Improving first-year teaching: Insights from students on what works
byThe transition to higher education is never an easy or simple process. Being thrust into independent adult learning is a dizzying shift for Sydney’s…
Teaching tips
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…
Recognising the individual in collaborative learning
bySome months ago, I received an email from a mature, domestic student that prompted a moment of reflection: “Truthfully, you are the only educator…
Five ways to help first year students become better learners
byThe University of Sydney’s 2026 Transition Symposium* asked a deceptively simple question: Do we actually teach students how to learn? Keynote speaker Professor Sally…
The importance of the first three weeks for Chinese students
byResearch on student retention and success consistently shows that the first weeks of semester matter. Research into the student experience of transition, including Kift’s transition…