When a real reference isn’t real evidence
byIn a recent assessment, I asked students to do something that sounded fairly simple: find references to support a set of assumptions used in…
Core pedagogical principles
Podcasting as co-production: Creating knowledge with students
byThis semester, I experimented with something I had never formally incorporated into my teaching before: producing a podcast with final-year anthropology students reflecting on…
Belonging first: creating space for connection in learning and teaching
byLarge higher education institutions can be exciting and energising places to work, but they can also feel fragmented and, at times, isolating. Learning and…
Using ‘Demonstrative Research Papers’ to coach transparent scholarship
byRecent challenges with open written assessments There has been an understandable focus on secure assessments lately, but not all assessments can be secured, and…
Rethinking foreign language learning through graphic narratives
byStudents today rarely read only words, but constantly move between images, video, text, and design in their everyday lives. Outside the classroom, they scroll…
Making complex topics tangible using collaborative whiteboards
byImagine walking into a first-year undergraduate class and asking students to explain feedback loops, interdependencies, or emergent behaviour. For many students, these ideas feel…
How weekly group randomisation transformed student collaboration and belonging
byGroup work is a fundamental aspect of active learning, providing students with opportunities to collaborate, problem-solve, and develop essential teamwork skills. It enables students…
How Padlet supports relational feedback
byMid-semester is a tricky time. Students are deep in the rhythm of the unit, assessments are looming, and any feedback we gather needs to…
Engagement doesn’t have to be visible
byWhen we picture an engaged student, we tend to envisage the similar things: a hand raised, a question answered, a contribution offered without hesitation….
Assessments for learning, equity, and agency in a first-year unit
byAssessment redesign is rarely driven by a single factor. In a first-year, first-semester Occupational Therapy unit at the University of Sydney, several pressures and…