Keynote Presentations

Hyper-Personalised Learning Support Systems

Professor N M Nakata, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Education & Strategy — James Cook University

Obstacles and enablers of uptake of Academic Language Development offerings

Dr Alexandra Garcia and Katherine Olsten — The University of Sydney

The essential role of Learning Developers in building spaces of trust, connection, and joy in higher education

Dr Alicja Syska and Dr Carina Buckley — University of Plymouth and Southampton Solent University

Abstracts

Do you speak academically?

Alex Barthel — AALL life member

This workshop is designed to address the significant spoken English communication challenges faced by university students, particularly those from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. These students struggle with oral communication at multiple levels, in academic, social, or administrative settings. The session will identify and analyse some causes of these difficulties, which may include linguistic barriers (such as pronunciation and fluency), cultural differences, and a lack of confidence in formal speaking situations. A key focus will be on real-world academic scenarios where students often face difficulties, such as delivering seminar presentations, actively participating in tutorials, engaging in casual conversations with peers, or navigating administrative interactions. The role of formal pronunciation training - particularly at the suprasegmental level (including stress, rhythm, and intonation) - will also be discussed, with an emphasis on how structured instruction can complement academic language development. This workshop aims to empower both students and educators by providing insights, tools, and strategies to enhance spoken communication in academic and everyday contexts.

Event Type: Workshop

Alex is a HE consultant in ALL, supporting students and staff in HE. He was the founder and inaugural President of the AALL. Alex is a registered expert with TEQSA. He has received recognition for his achievements through Teaching and Learning awards from the Australian Government, UTS, and NSW TAFE.

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Mining our own business: using in-house resources for excellence in learning advice practice at a global top 40 Australian university

Alireza Sharifjafari and Damian Gleeson— Monash University

Student Academic Success (SAS) is a team of expert learning advisers providing personalised support, workshops and online resources designed to develop the skills Monash University students need to succeed in their studies. Ongoing professional learning is integral to facilitate the provision of exemplary study skills support by SAS learning advisers. We have been committed to upskilling our team and developing good practice in our mission to build academic language and study skills and confidence in our students. The scarcity of professional learning resources available to our team has compelled us to tap into our own intellectual resources. The most common forms of professional learning at SAS are initiated and developed in-house by the team, and occur as frequently as daily. Inspired by the Community of Practice (CoP) framework (Wenger, 1998).

Event Type: presentation

Damian Gleeson is an educational leader who leads the learning advice consultation service at Monash University. His achievements include a Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence, a Vice Chancellor’s Award for Programs that Enhance Student Learning and an Australian Awards for University Teaching.

Alireza Sharifjafari (PhD, MA, BA), is a higher education professional with expertise in student academic skills and language support. Since 2010, he has engaged in impactful academic initiatives. Currently, as a team lead at the Student Academic Success team, he empowers Monash University students in their academic excellence.

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Bridging academic gaps: A collaborative approach to communication skills development in Allied Health.

Amelia Yarwood — University of Sydney

This presentation documents the 3-year evolution of our Learning Hub's clinical communication offerings. What started as individual consultations with one Learning Success Advisor (LSA), transformed into a series of workshops and digital resources that aim to develop the linguistic and socio-pragmatic skills Allied Health students need for success in high fidelity simulation assessments and during clinical placement. Inspired by the conference themes, this presentation will use a connect-collaborate-create framework to share our journey and outline a path for initiating similar partnerships between ALL teams, students, and teaching-focussed academics. The connect component will demonstrate how LSAs can capitalise on their experience to connect with students to identify pain points within a cohort. These pain points can then be transformed into opportunities for collaboration in which students and academics can provide contextual information related to graduate outcomes, assessment tasks and the academic and language skills required for success. Finally, in the create component of the presentation we will share the authentic, multi-modal resources developed to highlight the reason building effective, inclusive learning experiences necessitates connection and collaboration between ALL teams, students, and academics.

Event Type: Presentation

Amelia Yarwood is part of the Learning Hub (Academic Language and Learning) team at the University of Sydney, Australia. Previously, she worked as a learning advisor in Japan and taught aspiring learning advisors as part of the Research Institute for Learner Autonomy Education’s (RILAE) Advisor Educator Program.

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Nagivating Challenging Advising Sessions: Cases in Mental Health and Neurodiversity

Amelia Yarwood and Nicola Beagle — University of Sydney

With the rise of students registering with Inclusion and Disability Services (IDS), Learning Success Advisors (LSAs) at the University of Sydney sought to upskill in areas of mental health and neurodiversity. To assist, they reached out to the university's Student Wellbeing for a cross-team collaboration. The Student Wellbeing team, responsible for the university's IDS registrations, counselling, accessibility accommodations and a host of other health-related initiatives, enthusiastically agreed. This case study-based workshop is an illustrative example of what we have found to be most beneficial to our practice as LSAs. In this workshop, several cases will be presented representing real-world experiences of ongoing advising with our students. Each case will include an example of a difficulty experienced by the LSA "navigating looped patterns of behaviour, fallibly memory and perfectionism or continuous rejection of suggested solutions “ followed by an open discussion in which attendees will be able to discuss similar experiences and share potential solutions. After each discussion, the Wellbeing team member will present their interpretation of what could be going on with the student and some ways of responding. The actions taken by the LSAs and their outcomes will also be shared. The final section of the workshop will be an open forum for attendees to share their own difficulties and receive encouragement, suggestions and resources from their workshop facilitators and peers.

Event Type: Workshop

Amelia Yarwood is part of the Learning Hub (Academic Language and Learning) team at the University of Sydney, Australia. Previously, she worked as a learning advisor in Japan and taught aspiring learning advisors as part of the Research Institute for Learner Autonomy Education’s (RILAE) Advisor Educator Program.

Nicola Beagle is a Neurodiversity Case Manager at the University of Sydney. For the past eight years, she has worked in Inclusion and Disability Services, providing tailored adjustments that ease students’ transition into university and promote inclusive education—empowering individuals and enriching the broader university community.

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We’re All in This Together: How the ALC Collaborates to Support Student Success.

Anne Braund — CQUniversity, Australia

CQUniversity's Academic Learning Centre (ALC) leads the institution-wide Foundation Academic Skills (ASK) Project, designed to support students' academic skill development and enhance student success. The ASK ALC Embedded Project began in 2016 supporting four (4) units, and in 2025 this has grown to supporting 191 units of study, reaching more than 9,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students. Academic Learning Advisers (ALAs) co-design and deliver tailored workshops in Academic Communication, Maths, Science, and Computing, embedded directly into scheduled class time on campus and online. This proactive approach is making ALC academic skills support a normal part of the student experience, reducing barriers by removing the need for self-initiated help-seeking. Student engagement with the embedded workshops and multi-modal meta-sites has raised the profile of the ALC and created an evolving collaboration with other university support teams. The ALC's embedded model has fostered strong partnerships with Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS), the Library, the GenAI Taskforce, Academic Integrity, Wellbeing, Accessibility and Equity teams creating a wraparound support model for students. This presentation will showcase how the ALC co-creates learning experiences with academics and other university support teams, to proactively support student success.

Event Type: Presentation

Anne Braund is Head of Services at CQUniversity’s Academic Learning Centre. She leads the institution’s academic skills support provided in academic communication, mathematics, science and computing. A Vice-Chancellor’s Award recipient and FHEA Fellow, Anne’s doctoral research explores how equity students transition from preparatory education through to bachelor’s degree completion.

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Learning to trust oneself: Connecting theory to practice, helping doctoral students grow.

Barbara Yazbeck — RMIT University

Affective constructs such as motivation (Pajares 2003), persistence (Palmer 2012), and resilience (Borazon & Chuang 2023) have been shown to be reliable predictors of success in a range of learning contexts. Yet, the way in which these attributes are developed; and the role they play in doctoral training is yet to be adequately described. This presentation explores the conference theme “Connect, Collaborate, Create” by looking at the experiences of AALL professionals working in the doctoral space at an Australian university. A narrative approach, centering on case studies drawn from practice, is used to investigate the impact we have in our interactions with candidates undertaking doctoral studies. The aims of the presentation are threefold: a) to describe the experience of candidates seeking writing support from AALL practitioners (what do they expect us to do for them? Why do they seek us out?) b) to explore the role of AALL intervention in enhancing the doctoral experience and c) to set out a theoretical framework for doctoral education that incorporates pedagogies shown to build self-efficacy (Bandura 1994; Zimmerman 2000). In so doing, we aim to demonstrate that connecting theory to practice can go a long way in building self-efficacy and helping PhD candidates “believe in themselves”. This presentation will have relevance for AALL professionals and others working with candidates in doctoral training programs.

Event Type: Presentation

Barbara supports PhD candidates in her role as Academic Skills Advisor at the RMIT Library in Melbourne. She is interested in wholistic pedagogies that develop creativity and resilience in learners. She has published in EA Journal (2008), and HERDSA (2015) and recently co-edited a book with Springer (2022).

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It Needs Work: Building Relationships and Walking Together with First Nations Support Teams

Belinda Hoult — Charles Darwin University

In recent years, Charles Darwin University's Language and Learning team has deepened its collaboration with the First Nations Student Support team to improve the academic experience of First Nations students. This presentation shares the relational, reflective, and responsive work involved in that collaboration. Drawing on the conference themes of connection, collaboration, and creation, it explores how our partnership was built not through formal structures, but through conversation, consistency, and care.

Rather than proposing a ready-made model, this session offers a candid reflection on what it took to work well together: from the slow and essential work of building trust with staff, to the trial and error of co-developing tailored academic supports. Key initiatives that emerged from this process include academic skills sessions embedded in pre-programs, First Nations specific orientation workshops, and a dedicated advising stream for First Nations students, supported through intentional relationship-building and cultural safety practices.

The presentation also highlights the voices and responses of First Nations students and staff who have engaged with this evolving model. These insights have shaped how we continue to walk alongside, not ahead of, our students and support teams. Ultimately, this is a story not of a perfect program, but of meaningful progress made possible through listening, learning, and walking together.

Event Type: Presentation

Belinda Hoult is a Language and Learning Advisor at Charles Darwin University. With a background in teaching across the Northern Territory, she now works alongside diverse cohorts of university students, including First Nations students, international students, and those returning to study. Belinda’s work focuses on creating culturally responsive academic support and fostering collaborative partnerships across the university to promote student success.

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Will AI kill creativity?

Dr Brendan Hall and Dr Rhonda Siu — ACU

If you look at assessments that allow some AI involvement, you may observe a trend to focus the involvement of AI during the earlier stages of projects. Permissions are often given to use AI to unpack the assessment requirements, to clarify concepts and to brainstorm ideas, while permission is not given to write up final submissions or bypass critical thinking. But why allow it for brainstorming? Are we reducing the students' opportunities to practice and use creative thinking skills, in preference to practice critical thinking skills? What can we put in place to avoid the demise of these skills?

Event Type: World Cafe

Brendan Hall has been an Academic Skills Advisor (Maths) at ACU for ten years. His earlier career spanned science/engineering consulting, and he has qualifications applied physics, education, and a Ph.D. in engineering. Brendan has developed a creative thinking program for ACU students, and has collaborated in projects for learning AI.

Rhonda Siu is an Academic Skills Advisor (Literacy) and a sessional academic in Philosophy at ACU. She has a PhD in Philosophy and qualifications in Higher Education (FHEA), TESOL and Commerce. Her Philosophy classes integrate creative and critical thinking, and she has been involved in creative thinking workshops at ACU.

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A study method for developing confidence in math

Dr Brendan Hall — ACU

Although most students pass LANTITE on their first or second attempt, some face challenges due to a fear of mathematics. This presentation explores the nature of learning mathematics, identifies the root causes of this fear, and introduces a study method designed to help students overcome it. The proposed method is informed by Bloom's Mastery Learning framework and some principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

Event Type: Presentation

Brendan Hall has been an Academic Skills Advisor (Maths) at ACU for ten years. His earlier career spanned science/engineering consulting, and he has qualifications applied physics, education, and a Ph.D. in engineering. Brendan has developed a creative thinking program for ACU students, and has collaborated in projects for learning AI.

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Observations and perceptions in creative thinking

Dr Brendan Hall and Dr Rhonda Siu— ACU

In a world where AI is rapidly taking over our creative thinking, in preference for critical thinking, there is a need to practice creative thinking skills. This workshop is a modified version of a workshop developed to enable students to learn and practice creative thinking techniques. This workshop will look at the roles of observation skills and perception capabilities on improving creative thinking, and gives opportunities to develop your own creative thinking skills.

Event Type: Workshop

Brendan Hall has been an Academic Skills Advisor (Maths) at ACU for ten years. His earlier career spanned science/engineering consulting, and he has qualifications applied physics, education, and a Ph.D. in engineering. Brendan has developed a creative thinking program for ACU students, and has collaborated in projects for learning AI.

Rhonda Siu is an Academic Skills Advisor (Literacy) and a sessional academic in Philosophy at ACU. She has a PhD in Philosophy and qualifications in Higher Education (FHEA), TESOL and Commerce. Her Philosophy classes integrate creative and critical thinking, and she has been involved in creative thinking workshops at ACU.

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Identifying the academic literacy needs of international HDR students in Australian universities: A scoping review

Dr Carmela De Maio and Dr Lesley Andrew— Edith Cowan University

The proportion of international students undertaking PhD studies in Australia has been steadily increasing (Australian Government, Department of Education, 2022). At the same time, research indicates that these students often encounter challenges that can disadvantage them from the outset (Egan, 2008; Joseph & Hartwig, 2020; Wu et al., 2015), including gaps in academic, research, and digital literacy skills (Cao & Tran, 2015; Ma, 2020).

This presentation shares findings from a scoping review conducted by a multidisciplinary team from the School of Nursing and Midwifery and the Centre for Learning and Teaching at Edith Cowan University (ECU). Our review represents the initial phase of a broader project, funded by an AALL grant, exploring the academic literacy needs of international doctoral students enrolled in the Integrated PhD program—a structured pathway into doctoral study at ECU. Preliminary analysis of 11 peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles indicates that the needs of international doctoral students involve more than just learning academic conventions. Their needs also involve the development of scholarly identity, agency, and a sense of belonging within, and to, the research community.

