2024: ASCILITE 2024 Conference Companion Materials

ASCILITE Conference - Posters

• Internationalisation in First-Year Computing: A Study of Australian Universities

  Amita Krautloher, Meena Jha, Kay Hammond

  Higher education institutions have responded to the growing demand of internationalisation by embedding global citizenship and intercultural competency as key graduate attributes within their curricula. These attributes shape the learning outcomes (LOs) and assessment criteria (UTS, 2023), guiding students to acquire the necessary skills to thrive in diverse global environments (Wong et al., 2022). LOs are pivotal in understanding how internationalisation is incorporated and prioritised within the curriculum, reflecting the institution’s commitment to preparing graduates with these key competencies. This study seeks to evaluate how internationalisation is integrated into computing education curricula, with a focus on the potential of graduates’ design decisions to foster an environmentally sustainable and equitable world (Shultz & Jorgenson, 2009). The first phase of the study examined the LOs for five first-year units across three Australian universities to assess the initial introduction of internationalisation to students. The data for this study was sourced from publicly available information on university websites, including curriculum details, course descriptions, and associated documentation outlining the LOs. These LOs typically provide an overview of the educational goals for a course or unit, highlighting the primary skills and attributes students are expected to develop. However, they may not fully capture the specific pedagogical approaches or assessments used to achieve these outcomes. The analysis involved a comprehensive review of the available curriculum, course descriptions, and associated documentation to understand how internationalisation is integrated into the LOs. Each identified LO was systematically analysed to identify codes related to internationalisation. An inductive thematic analysis approach was used to derive themes from these codes, representing the forms in which internationalisation appeared in these units. Out of the 15 units examined, 46.7% (seven units) did not include any LOs related to global citizenship. Therefore, the themes derived from the analysis represent the remaining 53.3% (eight units) across the three universities: Ethical/Moral/Legal Obligations: Six out of eight units referenced moral, legal, ethics or ethical behavior in professional practice. Thinking Skills: Seven out of eight units required students to demonstrate analytical, and critical thinking skills as part of the learning outcomes. Diversity of People and Places: Three out of eight units mentioned diverse cohorts of people or places, emphasising the importance of understanding, and engaging with diversity. Working with People: Four out of eight units included the need for students to work effectively with others, highlighting teamwork, leadership, and conflict management skills. Communication Skills: Four out of eight units stressed the importance of effective communication, requiring students to convey complex information appropriately in various formats. While LOs provide a valuable starting point for assessing the presence and emphasis of global citizenship attributes within the curriculum, they may not fully capture the depth of internationalisation efforts. Exemplary practices are those that explicitly and comprehensively incorporate internationalisation concepts, as evidenced by detailed LOs. These practices are identified through the presence of key attributes such as ethical obligations, thinking skills, diversity, teamwork, and communication. By highlighting these attributes, the study aims to showcase effective integration methods that could serve as models for other disciplines.

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• Affinity spaces: Co-creating new media knowledge and understanding of AI in education

  Alison Casey, Wendy Taleo, Carmen Vallis, Penny Wheeler

  This poster (Padlet ‘Collaborative reflection on AI’) showcases a professional development approach that uses Padlet as an affinity space (Gee, 2004; Honeychurch, 2023) for educators to collaboratively explore and reflect on their experiences with Generative AI (GenAI) in education. Following Vallor’s distinction between ease of creation (a key affordance of AI) and challenges of creative expression (a solely human capacity), we found that Padlet was an accessible tool for creating virtual affinity spaces, and that the Padlet format offers a visual representation of a collaborative method of co-creating that ASCILITE attendees can interact with, using a range of multimodal creation tools, including AI-based features available in Padlet (image creator, text-to-speech, and a poll creator). This poster may function as a catalyst for conference attendees to reflect on their own position in this rapidly developing space, and as a model of practice that educators can adapt to their own contexts to design GenAI-integrated learning experiences. Educators need novel ways to make sense of the changing nature of education with GenAI (Vallis et al., 2023) and advance both research and practice in technology-enabled learning. Drawing on a paradigm for academic development that is centred on the notions of construction and co-construction as a process of learning (Pimmer et al., 2016, p. 495), this inquiry used Padlet to provide an affinity space for this sense-making. Affinity spaces differ from communities of practice in having a flat hierarchy instead of a periphery of less experienced practitioners around a core of experts; people enter an affinity space as interactants (“affines”), rather than members (Gee, 2005). In this inquiry, a Padlet provides a “portal” (Calder et al., 2021, p. 448) to an affinity space, a space where contributors who have varying levels of (GenAI) expertise can bond around a shared endeavour (for a comparable use of Padlet to house a ‘thinktank’ for a scholarly project in teaching and learning, see Coleman, 2023). The Padlet serves as both an interactive platform for educators to engage with various perspectives on generative AI in higher education and a model for future learning activities. The aim is to facilitate knowledge sharing and community building around GenAI in education: as Timperley (2008, p.19) states, “participation in a professional community with one’s colleagues is an integral part of professional learning that impacts positively on students”. The collaborative aspect of this inquiry sparked conversations, introduced collaborators to new tools, and stimulated reflection. It encouraged a patchwork of contributions in a variety of formats to provoke more perspectives. It allowed expression of sociotechnical imaginaries about GenAI (Costello, 2024; Dishon, 2024), including themes of “overwhelm to excitement”; “creative potential to concerns of control”; and perceptions of GenAI from “uncanny to real”, and demonstrated that sharing creative practices in a virtual space allows educators to develop new knowledge about their experiences, concerns, and insights about integrating AI into their educational practices.

