ASCILITE NEWS

Registrations are now open

Join colleagues from across higher education to explore this year’s theme, The Future is Connection: Collaboration, Creativity and Compassion in a Digital Society. The conference will bring together educators, researchers, learning designers, leaders and students to share ideas, showcase innovation, and engage in conversations about the future of technology-enhanced learning.

The conference will be held from 29 November – 2 December 2026 at Rydges Southbank, Brisbane.

We encourage you to register early and be part of an engaging and collaborative program featuring keynote speakers, workshops, research presentations, networking opportunities and more.

Call for Papers closes in June – so get your paper in soon (here)!

Sponsored by

ASCILITE Spring into Excellence Research School 2026

Are you interested in educational research, scholarship of teaching and learning, or building your confidence as a researcher?

Whether you are an Early Career Researcher, a learning designer or educational developer wanting to strengthen your research capability, a practitioner curious about publishing, or an experienced researcher looking to connect and collaborate with others in the sector, the ASCILITE Research School provides a supportive and engaging environment to develop your ideas and research practice.

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.

Register & payments here.

Michael Cowling
Research School Lead

TELedvisors-SIG May Webinar: Assuring Learning in the Age of AI

Date: Thursday 28 May
Time:  10am AWST | 12pm AEST | 2pm NZST

In this month’s TELedvisors Network webinar, we will explore responses to ensuring assurance of learning in tertiary education in the age of Generative AI

The Australian higher education sector is in the process of unprecedented transformation in response to a range of stressors, not least the juggernaut of generative AI platforms that go well beyond simple text generation to complete entire courses of study.

Third Space practitioners are at the intersection of this change, and our involvement is highly contextual, and in some cases contested, in different settings.

Join us to share and discuss your experiences as we collectively work to provide Assurance of Learning.

Among the topics for discussion:

• 2026 definitions of assured learning
• What types of tasks do we design?
• Who designs the assured task?
• Who assures the task design?

We will be joined by Lenka Ucnik from TEQSA and other presenters will be confirmed shortly.

Register here.

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

LD-SIG  Webinar 3: Research Mentoring Program

Topic: Conferences, forums, symposiums and events
Date: Thursday 18 Jun 2026
Time: 10am AWST | 12pm AEST | 2pm NZST
Zoom link

As you are aware, as a part of the ASCILITE CMP,  the LD SIG is running a Research Mentoring program. As a part of the program, a webinar series is offered. The focus of the series is getting started with research, especially in a professional staff context. The first webinar was a panel discussion on Introduction to research. The second webinar in the series was on Crafting a Research Proposal.

Please join us for this webinar.

Kashmira Dave, Leanne Ngo, Keith Heggart, 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
ASCILITE Live lead

BE-SIG May Webinar recording: Discussing the Castlereagh Statement

In this BE-SIG webinar Edward Palmer (Adelaide University) presented a discussion of the Castlereagh Statement, a national green paper that is set to reshape Australian Tertiary education sector in an AI-driven future. Edward was joined by Lynn Gribble (UNSW), Dani Logan-Fleming (Torrens University) and Amanda White (UTS) to discuss the implications for business schools across Australia. Our business schools educate large numbers of students, with strong ties to industries expected to be highly affected by AI. This enables business schools to help shape our national agenda moving forward.

Watch the recording here and for those who would like to be part of the SIG’s work going forward to sign up for more information here.

Sandy Barker, Audrea Warner, Danielle Logan-Fleming
BE-SIG leads

TELAS NZ update

The ASCILITE TELAS New Zealand reviewer support website is now live.

The updated reviewer support resources, which include New Zealand contextualisation features identified by a silver fern, are now available via TELAS Reviewer Support Website.

These enhancements support the application of TELAS within the New Zealand tertiary education context. ASCILITE TELAS sincerely acknowledges the contributions of the New Zealand ASCILITE community, and particularly Dr Merle Herns, Leah McKay, and Graeme Severinsen for their valuable guidance, professional insight, and ongoing support throughout this phase of the project.

Their contributions have played an important role in strengthening the quality and cultural relevance of the TELAS initiative for the New Zealand context.

Elaine Huber, Chris Campbell & Lisa Jacka
TELAS leads

Call for Contributors: Contextualising Horizon 2026

ASCILITE’s Contextualising Horizon project invites expressions of interest from section co-authors. Working with others in a small team, section co-authors are responsible for writing a two-page analysis of one of the STEEP (Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, and Political) trends or of one of the educational technology and practice trends derived from this year’s workshops.

