This piece began with a LinkedIn post. An article from Future Campus was being shared that was largely positive. But one line, drawn from Andrew Norton’s, recent analysis of undergraduate demand, gave me pause. In the Future Campus piece, it noted; “On a discipline level, all non-STEM fields attracted fewer applications in 2025 […]
Assessment & Feedback - Innovation & Future of Higher Education - Reflections & Provocations
Course Design as an Ecosystem: What Happens Upstream Matters Downstream
Photo by Mitchell Kmetz on Unsplash We often talk about course design as though it exists in parts.A class, assessment, unit, course, and policy. Each of these feels discrete, manageable, and contained. But course design isn’t just a collection of isolated parts. It’s an ecosystem. And like any ecosystem, everything is interconnected. Beyond […]
Innovation & Future of Higher Education - Reflections & Provocations - Teaching Practice
The Human Side of Being an Academic
Photo by Sarah Kilian on Unsplash I’ve redesigned assessments, unit and entire courses that didn’t work.I’ve explained concepts that landed flat.I’ve walked out of classes knowing I could have done better. None of these moments made me less of an academic.They made me a more honest one. Somewhere along the way, academia adopted […]
Assessment & Feedback - Innovation & Future of Higher Education - Reflections & Provocations
When Did Learning Stop Being the Real World?
The phrase “in the real world” is often used in higher education. Educators use it to inspire students, while industry partners critique courses with it. It’s spoken casually, as if its meaning is clear and universally accepted. In the classroom, phrases such as “in the real world……………..(fill in the blank)” […]
Academic Identity & Professional Learning - Assessment & Feedback - Innovation & Future of Higher Education - Reflections & Provocations - Student Learning & Engagement - Teaching Practice
Not Reinvention, but Intention: Beginning a New Teaching Year
The beginning of a new year always invites reflection. Fresh diaries. Clean calendars. The quiet promise that things might feel a little different this time around. In Australia, that sense of renewal holds extra significance because a new year also marks the start of a new teaching year. New classes. […]