Festival of Learning and Teaching 2024

The Festival of Learning and Teaching is an opportunity for all staff to share practice, be inspired, learn from one another, and network. Following a hugely successful event in June, the last event for the year, Impact through inclusion and innovation will be held on Thursday 31 October.

The Festival will engage with the innovative application of inclusive teaching practices in our current context. This focus also aligns with the aspirations of the new Adelaide University.

The Festival's theme of Impact through inclusion and innovation will be explored in concurrent sessions focused on these sub-themes:

  • Approaches to enabling all students to succeed
  • Valuing Indigenous knowledges
  • Applying culturally responsive pedagogy in practice
  • Reflective practice as innovation

The concurrent sessions enable both academic and professional colleagues to share expertise and practice in areas such as the transition to, and through university, including the provision of ongoing academic and learning support for students from a range of equity groups.

  • Definition of terms

    Inclusive teaching practices
    According to Advance HE’s Framework for Inclusive Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, inclusive teaching approaches are those intentionally chosen to support all students to achieve success.

    University of Adelaide’s Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2021-2024
    The University of Adelaide’s Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2021-2024 outlines the goal to foster a flexible, engaging learning environment that recognises the mental health and wellbeing of students in its structure and delivery.

    Innovation
    The following definition is used to ensure a wide range of innovative practices are considered.

    Pedagogical innovation or innovation in learning and teaching
    Pedagogical innovation is intentional change in teaching practice made to enhance or transform student learning experience and outcomes, including the development of skills and attributes needed for post-study success. Innovation in education is primarily motivated by the desire to engage students and enhance learning, to address learning and teaching challenges, adjust to changing circumstances, and to improve communication and relationships with students. The innovation may be the integration of an existing approach, method, or technique into a new context that is not already widespread in the teaching of the discipline or within a Department or School.

    Sources
    Walder, A. M. (2017). Pedagogical Innovation in Canadian higher education: Professors’ perspectives on its effects on teaching and learning. Studies in Educational Evaluation. 54, 71-82.
    Serdyukov, P. (2017). Innovation in education: what works, what doesn’t, and what to do about it? Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching & Learning

    Equity Groups

    Equity groups
    A Fair Chance for All (DEET, 1990)

    Operational definitions

    Equity and general performance indicators in HE (Martin, 1994)

    People from low socioeconomic status backgrounds

    Students whose home postcode recorded in their student enrolment form falls within the lowest quartile of the population of a given catchment region (typically a state or the nation) determined by the value of the ABS index of Education and Occupation.

    Indigenous Australians

    Students who indicate Y to the student enrolment form questions: ‘Are you an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander?’

    Women in non-traditional areas

    Students who indicate F on the student enrolment gender question and who enrol in fields of study or program types with less than 40% female enrolment.

    People with disabilities

    Students who indicate Y to the student enrolment questions: 1. ‘Do you have a disability, impairment or long term medical condition, which may affect your studies?’ 2. Would you like to receive advice on support services, equipment and facilities which may assist you?’

    People from Non-English-Speaking-Backgrounds (NESB)

    Students whose responses to student enrolment questions indicate they were 1. Born overseas, 2. Arrived in Australia less than 10 years ago, and/or 3. Speak a language other than English at home.

    People from regional and remote areas

    Students whose home postcode recorded on their student enrolment is classified as regional or remote.

    Adapted from Gale, T., & Parker, S. (2013). Widening participation in Australian higher education. Report submitted to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Office of Fair Access (OFFA), England. CFE (Research and Consulting) Ltd, Leicester, UK and Edge Hill University, Lancashire, UK.

     

REGISTER NOW  PROGRAM

Features of October Program

  • Keynote - Associate Professor Jason Lodge, University of Queensland
    Associate Professor Jason Lodge

    KEYNOTE

    Associate Professor Jason Lodge, University of Queensland

    Jason is Associate Professor of Educational Psychology and Director of the Learning, Instruction, and Technology Lab in the School of Education at The University of Queensland (UQ). With the lab team, Jason explores the cognitive, metacognitive, and emotional aspects of learning, particularly in higher education and with digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI). He and his team have a particular interest in self- and co-regulated learning.

    Recently, Jason has been focused on the evolving role of AI in education. He serves as an expert advisor to the OECD and Australian National Task Force on Artificial Intelligence in Education and led the Assessment Experts Forum in partnership with the Australian Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). The resulting resource, Assessment Reform for the Age of Artificial Intelligence, is being used across education sectors in Australia and around the world to rethink assessment in light of the emergence of generative AI. His most recent work in partnership with the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) has been on developing a national framework for AI in higher education, a translation of the Australian Framework for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools.

