On Friday 16 January 2026 HERDSA hosted a highly engaging professional development workshop, Finalising Abstracts for HERDSA 2026, with 58 participants joining from across Australasia and beyond to strengthen their conference submissions.

On Thursday 20 November 2025, the HERDSA Online Engagement in Higher Education SIG convened the final event for the year (facilitated by Dr Hilary Ng and Associate Professor Alice Brown).

On 5 November 2025, the HERDSA Assessment Quality Special Interest Group and ASCILITE’s Transforming Assessment community jointly hosted a thought-provoking webinar titled Reimagining Assessment in Uncertain Times: Dialogues from the UK and Australia. The session brought together two leading voices to explore how higher education can evolve assessment practices amid rapid technological changes and persistent institutional inertia towards meaningful assessment systems.

On 19 September 2025, educators, researchers and practitioners across Australasia gathered online for the inaugural Australasian Symposium on Programmatic Approaches to Assessment. Hosted by the ASCILITE Transforming Assessment SIG and the HERDSA Assessment Quality SIG, the symposium was alive with presentations, case studies, and a buzzing chat stream that often took discussions in new directions.

Setting the scene

Join HERDSA Vic for a workshop/webinar to explore the fundamentals of learning, including how we learn, key principles of learning, and the role of active learning. Inspired by the ongoing discussions around generative AI in education, participants will tackle the critical question: In what ways can the use of GenAI in the learning process compromise student learning or, alternatively, enable deeper learning?

This fun workshop was an ACT branch of HERDSA event, as well as a combined CSU Social Science Week Event, CSU FOAE Research Cafe and a CSU Office of Graduate Research Community of Practice Event. We hope you enjoy the recordings.

On August 14th, the HERSDA Online Engagement in HE SiG once again enjoyed a showcase of lightning talks related to topics focused on online engagement. The collection of presentations reflected the energy and creativity of colleagues exploring strategies and associated scholarship related fostering connection, confidence, and belonging in online learning. In just five-minute bursts, presenters shared projects that stretched from humour and AI to equity and student voice.

On 17 July, a vibrant community of educators gathered online for an inspiring HERDSA Assessment Quality Special Interest Group (SIG) webinar: "Storytelling Assessments in an AI-Powered World." Convened by Pranit Anand from UNSW, the event drew almost 60 passionate participants from Australia and around the globe, all united by their curiosity about the potential of storytelling to transform student learning.

The re-election of the Albanese Labor government with a strong majority, provides a rare opportunity for major higher education policy reforms. Some of the government’s priorities were articulated by the Australian Universities Accord, but which of the 47 recommendations are likely to be implemented? Both major parties sought to deflect concerns about inflation and housing on to international students, but will that scapegoating persist after the election?

Join us for the 2024 HERDSA NSW Branch Event on Curriculum, Assessment & AI: Real World Applications. This exciting event will take place at ACAP in Sydney CBD and online, bringing together leading academic educators to explore the transformative role of AI in education and innovation in assessment and curriculum. The conference features a stellar lineup of presentations, including our keynote address by Prof. Danny Liu from the University of Sydney.