ASCILITE NEWS

Call for Papers Deadline – EXTENDED!

Now Closing: Monday 13 July, 5:00pm AEST
Submit here

ASCILITE seeks a member with a DSLR camera to take photographs at the Conference. The role involves capturing key sessions, networking moments, speakers, and atmosphere for post-event communications. If you are attending and can assist, please contact the organising committee with your availability and any photography experience.

ASCILITE Spring into Excellence Research School 2026

Are you interested in Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) research, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), or building your confidence as a researcher in higher education?

Whether you are an early to mid-career researcher wanting to sharpen your TEL research practice, a teaching-intensive academic curious about publishing, a PhD candidate looking to expand your research in TEL and SoTL, an ASCILITE mentor or mentee, or an academic seeking to forge cross-institutional research collaborations — the ASCILITE Research School provides a supportive and engaging environment to develop your ideas and move your research forward.

We are very happy to announce that the 2026 ASCILITE Spring into Excellence Research School will be held at the RMIT Melbourne campus (124 La Trobe Street, Melbourne VIC 3000).

Dates: 7–9 September 2026 (Tuesday lunchtime through to Thursday lunchtime)
Cost: $300 (members), $450 (non-members – includes 12 months membership) + GST

More information about the Research School can be found here.

And to help spring into spring, the ASCILITE Executive has approved a 50% discount for the first 20 paid registrations!

Apply for a 50% discounted registration here.

Michael Cowling
Research School Lead

LD-SIG July Webinar: Research Mentoring Series: Dissemination channels – Digital professional network and Professional Identity

Date: Thursday 16 July 2026
Time: 10:00 am AWST | 12:00 pm AEST | 2:00pm NZST
Join here

A Third Space digital expert will guide participants in building a professional digital presence to enhance credibility. Participants will create or refine their digital profiles (e.g., LinkedIn, blogs, ePortfolios) and develop strategies to showcase their research and accomplishments.

Leanne Ngo, Keith Heggart, Kashmira Dave, Kate Mitchell
LD-SIG Leads

ASCILITELive! June Webinar: The Art of Peer Review

Date: Wednesday 24 June 2026
Time: 10am AWST | 12pm AEST | 2pm NZST
Register here

Strong peer reviews do more than evaluate research, they help shape and improve it. This webinar offers practical strategies for reviewing conference papers effectively, from identifying key strengths and weaknesses to writing clear, constructive, and actionable feedback. Participants will learn what makes a high-quality review, how to evaluate submissions fairly, and how to provide feedback that is professional, rigorous, and genuinely useful for authors and conference committees alike. Ideal for both new and experienced reviewers looking to strengthen their reviewing practice.

Karine Cosgrove
ASCILITELive! lead

TELedvisors Webinar June 25 2026 – Centres of gravity? Reframing the role and value of Learning and Teaching Units.

Date: Thursday 25 June 2026
Time: 10:00 am AWST | 12:00 pm AEST | 2:00pm NZST
Register here

Presenters: Professor Ruth Greenaway (SCU) and Professor Kevin Ashford-Rowe (QUT)

This presentation responds to a timely and increasingly contested debate about the role of Learning and Teaching Units (LTUs), sparked by recent critiques of pedagogical expertise alongside renewed sector advocacy for their importance. Drawing on perspectives such as those presented in Scholfield (2026) and Wright (2026) and situated within the policy context of the Australian Universities Accord’s emphasis on accredited teaching qualifications and professional standards, the session reframes the question from whether LTUs should exist to what they need to become and whether institutions can achieve sustainable transformation without them.

Using Southern Cross University as a case study, the presentation demonstrates how LTUs and “third space” professionals act as critical partners in addressing complex, cross-institutional challenges, such as digital transformation, assessment, and curriculum renewal, through the deliberate development of institutional capability. We argue that the true value of this work is measured by demonstrable shifts in what institutions can do, highlighting capability, educational, and transformational outcomes as the key measures of impact.

Ultimately, we position effective partnership between academics and third-space professionals as essential to innovation, adaptability, and the development of institutional capability. We close with a provocation: might Schofield’s critique be right, in part?

Colin Simpson, Wendy Taleo, Penny Wheeler, Olivia Rajit
TELedvisors leads

Announcing the relaunch of Wavelength, ASCILITE’s podcast

Got an idea worth sharing? A story to tell? A challenge, innovation, or reflection that could spark conversation across our community?

Wavelength is returning next month as a platform for sharing the voices, ideas, and experiences shaping technology-enhanced learning in Australasia and beyond.

We’re inviting contributions from ASCILITE members and non-members alike. Whether it’s a conversation, interview, panel discussion, solo commentary, vox pop, creative audio piece, or even a Gen AI-supported podcast, there is a format to suit your idea.

Research, practice, leadership, learning design, AI, accessibility, digital equity, open education—if it matters to our community, we want to hear about it.

Start thinking about the conversation you’d like to contribute. More information, including submission guidelines and contribution opportunities, will be shared in the next bulletin.

Vickel Narayan
ASCILITE Podcast lead

OTHER NEWS

AECT: Upcoming International Division Webinar: International Perspectives on Educational Technology and Professional Engagement

Join ASCILITE President Professor Michael Cowling and members of the Japan Society for Educational Technology and Hong Kong Association for Educational Communications and Technology to discuss the direction of the AECT International Division.

Discussion topics

• Organization Missions and Goals
• Conferences and Professional Events
• International Collaboration Opportunities
• Journals and Publications
• AI in Educational Technology
• Future Directions for Global Engagement

Date: Thursday 25 June 2026
Time: 7:00 am AWST | 9:00 am AEST | 11:00 am NZST

Register here.

Australasian Academic Integrity Network Forum 2026: Call for Submissions + registration open

A fully online event to be held Friday, 11 September 2026. Share knowledge, best practice and explore key questions in the challenging and fast-paced field of academic integrity. The event is open to Australian and New Zealand higher education staff members.

Presenter options: Roundtable discussions (40-minute sessions) or a Digital poster (prepared 5 min video and meeting time in the program).
Accepted presenters will receive free reg.
Submission: a 200 word abstract focused on academic integrity.
*Extended* Deadline: Friday 26 June 2026.

General audience registration is also now open.

Further information here.