Reflecting on HERDSA 2024
Colleagues will soon be heading off to share initiatives, gain inspiration and network at the 2025 Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) conference in Perth. We asked some recipients of the 2024 Learning and Teaching Advancement Grants to share their highlights and key learning from HERDSA 2024.
Mary Gonzalez is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Chemical Engineering and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA).
‘One of the highlights of HERDSA 2024 for me was the opportunity to engage with educators across Australasia who are leading innovative, student-centred teaching practices’ Mary said. ‘A standout session was “Enhancing Lifelong Learning through Collaborative Reflective Circles,” which showcased practical ways to foster deep reflection in both students and staff’. Mary was also inspired by the pre-conference HERDSA TATAL (Talking about Teaching and Learning) workshop, which provided a nurturing space to connect with peers while supporting her own HERDSA Fellowship journey.
Associate Professor Benito Cao from the School of Social Sciences gave a poster presentation at HERDSA titled "Don’t Be Sorry, Just Declare It: Pedagogical principles for the ethical use of ChatGPT, master bullshit artist of our time" and was awarded best onsite poster and best digital poster. Benito found the opening keynote by Dr. Paul Callaghan was a highlight of the event, ‘He addressed the quest for Aboriginal self-determination and how universities may perpetuate assimilationist practices, challenging institutions to reflect on their roles in supporting Indigenous autonomy’.
Dr. Sara Krivickas is an Associate Lecturer in the School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences and still remembers the presentation from Dr. Peter Ellerton and colleagues from the University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project. ‘They presented their work on developing critical thinking skills in students and generously shared infographics on cognitive skills and the cognitive audit of assessments’, Sara explained.
We asked Mary, Benito and Sara to share something they learnt from the HERDSA conference. Mary identified the importance of embedding inclusive, flexible strategies into curriculum design. ‘Sessions on HyFlex learning and inclusive capstone development helped me rethink how I can offer students greater agency in how they engage with content’ she said. Mary also gained valuable insights into how teaching resilience and mental health strategies can be integrated into learning environments to support student wellbeing more holistically.
Mary is planning to host workshops within her School to share key takeaways, particularly around culturally competent assessment practices.
Benito was pleasantly surprised by the extent to which posters can provide a visually engaging way to present complex ideas, encourage interaction and foster discussion. He also learned about the wide range of initiatives colleagues are developing to address the pedagogical challenges posed by generative artificial intelligence (genAI).
Attending the conference has validated the pedagogical practices for the use of genAI on which Benito presented. ‘The engagement with my poster presentation and my showcase presentation reaffirmed the value of those practices, which I continue to implement in my courses at the University of Adelaide and feature in the courses I am developing for Adelaide University’.
Sara shared that the cognitive audit of assessment presented by University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project has had a significant impact on her consideration of shared language and question phrasing within foundational chemistry courses.
‘If we are not using science cognitive verbs such as “calculate”, “measure”, “determine”, “explain”, in our learning activities’, she asks, ‘how can we assess students on their ability to demonstrate these skills’?Sara Krivickas
Sara’s learning from the conference led to a review of course learning activities which brought to attention that first-year students are being assessed on practical skills which may not be clear to them. ‘For example, she explained, ‘our first-year students are expected to record observations and laboratory notes during their practical classes, and we found many students often record observations after the experiment is complete and miss key notes’. This led to the task description being rewritten, and during lab inductions students participated in a class discussion to identify possible experimental observations that may be recorded. She also learned about the wide range of initiatives colleagues are developing to address the pedagogical challenges posed by generative artificial intelligence (genAI).
The HERDSA 2025 program featuring University of Adelaide colleagues has been released.