    Jason also serves as Deputy Associate Dean (Academic) in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at UQ. He holds fellowships with the Psychonomic Society (US) and the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia and is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK). Jason has received numerous teaching awards, including the Australian Psychological Society’s Distinguished Contribution to Psychological Education and was an inaugural winner of the ASCILITE and CAULLT Award for Outstanding Leadership in Digital Learning in Higher Education in 2023. Additionally, Jason is an editor of Student Success and until recently served as the Lead Editor of Australasian Journal of Educational Technology.

  • Session 1A - Interactive presentations

    Entrustment and consensus assessment approaches are beneficial in the evaluation of physiotherapy student competence 
    Presenters: Ms Amanda Maddern and Dr James Thompson, School of Allied Health Science and Practice, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.
    Consensus assessments foster greater self-reflection and enhance students’ abilities to critique their own performance, which translates into significant test score improvements. Our study demonstrated a complimentary role for authentic assessment methods, such as entrustment scales and consensus assessments within high-fidelity simulated placement programs.

    Checkpoints for success: boosting engagement and assessing understanding in real-time
    Presenters: Ms Liz Potarzycka, Mrs Suria McGee and Ms Kathy Watson, English Language Centre.
    Aligning with ‘approaches to enabling all students to succeed’, this session will focus on maximising student engagement throughout the duration of a lecture, increasing learning by building in effective checkpoints to hold attention and monitor understanding. Attendees will participate in an active learning task, and will gain practical strategies to engage students and enhance learning.

    Integrating Gen AI into Classroom Practices and Assessments: A Model for Scaffolding Ethical AI Use
    Presenters: Dr Elise Westin and Dr Kym Teh, Employability, Careers and Student Academic Skills, DASE.
    This presentation explores a pilot study on integrating Gen AI into a first-year course at a non-university higher education provider. The initiative empowered students to co-create AI-integrated assessments, fostering discussions on ethical AI use. Participants will be invited to discuss how these assessment types and broader discussions around AI can be adopted or adapted in their own teaching practices.

    Using H5P to create adaptable resources for diverse teaching activities to enhance student engagement
    Presenters: Dr Bianca Guglietti and Dr Elysia Sokolenko, School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.
    This presentation will describe the reflective process that led to the innovation of H5P resources for use in both synchronous and asynchronous teaching in a large cohort. Attendees will engage with a live H5P interactive and then adapt to suit alternate teaching modalities. We will also highlight how such resources can be embedded within a course to enhance student engagement.

  • Session 1B - Marketplace of Ideas

    Can learning how to correctly use laboratory equipment be improved by use of virtual resources?
    Presenters: Associate Professor Beth Loveys, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology and Associate Professor Maurizio Costabile, Biochemistry and Immunology Education, Clinical and Health Sciences, UniSA.
    Junior science students often struggle with correct use of laboratory equipment (pipettes), yet these skills, once mastered, can become second nature. Our cohort of budding scientists is increasingly diverse, and supporting all students to foster their success can be challenging. This session will demonstrate how providing virtual resources to supplement in-person learning increases student confidence and mastery of laboratory equipment.

    Can ChatGPT design formative assessments to encourage students to engage with TED-talks as course readings?
    Presenter: Dr Daniel Lee, School of Education, Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics.
    The use of TED-talks as a teaching tool has become increasingly popular across various disciplines. This research explored the validity of employing ChatGPT to design formative assessments to measure student learning and engagement with TED-talks. Although ChatGPT can produce potentially viable draft formative quiz questions, strategic prompt engineering and further human input are required to make them meaningfully useable.

    From reflection to action: Enhance your academic practice with the Course Review Reporting Tool
    Presenters: Ms Stephanie Rogers and Ms Kate Goodes, Educational Quality and Compliance, DASE.
    Looking to evidence and enhance the quality of your course curriculum and student learning? Discover the new Course Review Reporting Tool (CRRT), an easy-to-use online platform to help you document, share and report your course reviews. Use the CRRT to streamline the review process, document course decisions, or access comprehensive reports tracking School and Faculty review activity.

    Building a Curious Classroom: Strategies for Inclusive Inquiry-Based Learning
    Presenter: Mr David Matthews, Adelaide Business School, Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics.
    Modelling curiosity through inquiry-based learning supports all students by creating an inclusive environment that values diverse perspectives and exploration. Attendees will engage in a curiosity chaining activity, building on each other’s questions/observations to demonstrate how curious thinking deepens topic engagement. Participants will learn strategies for modelling curiosity to their students through the simple acts of recognising, inviting, sharing and expressing.

    Supporting International Student Engagement and Success
    Presenters: Mrs Paula Dimmell and Mr Christopher Wasow, English Language Centre, DASE.
    This session will explore challenges international students face with pronunciation and discipline-specific language in academic settings, impacting participation and engagement. Through guided conversations and presentation of scenarios, colleagues will share experiences, explore ways to identify these issues and develop strategies to better support student engagement and understanding. Takeaways include practical tools to address these challenges and foster student success.