Accordingly, universities have the opportunity to enhance the doctoral learning experience by offering training, resources and learning communities that align with this variety of student needs. This review aims to foster a deeper understanding of the complex and multifaceted academic literacy needs of international HDR students in the Australian higher education context, while identifying opportunities for more effective support throughout their research journey.

Event Type: Presentation

Dr Carmela De Maio is the Academic Integrity Coordinator at Edith Cowan College. Previously she was a lecturer on the PhD (Integrated) program at Edith Cowan University where she taught Research Project Management. Her background is in law, education and English as a second language. She actively teaches and publishes in her areas of research interest which include academic integrity, student learning and support, legal education, and higher education.

Dr Lesley Andrew is a Senior Lecturer and Master of Nursing course coordinator within the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cowan University. She is also Deputy Director at The Centre for Evidence Informed Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare Practice: A JBI Affiliated Centre. Lesley is also a researcher and supervisor of higher degree by research (HDR) students. Her research interests include nursing and nurse education, public health, primary health care and equity and she actively publishes in these areas.

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Scaffolding Success: What the Data Shows About Discipline-Embedded Language Support

Chantelle Leach — Curtin University

This presentation showcases Curtin University’s English Support Program (ESP), SUCCESS, a faculty-embedded initiative co-designed by an Academic Language and Literacy (ALL) specialist working in partnership with discipline academics. Grounded in Transition Pedagogy (Kift et al., 2010) and supported by evidence that discipline-specific academic-literacy support enhances student success (Harris, 2011; Hoadley & Hunter, 2018), the initiative targets the increasingly diverse first-year cohort across Humanities and Health Sciences. Workshops address referencing, paraphrasing, source use, text structure and critical evaluation, skills often cited by students from low-SES, first-in-family and EAL backgrounds as barriers to engagement (Baik et al., 2015).

Drawing on empirical evidence from a mixed-methods evaluation of SUCCESS, which included student interviews, grade trajectories, and pre-/post-writing analysis, insight is provided into how ESPs develop English language proficiency and confidence of first year students, and why outcomes varied across disciplines. Humanities students reported strong alignment between workshop content and assessment demands, while Health Sciences students highlighted gaps in coverage of referencing and formatting. Both groups described the workshops as reducing anxiety and enhancing awareness of ongoing literacy development, while language error analysis demonstrated measurable gains in grammar, vocabulary and academic-literacy conventions.

Delegates will take away a practical framework and adaptable resources for mapping literacy demands against discipline needs, along with insights into how evaluation data can inform refinements that strengthen academic integrity, academic skills, equity and belonging.

Event Type: Presentation

Chantelle, Coordinator of Academic Communication in the Faculty of Humanities at Curtin University, supports students’ academic communication skills by collaborating with course coordinators, major leads, and unit coordinators to embed academic skills and competencies. Since 2020 she has focused on embedding language and literacy skills through a whole-of-course curriculum approach.

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Process over perfection: Action research insights into supporting students’ academic writing success

Claire Hulcup and Dr Karen Miller— Curtin University

Curtin University Library supports students' academic development by teaching academic writing and information literacy skills. The Library's Introductory Academic Program (IAP), a three-week course provided for international Australia Awards Scholarship (AAS) students, provides a unique, integrated and collaborative approach to teaching these two essential skill areas. Students enrolled in the program are highly motivated and capable, but many have English as an additional language, and most have limited experience with the academic writing and information literacy conventions expected at Australian tertiary institutions.

As a result, the central focus of the program is on developing these skills, and in recent years, this has been realised through the adoption of a process-genre teaching approach. Using this approach, students are guided through each stage of the writing process in order to produce a specific genre of text: in this case, a literature review. They engage with example texts, receive targeted skills instruction, complete hands-on tasks and activities, and are encouraged to reflect metacognitively on the strategies and thought processes involved.

To evaluate the effectiveness of this approach and to identify opportunities for improvement, we collaborated with three student cohorts on an action research project. This presentation will outline key findings of this research, including the students’ experiences and perceptions of the approach and its impact. In addition, it will offer recommendations for ways the approach can be adapted to create engaging, enriching learning experiences for diverse student groups across a range of settings.

Event Type: Presentation

Claire Hulcup is an academic skills advisor at Curtin University Library. She has a Graduate Diploma in Education and has been a coordinator of the Introductory Academic Program for Australia Awards Scholarship students since 2023. She has previously co-developed Curtin’s online academic writing program, Writing with Integrity.

Dr Karen Miller is an academic skills advisor at Curtin University Library, where she develops learning programs, interactive activities and resources designed to develop students’ academic writing skills. She was the coordinator of the Introductory Academic Program for Australia Awards Scholarships students from 2022 to 2024.

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Designing Inclusive Spaces: Virtual Sensory Rooms

Debi Howarth and William Napa— Torrens University Australia

"Austin", "Patience", "This Is Going to be Big", and "The Assembly" are recent ABC TV programs featuring neurodivergent participants and actors. Add to these a Bollywood˜first", with an all-neurodivergent movie cast, and we see a rising awareness of neurodivergence (ND) across our screens. In tandem with society"s overdue recognition of ND, the needs of higher education neurodivergent students are receiving necessary attention.

At Torrens University, the Head of Academic Success initiated a work integrated learning (WIL) project with final-year students and academics from the Design and Creative Technology faculty to develop a virtual sensory room. In collaboration with one of their Academic Support Facilitators and the Accessibility Advisor, the Head of team sought to not only broach the importance of inclusive support strategies but to extend that support beyond traditional academic services to one of sensory appeal. The impetus for this innovation stems from the growing number of neurodivergent students who may experience challenges in managing their situations but also face increased stressors in relation to general academic study, particularly working within complex university discourse and online or hybrid learning environments.

The comprehensive development of digital sensory rooms is underexplored in tertiary settings. This project addresses that gap by offering an online, accessible sanctuary for all students to decompress, reduce sensory overload, and regain focus while fostering a sense of community. Central to the project is a commitment to co-design, where Design students contribute their technical and creative skills, and their experience as peers navigating the academic terrain.

Event Type: Presentation

Debi Howarth is the VP of AALL and most recently Head of Academic Success at TUA. Her current scholarly work is around an academic numeracies’ framework involving a research project with USQ, and a WIL project with TUA design students to develop a virtual sensory room.

William Napa, a UNSW graduate, supports student success at Torrens University as an Academic Support Facilitator and PASS Program Supervisor. He develops learning materials, facilitates academic skill workshops, and mentors Student Leaders. William also co-facilitates neurodivergent workshops and is co-developing an Academic Integrity Module to promote ethical and learning practices.

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Enhancing Success and Engagement of students of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in a Pathways Program at a regional university

Dr Dongmei Li, Lisa Moody, and Dr Rhian Morgan — James Cook University Pathways

The Pathways program at JCU serves highly diverse student cohort, with over 30% identifying as Indigenous, international, or from non-English-speaking backgrounds (NESB). COGNOS data (2021–2024) indicate a persistent performance gap: Indigenous and NESB students' pass rates remain consistently lower than their non-Indigenous and English-speaking peers.

Despite clear evidence of diverse learner needs, there are currently no program-specific initiatives to engage these students. Feedback from students highlights the need for increased support in areas such as academic confidence, peer connection, and cultural affirmation. This pilot project adopts culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) as its guiding framework, focusing on learner success, connectedness, and empowerment. In this project, an integrated mixed method was used to collect triangulated data: student life videos, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires among Pathways students and international students across the university.

These activities aim to enhance critical thinking, reflective practice, and academic achievement, while addressing equity and inclusion through a student-centred approach. Findings from initial qualitative student data point to a strong desire for culturally safe spaces, academic and English language skills development, and opportunities to share lived experiences.

This work contributes to broader diversity, equity and inclusivity goals and offers an innovative, evidence-based model for supporting CALD students in transition programs. It highlights the value of culturally responsive, co-created pedagogical approaches to drive equitable student success in higher education

Event Type: Presentation

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Climbing Without a Ladder: A Proposed Professional Standards Framework for Academic Literacy Specialists

Dr Bianca Mister and Dr Portia Simelane— Central Queensland University

Academic Learning Advisors (ALAs) work across a variety of Australian higher education institutions, playing a critical role in developing students' academic literacy. The importance of these roles has been amplified in light of sector-wide efforts to improve academic literacy, leading to student success. Yet, despite the clear contribution ALAs make to the student experience, their professional status remains ambiguous, and their career progression pathways are often unclear.

The work they do is typically situated in centralised learning support units, but in some cases, ALAs are embedded within faculties or work in close collaboration with academic teaching staff. This inconsistency in nomenclature reflects a broader lack of shared understanding regarding the role's scope and identity. The present study investigates how ALAs are positioned within the Australian higher education landscape and how the profession is defined, recognised, and supported across institutions, with attention to how expertise is valued, and career progression unfolds in practice.

The analysis draws on job descriptions and LinkedIn profile data to examine the qualifications, skills, and career trajectories of professionals in ALA roles across the sector. The paper finishes with a proposed Professional Standards Framework for Academic Literacy Specialists to support consistent role definition, professional development, and career advancement.

Event Type: Presentation

Bianca Mister is an Associate Lecturer in the School of Access Education. She is an experienced educator, researcher, and learning designer with a specialty in in second language acquisition, with a particular focus on vocabulary development and academic literacy. She is passionate about bridging the gap between research and classroom practice, helping learners achieve academic success through effective language development strategies.

Dr. Portia Simelane is an Associate Lecturer in the School of Access Education. She is an experienced educator and researcher. She is passionate with identifying and addressing barriers to learning, including academic literacy gaps, socio-economic barriers, mental health issues, and developing strategies to improve educational outcomes for marginalized student populations.

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Out of the shadows and into the units: an academic language and literacy program in STEM as a collaboratively created digital learning experience

Dr Dominik Karski — Curtin University

Universities are required to use the Post-Entry Language Assessment (PELA) to identify students for additional academic language and literacy support. For students’ learning, a recognised approach is to embed such programs in the curriculum; however, this is dependent on the program’s delivery mode. We have trialled three different delivery modes: workshops; online modules in combination with workshops; and online modules only. Undertaken as a creative collaboration between academic language staff, a learning designer/media developer, and academics, this process has been informed by students’ feedback and established instructional frameworks: Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate (ADDIE); Constructive Alignment; and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Interactive learning across both workshop and online delivery modes depended heavily on technology, including Mentimeter in workshops, while Captivate and Articulate software drove online modules, with additional support from video content and AI text generation tools. Survey results revealed that students preferred the fully online learning option, prompting the program to establish it as an online-delivered resource. The online mode is both sustainable and scalable, which in turn has prompted unit coordinators to make it compulsory for all students in two postgraduate units, regardless of the PELA result. With the program becoming part of unit instruction, and with the PELA removed as an identification tool, all students complete the program. In undergraduate units, students are given an exemption from the PELA if they complete the program. Through creative collaboration and by embracing the possibilities offered by technology, the program has evolved into an embedded and impactful digital learning experience.

Event Type: Presentation

Dr Dominik Karski is a Learning and Language Educator at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Curtin University, working in academic language and literacy, research writing skills, and presentation skills across all cohorts from undergraduate to PhD. His main focus is on working collaboratively in designing digital learning resources.

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Development of a maths mapping tool to improve student engagement with maths revision resources in engineering problem-solving units

Dr Emma Leitner and Dr Themelina Paraskeva— Edith Cowan University

Increased participation of under-represented cohorts in tertiary education has been highlighted as an area for reform in the Australian Universities Accord (2024). Industry reports in STEM disciplines, such as the Engineering Futures 2035 report (Crosthwaite, 2021), also highlight the need for diversification of programs and pathways in tertiary education. With the current and increasing diversity of enrolling students, therefore, further support in maths preparedness is essential to improve understanding and engagement in problem-solving units, with research such as that by Nakakoji & Wilson (2014) showing that maths competency can be a significant predictor of student attainment. Thus, building off ideas by Masouros and Alpay (2010), as well as Treffert-Thomas and Trott (2019), a mathematics mapping tool has been created in which concepts in required mathematics units are mapped to foundational engineering problem-solving units with paired resources. This tool aims to improve student awareness of, and engagement with, foundational maths revision, such that they are better positioned to recognise and apply these concepts to more complex disciplinary contexts. After initial deployment of the tool, data showed good student uptake, with anecdotal feedback suggesting it was helpful in improving revision of skills. Improved ways to integrate and engage students with the tool were then explored, including the use of generative artificial intelligence tools. Student feedback is examined with a view to consistently improve and extend the tool, and suggestions are given as to how this tool may be adapted for use in other disciplines to improve maths preparedness of students.

Event Type: Presentation

Emma Leitner is a Senior Learning Adviser at Edith Cowan University, working with the School of Engineering. She has a PhD in Engineering and a Master of Teaching, and is passionate about improving student outcomes, with a particular focus on numeracy, problem solving and critical thinking.

Themelina Paraskeva is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering at ECU. She earned her PhD from the Aristoteles University of Thessaloniki (Greece) and has worked extensively in industry. Themelina is dedicated to excellence in teaching and is consistently seeking ways to improve outcomes for her students.

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The current state of Maths AI: what it can and cannot do and what this means for teaching and supporting the development of maths skills

Dr Emma Leitner — Edith Cowan University

Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, much emphasis has been placed on the ability of the tool and similar large language models to provide text-based responses to text-based questions, with comparatively limited reliability and slower development shown by the tools to provide responses to maths-based questions. This had led to some perceived apathy by maths practitioners in the tertiary space as to how students can use these tools to support the development of their maths and problem-solving skills, and limited integration into maths or calculation-based teaching and learning spaces. This workshop will provide an overview of some current and emerging capabilities of GenAI tools to both complete and explain common maths problems and varying applications. Participants will use GenAI tools to work through some common scenarios that students encounter related to maths understanding and reasoning. Participant responses will be collated and discussed together with the facilitator' s own investigation, and then examined with reference to common support provided by academic learning practitioners. We will then consider the implications for maths support and skill development in students. It is expected that this workshop will begin a conversation in the learning support space about potential guidelines for teaching GenAI literacy in mathematics, including how to help students develop a healthy relationship with use of these tools for maths support.