Authors will be attributed as authors on their section and as contributors in the Table of Contents of the report. Each section will have its own DOI link. Writing takes place between June and August 2026.

Prospective co-authors should complete the report author EOI by 10 June 2026. The EOI form provides a detailed listing of this year’s STEEP and technology and practice trends and asks for a brief statement of your qualifications in your areas of interest.

Educational Technology and Practice Exemplars
ASCILITE’s Contextualising Horizon project seeks nomination for exemplars of the 2026 educational technology and practice trends. The trends identified by participants in this year’s workshops are:

• From AI Literacy to AI Fluency
• Trust Through Evidence: The Rise of Connected Assurance of learning
• The New Digital Divide: Capability Over Access
• Learning Without Boundaries
• Sustainability as System Design

Exemplars will illustrate the application of these technologies and practices across the sector, these provide crucial signals of technology practices on the horizon in the report. Exemplars will be in sections of the report that each will have their own DOI, so they can be shared widely. To nominate an exemplar created by a colleague or to lodge a self-nomination, complete the online nomination form. The form asks for contact details as well as a brief overview (350 words) of the nominated exemplar or case study. A URL for the exemplar project website, publication, or other artifact is also welcome. The deadline to submit a nomination is 4 July 2026. We also encourage you to distribute the call for exemplars throughout your networks.

About the Project
Contextualising Horizon aims to identify the educational technologies and practices likely to impact the Australasian tertiary sector. The Contextualising Horizon report brings together analysis of the trends impacting tertiary education and insights and exemplars of the significant educational technologies and practices.

Simone Poulsen, Dani Logan-Fleming, Keith Heggart, Rachel Fitzgerald & Henk Huijser
Contextualising Horizons Leads

OTHER NEWS

Join ALT at OER26

OER26 will take place on 22–23 June 2026 at The Open University in Milton Keynes. Under the theme “Openness Reimagined: Continuity, Change and Shared Vision,” the conference brings together colleagues from around the world to explore how the ethos and values of open education can be sustained and reinterpreted in a rapidly changing landscape.

Across the two days, participants will find a rich mix of workshops, research papers, panels, lightning talks, plus

• Keynotes from Prof. Eileen Scanlon and Prof. Dr. Olaf Zawacki‑Richter
• Visits to the National Museum of Computing and Bletchley Park
• A guided tour of the XR Studios
• Celebrations marking 20 years of OpenLearn and 30 years of JIME
• Funding workshops supporting new and emerging open education projects

Full details are available here

With earlybird registration closing on 29 May, we are keen to ensure that as many people as possible across the sector hear about the event. If you are able to share details of the conference through your networks, social media, mailing lists, or any communities you’re part of, it would make a meaningful difference.

If you have any questions or would like any additional information, please feel free to get in touch.

Turnitin roundtables: Building academic excellence in the age of AI

As Artificial Intelligence fundamentally reshapes global higher education, Turnitin partners with and supports institutions to move beyond reactive detection toward a holistic approach focused on learning integrity. It is imperative for all academic leaders—from senior management to those on the ground—to establish governance frameworks that not only safeguard integrity but also decisively future-proof pedagogy, assessment, and graduate outcomes.

You are invited to join an exclusive, peer-led leadership roundtable designed for the primary architects of institutional strategy and those driving educational quality. This forum provides a platform for high-level, strategic dialogue among senior decision-makers, including Vice-Chancellors, Provosts, and Pro Vice-Chancellors (PVCs), alongside key Administrators, course coordinators, learning technologists, and designers whose roles are critical in advancing academic quality across the Australian higher education sector.

Brisbane
Registration: here/
Date: 26 May 2026
Time: 8:00 am – 2:00 pm
Venue: Novotel Brisbane South Bank, 38 Cordelia Street, South Brisbane, 4101 Brisbane

Sydney
Registration: here/
Date: Thursday 28 May 2026
Time: 8:00 am – 2:00 pm
Venue: Novotel Sydney Darling Square, 17 Little Pier Street, Darling Harbour NSW 2000

Melbourne
Registration: here/
Date: Friday 29 May 2026
Time: 8:00 am – 2:00 pm
Venue: Novotel Melbourne on Collins, 270 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

The agenda is available in the registration link. Please note that seats are strictly limited to senior leaders to ensure high-impact, high-value conversation.

Get Involved with the AECT International Division!

The  Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) are inviting ASCILITE members to join their International Division. Participants will receive up-to-date information about our division events and news and attend their webinars and sessions.

More information about AECT’s International Division is available here.