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• Focusing the Juggernaut: How can educators leverage collective EdTech resources to achieve individual goals?

  Zara Khan, Neil Lawrence

  Education technology (EdTech) is at the forefront of many universities' desires to improve, evolve and better the student experience. From learning management systems to hybrid capabilities, many processes are updated to ensure relevance in the face of challenges and modern trends (Josué et al., 2023). These updates can be small and incremental but can also come in the form of large-scale, institution-wide EdTech rollouts. Due to the scale and the diversity of our institutions, this is fraught with issues including aligning technology with pedagogy, ensuring digital literacy and training for educators (Bower, 2017), and infrastructure adequacy (Al-Busaidi and Al-Shihi, 2012). Universities invest heavily in resources to address challenges and promote sustained EdTech adoption (Deacon et al., 2022). Strategic and flexible educators, sometimes with differing perspectives from their institutions, can leverage these resources to achieve their individual educational objectives. This case study, situated at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), involved one such large scale EdTech adoption in the form of an institutionally wide digital assessment platform, InsperaTM, with a view to streamline and enhance the online assessment experience. This had a significant impact, reaching approximately 67 courses and 8.8k students in its first 3 terms of piloting, and to aid this implementation UNSW deployed multiple resources in the form of dedicated staff, in-depth training and central support for high stakes exams. With many educators already using other forms of digital assessment, the adoption was not uniformly accepted, creating friction and causing some to reject the platform. It also created opportunities for others. Wanting to uplift a newly inherited course, Dr Megan Kalucy saw InsperaTM, and the resources associated, as an ideal opportunity to improve student experience and reduce educator workload. With the support of the implementation team, Dr Kalucy adopted InsperaTM for specific in-course assessments, reaching approximately 300 students. Paper-based, short-answer, invigilated assessments, which were administratively inefficient and suffered from delays were replaced by weekly multiple-choice-question (MCQ) quizzes in InsperaTM. Automated marking, immediate feedback, and broader content coverage resulted in an overall improved experience for both staff and students, which was reflected in improved student feedback and reduced workload. This work investigates sector wide issues focusing on the research question of how educators can leverage collective EdTech resources to achieve individual goals. It addresses two key challenges; achieving widespread institutional adoption of EdTech and helping educators with increasing workloads find the time and resources to update their courses. A mixed-methods approach was used, employing a case study methodology comparing student satisfaction data, before and after, to validate the improvements made to the course through the adoption of Inspera. Qualitative data from staff and students was used to inform, implement and revise these improvements. The study found that technology adoption in the educational landscape is not exclusively dependent on knowledge of advancements, but more significantly about leveraging the resources available (Oyetade et al., 2020). Here, the universities adoption of Inspera employed strategies such as training, hands-on support, as well as platform and student support, lowering the energy barrier for improvement to Education Focused staff. These resources were deployed practically and with a focus on educators, increasing the number of early adopters and the uptake of Inspera across the university. This case study also shows that the diverse needs of various disciplines need to be considered for uniform EdTech adoption, as a ‘one size fits all’ approach is often ineffective.

