CEE Teaching@JCU

Teaching@JCU

The Centre for Education and Enhancement fosters excellence in educational practice and student support. Embracing innovative and inclusive ideas, and building strong partnerships.

We have educational designers who specialise in offering design support in curriculum and assessment. You can request assistance via the button below. If it's the development of digital learning objects you require, The Create Team can assist, please follow the button below.

Educational Design Request

Digital Media Support

There are six distinct principles that form The JCU Model which underpin JCU's learning, teaching, research, and engagement framework. These principles are:

  • Focused on the tropics
  • Research rich
  • Student focused
  • Connected to community
  • Internationally engaged
  • Culturally informed

Induction workshops for new academic staff introduce JCU's virtual learning environment. The workshops promote our focus on quality in teaching and a positive student learning experience.

Workshops are available in Townsville and Cairns during teaching periods 1 and 2. Please contact the Directorate of Learning, Teaching and Student Engagement (LTSE) by email if you have questions regarding teaching induction.

JCU's sessional teaching staff make a significant contribution to the learning experience of our students. In addition to twice-yearly induction, LTSE offers staff resources and sessional staff awards.

LearnJCU is our primary learning management system (LMS). It assists lecturers in delivering learning materials and communicating with students online.

Learning objects that are typically provided via the LMS, are:

  • Class information
  • Discussion boards
  • Readings
  • Video capture
  • Grading and feedback
  • Online assessments
  • Online tests/quizzes
  • Learning analytics

Staff are provided with information and resources relating to teaching online. Guides on building subject content, video creation, teaching strategies, online assessment, marking and feedback, can all be found at:

Subject Outlines detail the subject description and learning outcomes, consultation and contact details, graduate attributes, learning resources, how performance in the subject will be assessed, and other general rules. The timely provision of a Subject Outline to students, the regular revision of the Subject Outline, and the monitoring of teaching and assessment against the Subject Outline are viewed as key teaching quality assurance measures.

Subject Outlines are required for all undergraduate and postgraduate coursework subjects.

The Subject Outline Template represent the minimum requirements for all JCU Subject Outlines. The 2023 version is available below.

Visit the Subject Outlines webpage.

When developing a subject outline, please also refer to the assessment methods webpage.

CSDB Activity TypeCSDB Sub-category and Timetable Activity Type
Properties: Fixed, non-editable and aligns with space requirement		L&T Approach (dominant)
On-campusLecturePresentation format with some opportunities for questions and few interactive activities.
Typically 1-2 hours duration.
On-campusSeminarCombination of lecture and interactive activities. Typically 1-2 hours duration (also termed lectorial).
On-campusTutorialSmall/er group learning sessions that are discussion based and designed to assist students to explore and understand subject material. (Typically 30% instructional, 70% interactive/collaboration, 1-2 hours duration)
On-campusWorkshopSmall/er group learning sessions that are predominantly 'hands-on', with group activities designed to develop a skill or apply concepts from the lecture/seminar. (Typically 10% instructional 90% application/collaboration, 1-2 hours duration)
On-campusSpecialisedAs per specialist requirements.
On-campusTestExamination conditions.
OtherField work, field trip, placement
OnlineOnline tutorialSmall/er group learning sessions that are discussion based and designed to assist students to explore and understand subject material. (Typically 30% instructional, 70% interactive/collaboration, 1-2 hours duration).
Delivered via Collaborate. 
OnlineOnline workshopSmall/er group learning sessions that are predominantly 'hands-on', with group activities designed to develop a skill or apply concepts from the lecture/seminar. (Typically 10% instructional 90% application/collaboration, 1-2 hours duration)
Delivered via Collaborate. 
OnlineOnline seminarCombination of lecture and interactive activity. Typically 1-2 hours duration (also termed lectorial).
Delivered via Collaborate.
OnlineOnline activitiesAsynchronous learning activities, for example, discussion boards, video viewing, formative quizzes.
Delivered via LearnJCU.

Courses and subjects are designed to have an appropriate volume of learning. The volume of learning includes all teaching, learning and assessment activities that are required to be undertaken by a typical student to achieve the learning outcomes.

Assessment@JCU incorporates a variety of assessment methods that assure academic integrity, and equitable assessment activities which respond to diverse student backgrounds which includes ways to develop the knowledge and skills required for employment and further study is directly related to the course of study and any professional accreditation requirements.

The online assessment webpage has educational technology tips, support and information.

The assessment methods webpage contains assessment methods, guidelines and requirements for feedback to students. In the online environment feedback can also be automatically provided by using quizzes (an online test).

Assessment submission procedures are set out on a subject-by-subject basis in the Subject Outline.

JCU uses a variety of student activity data to improve the student experience. Learning analytics data enable you to monitor engagement and are a valuable part of the review cycle. Visit the Learning Data@JCU webpages to find more information.

Also, visit our Activity Data page.

If you require access to student data/statistics from COGNOS, please email: statistics@jcu.edu.au

English is an additional language or dialect for many JCU students.

Work Integrated Learning (WIL) - Visit our WIL for Staff page for:

  • Resources to assist with designing WIL experiences;
  • Support for WIL research and scholarship;
  • Links to risk and student wellbeing issues to consider before, and during placements
  • Information for industry/host supervisors.

The Student Placements and Projects website has information to help your students to prepare for a placement, project or field trip.

Local Global Learning is a project that engages diverse learners with 'glocal' citizenship through service learning or field placement experiences in local or international intercultural environments.

SOTL is the scholarly inquiry into student learning which advances the practice of teaching.

SOTL encompasses aspects of professional development or faculty development, such as how teachers can not only improve their expertise in their fields, but also develop their pedagogical expertise. It also encompasses the study and implementation of more modern teaching methods, such as active learning, cooperative learning, problem based learning, and others.

Showcase examples:

Exploring field spaces as learning places: optimising the impact of field-based learning on the student experience

Contemporary learning spaces encourage active and collaborative learning experiences. These spaces need to be flexible to allow teachers and students to adapt to a range of learning approaches.

JCU's Education Central and The Science Place (both located in Townsville) are award-winning collaborative learning spaces. The city centre campuses in Cairns and Townsville, our libraries, and many other JCU spaces use technology-enabled active learning (TEAL). These active learning spaces and community/social learning areas encourage peer-to-peer learning and extended learning beyond the traditional classroom environment.

Helpful links:

JCU recommends that academic teaching staff embed high quality and relevant career development, employability and entrepreneurship activities in coursework curricula to develop and assure graduate employability outcomes.

Find resources: