Al and Lynda talk to Prof Kate O’Brien (Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland) about how she draws on classical literature and storytelling as a central avenues for understanding and problem solving, even in the context of large engineering classes.

Al Stark and special co-host Katrina Lee Koo talk to Hassan Khosravi, an Associate Professor in Data Science and Learning Analytics at UQ. In response to ever bigger class sizes and the need for students to have learning tailored for their individual needs, Hassan decided to build RiPPLE, an app for in-class teaching. They also talk about other useful apps and tech that helps student learning in big or small classes.

In this episode, Al and Lynda talk to Associate Professor Morgan Brigg (from the School of Political Science and International Studies at The University of Queensland) about inviting feedback from students in class. Not at the end of a course, but while the course is running. Morgan talks about how it took courage to make himself vulnerable, but also how this practice enabled him to make changes to student learning, and how it positively changed the dynamic in his classroom.

Listeners might also be interested in our 2021 recording with John Hattie, the guru on feedback (season 3, episode 3).

You can also follow us on Bluesky now: https://bsky.app/profile/higheredheroes.bsky.social

In this episode, we talk to Associate Professor Katelyn Barney and Professor Tracey Bunda (both from The University of Queensland) about indigenizing the curriculum. We talk about the biggest challenges educators face when embarking on this this process as well as some practical and effective steps that can guide them along the way. With special co-host Lynda Shevellar.

In this episode, we talk to Dr Michael Thai, a Lecturer in Psychology at UQ and an award-winning teacher. Michael shares how he replaced his formal consultation hours with a weekly outdoor picnic. This format enables the breaking down of barriers and a different type of conversation between students and teacher that ultimately has enabled Michael to become a better teacher.

In this episode, we talk to Carrie Finn, an experienced educational designer (Business School, The University of Queensland), about the how to design courses. Carrie not only talks about the most common mistakes uni teachers do when designing their courses, but also how to get it right by following some easy-to-implement steps.

In this episode, Al and special co-host Lynda Shevellar talk to Lindy Andren and Prof Norm Sheehan (both from the University of Queensland). Their topic is about ‘teaching as theatre’ and how – from their respective student and teacher perspectives - a particular, traumatic, but deliberately staged event in the classroom profoundly changed students’ lives. Trigger warning: this episode contains references to violence, the brutality of settler colonialism, and traumatic indigenous experiences.

In this episode, we talk to Professor Jason Lodge (Educational Psychology and Deputy Associate Dean [Academic] in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at The University of Queensland). Jason shares his way of allowing students to use AI as part of their essay writing which, in combination with the ‘show me your working’ concept, facilitates student learning.