Welcome
Monash University’s teaching and learning blog is a dynamic platform dedicated to fostering a community of practice. Here, academic and professional staff come together to explore, discuss, and debate ideas and issues pertaining to teaching and learning in higher education.
Together, we’ll share innovative strategies, celebrate our successes, and reflect on our challenges. With your valuable contributions, we will build an even stronger network of practitioners extending across Monash’s diverse physical locations, as we collectively strive for excellence in education.
Join me in creating a space that celebrates diverse approaches to teaching and learning.
Associate Professor Tim Fawns (Monash Education Academy)
Recent posts
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Redesigning the Teaching Excellence Program: Supporting professional development for teaching excellence
Mahbub and Tim reflect on the redesigned Teaching Excellence Program (TEP) at Monash. The program’s ambitious new design aims to offer participants more choice, deeper engagement with their teaching, and stronger peer connections. However, they acknowledge that they are still exploring how these changes will take shape in practice.
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AI and entrapment: A cautionary tale
Sandra Leonie Field reflects on the integration of AI in education. While AI tools can assist students in summarising readings and drafting essays, her recent experience reveals a more complex reality.
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Commitment to relationship-based education
Zala writes about how crucial it is to build on solidarity and educate in ways that develop compassion, care, curiosity, and courage in our students. The role of community building we have as university educators, she argues, is increasingly important as a means of countering technological tendencies that contribute to fragmentation and polarisation.
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What if academic feedback were treated like an exercise workout?
Filippe draws parallels between coaching athletes and teaching students, focusing on feedback. By comparing the phases of exercise, educators can refine feedback practices and foster active learning, with a focus on personal growth.
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Experiences of international team teaching
Dr. Anupama Sethi and Dr. Sharon Koh explore possibilities for building cultural awareness and inclusive learning by co-developing and co-delivering the unit across Australian and Malaysian campuses. This provided an exciting opportunity for the students to gain international experience without leaving their countries.
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Unlocking education opportunities: authentic assessments in online programs
Zahra Aziz and Danijela Gasevic reflect on the importance of embedding authentic assessments within Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Health Administration (MHA) programs and provide practical guidelines for educators aiming to implement authentic assessment practices in their courses.
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Building effective collaboration: learning designers and academics partnering for educational excellence
Michael Lin offers suggestions for collaboration with academics, based on experience from multiple collaborative projects in various disciplines, from the perspective of a learning designer.
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Using video to enhance online engagement
Hunter Hammond gives thought to the factors that go into making an online learning environment successful and offers three main things to consider when producing video.
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Responding to acute and chronic challenges of AI in Higher Education
Tim Fawns, Danny Liu and Jason Lodge discuss issues institutions face in responding to TEQSA’s Request for Information (RFI) on Artificial Intelligence, and opportunities and challenges for higher education.
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How much teaching is too much teaching?
Russ Fox reflects on what it means to be a teacher and how teaching approaches may need to change in response to the expertise of the student.
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The first six months
Rowan Peter from Monash Teaching Community reflects on all the amazing contributions that have been shared since the blog launched in 2023.
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Boosting students’ global competence through virtual exchange
Nadine Normand-Marconnet, Jeremy Breaden, Thu Do and Lucas Santos reflect on their experiences of designing and delivering a virtual exchange program for students.