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• Enriching Educational Landscapes: The Impact of Australian Arts Educators on Teaching and Learning in Bhutan and Beyond

  Trish Donald

  As an arts educator, I spent a month in Bhutan engaging Bachelor of Education students in project-based learning activities aimed at enhancing creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. These activities served as a dynamic capstone to their theoretical literacy unit. I documented students' collaborative efforts and creativity through photos and videos, which have been transformed into eBooks. These resources are now integrated into courses at my Australian university, enriching learning experiences for our culturally diverse student body with authentic examples of cross-cultural project-based learning. The eBooks showcase student outcomes and offer reflective analyses to inform future teaching practices, inspiring innovative and collaborative learning strategies globally. Moreover, these resources contribute to the university's commitment to global education and cultural diversity, demonstrating how experiential learning can transcend geographical boundaries and enrich the educational journey of students promoting global citizenship. To address a broader audience within Bhutan, and globally, the lesson plans and resources I developed to deliver the project-based learning activities, are now available on the Artist in Residence Education Program website. This provides an opportunity for any educator to access and adapt these materials to their own contexts. Teaching in Bhutan highlighted how factors like collectivist culture, religious beliefs, and the Gross National Happiness Index support traditional teaching practices and how complex it is to break down traditional teaching practises and encourage valid creative ways learning. The students greatly enjoyed the new activities and even requested additional lessons. It was rewarding to see them realise their potential for creativity and innovation in teaching, enhancing their approach to learning and self-perception as future educators. In conclusion, understanding sociocultural norms in Bhutan offers a wealth of insights that can inspire and inform academic approaches to teaching in countries with traditional forms of education and limited access to resources.

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• Integrating Multimodal Generative AI Technologies in Postgraduate Marketing Education

  Terrence Chong

  While industry practices evolve rapidly, marketing education in Australia and New Zealand faces challenges in keeping pace, particularly regarding the adoption of current marketing technologies (Harrigan et al., 2022). Generative AI, exemplified by systems like ChatGPT and DALL·E, has demonstrated benefits for learning (Baidoo-Anu & Ansah, 2023). However, despite its potential, there remains a dearth of practical guidance on effectively incorporating these technologies into marketing courses. This gap persists even as general frameworks for responsible and ethical AI use, such as the Australian Framework for Generative AI in Schools (2023), emerge. As the demand for graduates with generative AI skills grows in the job market, educators must explore innovative pedagogical approaches to bridge this gap. This academic poster presents an innovative application of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in the context of teaching digital marketing at the postgraduate level. Its purpose is to bridge the gap between academic theory and industry practice by encouraging educators to integrate AI tools into their curriculum through experiential learning pedagogy (Kolb, 2014), characterized by a learning process whereby knowledge is created through hands-on experiences. The poster exemplifies how various types of GenAI technologies — specifically text-based, image-based, and video-based — can enhance teaching content, tutorial exercises, and assessments within the digital marketing course. The poster showcases examples of how these GenAI tools are integrated in the course content, to guide students in generating innovative ideas for using AI in marketing to gain a competitive edge: Text-based GenAI: Tools like ChatGPT and Gemini can automatically generate search keywords for search engine marketing. By integrating text-based GenAI tools with established marketing technology (MarTech) tools such as Google Ads and Google Ads Keyword Planner, students engage in practical exercises that combine AI-generated initial ideas (e.g., search keywords) with further analysis (e.g., search volume, click-through rates, and bidding costs) using established MarTech tools. This hands-on approach enhances their learning experience and prepares them for real-world applications. Image-based GenAI: Platforms such as DALL·E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion enable the creation of custom images for display advertising, enhancing visual communication in marketing materials. Through experiential learning activities, students can explore ideas, seek unusual combinations, and inspire creativity faster with image-based GenAI tools, resulting in a greater variety of display ad materials. Video-based GenAI: Applications like Sora and Synthesia facilitate the production of short video clips suitable for social media marketing (e.g., YouTube Shorts, TikTok). By engaging in dynamic content creation exercises, students learn to streamline content creation, reduce manual work, and save both time and budget, thereby gaining practical skills in social media marketing. By incorporating these GenAI technologies through experiential learning pedagogy, educators can enrich the learning experience, foster critical thinking, and prepare students for the evolving landscape of digital marketing. Future research can study the use of GenAI in marketing education using theoretical frameworks such as the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (Venkatesh et al., 2016).

