UNFED Meeting hosted by UNSW PVCESE

UNSW PVCESE is pleased to host the April meeting of UNFED.

Supporting Learning & Teaching: What's happening up the hill?

PVCESE is keen to share some of the programs and projects available which support learning and teaching at UNSW. In this UNFED session, we will hear from representatives from the Innovation and Education Pillars who will provide updates on key strategic initiatives positioned to support teaching academics, as well as education support staff, to enhance the student experience.

 

Education Co-op and the Nexus Program 

Alex will give an overview of an exciting new development on campus this year - the Education Co-op: a physical space for education and educators, expected to open in July. 

Samadhi will give a high-level overview of the Nexus Program - a critical link, or nexus, between challenges in university education and student experience, and the education innovation to overcome these challenges. 

Alex Bannigan headshot
Presenter: Dr Alex Bannigan, Head, Academic & EF Development

Dr Alex Bannigan is a biologist by training, with a background in cell biology research, microscopy, teaching and course design. She left academia in 2014 when she came to UNSW to establish the Women in Engineering Program. Since 2017, Alex has been dedicated to supporting UNSW academics to be the best teachers they can be with initiatives including the Course Design Institute and is now Head, Academic and Education Focussed Development in the PVCESE Portfolio. 

Presenter: Samadhi Driscoll, Project Lead, Nexus Program 

Samadhi Driscoll started her working life in community mental health, then worked as an educator and learning designer at VET and University in Psychology and Cultural Diversity. She went on to develop and deliver bespoke professional development programs, strategies, projects and programs, across Government, NFP and University sectors, as well as lead teams of educators, learning designers and consultants. She is now the Project Lead for the Nexus Program.  

 

Immersive Technology  

The newly invigorated PVCESE Media & Immersive team is working closely with academics across UNSW to find new ways to engage students more fully in their content and learning. We will walk through our main Miro board that showcases our current projects and activities which might inspire people to innovate in their courses by working with us alongside local Educational Development team support. 

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Presenter: Graham Hannah, Manager of Immersive Technology

Graham brings 30 years of history with UNSW through degrees in Architectural Science and Digital Media plus delivering services and transformations when leading faculty IT teams in Built Environment, Law and Arts & Social Sciences. Graham is loving now being part of the PVCESE Media & Immersive team where we are delivering innovations for learning and teaching through the creation of media, simulations and XR experiences.

 

Data Insights for learning, teaching and support 

Data insights for learning, teaching and support is a presentation about the vision, scope and current progress of Learning Analytics and Intelligence project, led by UNSW PVCESE Innovation pillar. The aim is integrating data analytics into the educational practice at UNSW for assisting academic and professional staff on anticipating, informing, and evaluating early opportunities to enhance student’s academic success and assess risk factors in a course cohort. Additionally, suggested support actions, resources and services are provided for increased consistency and effectiveness of data driven interventions. Our design and development approaches are user-centred and feedback driven.  

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Presenter: Walter Tejada, Project lead, UNSW Learning Analytics & Intelligence 

Since April 2021, Walter has lead initiatives that enhance learning and teaching effectiveness, support delivery, and the educational experiences of students and staff. His current work focuses on bringing design and system thinking to UX/UI developments and the application of data analytics aligned with educational frameworks. Previously, Walter designed and manufactured scientific astronomical instruments, and worked in infrastructure and mining engineering. What never changes are his love of camping with family, playing drums, mountain biking and cooking with fire. 

 

Course Enhancement Project Lightning Workshops 

In this presentation, Ben will discuss the role of the Lightning Workshop series, key learnings from the first two iterations and plans for future development. In particular, the benefits of collaboration, building on evidence-based practices will be discussed, including responses from participants and the value of a needs based flexible approach to support. 

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Presenter: Ben Phipps, Educational Developer, EF Development

Ben completed his PhD in Ethnomusicology and Jazz Studies at UNSW and has published on curriculum design and online learning in music education. He currently works as an educational developer in EF Development improving learning experiences and building teacher efficacy in our learning community. Prior to this role he has ten years’ experience teaching at university, school and vocational settings. 

Clem Wong headshot
Presenter: Clem Wong, Senior Education Designer

Clem has been teaching in both primary and secondary schools for a decade and is currently Senior Education Designer with the PVCESE. Clem has a keen focus on supporting students with diverse learning needs and sees the student learning experience as one that is student centred, enables student voice, extends student’s problem solving and thinking, embeds adequate support mechanisms, and encourages an interactive learning environment. He loves being able to enable and empower staff in their learning and teaching with these key areas; and enjoys the collaborative process of solving new challenges in the classroom.