Event Type: Workshop

Emma Leitner is a Senior Learning Adviser at Edith Cowan University, working with the School of Engineering. She has a PhD in Engineering and a Master of Teaching, and is passionate about improving student outcomes, with a particular focus on numeracy, problem solving and critical thinking.

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Integrating academic skills into a programmatic learning approach: Implications for the future of ALL practitioners

Dr Emma Leitner, Dr Justine Maldon, Dr Juliana Cavalieri Goncalves Peloche, and Tina Fleming — Edith Cowan University

The Australian higher education sector has needed to adapt quickly to the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), with TEQSA (2024) highlighting the challenges around ensuring students gain the expected knowledge and skills in their course. In response to TEQSA's Assessment Reform Guiding Principles, Edith Cowan University (ECU) has embarked on curriculum transformation, redesigning curriculum with a programmatic learning approach. This is a coherent, scaffolded approach to curriculum design that builds capabilities progressively across a course, shifting towards integrated, student-centred learning experiences that embed academic skills development within disciplinary contexts. This workshop will explore the need for and the mechanisms through which learning support practitioners can leverage programmatic learning approaches to move beyond isolated skills interventions toward systematic, curriculum-integrated support. Four current ECU Senior Learning Advisers will lead participants through the examination of practical implementations of skills development in a programmatic learning approach, and discuss the introduction of contemporary educational concepts including active learning pedagogies and self-regulated learning. Through hands-on activities, participants will experience the transformation of traditional content-delivery approaches into engaging, skills-focused learning sessions. Central to the workshop is examining the evolving role of academic language and learning practitioners in a programmatic learning approach, reframing our traditional support model into one that promotes a proactive, curriculum-integrated partnership with academic staff.

Event Type: Workshop

Emma Leitner is a Senior Learning Adviser at Edith Cowan University, working with the School of Engineering. She has a PhD in Engineering and a Master of Teaching, and is passionate about improving student outcomes, with a particular focus on numeracy, problem solving and critical thinking.

Justine Maldon (SFHEA) is a Senior Learning Adviser at Edith Cowan University and is passionate about teaching excellence and student engagement. She has expertise in developing student-centred courses and received a Vice Chancellor's Award for enhancing student learning. Justine holds a PhD (UWA) and conducts teaching and learning research.

EQUIP: A pilot peer-led academic skills transition program at UWA

Dr Fiona Burrows and Dr Lizzie Speechley— The University of Western Australia

The EQUIP Program is a pilot initiative designed to support first-year university students through their first few weeks at university, via a series of peer-led sessions focused on building foundational academic skills. Developed by the Academic Skills Centre at UWA, EQUIP addresses the growing need for timely and targeted support for first-year students, particularly international students, alternative-entry pathway students, and equity cohorts. EQUIP was designed to promote early engagement with academic support services, reduce information overload, and provide a welcoming social environment to connect with other students and share individual experiences around starting university. Piloted in 2025, the program ran for five weeks at the start of each semester. Weekly one-hour sessions, led by trained peer leaders, focused on essential academic skills topics including university expectations, time management, academic integrity, and tackling assessments. Students were given resources to explore together, and peer leaders facilitated open discussion and social connection, with follow-up via dedicated MS Teams channels. Students were encouraged to maintain connections and continue to engage with student support services after the conclusion of the program. Initial outcomes suggest EQUIP effectively helped students to navigate their academic journey whilst allowing them to build valuable social connections. Students strongly appreciated the opportunity to ask questions and share experiences with each other, which increased their confidence and sense of belonging at university.

Event Type: Presentation

Dr Fiona Burrows is a Learning Skills Adviser at UWA, with a special interest in transition and equity initiatives. She has a BA (Hons) and an interdisciplinary PhD, and has been teaching in professional and academic writing and communications units since 2009.

Dr Lizzie Speechley is a Learning Skills Adviser in the Academic Skills Centre at UWA. She has taught in the School of Biological Sciences since 2019, whilst completing her PhD in behavioural ecology. She also has experience helping Equity cohorts transition to university through the ASPIRE and Fairway programs.

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The role of wellbeing on study persistence: student perspectives from an enabling program

Dr Lalitha Velautham and Dr Angela Hames— Flinders University

Student persistence towards study completion is an area of interest for higher education researchers across various programs from undergraduate to postgraduate level of study. One issue that influences student persistence to study completion is wellbeing. Wellbeing in higher education has been examined from a variety of perspectives and lenses. Sources of data have comprised of students, academic and professional staff voices as well as policy documents. Scholars have also investigated wellbeing in higher education following the impact of global events such as the Covid-19 pandemic. However, there is limited work on the role of wellbeing and study persistence in relation to university enabling programs prior to university entry. This study examines how students enrolled in an enabling program negotiate the complexities of wellbeing on their initial journey to study completion at an Australian university. Specifically, we unpack the lived experiences of students to ascertain the role these experiences play in study persistence. The data for this study comprised of interview data from students who indicated an interest to participate in the study. In this qualitative study comprising of 12 students, some of the key themes that emerged include academic staff engagement in supporting wellbeing, wellbeing self-management strategies, awareness of university wellbeing support services, social connections, the pivotal role of flexible learning options and an ethos of inclusivity. The implications of this study on study persistence are far reaching as it has the potential to influence policy, improve curriculum design and enhance university support services informed by the student voice.

Event Type: Presentation

Dr Lalitha Velautham is a Senior Academic Language and Learning Teaching Specialist at Flinders University. She works with students from diverse backgrounds to transition successfully to university. She is an enthusiastic teaching specialist, researcher and program coordinator. Her research interests include student wellbeing, higher education belonging and academic literacies.

Dr Angela Hames is a Teaching Specialist at Flinders University with extensive experience supporting students from diverse backgrounds. She has worked across both secondary and tertiary education sectors, particularly in enabling education. Her key areas of interest include mathematics within enabling programs, pastoral care, and student persistence in higher education.

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Closing the Loop: Using Diagnostic Data to Guide Embedded Academic Literacies

Dr Lauren Butterworth, Katharine Perotta, Dr Edith Hill, and Dr Kung-Keat Teoh— Flinders University

Post-Entry Language Assessments (PELAs) at Australian Universities are a well-established mechanism to assess and enhance students' English language proficiencies (Lydster & Brown, 2017), particularly in response to growing international student cohorts and the widening participation agenda (Matthews et al. 2016). The PELA at Flinders University was developed to provide an early diagnostic measure of students' English language and academic literacies. Now in its third year of implementation, PELLA has expanded significantly in scale and scope. This paper presents data from Semester 1, 2025, in which 3,250 students across 20 subjects (units) completed the PELLA. Analysis of rubric data indicated that, rather than English language and expression, referencing conventions and discourse features remain persistent challenges for students, echoing findings from previous iterations. In response, Semester 2 trials strengthened integration of SLSS (Student Learning Support Services) resources and embedded EAP (English for Academic Purposes) workshops. This paper discusses the rationale for these enhancements and outlines a case study where PELA data informed the development of bespoke academic literacies workshops and resource delivery. We report on the collaborative processes involved, improved evaluation mechanisms, and early insights from a follow-up PELA designed to capture pre- and post-intervention data. Our findings suggest that diagnostic tools like PELA can be most impactful when linked to embedded, discipline-specific supports, a ˜built-in, not bolted-on" approach. The paper concludes with recommendations for leveraging diagnostic data to design responsive and scalable academic literacies support.

Event Type: Presentation

Lauren Butterworth is an Academic Language and Learning Specialist (Lecturer) at Flinders University. Her interests and scholarship focus on supporting transformational learning in the enabling space, creating innovative digital learning tools, and developing student AI literacy. Her background is in creative writing, specialising in feminist approaches to the Gothic.

Katharine Perrotta is an Associate Lecturer in Academic Language and Learning at Flinders University, where she is responsible for coordinating the English for Academic purposes program. Her SOTL interests include EAP, transition pedagogy, and equitable learning. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Screen and Media in the College of HASS. Co-authors: Dr Edith Hill Dr Edith Hill is an Associate Lecturer in Learning and Teaching Innovation at Flinders University, South Australia. She teaches in student learning support and enabling programs. Her scholarship of learning and teaching is concerned with online teaching, student engagement and authenticity. Her work has been published in Life Writing.

Moving forward in the maze of AI literacy: A workshop for building practical approaches

Dr Petra Dumbell and Amy Taylor— Curtin University

This workshop is designed for educators and academic support staff who are already integrating - or are ready to start on this journey - Generative AI (GenAI) into their learning and teaching practices. We will share Curtin University Library’s journey toward developing AI literacy, shaped by a strong commitment to connecting with students, and creating responsive, inclusive learning content. Our approach began with a user experience (UX) activity that explored students’ questions and awareness around AI and library learning resources, which informed the development of an AI literacy framework, a targeted communications strategy, and a suite of student-focused learning materials. We will share our approach, which we grounded in three interconnected areas of learning: understanding our users’ needs, identifying relevant theoretical frameworks, and developing our own capabilities in using GenAI to support students effectively. Grounded in three interconnected pillars—users, theory, and content—our model supports staff in navigating the evolving GenAI landscape. In the interactive portion of the workshop, participants will reflect on their current position: Are they engaging with users, exploring theoretical foundations, or developing content? Or are they still at the beginning of the maze, trying to understand what to prioritise and where to start? Using this as a starting point, we will collaboratively map tailored next steps using our model, drawing on shared experiences and institutional contexts. Participants will leave with a practical, adaptable plan to create and embed GenAI literacy initiatives within their own institutions, aligned with the needs of their students and staff.

Event Type: Workshop

Petra is one of the Library’s Learning Success coordinators, working with a team to create and facilitate workshops and online resources on a range of academic skills, including Gen-AI, academic writing and soft skills such as time management. The team also creates dedicated programs for specific student cohorts such as Indigenous or mature-age students.

Amy is a Learning Success Advisor at Curtin University Library. She helps to create and facilitate workshops on a range of academic skills including Gen-AI, numeracy skills and the LANTITE. She also helps to maintain the library's online resources, such as UniSkills and the Research Toolkit.

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Factors Impacting Undergraduate Business Students’ Satisfaction and Performance: Based on Tinto’s Model

Dr. Janice Scarinci and Lyle Cleeland— James Cook University

The aim of this study is to measure the factors impacting undergraduate students’ satisfaction and performance at a College of Business in a regional university in Australia. According to Tinto’s (2017) Model of Student Motivation and Persistence, students’ satisfaction and performance is based on three pivotal influences which include self-efficacy beliefs, a sense of belonging, and perceived relevance of the curriculum. The “Scarinci Teaching Method” was developed through the adaptation of Tinto’s (2017) Model of Student Motivation and Persistence. A Pilot Test of the “Scarinci Teaching Method” was conducted using Tinto’s three pivotal influences. The study took place over two semesters in two business communication first year subjects, taught at a university in Australia. This subject was selected for the pilot test for it was a core subject that all business students were required to complete. Performance was measured by the student’s GPA in the subject, and the satisfaction levels were measured by the students’ Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) Student Satisfaction Survey Results. The control group was not taught using the “Scarinci Teaching Method” and the experimental group was taught using the “Scarinci Teaching Method”. The GPA and QILT student satisfaction surveys were compared using a T-Test, to determine if there was a significant difference in the control group and experimental group for student’s satisfaction and performance. The results of this study have significant implications in higher education by increasing students’ satisfaction and performance levels, which has proven to lead to an increase in student retention and academic success.

Event Type: Presentation

Janice earned her Ph.D. in Tourism at James Cook University in North Queensland, Australia. She earned a Master’s and Bachelor’s from the University of Florida. She has taught Hospitality and Tourism in 5 countries on 3 continents and has over 27 years of academic experience as a Department Chair.

Lyle Cleeland is a Senior Learning Advisor at James Cook University’s Learning Centre, where he specializes in supporting first-year and EAL (English as an Additional Language) students in developing academic skills and language proficiency. He is committed to enhancing educational access and success, particularly for students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.

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Investigating academic writing in the context of GenAI: Disciplinary academics’ understandings and practices

Emily Edwards and Gemma O'Donoghue — University of Technology Sydney

In the coming years, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) will lead to changes in higher education learning systems, assessment design and practices (Liu & Bridgeman, 2023; Lodge et al, 2023), including academic writing. While a few recent studies have reported on university educators’ views on GenAI and writing skills (e.g. Barrett & Pack, 2024), most take a generic rather than disciplinary language perspective. Academic Language and Learning practitioners need to be involved in research and discussion around the shifts in disciplinary academic writing so that they can both collaborate with academics in assessment and writing task redesign and develop their own GenAI knowledge base. This presentation outlines research relating to our 2025 AALL grant ‘Investigating academic writing in the context of GenAI: Disciplinary academics’ understandings and practices’. Our project at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) aims to explore disciplinary academics' understandings of academic writing in the context of GenAI, and how those understandings translate into teaching and assessment practices. We have collected data via a survey with 58 respondents and 14 follow-up interviews. Initial findings indicate: substantial variation in practice, with use of GenAI in teaching and assessment being highly context-specific; some distinctive disciplinary patterns; and a need for more extensive training and support for both students and staff around GenAI and writing, as well as academic integrity. We will share detailed findings as well as practical implications to help Academic Language and Learning practitioners create and collaborate on GenAI writing resources.

Event Type: Presentation

Emily Edwards is a Senior Lecturer in Academic Language and Learning at the University of Technology Sydney. She has taught, designed resources and curricula and researched in the field of language education for almost 20 years. Her research interests include practitioner research, academic literacy and discipline-specific communication skills.

Gemma O’Donoghue is a Lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney. She has a Masters of Education (Adult Education) and has extensive experience working as an Academic Language Teacher/Advisor across the university sector. Her research interests include academic and feedback literacies, learning design and the development of professional skills.

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The value of one-on-one educative consultations in cases of academic integrity breaches.

