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.
At what is a busy period of the semester, I encourage you to take note of the range of programs and opportunities that support ACU’s commitment to the development of staff and the encouragement of continued professional learning (ACU Vision 2033). These diverse opportunities come from across the University and are provided to enhance your daily practices and the overarching student experience.
As we approach Easter, I wanted to wish you a safe and peaceful break. I hope that you can take a moment to rest, reflect and spend time with loved ones. Please reach out to CEI@acu.edu.au if you require any support or guidance in your learning and teaching.
Professor Anthony Whitty
Director, CEI
CEI is hosting a professional learning session for staff who will be undertaking the role of ACU (Internal) Chair of Course Reviews. The session will be held this Thursday 28 March 2024 from 1-2pm (AEDT). Register now.
To support staff in this role, the session will provide guidance on reviewing and improving the course rationale, course aim, course learning outcomes, and mapping the alignment between those outcomes and the units comprising the course.
If you cannot attend the session but would like to watch a recording, please register for access.
All staff are invited to participate in the upcoming graduation ceremonies. By attending and supporting these events, you can make a valuable contribution to our students’ graduation experience and it’s a wonderful opportunity to experience the culmination of many years of hard work from both our students and staff.
Visit the graduation website to see the full schedule of ceremonies. To register your interest, please submit the ACU Staff Registration form before registrations close on the following dates:
The Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (GCHE) is designed to help you develop your career as a tertiary educator and to contribute directly to extending a culture of excellence in learning and teaching at ACU. The GCHE is open for enrolments for new students in Professional Term 4 commencing on 15 April. The final date for enrolment is 14 April 2024.
Teaching academics, including sessional and professional staff who have a role leading teaching and learning are eligible to have their fees waived.
The course is work-integrated so that you undertake learning activities that are of direct relevance and benefit to you. It aims to model and illustrate good practice and ensure your learning experience is transparently relevant and strategically beneficial.
Read more about the GCHE and enrol now.
CEI would like to inform staff of the guidelines for communicating with students through the platform to maintain a positive student experience. Course/Unit Announcements should only be used to communicate important information, updates, and reminders to students enrolled in a course.
Teaching staff should not post information to students that are unrelated to the learning and teaching of the unit, eg. Invitations to participate in research projects.
An announcement in Canvas will automatically trigger an email to your students, therefore staff should avoid duplicating the message through multiple channels.
Should your students express concern about the number of emails they are receiving, they can view this AskACU article to change their Canvas notification preferences to a daily summary email.
Thank you for your support and ongoing commitment to improving the student learning experience.
ACU partner, the University of the Fraser Valley in BC Canada is inviting expressions of interest from ACU academic staff to participate in a comprehensive Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Faculty Scholars Training Program. The program, fully funded by UFV, is focused on developing COIL programs between our two universities and helping academics develop skills and capabilities in the design and facilitation of COIL projects.
The program includes a series of workshops, access to a tool kit of resources, matching with a UFV faculty to develop a COIL project facilitated by Going Global U, and building skills to sustain these across faculty staff.
Facilitators Greg Tuke and Karim Ashour have more than a decade of experience teaching COIL courses and training in different regions to integrate COIL components into existing courses across various disciplines. Together, they have taught over 30 COIL courses, collaborated with faculty partners worldwide, and successfully trained over 150 international faculty across dozens of countries who planned and conducted their own COIL courses.
If you are interested in participating, please contact globallearning.outbound@acu.edu.au for application forms and further information. Completed forms are due in early April to allow faculty matching to commence in time for the first workshops.
From Monday 8 April 2024, the Student Academic Misconduct Management System (SAMMS) will be the new platform for lodging academic misconduct cases.
What is SAMMS?
SAMMS is a platform that will streamline the process of submitting and processing cases of suspected academic misconduct. Lecturers in Charge are responsible for lodging academic misconduct cases through SAMMS. Once submitted, the case will be assigned to an Academic Integrity Officer (AIO).
The system will send email notifications at stages of the process and allow staff to monitor the progress of their open cases in the platform. We look forward to improving the efficiency of the process for staff through the SAMMS roll-out.
Staff can access a best practice supporting evidence guide and a Turnitin Artificial Intelligence checklist to learn more about how to provide high quality evidence when lodging cases for potential academic misconduct.
SAMMS will be available via Academic Integrity from 8 April 2024.
Many thanks to all the staff who attended our Enrolments Info Sessions on 5th and 7th March 2024. We appreciated your engagement and insightful questions.
In case you missed out, or need a refresher in the future, you can access our treasure trove of resources waiting for you on our SharePoint site.
As we head towards Semester 1 Census (Sunday 31st March 2024) we’d like to remind you that timely action and submission of various enrolment forms is critical for students, staff and helping the University meet government reporting and compliance deadlines.
In the coming weeks, the ACU Thrive project will connect with the teaching teams of Semester 2 2024 units that have been identified to transition to the ACU Thrive model, as well as several units that will be ‘thrived’ over a longer period in preparation for 2025.
Currently, over forty first-year units are being delivered as part of the ACU Thrive model for Semester 1. Collectively, all four faculties are represented in the model and more units, courses, and Schools will be brought on in the future.
The evaluation for ACU Thrive across 2023 revealed an impressive upturn in pre- to post-census retention rates compared to previous years, as well as general improvements in SELTs and final grades. A similar evaluation is underway for S1 2024, and we look forward to sharing further insights with staff.
In 2024, ACU's Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) team has extended its efforts to enrich student learning experiences and bolster support systems by introducing Pop-up PASS (PUP) alongside the traditional PASS model. PUP is designed to cater to units with smaller cohorts or those with historically low attendance in the traditional PASS sessions.
While PASS typically consists of weekly small-group study sessions led by high-achieving students, PUP offers a modified approach. PUP sessions are condensed and scheduled three times per semester, strategically aligning with crucial assessment periods. This adaptation allows for more targeted academic support and flexibility, particularly in units with specific characteristics or smaller student populations.
The introduction of PUP underscores our commitment to ensuring that students in challenging courses receive support to excel academically. This semester, PUP is being piloted in five units across two faculties. Successful outcomes from this trial period may pave the way for further expansion.
For comprehensive details, interested parties are encouraged to reach out to PASSACU@acu.edu.au.
We remain dedicated to refining our support systems and enhancing the learning journey for all students at ACU.
The Academic Skills Unit (ASU) can assist staff in supporting students learning by creating bespoke online resources and targeted workshops. Resources and workshops can be designed to cover a wide range of maths, academic language and learning skills including:
Assoc Professor Jennifer Carpenter |
Associate Dean Learning Teaching and Governance, Faculty of Education and Arts |
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Dr Ian Elmer |
Acting Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching, Faculty of Theology and Philosophy |
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Assoc Professor Stephen Guinea |
Associate Dean, Learning, Teaching and Professional Experience, Faculty of Health Sciences |
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Assoc Professor Bhavani Sridharan | Associate Dean (Learning Teaching and Accreditation), Faculty of Law and Business |
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