UNSW's Teaching Commons

A space for education and educators at UNSW

Teaching Commons logo


The Teaching Commons is a friendly space, where our teaching and education staff are able to connect, collaborate and share ideas. Colleagues are welcome to drop in during opening hours, to meet others and get help or advice. The Teaching Commons teams can easily connect colleagues with Educational Developers, EdTech specialists, Education Focussed community, Academic Librarians, Academic Facilitators or Learning Advisors, and many more. Our Teaching Commons is hosting many of our educational meetings, programs, workshops and events.

 

Operating modes

 

Monday and Friday: Self-service mode (2 business day's notice swipe access and bookings required)

Tuesday to Thursday: Open 9am–4pm with staff onsite

Please see 'Book Teaching Commons' below for instructions.

 

What's on


Visit the events page for all upcoming Education events including events held at the Teaching Commons.

View all upcoming events

Spaces that support your teaching journey

Virtual tour of Teaching Commons

UNSW Teaching Commons 3D virtual tour

Get inspired - step inside the space with our virtual tour and see what's possible for your event!

Inspired to make your own virtual project using UNSW-developed TALIA immersive platform? Contact the Media and Immersive team!

Space information

Capacity - Up to 30 in Meeting Room, 30 in Flexi Room (60 combined cabaret style), up to 90 with extra chairs (theatre style).

Floor/seating - Flat floor, movable setup: 64 chairs, 7 long tables, 18 square tables.

Usage - Workshops, events, meetings, drop-ins (in-person, hybrid, or online).

Facilities - Teams-enabled meeting room, dual projectors, laptop input, lectern, mics, whiteboards, room linking.

Amenities - Kitchen, bathrooms nearby, see closest multifaith prayer rooms.

Accessibility - Air conditioning, wheelchair access, wall/floor power, power banks.

Lounge

A cosy spot to chat over a cuppa. Great for quick catch-ups. Tea and coffee available.

Touchdown

Your plug-in-and-go desk for quick emails or in-between moments. A quick base between classes or meetings.

Meeting Room

Team meetings, workshops, or seminars. 

Flexi-Space

An open area for drop-ins, or hands-on activities that don’t need AV.

Book Teaching Commons

Teaching Commons is available throughout the week, with different access modes depending on the day.

Monday & Friday🔒 Self-service mode (2 business day's notice swipe access and bookings required)
✅ Suitable for non-education-related bookings
💻 Touchdown welcome (2 business day's notice swipe access and booking required)
Tuesday to Thursday🔓 Open 9am–4pm with staff onsite
🎓 Dedicated for education-related events (e.g. workshops, seminars, panels/demos, teaching-focussed meetings)
🚶 Walk-ins and 💻 touchdown welcome — no booking required
📅 Non-education-related bookings may be rescheduled to another day. Please consider booking Mondays or Fridays.

 

To check availability and make a booking:

1. 📅 Create an MS Teams-enabled meeting calendar invite (via Outlook) and add 'Kens F12 Gnd Commons Dalton Meeting Room' as the location.

2. 👥 Add Teaching Commons (teachingcommons@unsw.edu.au) as an attendee. Please see below example (disregard Teaching Commons system-generated email).

Example of correct email for Teaching Commons event invitation

3. 🕑 Use Scheduling Assistant to check availability. If both the room and Teaching Commons appear available, go ahead and send the invite.

4. 📝 Submit the booking form (below) after sending your invite. We need this to match your calendar request to your event details. All bookings require a form. If it's not received within 2 business days of your calendar invite, the booking will be automatically declined.

Booking form

Our collective impact and testimony

Every week, educators come through our doors to connect, create, and collaborate. Here’s what they’ve shared about their experience in the space.

"It is right in the middle of the campus so cannot miss it, it's welcoming and most times there's someone there to give me a hand if I need help." - Academic, UNSW Business School, 2025

"Connecting with other staff members (across schools) and learning about new approaches to certain aspects of higher ed. It is an amazing environment, where everyone is ready to learn, discuss and engage with fellow UNSW staff to perfect our crafts." - Professional staff, PVCE, 2025

"Having a dedicated space for educators at the heart of campus along the main walkway really highlights UNSW's commitment to better education. Being in that space boosts my sense of belonging as en EF academic at UNSW." - Academic, Engineering, 2025

"Many people don’t know that you can use the TC as your office away from home (especially for those of us ‘living’ in the upper campus)." - Nexus Fellow, Medicine & Health, 2025

foot traffic since opening

Visits since opening in late 2023
Events and meetings to date

Events and meetings
hosted to date​
event average satisfaction

Average satisfaction across surveyed ​
Teaching Commons events (2025)

Consults

Outreach librarians
add
Image of library staff in Teaching Commons

Outreach Librarians are available to speak to you on request about Leganto course resources lists, curriculum mapping and content selection for teaching. In addition, our Outreach Librarians offer customised pre-work tutorials and workshops for your students.
For more information, visit the outreach librarians page.

Stay connected


Got a question, want to collaborate, or have feedback to share?
Reach out to us at teachingcommons@unsw.edu.au -  we’d love to hear from you!

Contact us

 

Other teaching and learning services


The PVCE Portfolio provides University-wide support services and resources to education staff such as:

  • Academic development programs
  • Educational Technology support
  • Digital Media support
  • Immersive Technologies support
  • Education Focussed (EF) support
  • Equitable Learning Services
  • Academic Skills support
  • and more!

Find out more

 

Dalton building undercroft mosaics located within Teaching Commons


Created by Douglas Annand

Glass tile mosaic mural; four panels

Commissioned 1957. UNSW Art Collection

In 1957 UNSW commissioned leading modernist designer Douglas Annand (1903—76) to create a suite of mosaic murals for the undercroft and stairwell of the Dalton Chemistry Building. These mosaics epitomise the integration of art and architecture that informed the early planning of the campus and are amongst Annand’s most significant public works still in their original location. In 1999 the undercroft was enclosed, first becoming a café and in 2023 transformed into its present configuration.

Learn more about the mosaics and artist (number 19 & 20)