Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia
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* HERDSA Connect: What if well-being comes before motivation?
* HERDSA Community: Exploring the Castlereagh Statement: Implications for AI, Education and Society
* HERDSA Community: From Conference Presentation to Publication: Turning Ideas into Scholarly Outputs
* Australasian Symposium on Assessment Literacies in the age of Gen AI: Navigating a Wicked Problem
* One week to go! CRADLE 2026 International Symposium Panel – ‘Beyond grades’
* Student Partner Voices Symposium (Zoom, Friday, 16 Oct, 12:30pm HKT)
* CSHE Seminar: A discussion about enhancing professional practice in Australian higher education teaching
* CRADLE Seminar Series: ‘Assessment Design Toolkit – Embedding inclusion and security’
* Call for Papers: Students with Disabilities as Partners in Higher Education (IJSaP)
* 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 if well-being comes before motivation?
Daniel Andrews, 7 October 2026
Daniel explores what happens when we consider that student well-being comes before motivation & engagement.
Read more: https://herdsa.org.au/herdsa-connect/what-if-well-being-comes-motivation
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HERDSA Community: Exploring the Castlereagh Statement: Implications for AI, Education and Society
Manisha Thakkar | 18 September 2026
HERDSA recently brought colleagues from across the higher education sector together for a workshop exploring the Castlereagh Statement and its implications for AI, education and society. Facilitated by Professor Edward Palmer and Professor Danny Liu, the workshop provided an opportunity for participants to contribute directly through a Padlet discussion on the purpose of a university and what needs to be done differently to change the wider education and training ecosystem. Several key themes emerged around human qualities and values, assessment, and the role and conditions of educators. The Castlereagh Statement remains open for consultation, and colleagues are encouraged to read the statement, contribute their perspectives and share the conversation with their networks.
Read more or watch the webinar recording: https://herdsa.org.au/news/exploring-castlereagh-statement-implications-...
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HERDSA Community: From Conference Presentation to Publication: Turning Ideas into Scholarly Outputs
Alice Brown & Manisha Thakkar | 25 September 2026
This workshop is designed for colleagues who had recently presented a showcase, roundtable, or poster at this year's HERDSA Conference. It offered a practical guide on how to turn a conference presentation into a publication or other form of scholarly output. The workshop was highly interactive, with participants sharing their own conference work and ideas through discussion activities and most importantly how to move beyond thinking about publication to taking the next step of identifying potential journals and developing a writing plan and timeline.
Read more or watch the workshop recording: https://herdsa.org.au/news/conference-presentation-publication-turning-i...
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Moving through the 5C's for developing and refining SoTL research projects
Thursday October 29th, 2026 - 11:30am-12:30am AEST (Queensland time)
Recognition of the value of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) has grown significantly over the past decade. Yet many tertiary educators are yet to engage with SoTL. This is concerning given that SoTL can contribute directly to improved teaching quality, student success, and career progression. This presentation introduces a SoTL facilitation and planning tool – the 5C's framework, which helps in demystifying and serving as a catalyst for enabling the SoTL process and reducing some SoTL participation barriers.
Join Associate Professor Alice Brown (UniSQ, HERDSA Executive and SoTL Portfolio Lead) and Dr. Olga Kozar (Macquarie University) for this engaging and refreshed workshop exploring the 5C Formula for identifying and developing strong SoTL projects:
- Concern
- Common Ground (Context)
- Crack in Knowledge (Complication)
- Your Contribution
- Course of Action
This practical framework will help you conceptualise and refine SoTL ideas with clarity and purpose. Whether you’re exploring innovative teaching practices, tackling persistent challenges, or engaging with student feedback, this session will empower you to select and design a high-impact SoTL project.
Bring your ideas and join the conversation!
Further information: https://bit.ly/3SwaQ51
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Australasian Symposium on Assessment Literacies in the age of Gen AI: Navigating a Wicked Problem
11 November 2026: 12:30pm to 4pm (eastern Australia summer time)
Jointly run by the HERDSA Quality Assessment SIG and the ASCILITE Transforming Assessment SIG, this half day online event will explore assessment literacies in light of the wicked problem space of assessment in the age of Gen AI.
Featuring a keynote by A/Prof. Thomas Corbin (Deakin University) and plenary by Prof. Simon Sneddon (University of Northampton) along the speakers on related topics.
For full program details, local time zone conversion and free registration go to http://taw.fi/ASAL2026
Further information: http://taw.fi/ASAL2026
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One week to go! CRADLE 2026 International Symposium Panel – ‘Beyond grades’
Wednesday 14 October – 2.30 pm to 4.00 pm (AEDT)
What might the future of higher education look like, if the sector was to rethink grading? Join us on Wednesday 14 October for CRADLE’s 2026 International Symposium Panel and hear from three experts – Prof. David Boud (CRADLE, Deakin University), Prof. Rola Ajjawi (University of British Columbia), & A/Prof. Lauren Hansen (Deakin University) – as they reflect on the future of grading.
Despite widely reported criticism, grading systems persist in most higher education contexts. If we were to reassemble how student achievement is institutionally represented, what might grades – or whatever emerges after them – look like? Facilitated by CRADLE’s Dr Juuso Nieminen, this panel will consider what the future of grading might look like in higher education, with each panellist offering a provocation on reimagined grades.