    In Conversation: How the University Library is Indigenising our curriculum, structures and places
    Presenters: Ms Claire Sadler and Ms Rachel Harris, University Library, DASE.
    Presenters will speak to how the Library has developed Tirkanthi Yangadlitya, Yaitya Ngutupira, and our work Indigenising the new AU curriculum, and how overall, this work has contributed to an inclusive environment. Participants will be asked to engage with the presenters in conversation, and to discuss with the Coordinator, Indigenous Library Programs to ensure they can access these initiatives.

  • Session 1C - Workshop information coming soon!

  • Session 1D - Student panel discussion: Safety, Inclusion and Belonging

    Student panel discussion: Safety, Inclusion and Belonging
    All students and staff need to feel a sense of inclusion and belonging to enable meaningful and impactful teaching and learning1. In this session a panel of our students will share their experiences of a range of forms of safety, such as psychological, cultural, identity and learner safety. These are all important for staff and students in a range of learning and working contexts. The conversation with the audience will focus on the importance of human connection and the ways in which we can forge these in higher education spaces.

    Panel Co-chairs

    Dr Emma Muhlack is a Lecturer (Teaching Specialist) in the School of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. Her primary teaching areas are in health communication, academic literacy, and health ethics. Dr Muhlack’s excellence in learning and teaching as well as her leadership in this area has been recognised through membership in the Adelaide Education Academy. As a co-facilitator of the University of Adelaide’s Diversity and Inclusion in Teaching Community of Practice, Dr Muhlack enables colleagues and students to explore and apply inclusive learning and teaching practices.

    Grant Freeman

    Grant Freeman is a Master's student in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at the University of Adelaide, serving as a Succeed @ Adelaide ambassador. His research explores how environmental factors impact genes to predict health outcomes. Previously, Grant was a premier personal banker at Commonwealth Bank, enhancing client experiences. 

    Panel members

    Alex Mader (they/them) is a PhD researcher in music technology with a background in audio engineering, music production, technology and art. Alex has lived experience with adult diagnosed AuDHD (autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) and is a passionate advocate for neurodiverse and intersectional voices in academia and the arts. 

    Ms Lara Stollery is a current honours student and research assistant at the School of Public Health. Her Research focus is on young adults and vaping in an Australian context. 

    Ahn, M. Y., & Davis, H. H. (2020). Four domains of students’ sense of belonging to university. Studies in Higher Education, 45(3), 622-634. Felten, P., &
    Lambert, L. M. (2020). Relationship-rich education: How human connections drive success in college. JHU Press. Pedler, M. L., Willis, R., & Nieuwoudt, J. E.
    (2022). A sense of belonging at university: Student retention, motivation and enjoyment. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 46(3), 397-40

  • Session 2A - Interactive presentations

    Task allocation and scaffolded support for interpersonal skills in group-work assessment
    Presenters: Dr Peta Callaghan and Dr Samantha Newell, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, and Mr Paul Moss, Learning Enhancement and Innovation, DASE.
    Want to improve your group-work assessments? Our LTAG-funded research presents an innovative 'task allocation' approach. Tested in two contexts, results show improved group dynamics and logistics for Course Coordinators. Participants will explore resources that enable student success, including strategies for task allocation, organisation, and planning, while supporting individual excellence and the development of collaborative skills. Polling will allow participant feedback.

    Incorporating reflective practice and continuous personalised feedback to students into your teaching
    Presenters: Ms Simona Padvelskyte, Learning Enhancement and Innovation, DASE and Dr Binyam Alemayehu, Adelaide Business School, Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics.
    This presentation will explore how continuous timely feedback to students and opportunities for meaningful reflective practices can be incorporated into your course, and how these approaches can promote diversity, and create learner-centred and inclusive learning environment. The session participants will collaboratively complete a Padlet board reflecting on presented ideas and discussing best practices suitable for their courses. 

    What not to ask - mastering concept checking questions for student success
    Presenters: Mrs Suria McGee, Ms Liz Potarzycka, and Ms Kathy Watson, English Language Centre.
    This session aligns with 'approaches to enabling all students to succeed' by exploring what questions not to ask when checking understanding. Learn how we develop concept checking questions (CCQs) that avoid common pitfalls and accurately gauge comprehension. Through an interactive discussion and activity, you’ll gain practical strategies to ensure your students truly grasp the content before it’s too late. 

