Academic focus zones for 2025
News 11 DecemberThe 2025 Academic Timeline interactions and focus zones are now available to help prioritise the planning and delivery of learning and teaching. Sync the focus zones to your Outlook calendar now.
26 August 2020
Share
A message from the Vice President, Father Anthony Casamento CSMA:
Under the direction of our Pro Vice-Chancellor (Engagement), Professor Sandra Jones, ACU is developing a comprehensive program of supports and research to increase the inclusion of autistic students in university education and the inclusion of all autistic people in the broader community. I am delighted to support this program of activity, which is directly aligned to our mission as a Catholic university.
This is a cohort that experiences considerable marginalisation and discrimination, with lower educational and employment opportunities than people with any other disability and people without disability. At the same time, this is a group of people with unique strengths who can and do thrive at university and in employment with the right support mechanisms in place.
Those of you in Victoria will know that, this year, ACU launched the Autism Inclusion Program on the Melbourne and Ballarat campuses. This program provides a range of supports for students, including peer mentoring, access to comprehensive information for (prospective) autistic students, social and academic supports, a resource library, and the provision of a low-sensory room on each campus. In 2021, the program will roll out across all ACU campuses. Importantly, the program also aims to better support ACU’s autistic staff as well as students.
There are a range of opportunities for ACU staff to contribute to, and benefit from, the program. I encourage you to refer eligible students to the mentoring program, or to reach out to the team if you have questions.
There are numerous opportunities for student placements; for example, occupational therapy (OT) honours students are researching academic and environmental supports; and fourth-year OT placement students are creating sensory-friendly maps of ACU campuses. An ‘Introduction to Autism’ session is available for individual staff and work units; and Professor Jones is working with Professor John Munro on the development of personal development (PD) modules on specific aspects of teaching and supporting autistic students.
ACU researchers are working with key advocacy groups across Australia to undertake ground-breaking research into social inclusion. In 2017, Professor Jones and her team worked with Amaze (Autism Victoria) on the first-ever Australian study on the autism knowledge of the general community and the experiences of autistic people. This research won the 2019 Autism CRC Research Translation Award, and informed the ‘Change Your Reactions’ media campaign.
In 2020, the team are again working with Amaze on the second wave of this important research. This is a prime example of research engagement in action. The ACU team are working with an expert panel of autistic people and their families on the development of the surveys, and the panel is chaired by an autistic academic and convened by an autistic ACU student.
The ACU Engagement team is also working on a number of other research projects, including: a large-scale national survey to inform the Autism Alliance’s submission to the Senate Select Committee on Autism; an innovative qualitative study on the experiences of autistic people working in academia; and several psychology master’s student research projects, including exploring the challenges for autistic secondary school students of the Covid-19 lockdown.
If you would like to book in for a PD session, find out more about the Autism Inclusion Program, or explore opportunities for research collaborations and student placements, you can email the team at autism@acu.ed.au. Sandra and John are particularly keen to hear from staff who would like to participate in a brief discussion to inform the development of the PD modules.
The 2025 Academic Timeline interactions and focus zones are now available to help prioritise the planning and delivery of learning and teaching. Sync the focus zones to your Outlook calendar now.
ACU will move to the new EBSCOhost user interface on 4 February 2025. Find out what you need to do to prepare.
Please note the digests from Academic Board meetings 06/2024 held on 14 November 2024 and via circular resolution from 15-19 November 2024.
The 2024 Showcase of Teaching and Learning brought staff and students together to share innovations and collaborations from across the university. An online edition will be hosted in early 2025.
It has been a big year, and we understand that the festive season can be a different experience for each of us. Access a new resource from our employee assistance program, designed to help you prepare...
ACU's Co-Lab proudly announces Kyla Tucker as the winner of the $1,000 ACU Co-Lab Business Idea Pitch Award 2024, following careful evaluation by a panel of ACU judges.
Limited services will be available via Service Central on 12 and 13 December, while the Service Central team attend a staff conference. The Service Central phone line and live chat will not be availab...
A message from Vice President Fr Anthony Casamento csma: Ok, let’s not kid ourselves. If you are like me, December can feel like chaos. Yet, amid this chaos, the Church gives us the Season of Advent -...
Associate Professor Grant Duthie from the SPRINT Research Centre and Professor Jo Ingold from the Peter Faber Business School have won a prestigious government grant that will see them work with the b...
Let’s reflect on our inclusive practices during International Day of People with Disability.
ACU’s Peter Faber Business School has earned accreditation from AACSB, the US-based organisation that accredits business schools worldwide.
A message from the Provost, Professor Julie Cogin: As we approach the end of the year it’s fitting to look back and reflect on everything we’ve achieved over the past 12 months.
Find out the end-of-year deadlines and operating hours for a range of staff and student services within Corporate Services including Service Central, People & Capability and Student Administration.
The popular medicines database MIMS Online is upgrading to a new platform and changing its name to eMIMSelite.
16 Days is a global campaign observed annually from November 25 to December 10 and serves as a critical reminder of the pervasive and often invisible violence that affects millions of people. Watch a ...
Include an additional survey item in the Student Evaluation of Learning and Teaching (SELT) survey for units that are offered in ACU Online Term 4 (202476).
With the end of the year approaching, it's time to ensure a smooth closure of the university’s 2024 accounting books and financial year-end work. Check the finance end-of-year deadlines for 2024.
ACU’s Graduation and Protocol team has been recognized at the 2024 Association for Tertiary Education Management (ATEM) Awards for Excellence for their innovative Reader Module project.
A message from the Executive Dean of Health Sciences Professor Suzanne Chambers: The Faculty of Health Sciences research space has seen colleagues come together in a spirit of shared learning and conn...
Role of Chair training is now available through the ACU Staff Learning Hub.
Visit Service Central to access Corporate Services.