Celebrating Transformative Education Conference
Join us for the ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Learning and Teaching Conference, Celebrating Transformative Education from 21-25 October 2024.
About the Conference
In an era where higher education is experiencing tumultuous times in teaching and learning, join us to celebrate and reflect on educators’ experiences of change and transformations. This enriching event is designed to explore and celebrate transformations in educational practices and technologies, bringing together educators, researchers, and industry experts to share insights and foster discussions on the future of education.
Join with colleagues to explore key themes, including but not limited to:
- Innovations in Learning and Teaching: Showcasing cutting-edge methodologies and technologies.
- Generative AI in Education: Enhancing personalised learning experiences while addressing ethical considerations.
- Sustainability in Education: Exploring strategies to embed sustainability into curricula and promoting environmental awareness.
- Equity and Inclusion: Highlighting initiatives aimed at creating inclusive environments.
- Technology-Enhanced Learning: Examining the impact of digital tools on education.
- Student-Centred Learning Approaches: Emphasising the fostering of student autonomy and engagement.
Immerse yourself in a vibrant week filled with dynamic keynote speakers, interactive workshops, engaging discussions, and networking opportunities designed to inspire and empower educators at all levels.
How to get involved?
- Posters: please see Submission Guidelines (PDF, 252 KB)
- ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø libguide:
- Keynotes: Attend keynotes, grant presentations, teaching excellence awards, Scholarship of Learning and Teaching Symposium and Learning and Teaching Trivia on campus in Townsville and Cairns. Registration details are available for each session.
- Roundtable: Join our roundtable discussion online. If you are interested in being a key discussant at the roundtable, please email grantsandawards@jcu.edu.au
All times are listed as AEST (Brisbane time).
DAY 1 - Monday, 21 October
Professor Maree Dinan-Thompson
Professor Maree Dinan-Thompson, Deputy Vice Chancellor Education oversees the entire student lifecycle, from outreach and aspiration to transition to successful participation in higher education studies, through to graduation. The DVC Education strives to create a student experience and environment that is equitable and accessible, empowered by place and engaged with our communities, and focused on domestic and international student journey and success.
Maree’s research and expertise lie in curriculum development and implementation, assessment design and literacy, teacher agency and curriculum change. Maree has also engaged in Indigenous games research, and pedagogical approaches in Catholic Education. She completed her doctoral studies in health and physical education at University of Queensland, has served on State and National curriculum authorities and is an active member in various professional associations. She is a Fellow of the Australian Council of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, and serves on Boards at State and community levels.
Ebe Ganon
Opportunities for transformative learning through universal design: a student perspective
Ebe reflects on her hopes for the future of equitable learning in Australian universities from a student perspective. Ebe will explore the role of both programs and systemic change in relation to developing inclusive, accessible, and equitable learning environments for all students, including how the implementation of Universal Design for Learning principles has a transformative, human impact on the outcomes and experiences of students.
Ebe Ganon is a young Canberran who is passionate about disability rights and systemic advocacy. Having started her university journey at the Australian National University in 2016, Ebe is currently studying a Masters of Disability and Inclusion at Deakin University. Her thesis is exploring the experiences of disabled university students in Australia, with a focus on how engaging in collective advocacy activities and peer connection influences their time at university and development of identity.
Ebe is the Deputy Chair of Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA), the national peak body and systemic advocate for children and young people with disability in Australia. She is also a member of the National Disability Data Asset (NDDA) Scoping Panel, which works to guide the work of the NDDA around data linkages and projects in support of the priorities of the disability community in Australia. Ebe has experience working as a professional staff member, equity practitioner, and casual sessional academic staff member across a range of institutions in the university sector.
Where: a zoom link will be provided upon registration.
Gen AI for Learning and Teaching
Join us for a dynamic and interactive session focused on the integration of Gen AI into Learning and Teaching at ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø. This roundtable brings together diverse stakeholders—including academics, educational designers, and technology experts—to critically discuss the impacts, opportunities, and challenges of AI in education.
Session Highlights:
- Semi-Structured Discussion: Flexible format allowing rich, adaptable discussions.
