Practitioner Workshops T1 2024

Supporting Twice Exceptional Students

Wednesday 14 February at 12:30pm 

Join Dr Geraldine Townsend (ADA Lecturer and Research Fellow) for a lightning workshop on teaching adults who are twice exceptional (2e). In a higher education setting, we are very likely to come across students who are both gifted and have a disability. This workshop will explore the characteristics of twice exceptionality, teaching strategies to support those students and include time to reflect upon the content and plan how to implement learnt strategies. 

This workshop is open to all UNSW staff but will be particularly beneficial for teaching staff.

Speaker

Dr Geraldine Townend (ADA) is a published academic with over a decade of experience in the field of gifted education, having expertise in the area of twice exceptionality. In the UNSW Arts, Design and Architecture Faculty, Geraldine lectures and conducts research in GERRIC (Gifted Education Research and Resource Information Centre) in the areas of gifted education, gifted with learning disability, and special learning needs. Her research interests focus on supporting gifted and twice-exceptional students to aspire to their potential in education, which includes the development of positive academic self-concept.

Designing Stack Questions

Tuesday 27 February at 12pm

Have you ever been scared to try STACK? This workshop is for you! In this workshop we will look at some of the awesome things STACK is capable of, why you may want to use it, and how to start coding STACK questions. You should come with a topic you would like to ask a question about. During the workshop participants will be provided with a range of templates for different types of questions STACK can ask. You will be helped to edit these to make one of these suitable for your context. This workshop is suitable for beginners, people with some experience may find it useful to see a range of different question types.

Speaker

Professor Elizabeth Angstmann (Science) is an education focussed academic in the School of Physics at UNSW. She was First Year Director from 2011-2023 before moving into the role of Higher Year Director. Liz has an interest in the appropriate use of technology in education and active learning methods. She has used the STACK question type to transform teaching and learning in Physics 1A. Her work has been recognised through the award of an Australian Award for University Teaching citation in 2018 and the prestigious Australian institute of Physics Education Medal.

Transparency in Learning & Teaching (TiLT)

Tuesday 27 February at 2pm

Success in higher education often depends on a student’s ability to navigate the “unwritten rules” of academia. As educators, we can support student success by clearly communicating our intentions for how to complete an assessment task. The Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TiLT) Framework provides guidance on how to improve the clarity of assessments by 1) explicitly stating the purpose of the assessment; 2) clearly describing the task; and 3) providing criteria for success. Benefits of transparent assessment include increased academic confidence and sense of belonging. While all students can benefit from increased transparency in assessment, previous work has shown that gains were greater for students from underrepresented groups. The TiLT framework is amenable to a wide variety of assessment types and subject areas.

Speaker

Katrina Blazek (Medicine & Health) is a Lecturer in Health Data Science, dedicated to fostering a student-centred learning environment in biostatistics courses in the School of Population Health. She recognises that students have unique needs and learning styles and tailors her instruction to accommodate diverse learning approaches. Whether teaching in traditional face-to-face settings, synchronous online classrooms, or asynchronous online modules, Katrina consistently creates equitable learning opportunities that meet students where they are at. Her commitment to sustainable teaching practices ensures that her instruction not only imparts knowledge but also cultivates lasting problem-solving skills and a deep understanding of biostatistics.

The Sandbox Approach to Large-scale Industry Learning: Empowering Learners and Solving Global Challenges

2pm Tuesday 12 March

This workshop introduces academics to the “Sandbox” approach to industry-engaged learning. The UNSW Sandbox Program serves as a platform for embedding industry partnerships directly into the academic curriculum, offering meaningful opportunities for academics to collaborate with practitioners and students in addressing real-world challenges. Specifically designed for academics, this session outlines the process of transforming various types of courses into industry-aligned Sandbox learning experiences. Participants will gain insights into the principles and practices that underpin the Sandbox model, learning how to utilise them to better prepare students for tackling the complex challenges of global society.

Speaker

Dr Yenni Tim (Business), is an Associate Professor at the School of Information Systems and Technology Management, UNSW Business School. She is the founder of the UNSW Sandbox Program, an initiative that empowers partnerships among industry practitioners, academics, and university students to co-design solutions for contemporary challenges.

Empowering Students to Learn through Failure

1pm Wednesday 20 March

Delve into an innovative pedagogical approach centred on cultivating psychological safety in the classroom, encouraging students to view failure as a catalyst for learning and development. Examine Dr. Kelsey Burton's teaching practices and unique Caveman Brain model — a framework imparting emotional self-regulation and introducing mindfulness techniques. Drawing from her background in professional development and leadership consulting, Dr. Burton offers practical strategies to redefine the educational experience. Join us in exploring transformative teaching methods that can redefine your students' educational journey, equipping them for a dynamic and successful professional future.