Fiona Perry and Margaret Redestowicz — ECA Higher Education

At ECA Higher Education, we tried a new approach to academic integrity by offering individual consultations to all students upon their first academic integrity breach report. This initiative aimed to (1) personalise our educative response through targeted learning interventions, (2) gain deeper insight into the underlying causes of breaches, and (3) use information gained to foster collaboration across teams to strengthen academic integrity more broadly. The rollout required the development of an automated booking system, staff upskilling, and a new process for record-keeping. Through these consultations, we identified key factors contributing to breaches, including time pressure, financial stress, health and wellbeing challenges, and gaps in research and academic skills. In response, the academic language and learning support team worked closely with academic staff, student services, the academic integrity officer, and library staff to co-develop strategies targeting these root causes. This presentation will outline the implementation process, lessons learned, and the collaborative cross-institutional responses that emerged. It will also reflect on the role of academic language and learning advisors in leading integrity-focused, student-centered initiatives that integrate support, teaching, and institutional strategy.

Event Type: Presentation

Margaret is the Academic Integrity Officer at ECA (Education Centre of Australia) where she establishes and maintains relationships with stakeholders to foster positive, student-centred collaboration, and to provide guidance on continuous improvement of academic integrity policies, procedures and processes. She promotes an educative approach to academic integrity through the design and delivery of resources and training materials.

Fiona is Director of Learning and Teaching Support at ECA Higher Education. She specialises in academic and digital literacies and academic integrity education, particularly for international and first-in-family students. She collaborates with staff across disciplines to embed inclusive approaches, deliver workshops, and develop resources that enhance student learning and success.

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Connecting learning experiences: The longitudinal impact of discipline-specific language development support

Gemma O'Donoghue and Emily Edwards — University of Technology Sydney

Since 2019, our team of Academic Language and Learning practitioners has led a university-wide academic language development program. The program screens all commencing students and offers follow-up discipline-specific language development support to identified students in their first semester of study. Our program evaluation shows that in that first semester, students attending language support experience improvements in academic language skills, better results in their discipline course, increased language confidence, agency and social connections (Goldsmith et al, 2022). However, we also wanted to explore whether and how benefits from the language support carried forward into future semesters, and if students could apply skills gained to their future learning. Longitudinal evaluations of the impact of language programs are rare, despite consensus that language development is a long-term, non-linear and complex process (Henry & MacIntryre, 2024; Schmidtke et al, 2025). This presentation reports on emerging findings from our longitudinal impact evaluation of the university-wide language development program. Following a qualitative longitudinal methodology (Henry & MacIntryre, 2024), we interviewed 14 students three times each: at the end of their first semester, second semester and third semester. We will share the journeys of three Engineering and IT students who have applied and refined the skills gained from their first semester language support in quite different ways and with varied support. This study will help Academic Language and Learning practitioners reflect on how we can maximise the impact of the resources we create and ways we collaborate to connect past learning with present learning experiences.

Event Type: Presentation

Emily is a Senior Lecturer in Academic Language and Learning at the University of Technology Sydney. She has taught, designed resources and curricula and researched in the field of language education for almost 20 years. Her research interests include practitioner research, academic literacy and discipline-specific communication skills.

Gemma is a Lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney. She has a Masters of Education (Adult Education) and has extensive experience working as an Academic Language Teacher/Advisor across the university sector. Her research interests include academic and feedback literacies, learning design and the development of professional skills.

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Supporting First-Year Students’ Mathematical Wellbeing: The Learning Advisor Role

James Dalitz — James Cook University

A substantial number of first-year students experience mathematics anxiety, low engagement and negative feelings toward mathematics and numeracy. These students often turn to Learning Advisors for support with their mathematics, but many need support regarding their negative feelings. To address these concerns, a Mathematical Wellbeing (MWB) construct has been developed to conceptualise students’ propensities to feel good and function well in mathematics. In the workshop, Learning Advisors will learn about the MWB 'Balancing Scale' construct and discuss how it could be used to help students visualise and balance their adverse life experiences and learning challenges with available resources.

Event Type: Workshop

James is a numeracy Learning Advisor on the Cairns Campus of James Cook University. Working across diverse cohorts such as Nursing, Chemistry, and Education, James has explored the impact of mathematical dispositions, and specifically maths anxiety, on student learning of numeracy.

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Re-igniting The Flame: Conversations on Student Burnout

Janet Albury and Emma Hudson — JMC Creative Academy

Seventy one per cent of Australian and New Zealand University students report experiencing feelings of stress on a weekly basis caused by their studies (Youth Insights, 2023). Without intervention strategies, these feelings of stress can progress into feelings of low motivation and burnout (Olson, et al., 2023). Rapid shifts in culture, resulting from impacts such as COVID and the rapid surge in AI technologies, has presented new hurdles and barriers toward student success, and leaves previously successful third space professional prevention strategies paling in the face of modern changes. Our Ignite Cafe event will invite participants to collaboratively explore, understand, and co-create strategies around the rising issue of student burnout. Using the World Cafe methodology, participants will interact with a variety of tools and strategies developed using evidence-based frameworks, collaborating with one another to adapt and apply them to provided case studies. Participants will leave with practical, flexible, and evidence-based strategies to effectively empower learners to achieve meaningful learning outcomes.

References:

Olson, N., Oberhoffer-Fritz, R., Reiner, B., & Schulz, T. (2023). Study related factors associated with study engagement and student burnout among German university students. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1168264.

Youth Insights. (2023). Students' Experiences of Stress and Priorities, 2022-2023 Australia and New Zealand Student Wellbeing Survey. Studiosity https://www.studiosity.com/hubfs/Studiosity/Downloads/Research/2023%20APAC%20Wellbeing/ANZ%20Student%20Wellbeing%20Survey%202023%20FOR%20PRINT.pdf

Event Type: World Cafe

Emma is the Learning Support Coordinator at JMC Academy, with a background in psychological science and disability. She applies neuro-affirming, student-centred approaches to enhance self-regulated learning. Her work focuses on practical, tailored systems that reduce burnout and foster learner agency and long-term student success.

Janet brings a rich background in the creative industries, education and counselling psychology. With a Master of Teaching and deep expertise in inclusive education, she supports students with care and creativity. Passionate about collaboration, she creates strength-based learning environments where all students can connect, thrive and succeed.

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Connecting Students with Academic Support: The Impact of Targeted Promotion on Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) Attendance

Jodie Hogan and Dr Maddie Bornschlegl — James Cook University

Australia’s tertiary student population is increasingly diverse, highlighting the need for targeted academic support. One initiative addressing this need is Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS), offered internationally and at James Cook University (JCU). Despite its benefits, connecting students with PASS remains a challenge, for reasons not yet fully understood. To explore ways to improve this, targeted promotional strategies were introduced in a Pathways subject at JCU’s Cairns campus. The impact was assessed by comparing PASS attendance data across Cairns, Townsville, and online cohorts. In addition, of the 189 enrolled students, 12 completed an online survey examining perceptions of PASS and the effectiveness of its promotion. Results showed that Cairns students—who were exposed to the new strategies—attended PASS up to 13 times more frequently than their Townsville and online counterparts. These students also perceived PASS as more visible and better promoted. The findings suggest that intentional efforts to connect students with support services can significantly influence attendance. By collaborating with students to understand their needs and preferences, institutions can create inclusive strategies that foster engagement in learning communities. These insights offer a practical path forward for improving access to academic support across diverse student cohorts, reinforcing the power of connection, collaboration, and engagement in higher education.

Event Type: Presentation

Jodie is an educator and subject coordinator. She currently teaches in Pathways in at James Cook University. In her previous role, she worked as a Peer Assistant Study Session (PASS) and student mentor coordinator.

Maddie is an educator and researcher in the field of Educational Psychology. In her role as a Learning Advisor at JCU, she supports students in developing academic skills to succeed in their degree. Her recent research has focused on improving engagement in academic skills support in higher education.

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Navigating the Shift: Challenges and Opportunities in AI-Enabled University Learning Support

Dr Juliana Cavalieri Goncalves Peloche and Dr Andrew Kelly — Edith Cowan University

Artificial intelligence is now embedded in many educational technologies, making its use almost unavoidable. The rapid pace of change forces some institutions to rethink their methods and approaches in teaching and learning (Crompton & Burke, 2023). This presentation examines a significant change at Edith Cowan University, where declining use of an online study supporting system—following the rise of Generative AI (GenAI)—prompted a transition from human-to-human to human-machine feedback. Whilst human-to-human support remains available on a smaller scale, the GenAI-enabled service now allows students to access feedback at any time from any location with internet access. Edith Cowan University had offered students access to the supporting system for over a decade. However, GenAI could provide similar service with greater speed and availability, qualities often sought by students (Gruenhagen et al., 2024). This shift prompted the university to reconsider its significant investment in specialist supporting services, replacing the system with an AI tool designed to provide scalable and judgement-free support to a diverse student population (Aamir et al., 2024; Nazaretsky et al., 2025). Through a case study approach, this presentation explores the practical, social, and cultural challenges students and staff faced during the transition. Challenges included instant responses with often rewritten text and fabricated information (hallucinations), whilst the ability to provide last-minute feedback encouraged tool adoption. This case study offers insights into integrating GenAI into tertiary education feedback systems, providing implementation strategies for future adopters.

Event Type: Presentation

Andrew is Manager of Learning Support at Edith Cowan University and President of the Association for Academic Language and Learning. His research focuses on academic integrity, AI in education, and student engagement. He has published extensively on the impact of generative AI on teaching and learning.

Juliana is a senior learning adviser at Edith Cowan University specialising in AI literacy, with a PhD focused on artificial intelligence in education. She develops diverse resources to help students and staff become more AI literate and achieve better integration of AI in educational contexts. Their international experience across multiple countries enriches their research with valuable diversity perspectives.

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Preparing Filipino teachers for online academic language support teaching and learning advising: An online teaching practice reflection

Associate Professor Juliet Aleta R. Villanueva — University of the Philippines - Open University

This reflective case narrative seeks to present a short course to prepare Filipino teachers for the third-space practice of online academic language support teaching (LST) and learning advising (LA). The short course consisted self-reflective activities based on a data collection protocol on epistemic beliefs developed for K-20 third space practitioners in the Philippines and Australia during the pandemic. The course provided for a closer look into neurodivergent student needs and corresponding strategies to improve learning. It allowed for observation of recorded student consultations for the course participants to immerse in the practice of K-12 LST and tertiary-level LA and through the perspective of macro- and micro-skills in language counselling (Kelly, 1996). The case highlights practical ways to appreciate the invaluable practice of online LST and LA especially in addressing the needs of neurodivergent learners. It emphasizes the need for school and university systems in the Philippines to provide personalized learning environments for the capacity-building of third space practitioners as well as their students. The study recommends improvement of the course to ensure sufficient coverage of the universal design for learning and alternate hands-on experiences for the professional practice of LST and LA. The study also recommends improved access to these capacity-building courses as well as student support services in developing countries. Reading intervention centers, progressive schools and open universities are positioned to provide solutions to crowded classrooms and large-sized classes through blended and online delivery of much needed student support services.

Event Type: Presentation

Juliet is Associate Professor of the Faculty of Education, the Program Development Associate for the Continuing Education Program and the Deputy Director for ODL Research in the Center for Open and Digital Teaching and Learning at the University of the Philippines Open University. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Education) from the University of Southern Queensland.

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Diary of a First Nations Learning Advisor

Kacie Fahey — University of Southern Queensland

With The Australian Universities Accord clearly outlining increased participation targets for First Nations students, the impetus for comprehensively embedding First Nations perspectives into Higher Education Institutions has never been more critical. First Nations Centres/Hubs/Units are critical tools in the Higher Education sector’s approach to inclusion, equity, and improving the attraction, retention, and completion rates of First Nations students. They provide First Nations students with a safe space where they can access culturally responsive and informed support. These Centres/Hub/Units often provide students with a sense of belonging and with support that is mindful of their full lived-and-survived experience, rather than just their experience as a student. But what happens if a First Nations student does not engage with one of these Centres/Hubs/Units? What culturally responsive supports are available to them in the broader university environment? If Higher Education Institutions are genuinely committed to ensuring equitable access to education for First Nations students, they need to take a whole-of-university approach to embedding First Nations support. This means that First Nations representation needs to be embedded into an institution’s mainstream services, beyond those solely delivered by the Centres/Hubs/Units. This includes representation and support within Academic Language, Literacy and Learning spaces. This presentation is a first-hand reflection and exploration of how specialised First Nations Learning Advisors at the University of Southern Queensland contribute to this whole-of-university approach.

Event Type: Presentation

Kacie is a proud Aboriginal woman of the Kamilaroi nation. She is a First Nations Learning Advisor at UniSQ. Kacie is an outspoken intersectional feminist who advocates for equitable outcomes for marginalised cohorts. Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing are central to Kacie’s approach to student support.

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International students: digital natives or digital novices?

Karla Portch and Victoria Russell — UQ College

This presentation will share action research examining how digital literacy skills impact international student success in a tertiary preparation context at UQ College. There is a Eurocentric perception of 21st century learners as digital natives, and our initial research does suggest that domestic students usually possess sufficient computer literacy to navigate learning platforms and programs. International students, however, often lack the competence in ICT for learning which they exhibit in mobile device use. They are challenged by Learning Management Systems, digital organisation, email communication, and proficiency in productivity tools. As the Australian tertiary sector relies heavily on digital tools for learning, gaps in these skills could have a disproportionate impact on our international learners’ current and future success. Our research analyses data on digital literacy of students commencing a tertiary preparation course at UQ College. It asks how we can work with international students to better understand variances in their existing skill sets to create a comprehensive skills-building model, ensuring support is correctly targeted. It also examines the implications for our Learning Advice team who may have to expand their expertise beyond traditional literacy and academic skills. Through collaboration between staff and students, we aim to create a teaching and learning environment which normalises seeking support, encourages open dialogue about skills gaps, and provides tailored support for international students beyond language skills. Our presentation will provide background on our context, detail our research questions and methodology, present our findings, and offer practical takeaways for others looking to develop similar models.

Event Type: Presentation

Karla is a Learning Adviser at UQ College. She has taught across the secondary, tertiary, and private sector since 2005. She is passionate about supporting students on their journey to become lifelong learners. Her research interests focus on improving outcomes for international students and neurodivergent learners.