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• Chinese university EFL learners’ essay revision and perceptions of the feedback: A comparison between teacher vs. ChatGPT feedback

  Feifei Han, Zehua Wang

  Revising is an important part of the writing process, especially when writing in a foreign language (FL). FL learners who routinely revise inadequacies in their texts after receiving feedback tend to develop better writing skills than those who do not (Boubekeur, 2015). To help FL learners achieve a desirable revision quality in writing, providing various types of feedback about their writing is of great importance (Lee, 2017). However, as providing detailed and high-quality writing feedback to individual students requires a considerable amount of time and effort on FL teachers, it is not always practical in FL instructions (Myer et al., 2023). In particular, in the context of College English teaching in China, where an English teacher normally teaches 60 to 80 learners, it is not always feasible for English teachers to provide writing feedback to every student on a regular basis. The recent development of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) such as ChatGPT may either supplement or complement teacher feedback in helping Chinese learners of English as a FL (EFL) revise their English writing (Escalante et al., 2023). The present study aimed to compare: 1) the effect of teacher versus ChatGPT feedback on Chinese university EFL learners’ English essay revision; and 2) Chinese university EFL learners’ perceptions of teacher versus ChatGPT feedback in terms of usefulness and ease of use. A quasi-experiment was conducted among 73 Chinese university EFL learners. The students came from two intact College English classes (n=36 and n=37 respectively) taught by the same English teacher. A pre-test of essay writing task found that the two classes did not differ on English writing proficiency (F(1, 71)=0.17, p=.68, ?2=.05). One class received teacher feedback whereas the other class received ChatGPT feedback on narrative essay writing. Students were required to revise their essays using the feedback they received during one English class. Upon completion of the essay revision, they were surveyed about their perceptions of the usefulness and ease of use of the feedback by filling out a Likert-scale questionnaire. The results of one-way ANOVAs showed that students who received ChatGPT feedback obtained significantly higher scores of their revision than their peers who received teacher feedback (F(1, 71)=8.74, p<.01, ?2=.11). However, students in the teacher feedback class perceived that the feedback was more useful (F(1, 71)=6.50, p<.05, ?2=.08) and easier to use (F(1, 71)=14.36, p<.01, ?2=.17) than those in the ChatGPT feedback class. To encourage students to use ChatGPT feedback in helping them revise their English writing, it is important to foster positive perceptions of the ChatGPT feedback. Some useful strategies may include: 1) teacher modelling how to use ChatGPT feedback for students, to make students familiar with the format of ChatGPT feedback, which may enhance students’ positive perceptions of ease of use. 2) guiding students to explore different aspects that ChatGPT feedback can cover, which may foster students’ positive perceptions of the usefulness of ChatGPT feedback. The present study only adopts quantitative methods, future research may use semi-structured interviews to provide a rich description of Chinese EFL learners’ experience of using teacher and ChatGPT feedback in their English essay writing.

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• Data-Driven Teamwork: Facilitating Effective Student Collaborations in Large Cohorts

  Helen McGuire, Angela Sun

  Group assignments are a staple in higher education, providing opportunities to enhance collaboration and communication skills. However, we frequently encounter grievances related to group work as coordinators of large STEM units (800 students). Our student survey identifies work ethic and communication discrepancies between group members as barriers, often leading to uneven workloads, dissatisfaction, and diminished collaborative learning (Bacon et al., 1999). Common mitigation strategies to address work ethic discrepancies, like group charters and peer evaluations, often prove ineffective, since they could be ignored if not properly followed up or enforced (Chang & Brickman, 2018). Another barrier to group productivity lies in the team formation process itself. Traditional team formation methods – self-selection, random assignment, or instructor-led grouping – each present inherent limitation. Self-selection often results in homogenous groups susceptible to "groupthink" (Janis, 1982), limiting the diversity of thought essential for creative problem-solving. Random assignment, while seemingly impartial, can lead to imbalanced skillsets and an uneven distribution of workload (Bacon et al., 1999). While instructor-led grouping might seem ideal, it is logistically impractical within large cohorts (Decker, 1995). Computer-aided team selection offers a promising alternative. Its automated process streamlines team formation, generates diverse teams, and allows instructors to focus on teaching, despite concerns about increased workload (Cavanaugh et al., 2004). To address these group work challenges, we have developed a multi-pronged strategy integrating computer-aided team selection with a comprehensive follow-up and feedback framework. Our goal is to transform group work from a source of anxiety to a rewarding learning experience. Our approach combines technology with strategic interventions: Computer-aided Team Formation: We utilise Gruepr, an open-source team selection software (Hertz, 2021), to generate groups based on student preferences including work styles and meeting preferences (Cavanaugh et al., 2004). Gruepr integrates seamlessly with our learning management system, Canvas. Structured Communication, Collaboration, and Proactive Monitoring: Regular temperature-check surveys deployed through Canvas allow students to rate their group's progress and workload distribution. This data enables early identification of potential issues. To encourage group dialogue, the aggregated and anonymised outcome is shared with team members Facilitating Peer Feedback and Communication through SRES: The Student Relationship Engagement System (SRES), a learning analytics tool (Liu et al., 2017), was used to communicate aggregated peer feedback to individual group members, encouraging constructive dialogues regarding group progress. Our evaluation compared student performance, feedback, and complaints from the current year to previous years, alongside an estimation of staff workload. Preliminary findings demonstrate a reduction in staff time spent on group formation using Gruepr's automated grouping, highly contingent upon accurate survey design. Complaints, though still reported, were less severe, suggesting that regular temperature checks promoted proactive communication. Importantly, student feedback provided valuable insight, with many groups identifying the need for increased in-person interaction and improved scheduling strategies to accommodate diverse commitments. Our poster will elaborate on these results, showcasing both successes and challenges, and propose a refined workflow to further enhance collaborative learning experiences.

