 23 September to 27 September.
Include an additional survey item in the Student Evaluation of Learning and Teaching (SELT) survey for units that are offered in Professional Term 5 (202455).
Australia’s first five-time diving Olympian, a Kiwi gymnast and the woman who taught actor Chris Hemsworth to row will be among 15 ACU students and alumni to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Para...
A message from acting Executive Dean of Theology and Philosophy Associate Professor Richard Colledge: Recently, the faculty has hosted opportunities for reflection on the possibilities for reconcilia...
Are you on your parenthood journey? A practical guide is now available to support staff, and their supervisors, through the stages of becoming a parent and transitioning back to work.
Embark on an exhilarating journey into the mysterious world of enrolments. Register to attend an enrolment information session for Semester 2, 2024.
Join upcoming online workshops in preparation for Semester 2. Secure your spot today to learn how you can utilise Canvas and its features to enhance your teaching practices.
A limitless professional horizon awaits ACU students after its three IT programs were awarded certification by the nation’s most trustworthy player in the tech sector, the Australian Computer Society.
Following evaluation and voting by a panel of ACU judges, Co-Lab is delighted to announce Thomas Clark and Xavier Chalkley as the winners of the $1000 prize for the ACU Co-Lab Social Enterprise Pitch ...
ACU Library staff will participate in professional development activities on Thursday 18 July. While away from their usual posts, they'll be working together across three locations to plan our future ...
Applications for 2024 Teaching Development Grants, Citations and Awards are open. Explore guidelines and resources to enhance your teaching project’s impact or gain recognition for your contributions.
As we sit in this small window of the winter break gearing up for Semester 2, it's important to recognise that not everyone experiences this period as downtime. For many, workloads and busy lifestyles...
This week is NAIDOC Week, an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
ACU staff who are also members with UniSuper can now access free expert medical advice and services to support their health and wellbeing through MetLife 360Health.
Visit Service Central to access Corporate Services.