Victoria has followed a well-trodden path to Learning Advice, via Arts degree, LOTE teaching, and ELICOS. She has been a Learning Advisor for students at master’s, bachelor’s, VET and tertiary preparation levels. She currently works for UQ College, supporting students on a pathway to university, and is also completing a Master’s in Educational Studies at UQ, majoring in Guidance and Counselling.

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Remains of the Essay: Mapping First-Year Assessment in the Age of AI

Katharine Perrotta and Dr Lauren Butterworth — Flinders University

The academic essay has long been held as the gold-standard of academic assessment due to its ability to allow students to synthesise their topic knowledge critical thinking, research, and communication skills. However, as AI disrupts traditional assessment practices, there is an increasing push towards assessment redesign, particularly assessment that emphasises the learning process and authenticity. This begs the question: what is the role of the academic essay in a post-AI landscape? This project attempts to map the ubiquity of the academic essay across disciplines at one Australian university in 2025. We aim to determine how the essay is used, which learning outcomes it supports, and whether it remains the preferred assessment type despite the rise of generative AI This initial research begins by identifying core first-year topics across all colleges and extracting assessment data from the university’s curriculum management system. This is supplemented by a survey sent to Topic Coordinators designed to capture the associated learning outcomes and type of essay (e.g., research, reflective, creative). By comparing data across disciplines, we hope to identify the percentage of fields still relying on essays and the contexts in which they are being replaced by other assessment types. We’ll then reflect on how these changes align with broader pedagogical and institutional shifts. This project aims to produce a discipline-informed map of undergraduate assessment practices, highlight both synergies and divergences, and inform academic literacies development. We will share emerging themes and invite discussion about how to support students in an evolving assessment landscape.

Event Type: Presentation

Katharine is an Associate Lecturer in Academic Language and Learning at Flinders University, where she is responsible for coordinating the English for Academic purposes program. Her SOTL interests include EAP, transition pedagogy, and equitable learning. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Screen and Media in the College of HASS.

Lauren is an Academic Language and Learning Specialist (Lecturer) at Flinders University. Her interests and scholarship focus on supporting transformational learning in the enabling space, creating innovative digital learning tools, and developing student AI literacy. Her background is in creative writing, specialising in feminist approaches to the Gothic.

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Building Neurodivergent support into AALL practice

Kevan Walter Jones — The University of Queensland

Supporting neurodivergent students in the University system presents unique challenges. Traditional support models often don't work and - in some cases - can cause harm. There is increasing awareness of neurodivergence in society, and developing tailored supports/UDL is rapidly becoming a priority area for many universities. Join us for a facilitated discussion on ways you can establish or adapt supports to improve your institution's capacity to foster a neuro-affirming environment. Kevan will start by giving a brief overview of The University of Queensland's Neurodivergent Hub, sharing key insights, lessons learned and implications for practice. Following this, we will discuss potential needs and solutions as a group. Our goal will be to align some of these points through an ALL lens, in the hopes of eventually forming a unified strategy.

Event Type: Workshop

Kevan is a Principal Academic Skills Adviser at The University of Queensland and founding member of the UQ Neurodivergent Hub. Above standard academic skills work, Kevan has taken a recent interest in furthering neurodivergent pedagogy and support, especially for students with ADHD.

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From Vision to Impact: Transforming Student Support Through the UC Learning Hub

Kimberly Cole — University of Canberra

Since its inception in 2015, Study Skills at the University of Canberra (UC) has evolved into a comprehensive, student-centred learning ecosystem. Through strategic planning, trailing, and cross-functional collaboration, the Library and Study Skills teams have co-created the UC Learning Hub—an integrated model of academic and library support that is accessible, inclusive, and scalable. Our Learning Hub reflects UC’s core value of “Everyone’s Invited”, promoting accessibility and equity by meeting students where they are and when they need support. This also aligns with the Australian Universities Accord’s commitment to “equity in participation, access and opportunity,” which highlights the need for enhanced learning support for students entering university with fewer academic resources (Department of Education, 2023, p. 320). Additionally, both the Accord’s Final Report and Higher Education Threshold Standards emphasize the importance of supporting students across diverse study modes (Department of Education, 2023; Department of Education, Skills and Employment, 2021). As Riva (as cited in Harrison, 2023) notes, the convergence of physical and virtual spaces is central to the future of academic libraries. UC’s Learning Hub embraces this challenge, serving as a central access point for academic support, available to all students—on-campus, remote, or international—seven days a week. With both synchronous and asynchronous services, it offers flexible, responsive support tailored to diverse student needs. This presentation will explore the Learning Hub’s development, implementation, and impact, highlighting how integrated structures, shared vision and innovative delivery models have enhanced student transition, retention, and academic success.

Event Type: Presentation

Kimberly is a Learning Advisor and PALS (Peer Assisted Learning Sessions) Coordinator at the University of Canberra. With over 20 years of experience in student support and academic writing, she has spent the last decade supporting UC students in their studies.

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Not Just a Chatbot: Rethinking Intelligent Agents for Academic Support

Dr Kung-Keat Teoh, Madison Richter and Dr Matthew Norris — Flinders University

The introduction of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) has created a significant disruption in higher education - it generated debates, concerns, fear, as well as change, optimism and opportunities (Abbas et al., 2024; Sucena et al., 2024). While genAI such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Copilot are used by students and staff alike for various reasons, another promising opportunity is the potential to create intelligent agents for specific use cases. Although some autonomous intelligent agents have been developed to support students in the study of specific academic disciplines (Caccavale, 2025; Wang et al., 2025) or general student enquiries (Ndunagu et al., 2025), few, if any, have been developed for personalised academic tutoring. This presentation discusses the development of an intelligent agent for academic and learning support, which can complement existing services in learning support centres, especially during out-of-work hours when contact with in-person services are unavailable. Our custom-created intelligent agent supports students in academic literacy and study skills, which is especially useful as we can manage the knowledge and advice that it disseminates. This means that we can constrain the intelligent agent’s responses to prioritise university-approved information and guidance. This also allows any other priorities, such as relevant events or institution-specific policies, to be disseminated by the agent. Our presentation will detail the development of 'Study Buddy’ to support student academic literacy and study skills. It will also explore factors to consider such as technology, user requirements, agent behaviour and knowledge, institutional support, and development and testing strategies.

Event Type: Presentation

Kung-Keat Teoh serves as a Senior Student Learning Advisor within the Student Learning Support Service at Flinders University. His research interests encompass e-learning, e-commerce, human-computer interaction, and augmented reality. He has authored scholarly publications on topics including interactive chatbots and the development of multimedia educational resources.

Madison Richter is a PhD Candidate at Flinders University, researching learning and disability support. Additionally, she works as an academic, developing AI academic support agents. Along with her team, she received the 2024 Vice Chancellor’s Award for Innovation in Teaching for a college-wide pilot on AI student support tools.

Matthew Norris is a lecturer and teaching specialist in the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching at Flinders University, specialising in how socio-cultural beliefs shape student learning, and in the interplay between intuitive and abstract conceptions in science and mathematics.

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Co-Teaching with ChatGPT: Literacies, Knowledges, and Thinking in the wake of AI

Lauren Butterworth and Katharine Perotta and Grace Chipperfield — Flinders University

The question of Artificial Intelligence and its place in academia has been raging both publicly and privately over the last few years. While at one time, the concept of a machine-brain and its potential impacts on human learning was used as a philosophical thought experiment, with the ubiquity of Generative Artificial Intelligence programs such as ChatGPT and Copilot, scholars must holistically account for AI and its presence in the classroom. Our intention with this World Cafe is to create an environment in which academics can theorise and share their thoughts about the impact of artificial intelligence on pedagogy and practice. We will facilitate discussions on three key themes: the enduring relevance of teaching academic literacies in the age of artificial intelligence, the ways in which artificial intelligence may disrupt hierarchical knowledges and colonial practices in academia, and the process of critical thinking in the age of artificial intelligence. We hope that providing some provocative prompts and an opportunity for open discussion on these topics will allow for productive and collaborative approaches towards teaching and learning with artificial intelligence. Fundamentally, we seek to answer the question—what is the purpose of Academic Language and Learning practitioners as AI fundamentally reshapes epistemological and methodological frameworks?

Event Type: World Cafe

Lauren is an Academic Language and Learning Specialist (Lecturer) at Flinders University. Her interests and scholarship focus on supporting transformational learning in the enabling space, creating innovative digital learning tools, and developing student AI literacy. Her background is in creative writing, specialising in feminist approaches to the Gothic.

Katharine is an Associate Lecturer in Academic Language and Learning at Flinders University, where she is responsible for coordinating the English for Academic purposes program. Her SOTL interests include EAP, transition pedagogy, and equitable learning. She is undertaking her PhD in Screen and Media in the College of HASS.

Grace works in the Academic Language and Learning (ALL) unit at Flinders University, and one of her projects has been embedding ALL resources directly into assessment rubrics across multiple courses to help scaffold students’ academic skills.

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Pains, Desires and Access: An Academic Literacies Initiative at an Australian Correctional Centre

Dr Leila Iranmanesh and Dr Youssef Taouk — Australian Catholic University

The integration of an academic literacies initiative into the Clemente Australia program reflects its core justice-oriented premise: to address the issues of access to academic education for those who experience complex barriers to pursuing academic pathways. In this presentation, we examine the impacts of this initiative—integrated into the Clemente program as it was introduced for the first time within a correctional centre in Australia. Adopting an autobiographical (Starfield, 2019) and narrative approach (Squire et al., 2014), we reflect on our interdisciplinary collaboration from varied positionalities and backgrounds as an academic literacy advisor (academic literacies pedagogy), program site coordinator (psychology), and academic staff member (history). We examine our lived experiences, (counter) narratives, and the challenges and possibilities that emerged throughout the program. Grounded in critical theories of emotion (Ahmed, 2004), and academic literacy (Benesch, 2001; Canagarajah, 2024; Lea & Street, 1998; Starfield, 2002), we discuss the significance of integrating an academic literacies initiative to address the issues of access (Janks, 2010) in a carceral context. Our findings highlight the pains (Ahmed, 2004), desires (Janks, 2010), and the collective actions, and the educational possibilities that unfolded. We argue that our critical hope (Iranmanesh & Taouk, 2025) and shared commitment to educational justice contributed to our connection and collaboration, which extended to the students—co-creating a reimagined space for promising collective learning and change (Fine, 2018). We propose implications for pedagogical practice, theoretical development, and policy in carceral and broader educational contexts.

Event Type: Presentation

Leila Iranmanesh is an Academic Literacy Advisor at Australian Catholic University. Her PhD from UNSW and current research explore academic literacies, assessment, and the role of power and emotion. Her co-authored recent work on critical hope (2025) emerges from academic literacy initiatives with students experiencing disadvantage, and/or trauma, and/or marginalisation.

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From "Support" to "Belonging": Academic Learning Advising for Equity in Higher Education

Luciana Rodriguez — The University of Sydney

Universities can significantly amplify the positive impacts of equity scholarship programs—such as belonging, loyalty, security, independence, inclusion, and engagement—by fostering social connectedness and service-learning opportunities (NCSEHE, 2016). This highlights the importance of comprehensive learning services that are responsive to the dynamic and complex structural and personal factors influencing student engagement and success (Li & Jue, 2023). In this context, third space professionals play a critical role in creating more inclusive, collaborative, student-centred university environments. The need for a holistic approach that seeks to offer students an ‘in-between space’ for the learning development, in relation to their development of educational goals is paramount (Bamford, et.al., 2022). This presentation highlights a suite of learning advising initiatives developed for MySydney Scholars (equity students) at the University of Sydney. Drawing on third space theory and informed by an “integrated practice” approach (Mcintosh, 2022), the presentation explores a holistic, integrated approach to academic and pastoral support that is tailored to specific needs of equity students. The presentation offers insights into how learning advisors can foster a greater sense of belonging and agency among equity students.

Event Type: Presentation

Luciana is an Academic Learning Advisor at the University of Sydney, where she supports equity students in developing the language and learning skills necessary for success at university. With a background in Applied linguistics and TESOL, Luciana focuses on inclusive, evidence-based strategies that promote student engagement and independent learning.

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ALL Leaders CoP

Alexandra García — The University of Sydney

Join ALL managers for a facilitated discussion focused on the challenges and opportunities of leading learning support services in a rapidly evolving higher education environment. This session provides a collegial space to share insights on strategic priorities, staffing models, service innovation, and AI integration. This roundtable offers a chance to connect, collaborate, and reflect on how we can collectively shape the future of academic learning support.

Provoking Questions: 1. How can we position academic language and learning support as essential—rather than optional—within increasingly data-driven, AI-enhanced universities? 2. What leadership strategies are needed to sustain staff wellbeing, innovation, and professional identity in a sector facing continual restructure and casualisation? 3. In what ways should our service models adapt to remain relevant and equitable in the face of generative AI, online learning, and shifting student expectations?

Event Type: Roundtable

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Building an Academic Integrity Ambassador program

Lyle Cleeland — James Cook University

This presentation shares the development and impact of the Academic Integrity Ambassadors Program at James Cook University (JCU), a student-led initiative designed to promote a culture of integrity across disciplines. Originally launched as a targeted intervention in first-year business subjects, the program trains and supports students to deliver in-class presentations, peer-led discussions, and co-curricular outreach focused on the principles and practices of academic integrity. Drawing on student partnership models and values-based education, the program empowers Ambassadors to engage their peers in relatable, practical conversations about ethical scholarship. The presentation will explore key outcomes, including improved student awareness, positive staff feedback, and increased visibility of integrity as a shared responsibility.

Event Type: Presentation

Lyle Cleeland is a Senior Learning Advisor at James Cook University’s Learning Centre, where he specialises in supporting first-year and EAL (English as an Additional Language) students in developing academic skills and language proficiency. He is committed to enhancing educational access and success, particularly for students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. Lyle has co-authored chapters in the Foundations of Academic Success open textbook, focusing on English language foundations and assignment writing. He has also contributed to initiatives promoting academic integrity and professional ethics through student-led programs in business subjects.