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• Optimising Healthcare Education with Design-Based Theory

  Stephen Aiello, Philippa Marriott

  Introduction In complex, and socially dynamic educational systems, traditional research methodologies often fail to connect with everyday practice, creating a need for “usable knowledge” when solving individual and collective education problems (Design-Based Research Collective, 2003). Traditional methods are effective, but do not necessarily uncover the nature of changes to student thinking during an education experience. With this, Design-Based Research (DBR) is a proposed solution that emerges as a pivotal methodology in educational research, as it aims to integrate theories of learning with practical experiences. Seen as a systematic yet adaptable approach, DBR integrates iterative cycles of analysis, design, and evaluation in collaboration with researchers and practitioners within authentic educational settings, (Harrington, 2012; Wang & Hannafin, 2005). This (poster) presentation will describe how DBR was utilised to create a learning environment to improve learning experiences within healthcare education. An analysis of the problem highlighted that healthcare students experienced high levels of anxiety during high-fidelity simulation when asked to perform and treat simulation manikins (Aiello et al., 2023). In part, the main issues relate to a lack of environmental authenticity, resulting in under-stimulation and performance anxiety resulting in over-stimulation. This relates to the Yerkes Dodson stress performance curve and suggests that too little or too much arousal results in poor performance (Yerkes, 1908). The hypothesis therefore was to design a solution for peak performance by increasing environmental authenticity and managing anxiety. Method The hypothesis is conceptualised as a ‘design solution’ rather than an intervention. To provide an authentic learning experience virtual reality environments were developed, and to aid performance anxiety, the centering technique was used. Centering is a visualisation technique that teaches participants to focus on the here and now, reduce negative thoughts, and lower anxiety. Virtual reality scenarios were provided prior to each simulation and included a ward-based environment (nurse students) and a rescue helicopter (paramedic students). The study involved 35 Master of Nursing Science, Entry to Practice student nurses at the University of Melbourne and 33 Bachelor of Health Science, Paramedicine students at Auckland University of Technology and industry experts within nurse and paramedic education. All data was collected for each cohort iteratively in 2023 and 2024 to evaluate and develop the design. Data collection included using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory as a pre-test baseline to measure general and long-standing anxiety for each participant. Within-test heart rates was recorded on a Polar H10 chest strap to measure an objective physiological response to stress. Post-test participants completed the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory–2R after each simulation to understand subjective anxiety and several focus groups were completed to gain further insight into experiences and perspectives. Discussion and Conclusion This presentation outlines the design characteristics used to support student learning within healthcare education settings. Design-Based Research offers a robust framework to develop and refine educational practices through iterative design and implementation cycles. Early results suggest that both virtual reality and the centering technique impact healthcare learning and the implementation of this approach could lead to long-term resilience and build confidence that maximises potential.

