Annual reports

2020 marked ITaLI’s sixth year of operation. It was a successful year of partnership with schools and faculties, to consolidate the eminence of teaching at UQ and ensure that UQ is a world leader in an enriched student experience. It was also a year of changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, necessitating a new way of thinking about teaching and learning, as well as assessment.

By December 2020, UQ had 334 Higher Education Academy Fellows, many awarded in association with our expanded and articulated professional learning programs. In 2020, more than 1250 staff participated in these programs and workshops, and 695 attendees took part in our Teaching and Learning Reimagined event. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic there were a large number of newly created workshops offered to staff to assist them in the transition to online and blended learning which had very positive reception and attendance.

UQ’s digital capabilities have continued to progress, with a shift in emphasis to the release of four MicroMasters® programs by the UQx team. Our UQ2U active and blended learning team has worked with over 100 academics to redevelop another 31 courses (bringing the total to 48) and ITaLI is very appreciative of the innovative spirit of these early adopters. Our learning analytics capacity has also grown with widespread availability of the Course Insights dashboard, another facet of UQ’s emerging Digital Learning Capability Roadmap.

Our staff are leaders in higher education pedagogy, learning analytics and academic integrity – evidenced by 17 peer-reviewed publications from ITaLI scholars. We continue to offer a varied Professional Learning program and bespoke workshops, together with a vibrant Community of Practice (CoP) series. This year has also seen new authorship software, a CoP and the development of Academic Integrity Modules (AIM).

We have reached milestones with the Teaching and Learning Plan, Professional Learning Plan and the Learning Space Roadmap, as well as in the eAssessment, shorter form credentials, entrepreneurial education and peer observation of teaching projects. All of ITaLI’s work has provided rich data for high-quality scholarship, much of which has been co-authored with colleagues across UQ. ITaLI is also partnering with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Unit to progress the work of Indigenising the curriculum.