Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia
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* HERDSA Connect: What Actually Changes Teaching Practice? Reclaiming Scholarship through Scholarly Translation
* HERDSA Community: Designing Inclusive Student Experiences: Advancing Diversity in Higher Education
* Important update on the HERDSA SoTL Modules
* HERDSA Assessment Quality SIG Eveny
* HERDSA SoTL SIG -- Next Friday! -- Enhancing academic staff capability to develop and deliver Indigenous content and perspective
* Academic Development SIG: A focus on learning and teaching events
* CRADLE Seminar Series: ‘Are you afraid of the doubt? Educator uncertainty in fully online programs’
* PaTHES webinar: "A Call to Action Research: Confronting the Social and Environmental Sustainability Crises"
* JANZSSA PD opportunities in June
* JANZSSA invites general submissions and Voices From the Field contributions for October 2026 issue
* New articles in Higher Education Research and Development
To submit an announcement for this list complete the online form at http://herdsa.org.au/herdsa-notices
A full list of HERDSA Notices is online at http://www.herdsa.org.au/latest-news
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HERDSA Connect: What Actually Changes Teaching Practice? Reclaiming Scholarship through Scholarly Translation
Manisha Thakkar, Kelly Matthews, & Janis Wardrop, 10 June 2026
What if scholarship was never meant to be an output? Manisha, Kelly, & Janis discuss how scholarship influences practice and why this matters right now.
Read more: https://herdsa.org.au/herdsa-connect/what-actually-changes-teaching-prac...
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HERDSA Community: Designing Inclusive Student Experiences: Advancing Diversity in Higher Education
Manisha Thakkar, 28 May 2026
The third session in the HERDSA and AAUT National Webinar Series brought together colleagues from across the higher education sector for an engaging and timely panel discussion chaired by A/Prof Janis Wardrop, HERDSA NSW Co-Branch Chair. Together, the panellists explored what it means to design higher education experiences that move beyond access and participation towards genuine belonging, confidence, equity, and student success. A key theme across the discussion was that inclusive education must be intentionally designed from the outset, rather than retrofitted later. The panel also raised significant concerns about the broader higher education environment. Another strong theme was the need to move beyond access and participation towards belonging and success. The session generated a highly engaged chat discussion, with participants sharing examples, questions, provocations, and resources related to Universal Design for Learning, academic language development, belonging, Indigenous research supervision, international student participation, equity-capable careers services, and inclusive institutional practice.
Read more and view the webinar recording a https://herdsa.org.au/news/designing-inclusive-student-experiences-advan...
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Important update: HERDSA SoTL Modules currently offline
To all HERDSA members, we regret to advise you that the HERDSA SoTL Modules are currently offline. The modules were hosted on a Canvas platform that has now been discontinued due to Canvas's recent security incident.
We know that many of you are using the HERDSA SoTL Modules to support the development of your scholarship and associated projects.
HERDSA is currently seeking quotes for a new host platform for the HERDSA modules. We anticipate the modules being accessible via a Moodle site by July.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to the active community of HERDSA SoTL scholars.
Further Information: Alice Brown: alice.brown@unisq.edu.au
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HERDSA Assessment Quality SIG Eveny
17th June 2026 12:00-1:00 PM (AEST)
Please join us for an online seminar by Dr Kam Kaur, Lecturer, Academic Development- Indigenous Curriculum, Adelaide University on
Inclusion and diversity within assessments through immersive learning.
Zoom link: https://adelaide.zoom.us/j/81373005691?pwd=Nlqd8TX0CVYX2yNdsObuxrN7HJaEJt.1
Further information: Please contact priya.khanna@sydney.edu.au or thomas.wanner@adelaide.edu.au.
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HERDSA SoTL SIG -- Next Friday! -- Enhancing academic staff capability to develop and deliver Indigenous content and perspective
:Friday, 19 June 2026 - 12–1pm AEST (NSW/VIC/QLD)
Our June SIG will explore "Enhancing academic staff capability to develop and deliver Indigenous content and perspectives in curriculum". Join us to learn more about teaching and embedding Indigenous perspectives in your work.
Academic staff are often hesitant to teach Indigenous content and embed Indigenous perspectives due to limited knowledge, uncertainty about how to approach the material, and concern about making mistakes. This interactive presentation introduces a series of practical teaching and learning strategies designed to build confidence and capability in delivering Indigenous content within discipline-specific contexts. The session also addresses strategies for managing classroom dynamics, setting respectful expectations, and recognising the cultural load experienced by Indigenous colleagues.
Through discussion and reflection activities, participants will consider how these strategies can be applied in their own teaching contexts and share experiences of engaging with Indigenous content and perspectives in curriculum. Drawing on a Scholarship of Learning and Teaching (SoTL) lens, the session frames this work as an ongoing process of reflective practice, evidence-informed curriculum design, and collaborative knowledge building.
Presenters: Marina Martiniello (Lower Southern Arrernte), Kym Allen (Wiradjuri) and Kath Attree
Facilitator: Trisha Poole (UniSQ)
Register here: https://unisq.zoom.us/meeting/register/LCd16NSwTD2N9ecfXKWzOg
*Register for one or all our SIGs this year!*
To stay connected, join our LinkedIn group:
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14343410/
Further information: Contact the HERDSA SoTL SIG at herdsa.sotl.sig@gmail.com
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Academic Development SIG: A focus on learning and teaching events
Mon, 29th June, 12pm - 1pm AEST
Do you run teaching and learning events such as workshops, webinars, communities of practice, forums, or conferences? How well do they actually work for participants?