Speaker

Dr Kelsey Burton (Business) is an education-focused academic at UNSW's School of Management and Governance with over a decade of professional development and leadership consulting experience spanning the United States and Australia. Her foray into academia began in 2014, marking the beginning of her teaching philosophy that is rooted in developing inclusive and psychologically safe learning environments. Today, her approach encourages students to view failure as a potent catalyst for learning and development, a mindset she passionately imparts.

Team-Based Learning and E-Portfolios

2pm Tuesday 26 March

In this workshop, we will explore and examine the principles of one learning and teaching activity, Team-Based Learning (TBL), and one assessment type, e-portfolios.

TBL is an engaging and easy-to-implement activity, both in class and online. It fosters regular and timely student learning, encourages active participation, provides opportunities for formative feedback, and creates a sense of belonging in a community of very diverse learners.

E-Portfolios allow learners to be assessed on a wide variety of assessment tasks and receive timely feedback at several points in the term. Add a reflective component, and you will add a space for students to address their individual challenges. E-Portfolios are adaptable to very different contexts and skills and provide a more personalised relationship between the assessed and the assessor.

Looking at what worked well in the context of language teaching, we will share ideas for potential use in a broader range of disciplines and apply these in the context of your own courses.

Speaker

Valerie Combe-Germes (ADA) is an EF Lecturer in French Studies, and the Nexus Fellow for the School of Humanities & Languages, ADA. She is passionate about innovation in Learning & Teaching and always curious about new technologies: she led VR projects in languages (2018-2019), transformed her lectures into adaptive learning lessons (2020-2021) and hopes to eventually achieve fully personalized learning thanks to AI. She is also looking into providing students with more inclusive learning environments, both in terms of creating a sense of belonging to a community of learners, and of catering to diverse types of learners thanks to a variety of learning activities and assessments. Last but not least, she is a firm believer in the gamification of learning: learning is serious, but this does not mean it should not be fun!

Beyond the Presentation: Designing and Implementing Oral Assessment

1pm Monday 8 April

Oral assessments such as viva voce and interactive orals are becoming increasingly common in higher education to promote academic integrity, authenticity and to foster communication skills. This workshop will explore different models of oral assessment and offer practical strategies for planning, scaffolding, and implementing this mode. At the end of the workshop, you’ll have some time to workshop your ideas with your peers and education developers.

Speakers

Meredith MacAulay (ADA) is an experienced English language teacher and curriculum writer, passionate about facilitating engaging, goal-focussed learning experiences. She has designed and delivered a range of oral assessments, notably in UNSW university pathway programs. She is also a trained speaking examiner for international English language proficiency exams including Cambridge and IELTS. In her current role as an educational developer in ADA, as part of Nexus, she is interested in how oral assessments can be harnessed to build and assess discipline-based knowledge and skills.

Dr Pranit Anand (Business) is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Information Systems and Technology Management in the Business School. He currently teaches various networking and cybersecurity courses. He is passionate about students’ engagement and success and recognises the important role assessments play towards this. He attempts to design assessments that are meaningful, transferrable, and flexible. Pranit will share his own experience designing and implementing the Interactive Oral Assessment in his post-graduate course.

Empowering Students Learning Through Responsible Use of AI in Learning and Assessments

11am Tuesday 9 April

This session provides insights into how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be adopted and responsibly used in the classroom. You will learn some tools and methods that can be applied in any setting, so students can learn how to use AI to enhance the quality of their learning and work. The outcome will be that students become proficient in using AI, understanding the benefits and limitations of its capabilities, and learn the importance of continuing to engage in high quality research and scholarship, preventing an over-reliance on AI.

You will also learn to use and apply the Hattie and Timperley Feedback Model (2007) in assessing student performance and for use in formative assessment. This assists students in understanding their work as multidimensional, including from a task level, process level and self-regulation level. This assists students in developing evaluative judgement and becoming increasingly confident in understanding the quality of their work as they produce it. This increases student feedback literacy and provides students with tools to enhance the quality of their work and learning in any subject.

Speaker

Dr Andrew Dymock (Business) is the Nexus Fellow for the School of Accounting, Auditing and Taxation. He has a PhD in Accounting and qualifications in Education and is also a currently credentialled Secondary School Teacher. He has extensive experience in implementing effective teaching and learning strategies and assessment across secondary and tertiary settings, as well as educational innovation, including AI and educational technologies. He also has experience as a lecturer, accountant and auditor. Outside of university, he enjoys playing sport and landscape photography.