Education Focussed (EF) Retreat

The EF Retreat is an annual event held since 2017, bringing together the UNSW Education Focused (EF) community to explore shared goals, address challenges, and collaborate on innovative solutions. Attendees participate in interactive sessions aimed at enhancing educational skills and career development, while fostering deeper personal and professional connections within the EF community.

In August 2026, more than 140 EF academics from across UNSW's faculties and campuses gathered in the Hunter Valley for the annual EF Retreat. Under the theme, From Vine to Voice: Cultivating Impactful Leadership in Education, participants explored how educational leaders can create meaningful impact through collaboration, scholarship, innovation and advocacy. Across two and a half days, the program featured keynote presentations from UNSW Pro Vice-Chancellor Education Indigenous Education A/Prof. Christine Evans and AAUT University Teacher of the Year (2025), A/Prof. Roma Forbes (The University of Queensland), who challenged attendees to consider the role of educational leadership in shaping institutional priorities, student success and the future of higher education.

The retreat offered a diverse mix of professional learning and community-building activities, including sessions on career advancement and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Pecha Kucha presentations showcasing innovative practice, interactive "Tell Me More!" demonstrations, Communities of Practice conversations, and opportunities for reflection through the popular Walk and Talk sessions. Discussions centred on leadership beyond formal positions, cultivating educational impact, and strengthening the contribution of education-focused academics within the university.

Strong engagement from senior university leaders, including Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Attila Brungs and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education & Student Experience Professor Sarah Maddison, reinforced UNSW's ongoing commitment to educational excellence and the EF community. Through shared learning and reflection, the 2026 EF Retreat provided an opportunity for participants to strengthen their collective voice and continue shaping the future of learning and teaching at UNSW.

The Career Advancement and Education Focussed Program team continues to organise the EF Retreat within the Portfolio of the Pro Vice-Chancellor Education.

UNSW staff can access resources from the 2026 EF Retreat here.

UNSW Education Focussed Retreat 2026 Highlights

From Little Things, Big Things Grow: Stories from the UNSW Education Focussed Retreat

UNSW Education Focussed Retreat 2022

What First-time attendees have said:

AMAZING!! It was my first year so everything was brilliant. Everyone was friendly and knowledgeable, the activities were challenging, clever, and engaging. I loved every minute. Thank you.

Connecting with positive educators from UNSW, stopping to reflect more on how I can improve my teaching, having some really enjoyable conversations with colleagues in different disciplines about their work. What a welcoming group the EF community is. It was a very stimulating and meaningful Retreat ( my first EF Retreat).

Biggest takeaways from the EF Community following the EF Retreat:

How lucky I am to be an EF at UNSW, with feelings of deep inclusion due to the service and joyousness of the main team, which trickles into every part of the experience. The EF community is imbued with compassion and a genuine interest in collaboration.

A great experience to reflect on teaching practices. Reflection on the idea of community as a dialogue. This ideology helps guide my teaching philosophy and practices.