In this SIG, one of the community members, Dr Hasti Abbasi (Deakin University), will draw on her recent AdvanceHE case study on designing a university teaching and learning conference to facilitate a conversation about how we design and run education events.
We'll explore practical strategies for:
• Building leadership opportunities for early career educators into event design
• Designing events as coherent development opportunities, not one-offs
• Making events more inclusive and accessible, covering format, pacing, materials, and participant experience
Come along to exchange ideas, share what's worked (and what hasn't), and connect with others who care about creating welcoming spaces for teaching and learning conversations. All event formats will be considered (ranging from small group events to seminars, workshops and forums), so bring your experiences, questions, and ideas.
Register here: http://bit.ly/4dWdlpk
Further information: olga.kozar@mq.edu.au or k.shoecraft@griffith.edu.au
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CRADLE Seminar Series: ‘Are you afraid of the doubt? Educator uncertainty in fully online programs’
Wednesday 15 July – 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm (AEST)
Can doubt ever be eliminated from education? Or does uncertainty have a valuable role to play in teaching - especially in online programs? Register now for CRADLE's seminar on 15 July to hear Curtin University's Professor Mollie Dollinger unpack what educator uncertainty means for fully online programs in an age of generative AI.
Many of the approaches adopted by higher education institutions in response to the challenges of generative AI are intended to offer educators a measure of certainty: that what we outline, mark, and credential rests on solid ground. Yet education cannot be undertaken without doubt and, while we can design for greater certainty and assurances, doubt is not a feeling we can avoid – and nor is it without value. To doubt is to be honest about the limitations of what we can teach, and what we can claim to know of students' learning. This is particularly relevant to fully online programs, which offer students crucial pathways to equitable access but are also where doubt runs sharpest. The real provocation for educators is not whether we can eliminate doubt from our teaching, but whether we are willing to confront it, to speak it, and to recognise where it has a place.
To hear more about what educator uncertainty might mean for fully online programs at a time of generative AI, join us for this special online-only seminar.
Further information: https://cradle-seminar-educator-uncertainty-online-programs.eventbrite.c...
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PaTHES webinar: "A Call to Action Research: Confronting the Social and Environmental Sustainability Crises"
Monday 15th June
To register for this webinar offered by the Philosophy and Theory of Higher Education Society, use this link:
https://ntnu.zoom.us/meeting/register/4J_CEZqzQl-QnRqp7R3soA#/registration
The timing is 4pm on the east coast of Australia, 6pm in NZ.
Further information: Inquiries: franekrawczyk@gmail.com
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JANZSSA PD opportunities in June
18 June
JANZSSA is offering a selection of professional development opportunities in June:
Thursday 18 June: Want to Write About Your Practice? Ethics for Student Services Professionals.
Presented by Dr Abbe Winter (SFHEA), this JANZSSA professional development session is an essential introduction to navigating ethics approval when publishing program or other data.
Wednesday 24 June: Preparing and Submitting an Abstract for the ANZSSA Conference
In this free workshop, Megan Pozzi will provide practical guidance on preparing and submitting an abstract for the ANZSSA Conference, and explore pathways from presentation to publication in JANZSSA.
Further information: https://janzssa.scholasticahq.com/pages/858-pd-resources
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JANZSSA invites general submissions and Voices From the Field contributions for October 2026 issue
The Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association (JANZSSA) is now inviting general submissions and Voices From the Field contributions for Volume 34, Issue 3.
General submissions of peer-reviewed and professional papers, book reviews, and interviews are welcomed, as well as written and visual contributions to the next Voices From the Field article, exploring ways to strengthen collaboration between academic and professional teams to deliver seamless, student-centred support.
Further information: https://janzssa.scholasticahq.com/post/3958-call-for-papers-janzssa-volu...
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New articles in Higher Education Research and Development
A shared journey: uncovering support needs and challenges of health student placement supervisors to improve placement experiences, Erica Russ, Samuel Lapkin, Kate Jonathan, Kellie Toohey, Donna Wilson, Lucy Shinners & Jena Buchan, https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2026.2679247
Predictors and impacts of financial insecurity among university students: associations with food insecurity, well-being, and academic outcomes in a national cross-sectional survey, Katherine Kent, Ezinne O. Igwe, Karen E. Charlton, Karen Walton, Joanna Russell, Kylie Austin, Kelly Lambert, Gabrielle O’Flynn, Yasmine Probst & Anne T. McMahon, https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2026.2679245
Investigating the influence of research attitude and perceived supervisory leadership styles on student teachers’ perceived research competencies in Nigeria: the mediating role of research intention, Esther Onyinye Nwigwe & Muhua Wang, https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2026.2679241
From feedback literacy to feedback fluency: building habits and automaticity in generating and using feedback, H. T. Hoo & David Carless, https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2026.2649006
Beyond structure: a dyadic relational model (TIM-PGC) for timely master’s completion in resource-constrained higher education systems, Obeid Boazi Gwalupama, Hnin Nu Nu Hlaing & PENG Pai, https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2026.2679242
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In the spirit of reconciliation HERDSA acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australasia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.