ASCILITE NEWS

Call for Expressions of Interest – Webinar Panelists (ASCILITE x Turnitin)

We are seeking educators who may be interested in presenting as part of a panel or discussion in an upcoming webinar series delivered in partnership with Turnitin. These sessions will explore contemporary challenges and innovations in assessment, integrity, and assurance of learning in the age of generative AI.
Session topics and dates:

Integrity First, Learning Always: Reimagining Assessment with Transparent Writing Processes — 5 May
Innovation in Teaching & Learning: Designing Authentic, Hybrid, and Scalable Assessments —14 July
Assurance of Learning in the Age of Generative AI: From Compliance to Continuous Improvement 7 August

If you are interested in contributing, or would like more information, please reach out to Karine or Lisa. We welcome expressions of interest from educators across disciplines and roles.

Karine Cosgrove & Lisa Bugden
ASCILITELive! Webinar leads

ASCILITE Spring into Excellence Research School 2026

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

Dates: 7 – 9 September 2025 (Tuesday lunch time 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.

TELall Blog latest post: A research-based student workload calculator

In this post, the authors (Richard M^cInnes, Ngoc Nhu (Ruby) Nguyen, Sasikala Rathnappulige, Simon Marek, Daniel J. Searson, Ashlee Waterland, Aaron Honson) outline the importance of accurate student workload estimates, as well as the ways that student workload is estimated. They discuss our experience in creating a student workload calculator and using it to determine whether research-based workload calculations differ from commercially advertised workloads, before exploring what this means for course authors.

Read the full post here.Sandra Barker
TELall Blog lead

OEP-SIG April Monthly Meeting

Date: Tuesday 14 April 2026
Time: 12pm AEST, 11:30am ACST, 2pm NZST

Join the OEP-SIG team for their April meeting – view the agenda and register here.Claire Ovaska, Jenny Wallace, Steven Chang, & Ash Barber
OEP-SIG leads

Leading digital learning? Make the quality visible with TELAS

TELAS (Technology Enhanced Learning Accreditation Standards) provides structured peer review of online and blended learning at unit, course, program, or institutional level.

A TELAS review enables you to:

Evidence quality against national benchmarks
Strengthen continuous improvement processes
Provide external validation for internal quality assurance
Recognise excellence through a TELAS digital badge

Institutions use TELAS to move beyond compliance toward demonstrable quality in digital learning.

Whether you’re reviewing a single unit or scaling quality across a program, School, or institution, TELAS offers a credible and developmental pathway.

If you would like to explore how TELAS could support your context, contact admin@telas.com for a confidential conversation with the TELAS team.

Elaine Huber, Chris Campbell, Lisa Jacka & Lisa Budgen
TELAS Leads

OTHER NEWS

Symposium: Cognitive Offloading or Effective Practice? Exploring the Future of Learning with GenAI

Join us at the University of Melbourne, 3rd June 2026 from 9:30am for a timely and thought-provoking discussion on how higher education can navigate — and shape — the evolving relationship between human cognition and artificial intelligence.

This symposium, hosted by the Centre for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE), will explore the implications of cognitive offloading for higher education. When students outsource aspects of thinking to AI, what happens to learning, understanding, and intellectual development? What tasks or activities are ok to cognitively offload, and how might reliance on AI tools reshape critical thinking, creativity, memory, and disciplinary expertise?

CFP: Abstracts for presentations are due 17th April.

See more info and submissions here.

ALT announces OER26: Openness Reimagined: Continuity, Change and Shared Vision

OER26 will take place on 22–23 June 2026, at The Open University in Milton Keynes.

OER26 will convene researchers, educators, practitioners, policymakers, technologists, and advocates across the open education community to explore how the ethos and values of open education can be sustained and reinterpreted in a rapidly changing landscape.

You can find full details here.

Connections matter: a teaching and education focused discussion across the globe

TEFA network is excited to be a part of this conversation. Both Australia and the UK are witnessing the growth in teaching/education focused academics and yet many are trying to navigate this path alone. If you have ever wondered how to develop your national and international profile while steadfastly maintaining your identity (considering specialisms and scholarship) then join us for a conversation on April 21 (8am UK and 6pm AEST) between Teaching/Education Focused Academic Network (TEFAN, Australia) and National Learning and Teaching Focused Network (UK).

Sign up here.