- Key Focus Areas:
- ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø-related Gen AI paradigms
- Gen AI in Learning, Teaching, and Assessment
- Theories and Frameworks
- ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø-specific exemplars for AI usage
Where: a teams link will be provided upon registration
·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Academics will showcase their transformative practices in learning and teaching. Come along to the 3-minute Poster Presentations and hear how colleagues are transforming education practices at ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø. Participate in the Audience Choice Vote and vote for your favourite poster on Padlet.
Where: ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Townsville, Bebegu Yumba campus, Douglas 005.001, ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Cairns, Nguma-bada campus, Smithfield A3.002 and online.
This year’s Open Access week theme, “Community over Commercialization” seeks to encourage a candid conversation about the approaches to open scholarship that prioritise the best interests of the public and the academic community - and which do not.
You are invited to join us at the Townsville and Cairns Libraries for presentations of ·¬ÇÑÉçÇøs Open Access Week Awards. Prizes are awarded in the following categories:
ECR Open Access Champion:
Awarded to the ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø ECR who, in the opinion of an expert judging panel, has made the greatest contribution to Open Access through their research publications within the previous three to four years.
HDR Open Access Advocate:
Awarded to a ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø HDR who best answers the question How Does Open Access help the cause of Community over Commercialisation?
Open Education Champion:
The ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Open Education Champion award celebrates an individual who has significantly advanced the uptake of open education and textbook affordability strategies at ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø. This initiative aims to enhance the student experience by making education more accessible and affordable while supporting ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø’s innovative digital-first learning and teaching approach. During the ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Library’s Textbook Affordability Project (2024-2025), this award particularly acknowledges open education and textbook affordability advocacy targeted at first-year core subjects.
·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Open eBooks Excellence and Impact Award:
The ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Open eBook Excellence and Impact Award honors an outstanding open educational resource published in 2022-2023 that significantly enhances the ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø student experience. This award acknowledges the significant efforts of authors in creating an eBook that has made education more accessible and affordable, while promoting ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø’s innovative digital-first learning approach. During the ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Library’s Textbook Affordability Project (2024-2025), this award particularly acknowledges eBooks that target first-year core subjects.
For further information please see
Where: ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Townsville, Eddie Koiki Mabo Library, Bebegu Yumba campus, Douglas 018 First Floor, ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Cairns, Nguma-bada campus Library, Smithfield B1
DAY 2 - Tuesday, 22 October
Professor Sally Kift PFHEA FAAL ALTF
The Accord and Equity: Realising the Best Chance for All
The Universities Accord’s lofty ambition for a “strong, dynamic and efficient tertiary education system”, with nation-building student equity and success at its core, was a breath of fresh air for those of us who walk the talk on education’s transformative potential. Now, several months on, is the Accord’s great equity project still on track or has it been overwhelmed by the realpolitik of implementing complex, multifaceted change in the fraught lead-up to a budget-constrained election? Certainly, the policy responses released for consultation to date provide no particular certainty that “affordable and equitable opportunity for all Australians to access and participate in high-quality, engaging and transformative tertiary education” (Accord Recommendation 1) will be delivered any time soon.
This presentation will attempt to chart a path through the current complexity to coalesce a dizzying array of agendas. It will suggest that what will sustain us amidst all this uncertainty is to double down on the Accord fundamentals of inclusive and universally designed educational experiences that deliver a better, if not the best, equitable chance for all learners, and especially those from under-represented cohorts.
Professor Sally Kift is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA), a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law (FAAL), and President of the Australian Learning & Teaching Fellows (ALTF). She has held several university leadership positions, including as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø. Sally is a national Teaching Award winner, a Senior Teaching Fellow and a Discipline Scholar, Law. In 2017, she received an Australian University Career Achievement Award for her contribution to Australian higher education. Sally was a member of the Australian Qualifications Framework Review Panel that reported to Government in September 2019. Since, 2017, she has been working as an independent higher education consultant.
Where: ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Townsville, Bebegu Yumba campus, Douglas 005.001, ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Cairns, Nguma-bada campus, Smithfield A3.002 and online.
Professor Danny Liu
Looking to the future with AI in learning, teaching, and assessment
At the pace that generative AI is progressing, it's difficult to know what the future will look like. Even so, we will consider some practical heuristics that will point us in the right direction and guide us towards transformative education in a world where AI is ubiquitous.