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• Transformative Assessment Review: Integrating AI Competence into Higher Education Frameworks

  Kate Tran, Nassima Kennedy, Zohreh Moghaddas

  The rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in education and the workforce necessitates that students acquire critical competencies, including digital literacy, data integrity, and ethical AI use, to navigate an increasingly AI-driven world. Equally, academic staff must be upskilled to effectively guide students in the ethical and practical applications of AI. This project examines how a private higher education (HE) institute has modified its Quality Assessment Framework (QAF) to incorporate an AI competence dimension, improve HE assessment and foster students’ competencies. This new dimension complements the existing QAF elements—Intellectual Quality, Significance, and Student Support to ensure a holistic approach in preparing students for AI-integrated academic and professional environments. This project’s framework and innovative tools, such as the enhanced QAF and an AI-driven Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) assessment review tool, support educators in adapting curriculum and assessment design, and empower them to integrate AI competencies seamlessly into the curriculum. The development of these tools drew upon established frameworks, particularly the QAF (Gore et al., 2009) and the AI Assessment Scale (AIAS) by Perkins et al. (2024), which categorises AI usage across five levels, guides assessment reviews and ensures consistent standards for AI integration in student work. A trial, conducted across selected disciplines at the institute, involved academic staff as assessment reviewers and utilised the GPT tool to streamline the assessment review process by aiding in feedback provision, coding, and suggestions for improvement. Evaluation of the tool includes qualitative and quantitative methodologies, gathering academic feedback on usability, clarity, and effectiveness, as well as comparative studies to assess review time and quality before and after GPT integration. Usability testing evaluates workflow compatibility, while academic performance data provide insights into the tool’s impact on student outcomes. Initial results on the tool’s success in enhancing assessment alignment with institutional goals and fostering a comprehensive understanding of AI competence were also examined. Developing and implementing these tools has presented challenges, including the complexity of aligning them with diverse curriculum needs across disciplines, the time investment required for staff training, and the necessity of continuous updates to keep pace with AI technology. Addressing these challenges has been crucial to ensuring the effectiveness and sustainability of these solutions. This digital poster provides insights into the project, covering its development process, trial outcomes, challenges encountered, and future directions for integrating AI competence in higher education assessments.

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• Collaborative co-design to reimagine teaching practices in hybrid spaces

  Kelly Hill, Polly Lai, Ruth Greenaway

  Following the Future Made in Australia Act, which prioritises quality and equitable education (Albanese, 2024), there is a pressing need for regional universities to provide equal educational opportunities for students regardless of their geographical locations. Furthermore, as outlined in the Australian Universities Accord Final Report, advances in pedagogy are required to fulfil the potential of high-quality online and hybrid learning modes, as well as deliver teaching which supports more diverse student cohorts (Australian Government, 2024). Hybrid learning spaces have the potential to bridge educational disparities by offering accessibility and flexibility to both regional and metropolitan students, allowing them to pursue their education without compromising their other responsibilities (Lightner & Lightner-Laws, 2016). However, significant adjustments to traditional face to face student engagement activities are crucial to the success of hybrid teaching and learning (Gamage et al., 2022). University teachers often have preconceived ideas about these spaces and lack the time, skills, and knowledge to adapt their teaching practices effectively (Bøjer & Brøns, 2022; Raes et al., 2020). Additionally, students struggle to adapt their learning approaches in these spaces, leading to limited engagement and interaction with teachers and peers (Raes et al., 2020). Effective implementation requires support for both teachers and students to reimagine their routines, practices, and expectations in teaching and learning (Bøjer & Brøns, 2022; Fawns et al., 2022; Gamage et al., 2022). To address this challenge, a research project was conducted that involved four phases: (1) Co-design workshop, (2) Resource development, (3) Data collection, (4) Analysis and outcomes. The first and second phases will be discussed in this poster presentation. In the first phase, the research team participated in a collaborative co-design workshop to develop a professional development (PD) module and practical guidelines for teachers. Collaborative co-design is a participatory process where designers and users work together using co-design tools, techniques, and scaffolds to provide expert perspectives on a problem (Bøjer & Brøns, 2022; Sanders and Stappers, 2007). In this process, researchers, teachers, and students collaborated to generate ideas and knowledge for the content of a PD module and the practical guidelines. The workshop was theoretically grounded in Moore’s (1989) three types of interactions and Radcliffe’s (2009) Pedagogy-Space-Technology (PST) framework. The active involvement of teachers and students allowed the research team to explore challenges between learning spaces, technology and teaching practices, focusing on student agency and engagement. Crucial to co-design, the research participants interchanged roles during the workshop, shifting between users, designers, and facilitators depending on individual creativity and expertise in specific areas (Bøjer & Brøns, 2022; Sanders and Stappers, 2007). The design solution of a PD module and practical guidelines was developed and provided teachers with strategies for effective hybrid teaching, addressing both technological challenges and appropriate pedagogies. The future direction of this project is to examine the effectiveness of hybrid learning and teaching by exploring the engagement between teachers and students online and on campus. The findings advance pedagogy by promoting equitable engagement for online and on-campus students, ensuring consistent learning experiences and bridging geographical gaps.