Join us for this interactive session at 2.30 pm (AEDT), in person at Deakin Downtown or online, to discuss how we might move beyond grades towards more meaningful ways of recognising student learning.
Further information: https://cradle-symposium-panel-2026-beyond-grades.eventbrite.com.au/?aff...
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Student Partner Voices Symposium (Zoom, Friday, 16 Oct, 12:30pm HKT)
Friday, 16 Oct, 12:30pm Hong Kong Time
HERDSA members are warmly invited to attend the online Student Partner Voices Symposium on Friday, 16 October 2026, from 12:30 to 2:00 pm Hong Kong time.
This symposium is hosted by the Wenzhou International Education Research Center at the Wenzhou-Kean University (WKU), in collaboration with the HERDSA HK Branch, CoP-SP and the Trio Partnership project.
The symposium will bring together students who have taken part in partnership activities and those interested in exploring student partnership. It will provide a space to connect, share experiences and perspectives, and learn from one another.
We are particularly interested in understanding how Chinese students perceive and experience partnership in higher education, and how meaningful student partnership can be better supported in this context. Participation is free, and both staff and students are welcome.
Online registration is available at https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Q62KGIOrJCfXIa.
Participants can join the symposium by scanning the QR code on the poster or clicking this Zoom link: http://kean-edu.zoom.us/j/5645863146?omn=93730910160.
Please feel free to circulate the attached poster to any colleagues or students who may be interested in exploring student partnership opportunities.
Further information: anna.kwan@outlook.com
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CSHE Seminar: A discussion about enhancing professional practice in Australian higher education teaching
21 October, 1.00-2.00pm AEDT (in-person and online)
Please join us for a discussion with Professor Emerita Elizabeth Johnson (Deakin University) about recent work she has led on future support for higher education teachers and teaching teams to manage complexity and change in higher education by building and sustaining professional practice. This work produced a report, Enhancing Professional Practice in Australian Higher Education Teaching, published by Australian Tertiary Education Commission and available here (https://go.unimelb.edu.au/24th). This session is an opportunity to explore different dimensions to enhance professional practice for teaching in Australia, including new standards, resources and guides to support teaching in higher education.
Further information: https://events.unimelb.edu.au/melbourne-CSHE/event/enhancing-professiona...
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CRADLE Seminar Series: ‘Assessment Design Toolkit – Embedding inclusion and security’
Wednesday 11 November – 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm (AEDT)
In an age of artificial intelligence, how might educators design assessments that balance inclusion and assurance of learning? Register now for CRADLE's seminar on Wednesday 11 November to learn about the Assessment Design Toolkit and discover how educators can take practical steps towards more inclusive and secure assessment.
Assessment can compound existing barriers for students from equity and historically under-represented backgrounds but, in recent years, diversified assessment formats and delivery modes have enhanced inclusivity and broadened opportunities for diverse cohorts to demonstrate their learning. However, the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence has intensified concerns about assessment security and assurance of learning. Such concerns have prompted renewed interest in traditional assessment approaches like in-person exams, potentially curtailing progress towards more inclusive assessment practices. This tension raises an important question: how can educators design assessment that considers both inclusion and assessment security?
To support educators in navigating this challenge, a small team from Deakin University (Dr Nicole Crawford, Sue Sharpe, A/Prof. Joanna Tai, Dr Paige Mahoney & Alcy Meehan) have developed an Assessment Design Toolkit. It’s designed to help educators balance inclusion and security when designing or redesigning secure assessments.
To learn more about the Toolkit, and how educators might design assessment for both inclusion and security, join us at 2.00 pm (AEDT) in person at Deakin Downtown or online.
Further information: https://cradle-seminar-assessment-design-toolkit.eventbrite.com.au/?aff=...
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Call for Papers: Students with Disabilities as Partners in Higher Education (IJSaP)
15 November 2926
The International Journal for Students as Partners (IJSaP) invites proposals for a special section titled "Nothing About Us Without Us": Inclusive Learning through Partnership with Students with Disabilities.
We are looking for contributions that position students with disabilities as collaborators and active partners in shaping learning environments, policies, and practices, rather than as recipients of support. Topics include co-creating inclusion policies, accessible pedagogy and online spaces, assistive technology, staff preparedness, and the ethics and challenges of partnership with students with disabilities. We welcome research articles, case studies, reflective essays, and opinion pieces, and proposals should focus on the process of working in partnership.
Proposals of 300 to 500 words are due 15 November 2026 through this form: https://forms.gle/GTCz51eWrZZrgj6Q7. Decisions will be sent by 15 December 2026, and invited full papers are due 15 April 2027.
The full call is available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t0Yr2P-ZiiFmKfXoSUZsVciulFRPs65G/view?u...
Please send any questions to Faria Elbabour, Lead Editor, at faria.elbabour@uob.edu.ly.
We would be grateful if you could share this call with colleagues and students who may be interested.
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New articles in Higher Education Research and Development
Extensive academic growth: tenure-track reform and the model of natural scientific research in China, Xiao Liu, Jiaqi Jin & Xiaohua Zong, https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2026.2739888
From bookshelves to bots: academic integrity, generative AI, and the recurring anxiety of higher education, Catherine Norton, Brendan O'Keeffe & Raymond Lynch, https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2026.2733706
Higher education aspirations, discipline choices, and university entry experiences of students from equity groups in Vietnam, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ha & Nguyen Van Bao, https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2026.2730960
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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.