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Boundary work in ALL advising

Martin McMorrow and Maggie Liang — The University of Notre Dame Australia

Boundary work (Gieryn, 1995) is what professionals do to maintain the legitimacy of their practice and to defend their right to practise it. We came across the concept in a recent study on responses among staff and students to gen-AI threats to academic integrity (Corbin et al., 2025). In this session, we'll invite discussion of potential applications of boundary work to AAL practice and introduce a research project for 2026 based on analysis of our consultation records.

References:

Corbin, T., Dawson, P., Nicola-Richmond, K., & Partridge, H. (2025). ‘Where’s the line? It’s an absurd line’: Towards a framework for acceptable uses of AI in assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2025.2456207

Gieryn, T. F. (1999). Cultural boundaries of science: Credibility on the line. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Event Type: Presentation

Maggie is a learning advisor on the Sydney campus of Notre Dame. She has many years of experience in teaching academic English and writing in China, The USA, and Australia.

Martin is the learning co-ordinator at the University of Notre Dame, based in Fremantle, WA. Previously, Martin has been a learning advisor in New Zealand and an ESOL teacher and teacher educator in various countries.

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Resilient Voices

Martin McMorrow — The University of Notre Dame Australia

Resilient Voices is a project led by Ahmed Junina from Al-Aqsa University in Gaza and funded by the British Council of Palestine. I co-presented an AALL session on Trauma-Informed Education with Ahmed in April and this presentation provides more information about this collaboration Resilient Voices, which aims to support young Palestinians in creating visual, audio, or text-based narratives based on their experiences during the ongoing occupation. I have worked alongside Ahmed, and two other overseas educators, Gerhard Erasmus and Maria Auxiliadora Duran, to provide support and feedback as they shape their narratives for publication. This presentation reports on the project and its outcomes, and includes some case studies of the students.

Event Type: Presentation

Martin is the learning co-ordinator at the University of Notre Dame, based in Fremantle, WA. Previously, Martin has been a learning advisor in New Zealand and an ESOL teacher and teacher educator in various countries.

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Applying peer-led perspectives to enhance research student engagement: Reflections from a team of ALL practitioners

Dr Michael Stein and Sharon Matthews — Edith Cowan University

This presentation reflects on a 2025 initiative to integrate research student peer advisers (the SOAR team) into existing research training sessions offered by Academic Language and Learning practitioners (AAL) at Edith Cowan University (ECU). The presentation outlines the value of this integration, its impact on student engagement and potential learning for both students and practitioners. Recognising the growing need for more support for research students to transition into their studies (Aspland et al., 2021), and for more inclusive (Fisher et al., 2024) and student-centred pedagogies (Barraket, 2005), our approach embeds SOAR team members as active contributors to skill-building. Incorporating peer perspectives in research training spaces allows research skills to be more accessible and contextually grounded, prompting preparedness and building supportive learning communities (Zepke & Leach, 2010). This is particularly pertinent given the impact of generative AI and the identified need to further integrate peer support in the AAL space (Kelly et al., 2025). Additionally, by sharing their experiences, SOAR team members help to demystify aspects of the research journey that may appear opaque or intimidating to participants, fostering a sense of shared community as researchers. For AAL practitioners, integrating peer advisers into sessions has prompted us to reflect on our own pedagogical approaches. Additionally, the partnership has supported the SOAR team in enhancing their advising skills, creating a mutually beneficial partnership. Our presentation shares reflections and outcomes that have emerged from this partnership, denoting how embedding peer-led perspectives has not only strengthened academic language and learning provision, but also aligns with broader institutional goals of fostering student agency, belonging and success in researcher development.

Event Type: Presentation

Michael is a Higher Degree by Research Communication Adviser at Edith Cowan University. Dr. Stein’s research background is in Asian Communication, Media and Cultural Studies, and his current research interests relate to doctoral education, academic literacy and learning, research writing and development, as well as ways to enhance the wellbeing of research students.

Sharon is Team Leader, Higher Degree by Research (HDR) Communication Advisers, at the Centre for Learning and Teaching, Edith Cowan University. In this role, she supports students to develop their academic literacies and communication skills. In the past she was worked as the peer learning coordinator and learning adviser for university students. Sharon's areas of research include New Zealand drama, peer-led learning and the scholarship of teaching and learning.

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Prompting peer dialogue, agency and transition: Supporting international doctoral students through conversation circles.

Michael Stein — Edith Cowan University

This study examines the development and impact of an informal ‘conversation circle’ program developed to support early-candidature international doctoral students at Edith Cowan University (ECU). Targeting a cohort of medical and health science students transitioning from clinical practice in China to PhD study in Australia, the initiative was led by an Academic Language and Learning (AAL) practitioner to address student challenges in academic communication, cultural integration and research preparedness. Unlike traditional modes of language instruction that the students had experienced previously, this program used peer-led, dialogic sessions to foster a sense of agency and belonging (Ardill, 2025; Djohari & Higham, 2020). Sessions evolved from a focus on English language pronunciation and discipline-specific terminology to broader themes such as Australian academic culture, social norms, research presentation and everyday life skills. As students approached key candidature milestones, the focus shifted to confidence-building activities, such as peer feedback on their presentations, which contributed to their successful progression. By the end of 2024, many participants had presented at both local and international conferences, and a few received awards for outstanding presentations. This study provides a reflective account of how conversational circles can provide both a grounding and empowering space for international students, in addition to being a nimble and flexible avenue for AAL practitioners to support these students. Further, this presentation highlights the value of structured, relational peer support in enhancing international doctoral students’ academic engagement, confidence, and transition (Hyden & Coryell, 2023).

Event Type: Presentation

Michael is a Higher Degree by Research Communication Adviser at Edith Cowan University. Dr. Stein’s research background is in Asian Communication, Media and Cultural Studies, and his current research interests relate to doctoral education, academic literacy and learning, research writing and development, as well as ways to enhance the wellbeing of research students.

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Supporting Students Through Academic Misconduct

Miriam Sullivan and Anna Taylor — Edith Cowan University

Learning advisers are often expected to support students who have had academic misconduct in an assignment, either through appointments or workshops. Disappointingly, our data shows that most students fail to attend their intervention, and the more serious the misconduct was, the less likely they are to attend. There is no penalty for not attending an educational intervention, meaning the incentive in these cases is to have genuine improvement in their academic skills. The students who do attend their learning intervention are likely to fall into Murdoch and Ellis’ (2024) ‘careless and confused’ category, and can successfully move forward in their studies with the right support. This suggests that educational interventions are best reserved for students with positive attitudes towards learning, whose misconduct was due to a lack of academic skills, for both uptake and effectiveness. We did find that attending an intervention appears to reduce the risk of re-offending. However, these students can still be difficult to counsel due to feelings of shame (Curtis, 2023), especially if they are focused on saving face or appealing the outcome. This presentation will discuss practical strategies for supporting students to move forward after misconduct cases, including diagnosing the underlying assignment writing process issues that contribute to misconduct.

References:

Curtis, G. J. (2023). Guilt, shame and academic misconduct. Journal of Academic Ethics, 21(4), 743-757. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-023-09480-w

Ellis, C., & Murdoch, K. (2024). The educational integrity enforcement pyramid: a new framework for challenging and responding to student cheating. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 49(7), 924-934. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2024.2329167

Event Type: Presentation

Anna works in the Educational Integrity Team at ECU as an Analyst with a focus on system improvements.

Miriam is the Manager for Educational Integrity at ECU. Her research focuses on the evaluation of learning support and student voice.

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Creating Space for Praxis: Exploring ALL Philosophy, Pedagogy and Practice

Rachel Barber — Central Queensland University

Academic language and learning (ALL) practitioners work in increasingly embedded and collaborative spaces, alongside individual consultations, generic services, and the rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence. These shifting sands of ALL work invite us to critically reflect on our own philosophies of teaching and learning, our pedagogical positioning and ideological goals. Building on a conference presentation that investigates embedded ALL practice in a regional Australian university, this interactive workshop invites participants to step back from institutional demands and re-engage with the philosophical, pedagogical and andragogical foundations of our practice. Together, we will explore the tensions and opportunities that arise when working across disciplines, navigating shifting expectations, and embedding academic literacies into diverse learning environments, particularly in the context of digital, blended, and online delivery. Through collaborative reflection and sharing of innovations, participants will engage with questions such as: What values underpin our ALL work? What do we believe about how students learn? How do we see our role as ALL practitioners? What pedagogical frameworks inform our ALL practice? How do we navigate the complex terrain of embedding ALL into disciplinary contexts? How might we leverage our agency in diverse teaching spaces? This session offers a space to connect with colleagues, collaborate across institutional contexts, and create a shared language for articulating and strengthening ALL pedagogy. Participants will leave with insights, frameworks, and practical strategies for making their teaching philosophy visible and actionable, wherever their practice is situated.

Event Type: Workshop

Rachel has over 20 years' experience in higher education, specialising in academic language and learning (ALL), practice and pedagogies for embedding into disciplinary curricula. Passionate about social inclusion, her doctoral research explores the first-year student experience of ALL, with a focus on how it intersects with disciplinary knowledge and practice.

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Stuck on repeat or collaborating for success? Exploring embedded ALL pedagogy, practice, and positioning in Initial Teacher Education

Rachel Barber — Central Queensland University

Despite decades of work to integrate academic language and learning (ALL) into disciplinary teaching in Australian higher education, the feeling of “groundhog day” persists (Percy, 2019, p. 11). Gains made are challenging to sustain due to fluctuating academic staff engagement and entrenched institutional challenges. As a result, embedded ALL programs risk reverting to reductive, remedial models that frame students as deficient and marginalise ALL practice, rather than embedding ALL as a shared disciplinary responsibility. Crucially, the pedagogies we are afforded are shaped by how ALL advisers are positioned within institutional structures and relationships, directly impacting the extent to which embedded ALL can be sustained, collaborative, and transformative. This presentation draws on a qualitative case study at a regional Australian university to examine how embedded ALL is enacted in three core first-year Initial Teacher Education (ITE) units. At this institution, centrally coordinated ALL services include generic and discipline-specific programs, particularly the Embedding Foundation Academic Skills program which integrates ALL development into first-year units. Picking up on the conference theme of collaborating with students, academics and other university teams to co-create effective, inclusive learning experiences, this case study offers a window into embedded ALL practice through which to critically examine the positioning of embedded ALL programs and pedagogical approaches used by ALL advisers for a largely online first-year cohort. Further examination of student engagement data offers insights into which ALL pedagogical approaches and resources are most useful in supporting first year students.

Event Type: Presentation

Rachel has over 20 years' experience in higher education, specialising in academic language and learning (ALL), practice and pedagogies for embedding into disciplinary curricula. Passionate about social inclusion, her doctoral research explores the first-year student experience of ALL, with a focus on how it intersects with disciplinary knowledge and practice.

Rachel’s supervision team comprisesDr Corey Bloomfield, Senior Lecturer (CQU); Emeritus Professor Bobby Harreveld (CQU), and Dr Alisa Percy, Senior Lecturer (UTS) whose invaluable guidance has been instrumental in shaping this research.

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There’s a Word for That: Harnessing GenAI to Support Vocabulary Development

Rachel Hunt and Leigh Morgan — UTS College

This presentation will report on research completed in 2024 through the English Australia Action Research program in conjunction with Cambridge. Learners (and teachers) have varying degrees of awareness of Generative AI platforms, and many are using these to help them with their English and are curious about how to do this effectively. The research project centred around building learners’ confidence in interacting with AI to develop their vocabulary through giving them prompts to use in a range of practice activities. The presentation will outline the rationale for the research, provide examples of prompts, and describe the vocabulary-building activities completed by the students (brainstorming in preparation for writing an essay, preteach stages of reading and listening lessons, spelling tests and quizzes). The outcomes of the research in terms of the perceived confidence of the learners and findings regarding the ability of the learners to evaluate the suggestions given by AI will also be discussed. Finally, there will be a short focus on implications for future teaching and learning, during which participants can reflect on their own contexts. Participants will leave the session with a bank of prompts, ideas for how to use AI for vocabulary-building with their students, and an awareness of the benefits and challenges of using AI to build vocabulary.

Event Type: Presentation

Leigh is an Academic English Coordinator at UTS College, where she has been teaching since 2016. She is certified in the International Diploma of Language Teaching Management (Cambridge). She is currently undertaking research in Indigenous Languages. Leigh is a curious lifelong learner.

Rachel has worked as a teacher, teacher trainer, examiner and curriculum and assessment writer. She is passionate about exploring ways to support both teachers and students, and to engage students in their learning. Rachel has been teaching EAP at UTS College in Sydney since 2017.

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Academic Numeracies Framework: a tool to facilitate the systematic Embedding of Numeracy in University Curricula

Debi Howarth, Dr Raquel Salmeron and Em Professor Linda Galligan — University of Southern Queensland

Academic numeracy is essential for success in university and the workplace. However, many students struggle to meet expected numeracy throughout their studies thereby impacting their post-study options. Addressing this challenge requires a coordinated approach across individual, course, program, and institutional levels moving beyond the fragmented and often ineffective efforts currently in place.

This presentation will introduce the Academic Numeracies Framework, a practical tool designed to support the systematic embedding of numeracy into university curricula. Developed specifically for tertiary education, the Framework focuses on teaching and learning and is adaptable across disciplines, making it a valuable resource for institution-wide numeracy development. It aims to inform and empower academics and learning development professionals, who are working to systematically embed numeracy into university curricula and learning support initiatives, ultimately improving numeracy outcomes. We will briefly discuss feedback from first-year and pathway academics, learning development staff and academic managers from three regional Australian universities, on the Framework’s benefits, uses, implementation, and improvements.

A newly developed interactive version of the Framework is in prototype and the link to this version will be provided in the workshop. This version offers an intuitive interface that guides users through its components and provides context-sensitive guidance, enhancing usability and promoting adoption.

Event Type: Presentation

Debi is the VP of AALL and most recently Head of Academic Success at TUA. Her current scholarly work is around an academic numeracies framework, including a research project with USQ, and a WIL project with TUA design students to develop a virtual sensory room.

Raquel is a lecturer at UniSQ College, where she teaches mathematics and leads initiatives to embed academic numeracies. She recently took up the role of chair of the AALL Mathematics Advisors Special Interest Group and has previously worked at ANU. Her work focuses on equity, curriculum design, and student success in STEM and enabling education.

