9th April 2026
of Learning & Teaching
dialogue, reflection,
and design
9th April 2026
of Learning
& Teaching
Associate Professor Amanda White
Keynote presenter
Amanda is an Education-Focused Associate Professor in Accounting at the UTS Business School. Over her two decades in higher education, she’s developed a reputation as a serial innovator and experimenter in the classroom – from educational technology, to open textbooks to social media. Her commitment to improving the student learning experience has been recognised through an AAUT Teaching Excellence Award and a Medal in the Order of Australia. You can find Amanda supporting students every day on Instagram as Amanda Loves to Audit.
The recordings of presentations will be uploaded here in the next two weeks. Check back in two weeks. The slides for the presentations will be available sooner.
Our Theme
We will be exploring the theme Community Impact of Learning and Teaching, focusing on how teaching and learning practices extend beyond the classroom to generate meaningful social, cultural, professional, and civic impact.
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We welcome evidence-informed presentations that demonstrate how curriculum design, assessment, partnerships, or pedagogical innovation have influenced communities locally, nationally, or globally. This may include community-engaged learning, industry collaboration, service learning, work-integrated learning, co-creation with students or external partners, Indigenous engagement, widening participation initiatives, or projects aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Contributions that foreground equity, inclusion, and social responsibility are particularly encouraged.
Submissions may present empirical research (e.g., Scholarship of Teaching and Learning projects), evaluative case studies, theoretical reflections grounded in practice, or impact narratives supported by qualitative and/or quantitative evidence. We are interested not only in success stories but also in critical reflections on challenges, ethical considerations, sustainability, and scalability.
Presenters should clearly articulate:
- The educational intervention or initiative,
- The nature of the community engagement,
- Evidence of impact (student learning, community outcomes, institutional change), and
- Transferable insights for colleagues.
The symposium aims to surface rigorous, reflective, and practice-based work that demonstrates how learning and teaching can contribute to the public good.
Register to attend
Register now to secure your place and be part of an inspiring half-day filled with thought-provoking presentations, networking opportunities, and collaborative discussions.
Program
After registering, you will receive an email with the Zoom link to attend. Please ensure you are logged into your Zoom client on your computer to participate.
Abstract
When students take a core subject that is unlikely to be their specialisation – the common question is “what’s in it for me?”. In this keynote, Amanda will explore how strategies we can use in our education of students that reflects our values and supports a broader community impact, even if students don’t realise it just yet 😉
Abstract
In an era of digital learning, how do we make science feel genuinely “real”? By shifting our focus from pure content delivery to hands-on context, UNE’s “Microbiology @ Home” program translates physical laboratory experiences directly into remote students’ homes.
Abstract
This presentation will share an initiative to develop a set of publicly available resources to support academics who wish to integrate a law-and-language focus into their teaching. The initiative, developed through the Law and Linguistics Interdisciplinary Research Network that Dr Smith-Khan co-runs, involved interviewing eight Australian academics, critically exploring how they have integrated this focus within their teaching, across a range of disciplines, both within existing offerings and through the creation of specialised units. Alongside these case studies, that have now been published on the Network’s website, is a living Teaching Resources Library, with initial contributions from the case study participants. It is hoped that these resources will not only support colleagues who are wishing to develop an interdisciplinary approach in their own teaching, but also provide the foundation for growing a community of practice, already established through the auspices of the Network.
Abstract
Traditional groupwork in higher education is plagued by well-documented challenges: free-riding, scheduling conflicts, small class sizes, and superficial collaboration. Simultaneously, the rapid emergence of generative AI demands that educators move beyond prohibition towards meaningful integration. This presentation describes the design and first-iteration outcomes of a cross-disciplinary capstone assessment (SCI310/510 – Artificial Intelligence and Computing for Science) in which students assemble “AI teams” – multiple AI assistants configured as discipline-specific experts – to collaboratively develop research proposals addressing real-world grand challenges. Students operate as project leads, critically evaluating AI outputs, documenting prompt refinement, and validating claims against primary literature. Authentic understanding is verified through a mandatory viva voce, ensuring academic integrity without restricting AI use during the creative process. Critically, the assessment is deliberately scaffolded to mirror the early stages of a Higher Degree Research candidature: students identify research gaps, write formal proposals, develop budgets and timelines, and defend their ideas under questioning – functioning as an “HDR pipeline” that demystifies the pathway to Honours and PhD study. First-offering evaluation data (4.7/5.0) and student feedback indicate high engagement, with students reporting the experience provided practical insight into academic research life. Implications for assessment design, AI literacy, and HDR recruitment are discussed.
Abstract
The UNE Digital Psychology Clinic is an online training model designed to strengthen community impact by expanding access to postgraduate psychology education for regional, rural, and remote students. By reducing geographical, financial, and social barriers, the Clinic supports place-based training pathways that enable students to remain embedded in their communities, helping build a more representative psychology workforce in underserved areas and strengthening continuity of care where clinician shortages are most acute.
Abstract
Business schools are placing increasing emphasis on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). International bodies and accreditation agencies have intensified expectations for embedding sustainability competencies within responsible management education (RME). Developing these competencies helps graduates remain competitive and fit-for-purpose in a rapidly evolving job market. However, challenges remain in clearly conceptualising ESG skills and effectively integrating them into curricula to enhance student learning experiences.
With thanks to the 2026 Symposium Organising Committee: Cat Volpe Johnston, Joshua Matthews, Kashmira Dave, Gregory Dorrian.
We’re doing 3 Symposia this year!
This is our first one of the year, but we’ve got more planned. Have a look at the other themes to come!