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• Exploring spatial influences in feedback for international students: A review of feedback models

  Xin Liu, Joanna Tai, Margaret Bearman, Mollie Dollinger

  Space is a significant factor for teaching and learning (Goodyear & Carvalho, 2019), but it is comparably underexplored in the higher education (Ellis & Goodyear, 2016). Learning spaces have become hybrid in the post-pandemic period in higher education with physical locations having digital extensions and vice versa (Ellis & Goodyear, 2018), which allows more flexible study modes and access to richer study resources. In addition to having material properties which physically promote or prevent student engagement, space is also a social product with relational and structural aspects, which could shape social relationships and moreover, reflect or promote existing inequalities amongst students (Wong, 2024). Space may therefore impact on students’ learning experiences, including within feedback encounters. Feedback is a significant aspect of students’ learning experiences in higher education. It is well acknowledged that feedback is important for students’ learning and graduate outcomes (Hattie & Clarke, 2018). Feedback encounters, such as supervision meeting and placements, could provide valuable feedback opportunities with the characteristics of immediate and frequent dialogues. However, spatial factors could affect these feedback encounters positively and negatively (Gravett, 2022). For example, many students perceive academic office as a scary space to seek feedback (Gravett & Winstone, 2019) while in comparison, online discussion boards are perceived as more flexible and equitable spaces for feedback engagement (Zhou et al., 2023). Since little is known about students’ experiences of feedback spaces and how spatial factors affect feedback, it is important to explore students’ feedback experiences in the hybrid feedback spaces. International students are a cohort for whom feedback spaces are particularly important. They often experience relocation to the new learning spaces in different cultural contexts, and are likely to be unfamiliar with material and social perspectives of the spaces (Dai et al., 2018). Therefore, they might feel disrupted and anxious at the initial stages of their feedback encounters, which could lead to the effectiveness of these valuable feedback. Since international students make great social and economic contributions to Australia, to promote more equitable feedback experiences for those students, it is important to understand their feedback experiences in the feedback spaces, to inform co-design of inclusive and supportive feedback spaces. This poster will offer an overview of preliminary findings of a review study. The review has two research questions: 1. How has space has been incorporated as part of existing feedback models in higher education, across situated, hybrid, and digital learning situations? 2. How do feedback models account for the particular situations of international students? This work has implications for future theoretical and empirical studies about feedback and feedback spaces. This research has the potential to enrich theoretical understandings of feedback and space research in higher education. Findings from this study could also enrich the literature regarding international students and provide practical strategies for supporting international students’ acculturation. In addition, the study could give implications to education institutions about how to create inclusive and supportive hybrid learning environments, which could significantly enhance the student experience and learning outcomes.

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• Innovative Digital Learning: Leveraging Animation, AI, and Immersive Reality in Nursing Education