Emeritus Professor Linda Galligan has 40 years' experience in education at UniSQ. Her previous roles at the university included academic support and enabling programs. Her research includes developing a model of embedding academic numeracy. She still publishes, supervises PhD students, and is Chief Editor of Adult Learning Maths International Journal.

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Academic Numeracies Framework: Supporting the Systematic Embedding of Numeracy in University Curricula

Dr Raquel Salmeron and Debi Howarth and Em Professor Linda Galligan — University of Southern Queensland

Academic numeracy is essential for success in university and the workplace. However, many students struggle to meet expected numeracy throughout their studies thereby impacting their post-study options. Addressing this challenge requires a coordinated approach across individual, course, program, and institutional levels, moving beyond the fragmented and often ineffective efforts currently in place.

This workshop introduces an updated version of the Academic Numeracies Framework, a practical tool designed to support the systematic embedding of numeracy into university curricula. Developed specifically for tertiary education, the Framework focuses on teaching and learning and is adaptable across disciplines, making it a valuable resource for institution-wide numeracy development. It aims to inform and empower academics and learning development professionals working to systematically embed numeracy into university curricula and learning support initiatives, ultimately improving numeracy outcomes.

A newly-developed interactive version of the Framework will then be presented. This version offers an intuitive interface that guides users through its components and provides context-sensitive guidance, enhancing usability and promoting adoption.

Participants will have the opportunity to work with the Framework, for example by mapping the target and assumed numeracy levels of students in typical tertiary coursework. We encourage attendees to bring course materials such as subject learning outcomes or content outlines, although sample materials will also be available. Feedback from the session will inform ongoing refinement of the tool.

Event Type: Workshop

Raquel is a lecturer at UniSQ College, where she teaches mathematics and leads initiatives to embed academic numeracies. She recently took up the role of chair of the AALL Mathematics Advisors Special Interest Group and has previously worked at ANU. Her work focuses on equity, curriculum design, and student success in STEM and enabling education.

Debi is the VP of AALL and most recently Head of Academic Success at TUA. Her current scholarly work is around an academic numeracies framework, including a research project with USQ, and a WIL project with TUA design students to develop a virtual sensory room.

Linda is Head of the School of Mathematics, Physics and Computing at the University of Southern Queensland, where she researches the intersection of language, mathematics, and digital learning. Her work focuses on academic numeracy, student preparedness for quantitative study, and the use of technology to enhance mathematics education.

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Acts of determined care: developing and implementing trauma-responsive frameworks in the third space

Sally Crane and Hollie West — University of Tasmania

As third space educators, we must respond to the ambitious equity growth agenda the Australian Universities Accord directs our institutions towards (O'Kane et al., 2024). It is understood approximately 65% of Australian university students have been exposed to at least one potentially traumatic event (Walters et. al, 2024) and those from equity groups are at higher risk of exposure (Avery et. al, 2023). Supporting the academic success of such diverse cohorts in institutional environments shaped by economic and societal uncertainty (Rosenbaum, 2021) is complex, particularly for early-career learning advisers. The absence of a clear professional framework, standards or guidelines for learning advisers poses a degree of risk when working with students affected by trauma. This presentation showcases our team’s response to this risk and complexity: a trauma-responsive framework for learning adviser consultations developed and implemented through a highly collaborative process. Our process was an act of determined care - centred on shared values - leading to a consultation framework that positions attuned connection with students, one another, ourselves and our institutions, at the core of our professional identity. In sharing our framework, we highlight how embedding the core principles of trauma-responsive practice can support multidirectional relationships in a way that empowers, resists re-traumatisation, and ultimately, re-aligns academic communities with their purpose. Through sharing our process and findings, we invite practitioners to develop similar frameworks for their own contexts and reflect on how they can commit to their own ‘acts of determined care’.

Event Type: Presentation

Sally is a Learning Adviser at the University of Tasmania and has lived experience of trauma. She has previously worked in ELICOS academic preparation courses. Sally holds qualifications in Anthropology, International Development, TESOL, Mandarin, and Public Policy and is currently studying a Graduate Certificate in Trauma Responsive Education.

Hollie is a Learning Adviser at the University of Tasmania and has lived experience of trauma. She previously coordinated learning and student success peer programs. Hollie holds qualifications in Indonesian, Aboriginal Studies and Education and is currently studying a Graduate Certificate in Autism Studies.

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Student Voices in Digital Spaces: A Collaborative Approach to Academic Literacy Website Development

Sarah Irvine — University of Southern Queensland

With the increasing number of students choosing online or flexible learning, ALL advisors at higher education institutions are relying more heavily on embedding our study skills services and resources into online courses and websites (Smith, 2019; Anderson, 2003; Leslie-McCarthy & Tutty, 2011). The demand for online resources to enhance online learning is growing (Goodfellow et al., 2012). Leslie-McCarthy and Tutty (2011)’s article acknowledges a research gap in this area of developing ALL websites. They describe the context of ALL websites as, “quite different in that we are aiming for our sites to serve multiple, at times vastly different purposes simultaneously” (Leslie-McCarthy and Tutty, 2011, p.24). This presentation will examine the research process undertaken at UniSQ to reinvigorate our ALL learning advisor website, particularly with regard to hosting resources for students and staff. This research project incorporates User-Centred Design (UCD) which is a multidisciplinary approach that actively involves users in improving the understanding of user and task requirements, iterate design, and evaluate its effectiveness (Mao et al., 2005). It is a core consideration in designing websites for both business and educational purposes. However, studies suggest that students are often less involved in the structure and design of university websites (Kasemsarn et al., 2023; Astani, 2013). Therefore, our project is unique as it has involved students in the website design process and will address this gap in the literature while enabling a collaborative approach to improve ALL website design.

Event Type: Presentation

Sarah is an experienced senior learning advisor at the University of Southern Queensland. She is passionate about online learning in higher education and also shares a deep interest in working with diverse groups of students. Sarah is currently an executive member of AALL as Communications Lead.

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Integrating ALL into a Faculty’s HDR space through a PELA.

Sarah Veitch — Curtin University

Curtin University has a university-wide mandated PELA for all incoming students which is implemented within each of the four Faculties in line with their particular objectives and priorities. In the Faculty of Business and Law (FBL), the PELA is known as ELPA (English Language Proficiency Assessment), and the implementation of the HDR ELPA has facilitated the integration of ALL into that Faculty’s HDR space. The HDR ELPA has had a two-fold function since its implementation five years ago. The first, as would be expected, is to provide an evaluation of and feedback on a sample of current writing from the research proposal. The second is to inform HDR candidates and their supervisory staff about ongoing individualised writing support, available through either student self-referral or staff referral (supervisor(s), thesis chair, and Director of Graduate Research, all of whom are included in the correspondence for the HDR ELPA). Alongside the mandated HDR ELPA, the Faculty’s PVC also included the ALL academic on the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee. ALL staff are now well-positioned to contribute to Faculty discussion and decision-making on current HDR matters, including GenAI and research writing, the HDR assurance of learning required for the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditation, the proposed move to a viva examination process, and supporting a balance between publication and thesis writing.

Event Type: Presentation

Sarah is currently enjoying a part-time role supporting HDR students in the Academic Capability Development team in the Faculty of Business and Law at Curtin University, WA. Prior to this she was part of the Student Learning team at Murdoch University, focusing primarily on UG and PG students’ academic literacy development.

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Don't call it a chatbot: Reimagining AI's role in academic language support

Sean Mitchell and Andrew Sankey — UQ Business School, The University of Queensland

When AI in education is mentioned, most imagine generic chatbots answering student queries. But what if conversational AI could become something far more transformative? What if your course modules came with a built-in language coach that understands both the content and your students' needs? At the University of Queensland, we've reimagined AI-powered feedback systems for CALD postgraduate business students. Our innovative approach embeds intelligent feedback tools directly within self-paced online learning modules, creating seamless connections between students and academic discourse expectations. Our cross-disciplinary team has produced a novel application of existing technology. These embedded systems are trained on module-specific content and business communication conventions, providing contextualised, real-time language support. Unlike traditional support services existing outside the learning experience, our approach integrates language development into the natural flow of content engagement. This integration transforms routine knowledge checks into meaningful learning conversations. Students receive immediate, context-aware feedback on their academic writing, professional communication, and discipline-specific language use precisely when they’re needed. Early interactions reveal how this technology is reshaping student engagement and building confidence in academic expression. We'll share insights from our implementation journey, showcase authentic student interactions, and explore how this approach is influencing learning design thinking. Our aim is to spark conversation about AI's evolving role in academic language support and inspire your own experiments in creating more responsive, inclusive learning environments. Join us in exploring what's possible when we reimagine technology's role in language learning.

Event Type: Presentation

Sean is a learning designer at UQ Business School, helping staff cut through the AI panic with practical, student-focused innovation. He’s part of the School’s strategic response to generative tools, designing inclusive learning experiences and creative classroom interventions that make emerging tech actually work for teaching and learning.

Andrew is an Embedded Language Support Officer at UQ Business School. Previously he taught on UQ College's Bridging English Pathway program for 9 years and has experience teaching in England and Japan. His interests include technology-enhanced learning and academic literacy development. He holds a Master of Education (TESOL) and Cambridge DELTA.

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Reimagining Mathematics Pedagogy at JCU

Associate Professor Shaun Belward and Dr Zoe Pettifer — College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University

Mathematics is widely considered a “gatekeeper” to STEM and other technical disciplines. However, universities across the country are seeing a decline in mathematics confidence and proficiency in the student cohort, which creates challenges to learning and teaching and poses barriers to students’ success. National data reports particularly poor results for regional and remote students, first in family students, low SES students and students with Indigenous status. These disparities are more pronounced at JCU, where equity groups are overrepresented in enabling mathematics subjects and experience lower success rates compared to their peers. In this workshop we will trial a range of practical strategies designed to strengthen fundamental mathematics skills that are essential across many disciplines. These strategies have been created in collaboration with academic and professional staff across the university, drawing together the local experience, student perspectives, and aspects of first-year transition pedagogy, anti-deficit and strengths-based pedagogies and Universal Design for Learning. We invite all conference participants – particularly those from non-mathematics backgrounds – to experience learning mathematics from the student perspective, and to provide feedback on the effectiveness of our reimagined, inclusive approach to mathematics pedagogy.

Event Type: Workshop

Zoe is a Learning Advisor with a specific focus on assisting students with mathematics and numeracy across all disciplines. She has experience teaching preparatory mathematics subjects at multiple institutions and has a good understanding of the common challenges in mathematics faced by students in higher education.

Associate Professor Shaun Belward is a mathematician and a leader in learning and teaching within the College of Science and Engineering. He is passionate about increasing access and success in higher education in regional Queensland, while recognising the pivotal role of success in mathematics for many courses across the disciplines.

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Designs for Success: Collaborating to enhance Academic and AI Literacies Across Disciplines

Simon Order and Phillip Arena — Murdoch University

Designs for Success: Collaborating to enhance Academic and AI Literacies Across Disciplines Based on a Design Based Research approach, this project investigates the development and effectiveness of interventions designed to promote the integration of academic and artificial intelligence (AI) literacy activities and resources within postgraduate coursework at Murdoch University. Focusing on a core post graduate transition Engineering unit, the study aims to evaluate the efficacy of AI enhanced activities within the unit through a collaborative effort between the academics of the Support for Learning team and Engineering Lecturers. Focused on the instructional activities surrounding a literature review proposal, including guidelines for AI-assisted activities to scaffold academic writing and research skills, the assessment design includes both secure and open submissions. A major goal of the project is to evaluate the effectiveness of these activities and resources in developing academic and AI Literacies, from a student point of view. The project explores how students engage with academic and AI literacy activities, and how these experiences influence their ability to produce authentic written work and use AI tools ethically and effectively. The research employs a mixed-methods data collection approach, involving surveys and semi-structured interviews. The findings will inform future curriculum design and support services, contributing to broader efforts to enhance student transitions, academic capabilities, and responsible AI use across disciplines at Murdoch and beyond.

Event Type: Presentation

Phillip's association with Murdoch University spans more than three decades, during which he has gained extensive teaching and research experience. He has taught across a range of disciplines and is an awarded educator and functional morphologist, with published research on the biology, health and welfare of captive reptiles including rattlesnakes, marine turtles and crocodiles. His career has also included roles in ecotourism, outreach and science education. He has worked with students of most ages and has a lifelong passion for science and scientific communication. His aims are simple – to encourage and inspire students to learn.

Simon is a highly creative academic leader, educator, and researcher in education, audio media, technology, and communications; responsive to new disciplinary ideas and technologies; always looking to enhance project success within an educational/research environment. Experienced stakeholder engagement coordinator, content producer and educator with a demonstrated history of working in the NFP and higher education industries. Strong arts and design professional with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) focused on Mass Communication/Media Studies (Community Radio) from Murdoch University and a Master of Science in Music Information Technology from City University in London. He is an active professional practitioner in electronic music production.

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Provision of individual academic skills advising services in Australian institutional Academic Language and Learning teams: a snapshot of the current landscape.

Steve Campitelli — University of Melbourne

Academic Language and Learning (ALL) teams have grown in profile, stature and acceptance in higher education contexts and, despite ongoing existential pressures in the form of fluctuations in size or service provision as a result of cycles of internal reviews, the rise of external private providers and the emergence of Generative AI, ALL teams continue to provide academic skills advising services to a huge range and volume of students. Very informative examinations of the Australian academic advising landscape have been carried out in a survey of ALL team size and service profile, including advisor-to-student ratios, by Ashton-Hay, Barthel and Muller (2021), as well as an examination the role of Australian academic skills advisors by Evans, Henderson and Ashton-Hay (2019). This presentation seeks to add to this breadth of knowledge regarding academic skills advising by presenting the findings of recent research undertaken in early 2025 by Steve Campitelli at the University of Melbourne focusing on the provision of 1-1 advising services. The mixed methods survey, carried out with 41 ALL teams across Australian tertiary institutions, yielded rich quantitative and qualitative data looking at a range of aspects of the provision of individual academic skills advising services, including team size and role titles, team placement, staffing, form, nature and volume of services provided, impact of Gen AI and the importance of provision of person-facilitated Academic Skills 1-1 services. This presentation is of clear relevance to an academic skills audience and will reveal much of interest in relation to the current academic advising landscape in Australia.