    Teaching, learning and assessing using participatory multiple-choice tests in the age of artificial intelligence
    Presenter: Associate Professor Benito Cao, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics.
    The challenges posed by artificial intelligence regarding assessment present an opportunity to reclaim the multiple-choice test as a formative and summative assessment. This presentation showcases an innovative approach that engages students in the creation of multiple-choice tests and maximises their pedagogical effectiveness. Participants will be able to discuss what aspects of this pedagogical strategy might be suitable for their courses.

  • Session 2B - Marketplace of Ideas

    University Library's AI Literacy Framework: Supporting students to use artificial intelligence responsibly and effectively
    Presenters: Mr Brendan Robinson and Ms Bonny Rugless, University Library, DASE.
    The University of Adelaide's Artificial Intelligence Literacy Framework outlines key competencies for students to use AI responsibly. Join a discussion on how the University Library supports AI literacy and share your AI experiences.

    Student-tutor consensus assessment : Challenging beliefs on testing
    Presenter: Dr James Thompson, School of Allied Health Science and Practice, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.
    Ready to challenge your beliefs about assessment?
    What if you…..
    Rewarded rather than penalised mistakes?
    Allowed students to make high stakes assessment decisions?
    Could capture learning resulting ‘from’ an assessment?
    Could increase assessment rigour, while decreasing workload?
    Could enable real-time, meaningful reflective practice?
    Could eradicate grade seeking behaviour and improve sustainable learning?
    Come along and discuss 10 years of consensus assessment

    Teaching through Learning
    Presenter: Mr Tim Klapdor, Learning Enhancement and Innovation, DASE.
    This session will discuss the concepts of Schema Theory and Learning Types and how these two concepts allow us to consider the construction of lessons, classes, materials and activities for learning. They provide a way to evaluate current practices, create opportunities for change and improve the learning experience for students.

    Student wellbeing, motivation, and basic psychological needs in an online accelerated research project course
    Presenters: Dr Natasha van Antwerpen, Dr John Baranoff and Dr Deanne Green, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.
    Enabling all students to succeed requires consideration of student wellbeing and motivation. We will present teaching strategies and a longitudinal study evaluating student wellbeing, motivation, and basic needs across an online honours-level Psychology research course. We will discuss reflective practice and strategies with attendees for their courses, considering how student wellbeing and motivation could be incorporated into their teaching practice.

    Knowledge Inequality in the Digital Age
    Presenter: Mr Simon Nagy, Learning Enhancement and Innovation, DASE.
    Our moment in history affords unprecedented access to human knowledge but also contributes to growing epistemic inequality: what we know versus what can be known about us. This session will explore the origins and characteristics of the digital millennium, reflecting on how digitisation deepens existing inequities, and how we might contribute to a future defined by epistemic justice. 

    Beyond Accommodating Access Plans: Innovative Pedagogies for Inclusivity in Higher Education
    Presenters: Dr Ngoc Nguyen, Learning Enhancement and Innovation, DASE and Dr Walter Barbieri, School of Education, Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics.
    This session offers strategies to support students with access plans by moving beyond basic accommodations. We will present practical, inclusive teaching methods and research-based frameworks that empower both educators and students, fostering a collaborative learning environment. Participants will gain actionable ideas for enhancing accessibility and inclusivity, even without specific knowledge of individual students' needs, promoting learning diversity. 

    Crossword puzzles: an innovative approach to student engagement
    Presenter: Dr Matthew Arnold, Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.
    Looking to drive engagement and learning through gamification? Crossword puzzles may be your solution! In this Marketplace session, participants will explore the evidence from the literature for crossword puzzle use in education, see some exemplars, and learn how to generate puzzles for use in their own context.

  • Session 2C - Inclusive and secure assessment

    Facilitator: Associate Professor Jason Lodge, University of Queensland

    Session details coming soon!

  • Session 2D - Inclusive synchronous learning technologies and teaching practices

    Inclusive synchronous learning technologies and teaching practices

    Join us for an interactive workshop to collaboratively explore how you can create synchronous learning experiences that are inclusive for all learners. Explore the use of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in your design and delivery of synchronous sessions. See examples of how educators have adopted technologies and inclusive teaching practices that reduce barriers to learner engagement.

    Facilitators: Mr Tom Crichton, Ms Shamaila Rashid and Mr Alexi Grigoriadis, Learning Enhancement and Innovation, DASE and Dr Wendy Hamood, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology.

     

Previous Festivals

To help craft a strong and positive future for our students, in 2023 the University embarked on a journey to design a future-fit learning and teaching strategy: Education in a Digital World.

The Festival celebrates innovation in learning and teaching at the University of Adelaide. 2023 events were remodelled to align with the development of the strategy and to be responsive to the needs of academic and professional staff who teach and support learning. 

Footage taken from the Festival of Learning and Teaching October 2023

Images from Festival events
Resources from previous Festival of Learning and Teaching events