Danny is a molecular biologist by training, programmer by night, researcher and academic developer by day, and educator at heart. A multiple international and national teaching award winner, he works at the confluence of artificial intelligence, learning analytics, student engagement, educational technology, and professional development and leadership. He is a Professor of Educational Technologies in the DVC Education Portfolio at the University of Sydney, co-chairs the University's AI in Education working group, and leads the Cogniti.ai initiative that puts educators in the driver's seat of AI.
Where: ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Townsville, Bebegu Yumba campus, Douglas 005.001, ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Cairns, Nguma-bada campus, Smithfield A3.002 and online.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Higher Education
Q&A Panel hosted by Professor Maree Dinan-Thompson , DVC Education, who will be joined by Professor Sally Kift, Professor Danny Liu, Professor Martin Nakata and Ebe Ganon.
Where: ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Townsville, Bebegu Yumba campus, Douglas 005.001 and ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Cairns, Nguma-bada campus, Smithfield A3.002 and online.
Professor Martin Nakata, AM
The Transformative Power of AI-Native Learning Environments
Professor Martin Nakata, AM is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Education & Strategy at ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø and a leading Indigenous academic in Australia. As the first Torres Strait Islander to earn a PhD, his extensive academic career spans almost four decades, focusing on Indigenous education, Indigenous Studies, and Indigenous Knowledge.
Prof. Nakata is widely recognised internationally, with over 70 keynote addresses delivered across twenty countries. His research, particularly in Indigenous educational outcomes and STEM education, has been published in numerous academic journals, anthologies, and books globally.
His current ARC-funded research examines ways to build the capacities of Indigenous learners in STEM fields. Prof. Nakata’s deep understanding of Torres Strait Islander languages and customs, informed by his upbringing in the islands, enriches his academic and leadership roles. He also co-edits the Australian Journal of Indigenous Education and contributes to editorial boards of academic journals worldwide.
Where: ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Townsville, Bebegu Yumba campus, Douglas 005.001, ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Cairns, Nguma-bada campus, Smithfield A3.002 and online.
DAY 3 - Wednesday, 23 October
2022 ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Learning & Teaching Innovation Grant Presentations
Join us on-campus (TSV and CNS) to hear from grant recipients who are facilitating innovative learning, teaching and assessment activities that enhance student learning.
Dr Maru Castellanos Reynosa - College of Public Health, Medicine & Veterinary Science
- Choose your adventure: Using an online game to investigate disease outbreaks and improve learner engagement.Dr Steve Kerrison - ·¬ÇÑÉçÇøS School of Science & Technology
- VEtheRBlocksDr Mehdi Khatamifar & Professor Wenxian Lin - College of Science & Engineering
- Innovative Quadcopter Design Challenge for Active Learning in Finite Element AnalysisDr Denise Turner & Dr Teneale McGuckin - College of Healthcare Sciences
- Using industry-based technology to enhance student learning experience
Where: ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Townsville, Bebegu Yumba campus, Douglas 005.001, ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Cairns, Nguma-bada campus, Smithfield A3.003 and online.
·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Academics will showcase their transformative practices in learning and teaching. Come along to the 3-minute Poster Presentations and hear how colleagues are transforming education practices at ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø. Participate in the Audience Choice Vote and vote for your favourite poster on Padlet.
Where: ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Townsville, Bebegu Yumba campus, Douglas 005.001, ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Cairns, Nguma-bada campus, Smithfield A3.003 and online.
Come along to hear Frederik Klemming, Anthology's Director of Product Management showcase the latest updates and developments on the Anthology Blackboard platform (Learn·¬ÇÑÉçÇø). Gain insights into how these enhancements will enhance the digital experience for educators and students.
Where: ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Townsville, Bebegu Yumba campus, Douglas 134.010, ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Cairns, Nguma-bada campus, Smithfield D3.054 and online.
The Ideas Exchange booth is an opportunity to bring your experience teaching with Learn·¬ÇÑÉçÇø, ask questions and share your feedback and ideas directly with Anthology.
Where: ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Townsville, Bebegu Yumba campus, Douglas 134.010, ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Cairns, Nguma-bada campus, Smithfield D3.054 and online.