Event Type: Presentation

Steve has been in education since 1988. Steve worked as a Primary Teacher and English Language teacher, then EAP specialist and curriculum and assessment manager at RMIT University for 15 years. He moved to the University of Melbourne in 2010, where he is an Academic Skills Adviser and Learning Strategist managing 1-1 services.

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Advisor Identity in the individual tutoring space: Human-centred Advising in the age of Generative AI

Steve Campitelli — University of Melbourne

This workshop is presented within a post-Covid context in which students have both sought and have greater access to a range of sources for advice and feedback on their academic writing work than perhaps ever before. Two of their choices for guidance are Generative AI (Gen AI) platforms and human Academic Skills Advisers (ASA). In university contexts, much of the discourse regarding Gen AI use has concerned academic integrity questions in relation to the student production of academic work, approaching the use of Gen AI mainly as a threat rather than potential asset (Akiba & Fraboni, 2023). This has lead to a lack of consensus and clear communication on appropriate Gen AI use in higher education in which it is viewed often through a lens of academics’ fear of how students will use the technology and academic misconduct by students. This interactive workshop has participants consider the pros of both Gen AI and human ASAs as sources of academic writing guidance though a lens of recognitive and extra-recognitive feedback (Corbin, Tai & Flenady, 2025) as viewed through a Personal, Pedagogical and Institutional framework. As such, it aims to have participants examine the identity and value of human ASAs in the 1-1 advising context in relation to the functionality of gen AI platforms seeking to carry out a similar role. In so doing, the session aims to clarify the place of both sources of advice and feedback proposing that they are complementary, if and when used in line with their respective strengths.

Event Type: Workshop

Steve has been in education since 1988. Steve worked as a Primary Teacher and English Language teacher, then EAP specialist and curriculum and assessment manager at RMIT University for 15 years. He moved to the University of Melbourne in 2010, where he is an Academic Skills Adviser and Learning Strategist managing 1-1 services.

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Bridging the gap at UQ: Embedding language support where it matters

Stuart Crosbie and Andrew Sankey — UQ College, The University of Queensland

What happens when academic language and learning (ALL) support becomes embedded within the curriculum, not bolted on around it? In 2024, The University of Queensland trialled a new approach: placing Embedded Language Support Officers (ELSOs) within faculties to work alongside academics, students, and professional staff. Designed to support the academic success of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students, the pilot quickly grew into a university-wide model. In this presentation, we reflect on our experiences as the first two ELSOs in this initiative. We explore the impact of being embedded, not just in course sites and tutorials, but within conversations, relationships and curriculum design. We’ll share the successes, the missteps, and the lessons learned in the messy space between innovation and implementation. Rather than presenting a fixed model, we reflect on the possibilities and tensions of embedded support. What does it take to build trust with academics? How do we balance personalisation with scalability? And how do we know when what we’re doing is working? As ALL practitioners across the sector look to create more inclusive, engaging and sustainable learning experiences, our presentation offers one evolving example of embedded support in action. By sharing our reflections, insights and ongoing challenges, we aim to spark new thinking about how language and learning professionals can connect, collaborate and create impact from within the curriculum.

Event Type: Presentation

Stuart is an embedded language support officer at the EAIT faculty at UQ. He has a Cambridge DELTA qualification has worked in the TESOL space since 2000. Stuart highly values effective communication and relationships as he supports CALD students with their course work and assessment tasks

Andrew is an embedded language support officer at UQ Business School. Previously, he taught on UQ College's Bridging English Pathway program for 9 years and has experience teaching in England and Japan. His interests include technology-enhanced learning and academic literacy development. He holds a Master of Education (TESOL) and Cambridge DELTA.

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Defining Our Practice: Towards a Professional Framework for Learning Advisors

Sue Gollagher — James Cook University

The role of learning advisors in Australian universities is evolving rapidly in response to sector-wide upheavals and the impact of generative AI on teaching and learning. As third space professionals, learning advisors occupy a complex and often undefined position in the higher education landscape. Unlike learning designers, no formal qualifications exist as a pathway into this role. The most recent AALL position statement (2010) offers some guidance to aspiring learning advisors but does not reflect the current context. Meanwhile, ALDinHE in the UK offers an accreditation scheme, while locally, the English Australia PEAL SIG has launched a competency framework for university academic language educators, and Learning Advisors at Central Queensland University are proposing a Professional Standards Framework for academic literacy specialists. This interactive workshop extends on earlier presentations in this stream by inviting participants to map the diverse skills, knowledge, and competencies learning advisors require today. Through structured discussion and analysis of existing frameworks, we will explore how a contemporary framework could support the ongoing professional development of Australian learning advisors. This session offers an opportunity to connect with peers, share practice, and co-create a foundation for future capability building in our field.

Event Type: Workshop

Sue is a Learning Advisor at James Cook University with 30 years' experience as an academic English educator, teacher trainer and learning designer at universities in Australia and overseas. She is a member of the AALL PD committee and convenor of the English Australia Post-entry English & Academic Language SIG.

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World café: AALL Conference: reflections and futures

Sue Gollagher — James Cook University

As the 2025 conference draws to a close, this World Cafe will offer a dynamic, reflective, and future-focused space for participants to consolidate learning and strengthen new connections. As this is the first face-to-face gathering since 2019 in a time of rapid change, this session honours the conference themes "Connect, Collaborate, Create” through structured, rotating small-group conversations. Participants will explore three progressive rounds of discussion: (1) reflecting on learning and insights from the conference, (2) identifying emerging connections between people and ideas, and (3) discussing the potential to form collaborations and create change or initiatives in their home contexts. This format invites everyone's voice: each discussion round is hosted by peer facilitators and captured on paper and Padlet, with optional creative tasks such as collaboration mapping or writing a postcard to one's future self. The World Cafe is intentionally inclusive, relatively low-tech, and wholly participant-driven, making it especially valuable for learning advisors navigating complexity and change. It aims to enable participants to wrap up their conference experience feeling connected and inspired, with a renewed sense of purpose and creative possibility.

Event Type: World Café

Sue is a Learning Advisor at James Cook University with 30 years' experience as an academic English educator, teacher trainer and learning designer at universities in Australia and overseas. She is a member of the AALL PD committee and convenor of the English Australia Post-entry English & Academic Language SIG.

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The case for reflective practice in ALL and an example using a contemplative lens

Tao Bak — Deakin University

To connect effectively with others, be it students, colleagues or members of the broader networks within which we work, connecting with ourselves can also be useful. This presentation reports on a research project focused on reflective ALL practice. The project adopted a contemplative lens to undertake a self-study focused on the author’s approach to, and developing understanding of, individual consultations practice. A meditative inquiry framework was adopted to combine autoethnography and journaling with a braided narrative approach allowing for switching between journal entries, memories and point of writing insights. As part of the study the author’s background in contemplative knowledge communities was examined. Themes identified included working with a wider sense of the person, bringing ‘heart’ to our work and how the notion of ‘living thinking and language’ may be fruitful. While the research project discussed presents one possible approach, the suggestion is made that different types of reflective study be explored. The questions are posited: 1) what benefits might come from bringing practitioner backgrounds creatively to bear on self-examinations of practice, 2) what other formal perspectives might fruitfully be applied? and 3) what contribution might reflective scholarship make to ALL as an established yet still relatively young field of practice.

Event Type: Presentation

Tao Bak is a Senior Advisor in Student Success (Learning) at Deakin University. He previously held various roles at Victoria University, including serving as Coordinator of the VU Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) Strategy in 2012. Tao’s research interests include contemplative, relational and inner life practices in education.

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Increasing and Improving Student Feedback Responses: Comparing Immediate Microsoft Teams Polls with QR Code Surveys

Teresa Balfour Brown and Antje Herrmann — Torrens University

Timely and meaningful student feedback is essential for reflective teaching practice and continuous improvement when facilitating academic support workshops. For our Academic Support Team, the current method of using QR code surveys that are provided to students at the end of a workshop has yielded low student response rates and low-quality responses. This action research project investigates whether embedding immediate Microsoft Teams polls during workshop time increases student participation and improves feedback quality. Guided by Constructivist Learning Theory, the Community of Inquiry framework, and the TPACK model, the study compares two feedback methods across a series of contextualised academic support workshops embedded in two first-year Business subjects. Classes in each Business subject are either asked to provide feedback via a QR code survey (current practice) or via a Microsoft Teams Poll. Response rates, time to respond, and feedback quality are then analysed and compared for each of the two feedback methods. Preliminary findings suggest that Teams Polls result in higher engagement and more actionable feedback due to their immediacy and ease of access. The study offers practical insights into how technology-enhanced feedback mechanisms and the timing and integration of feedback collection can support deeper student reflection and improve teaching practices.

Event Type: Presentation

Teresa, an Academic Support Facilitator at Torrens University, brings over 25 years’ experience in academic literacy and university teaching. Committed to reflective and evidence-based teaching practice, Teresa is skilled in blended and online learning, resource development, and student engagement.

Antje is an Academic Support Facilitator at Torrens University Australia, specialising in the embedding of academic skills/literacies into subjects of study, and creating academic integrity programs with a particular interest in the roles and ethical uses of GenAI and AI-powered tools in academic skills and literacies development. Antje is committed to advancing feedback informed best-practice.

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Supporting College-Bound Students with Language-Based Learning Difficulties: A High School Learning Support Framework

Victor Villanueva and Amor Andal — The Beacon Academy

In this presentation, Victor Villanueva and Amor Andal will share the framework and instructional practices used to support Grade 11 and 12 students with diagnosed learning difficulties—primarily language-based, and in some cases accompanied by attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These students experience persistent challenges with academic literacy tasks, including reading comprehension, source-based research, essay writing, and the organization and expression of complex ideas. Despite these difficulties, all of the students they support succeed in gaining admission to university, and many go on to complete their degrees. Drawing from their work at The Beacon Academy, a high school in the Philippines, the presenters will describe a systematic learning support framework grounded in clear evaluation of individual learning profiles. Individualized education plans are developed based on clinical assessment reports, which directly inform the choice of instructional goals and strategies. Interventions include explicit instruction, structured study routines, the use of graphic organizers, and guided practice in core academic tasks. This presentation will be particularly relevant to university faculty, academic advisors, and learning support professionals who regularly encounter students struggling with academic reading and writing. The presenters will show how the difficulties seen at the tertiary level are often visible as early as senior high school. They will argue for early, proactive, and sustained academic support to ensure long-term academic success. By intervening at the secondary level, institutions can better prepare students with learning difficulties for the demands of higher education.

Event Type: Presentation

Victor is a practicing reading specialist who conducts clinical reading assessments for children and adolescents with literacy learning difficulties. He was previously a faculty member of the University of the Philippines, where he taught preservice teacher education courses in reading. He is currently a learning support teacher for junior and senior high school students in the Philippines.

Amor is a reading teacher who specializes in working with children and adolescents with specific reading disabilities, including dyslexia. She currently heads the Learning Support Department at The Beacon Academy, a high school in the Philippines. In her role, she develops and implements individualized education programs for students and supervises a team of learning support teachers.

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Beyond Inclusion: Partnering with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Students to Co-Create Practical Academic Support

Dr Meng Zhang — James Cook University

Australian higher education institutions are increasingly diverse, yet practical academic language and learning support often fails to reflect the lived experiences of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) students. Growing interest in co-creation and Students as Partners (SaP) invites a rethinking of how support is designed and delivered. 

This presentation explores how SaP principles can be enacted in academic language and learning spaces to provide meaningful and practical support for CALD students. It asks: What does partnership look like when language, culture, and power intersect? 

Drawing on Cook-Sather’s (2006, 2018) work on student voice and partnership, and Matthews et al.’s (2018) framework for partnership engagement, this presentation shares findings from partnership projects involving CALD students as co-designers of support initiatives in different universities. 

Insights include the importance of cultural knowledge, the co-construction of language resources, and tensions in power-sharing practices. Practical examples include resource co-creation, peer mentoring redesign, and changes in advisor training. 

This work argues that enacting SaP with CALD students can transform how we conceptualise “support”—not as service delivery, but as relational, situated, and equity-oriented practice. For learning designers, advisors, and third-space staff, it offers practical pathways to reimagine partnership beyond tokenism.

Event Type: Presentation

Meng Zhang is a practitioner and researcher in higher education. She has a PhD in higher education and her research focuses on assessment and feedback, student voices and engagement, curriculum design, and cultural and linguistic diversity (CALD). She currently works as a Learning Advisor at JCU. She serves as a co-editor of the International Journal for Students as Partners (IJSaP) and has published on leading journals including Studies in Higher Education, Higher Education Research & Development, International Journal of Chinese Education.

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Optional Event: Guided Tour – Eddie Koiki Mabo Library (Repeated Event: 3 Sessions)

James Cook University Library Team

Explore the life and legacy of Eddie Koiki Mabo through an engaging guided tour of JCU’s Eddie Koiki Mabo Library. The experience begins outside this iconic building designed by architect James Birrell and proceeds inside to the Eddie Koiki Mabo Interpretative Wall, where rich visual storytelling highlights Mabo’s extraordinary journey as a community leader, educator, and the driving force behind the High Court decision that transformed land rights in Australia. 

The tour also draws attention to significant artworks from the JCU Art Collection that illuminate Indigenous perspectives, including evocative pieces by Arone Meeks and Gail Mabo. These works bring depth and cultural resonance to the campus, inviting visitors to reflect on identity, Country, and the enduring impact of Mabo’s legacy. 

Participants are introduced to the JCU Library Special Collections – a diverse range of 12 individual collections of rare and historically significant materials which primarily document the history, environment, and communities of Northern Queensland. These collections provide important regional context and support learning, research, and truth-telling both locally, nationally and internationally. 

The tour concludes in welcoming student spaces designed to promote inclusion, cultural safety, and connection. These areas reflect JCU’s commitment to embedding Indigenous perspectives and supporting a vibrant learning community informed by Mabo’s ongoing influence.

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