  Dianne Herft, Charu Rana, Belinda Davis

  This poster highlights the effective use of learning technologies like animation, generative AI tools, and immersive reality to create digital learning and assessment artifacts for university nursing students. The purpose is to deliver a high-quality digital learning experience aligned with the university's pedagogy and education plan. It also showcases accessible, inclusive digital artifacts and early evaluations of their impact on learning. Animation technology is at the forefront of creating engaging educational content. By using animation, complex concepts can be shown in a visually appealing and easily digestible manner, making learning more engaging for students (Liu & Elms, 2019). It also allows for dynamic storytelling and the illustration of abstract ideas, which can be particularly beneficial in concepts that are challenging to visualize (Rasmusson & Bourne, 2017). Generative AI plays a pivotal role in developing scripts for these educational animations. Leveraging AI, we generate content tailored to learners' needs and optimized for clarity and engagement. Though AI-generated, our academic team thoroughly edits and revises the scripts to be clinically representative of the topic covered. This AI-driven script development ensures efficient collaboration with academics, resulting in accurate, relevant, and pedagogically sound material. (ProQuest LLC, 2024). Using cutting-edge animation and generative AI technologies can create impactful nursing education materials that boost student engagement. (White, Huang, & Campanale, 2023) and facilitate learning outcomes (Huang et al., 2020). These activities are anchored in the university’s signature pedagogy—active, applied, and authentic—immersing students in educational content and inspiring them to apply their knowledge and skills in real-world scenarios presented through animated learning activities. In addition, immersive reality technologies, including Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), further enhance the educational experience. By incorporating AR and VR as additional resources to complement the animations, we create immersive environments where students can interact with the material in a hands-on manner. This not only can make learning more engaging but can also help students better understand and retain complex concepts through experiential learning (Tene et al., 2024). A digital learning developer collaborated with the academic team to create an augmented reality-based artifact for nursing students. Integrated into Canvas our institution’s learning management system this artifact presented difficult topics in three dimensions with the aim of effectively explaining concepts and enhancing student engagement. While animation and immersive technologies can boost engagement, they can also present inclusivity and accessibility challenges for some students. To facilitateinclusivity and accessibility, we followed digital accessibility guidelines and universal design principles (Ismailov & Chiu, 2022). We evaluated tools like animation, AR/VR, and interactive modules for accessibility, offering alternatives when needed. This approach accommodated diverse learning preferences, making education accessible and inclusive for all students. The environmental impact of adopting these technologies is a significant consideration. Digital tools can reduce the need for physical materials and decrease travel-related emissions, making education more sustainable. The early assessment of the digital learning materials, incorporating animation, AI, and immersive learning technologies, reveals promising results in enhancing student engagement. These materials cater to various learning preferences reflecting insights from the academic team.

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• A risk-based approach to mitigating the Gen(AI) challenge to assessment integrity: The Programmatic Assessment Security Project (PASP)

  Clare Lloyd, Samuel Doherty, Annika Herb, Steven Warburton

  In the evolving landscape of higher education, emerging technologies such as Generative AI (GenAI) present both opportunities and challenges. The rapid increase in access to, and sophistication of, GenAI poses significant challenges for our institution and the wider sector (Bearman & Luckin 2020, Bobula 2024, Chan & Hu 2023). The most immediate of these challenges is the increased risk to the existing approaches used to assure that students achieve the stated outcomes of their learning experiences. Director of Higher Education Integrity Unit, TEQSA, Dr Helen Gniel argues ‘We are entering an age where institutions can no longer ensure the integrity of every single assessment, and it makes sense to think at that bigger level […] what are the mechanisms that you have in place to be confident that an individual has demonstrated the learning outcomes to receive that degree’(TEQSA information request: AI risk mitigation, webinar, 21 March 2024). While higher education institutions are exploring opportunities to realise the potential benefits of GenAI, our immediate focus is on mitigating these risks. This poster describes institutional Programmatic Assessment Security Project (PASP) at the University of Newcastle (UON), a pioneering four-stage initiative designed to address academic integrity risks associated with inappropriate uses of GenAI in summative assessment (Lodge 2024). Academic integrity risks in this context refers to the potential for students to engage in academic misconduct by using GenAI tools in ways that violate institutional policies or ethical standards for assessment. These risks pose a threat to the validity and reliability of summative assessments, potentially compromising the integrity of academic qualifications and the learning process itself. Led by the central teaching and learning support unit, in collaboration with the Artificial Intelligence Working Group (AIWG) a group of expert practitioners and academic stakeholders at UON, the PASP aims to secure assessments across a program of study, assuring student attainment of program learning outcomes. This innovative approach aligns with the sector’s focus on programmatic assessment and supports compliance with regulatory requirements, including TEQSA’s mid 2024 request for institutions to submit a detailed action plan to mitigate the risks that GenAI poses to the integrity of awards (TEQSA 2024). This poster showcases exemplary innovation in practice through the PASP, advancing research and practice in technology-enhanced learning (TEL). The PASP employs a risk-based approach, identifying seven risk factors for inappropriate student use of GenAI in assessment tasks. The first step in this project involved Course Coordinators completing an Assessment Reflection Survey, guiding them to reflect on individual assessment tasks in relation to these risk factors. The survey data were then used to compile an understanding of the varying levels of assessment risk across the institution’s programs. The PASP will deliver a defined series of secure assessments, delivered at key moments across a program of study to assure student attainment of program learning outcomes. This poster provides insight into UON’s contemporary and agile approach to TEL and assessment redesign, with potential for staff at other institutions to adopt similar responses.

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