DAY 4 - Thursday, 24 October
Join us for a dynamic, hands-on session where academics will actively engage with Generative AI (Gen AI) in real time. This workshop focuses on practical applications of AI in educational settings, providing participants with an opportunity to observe facilitators demonstrate AI tools while interacting directly with them. The aim is to explore the practical benefits of AI in enhancing learning, teaching, and assessment design.
Session Highlights:
- Power Workshops: Engage in a series of 15-minute workshops, each focusing on different Gen AI applications.
- Live AI Demonstrations: Watch facilitators use AI in real-time scenarios.
- Practical Insights: Gain hands-on experience with AI tools that can be applied to enhance learning and teaching practices.
Where: a teams link will be provided upon registration
Zero textbook cost (ZTC) strategies at ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø transforming student learning experiences
A ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø (·¬ÇÑÉçÇø) strategic priority is transformative education, with an aim of widening participation in higher education for regional, remote, Indigenous, first-in-family and international students (·¬ÇÑÉçÇø, 2022). We know financial pressures are a key challenge for these students, and financial hardship is associated with enrolment, retention, and successful completion of university studies (Devlin & McKay, 2017; ZajÄ…c & Tomaszewski, 2023). A desire to respond to the financial difficulties faced by many students underpins ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø’s strong commitment to open education and textbook affordability.
·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Library recognises that ‘open is everyone’s business’, and that subject textbook costs can be reduced. Accordingly, the Library has launched a Textbook Affordability Project (TAP), 2024-2025, targeting student-paid prescribed textbooks in first-year core subjects. The need for TAP is clear. 2023 Library data estimates show that first-year students could have paid approximately $2,194,238 for their prescribed textbooks for core subjects.
What is ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Library doing?
- Auditing first-year cores subjects’ textbooks and their costs for students and ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø
- Targeting high impact (high textbook costs and/or student numbers) first-year core subjects
- Exploring alternatives (unlimited eBook licenses, open educational resources, curated Reading lists)
- Offering HEPPP-funded Library grants to promote change within the Academy
- Collaborating with academics to provide tailored solutions for targeted subjects.
What is ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Library aiming for?
- Enhancing student financial savings
- Ensuring students are textbook-ready from day one, enhancing potential success and retention
- Improving student equity, accessibility, and inclusion experiences
- Supporting ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø’s digital-first learning and teaching approach.
Where: ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Townsville, Bebegu Yumba campus, Douglas, ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Cairns, Nguma-bada campus, Smithfield TBC and online.
Come and celebrate the amazing work of your colleagues!
Every year, ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø recognises and rewards the diverse contributions that individuals and teams make to the quality of student learning and student engagement at ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø through a suite of Teaching Excellence awards. These include:
- Inclusive Practice Awards
- Sessional Teaching Awards
- Inclusive and Accessible Learn·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Site Awards
- ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Citations for Sustained Commitment to Enhancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø DVC Education's Student Experience Award
- ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning
Where: ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Townsville, Bebegu Yumba campus, Douglas 005.001, ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Cairns, Nguma-bada campus, Smithfield D3.054 and online.
DAY 5 - Friday, October 25
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Ins and Outs
- How can institutions and individual educators foster a culture of inclusivity in learning and teaching?
- How can institutions and individual educators manage the inherent tensions in diversity, equity, and inclusions?
SoLT symposiums explore contemporary issues in teaching and learning, through:
- panel discussion and debate
- showcases of best practice
- expert analysis and Q&A.
Where: a teams link will be provided upon registration
Join the Academic Excellence team for a coffee and test your learning and teaching trivia knowledge. Free beverage for the first ten in attendance!
Test your knowledge in three exciting rounds:
- Round 1 - Learning and Teaching Pedagogy
- Round 2 - Ed-Tech and Gen AI
- Round 3 - ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Trivia
Each round features 10 multiple-choice questions.
Arrive early! The first 10 people receive a FREE beverage.
The winner of each round will take home some delicious chocolate!
Come join the fun, challenge your peers, and walk away as a trivia champion!
Where:
- ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Cairns, Nguma-bada campus, Smithfield meet for a coffee and trivia at D'Lish on McGregor.
- ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Townsville, Bebegu Yumba campus, Douglas meet for trivia and a coffee on the ground floor of Science Place.