Welcome to presentations by inspirational speakers delivered as part of the AALL professional development series Connect. Inspire. Share.
Launched in 2020 by AALL-VIC representatives and convenors Elena Verezub and Steve Campitelli, this PD series invites members to:
- Connect – with other AALL members
- Inspire – hear and learn from inspirational speakers about teaching and learning
- Share – discuss and share perspectives on contemporary issues in the field of academic language and learning
Each session features a presentation by an inspirational speaker or a panel of presenters followed by discussion and Q&A.
Connect. Inspire. Share. is convened by AALL Professional Development Committee members, Steve Campitelli, Alice Lee, Sue Gollagher, Huifang Li, Alexandra García, Rachel Barber, Martin McMorrow and Michelle Sowey.
You will find information, video recordings and slides of presentations from CIS Seasons 4, 5 and 6 below.
Click on this link to access Seasons 1-3 of the Connect.Inspire.Share. catalogue.
Season 6 2025
ALL educators facilitate effective teaching and learning in higher education. However, as Third Space Professionals, our qualifications, skills, and experience are not always recognised by our academic colleagues.
Completing a HERDSA (Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia) or an Advance HE (Higher Education Academy, UK) Fellowship can address this issue by helping you to:
- build connections with a community of HE educators
- align your skills with internationally recognised teaching and learning standards
- demonstrate your expertise and commitment to teaching, learning, and student support
- enhance your credibility within your institution and the wider sector.
This session will interest ALL educators who are seeking professional development opportunities. Two guest presenters provide an overview of each Fellowship scheme, and we learn from the experience of our peers who have become Fellows.
[Apology – only the second half of the Fellowships Connect Inspire Share session was recorded due to a misunderstanding in the back end – apologies for this.
The slides are available below and show the presentation notes from the entire presentation.
Steve Campitelli, AALL Professional Development Committee Chair]
Recorded on Wednesday 26 March 2025.
For more on fellowships, please see the follow up to this session on our Talking AALL podcast episode 3. Sue Gollagher from James Cook University speaks to a group of ALL educators who have completed a HERDSA (Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia) or an Advance HE (Higher Education Academy, UK) Fellowship.
This session was a co-presentation from an Australia-based learning advisor, Dr Martin McMorrow, and a Palestinian academic, Dr Ahmed Junina, based in Gaza. Martin introduced Trauma-Informed Education and its key principles: Safety, Trustworthiness, Choice, Collaboration, and Empowerment. Ahmed then gave examples of how his teaching over the last two years has aligned with these principles. There were opportunities for participants to ask questions during the session.
Martin is the learning co-ordinator within Student Success at The University of Notre Dame, Australia. He has previously worked in learning support, ESOL teaching and teacher education in New Zealand, the UK, Brazil, Europe, and Kiribati.
Ahmed is Head of English at Al-Aqsa University, Gaza. He completed his PhD at AUT in Auckland and is also Cambridge CELTA and DELTA qualified. Martin is one of the contributors to a British Council-funded project which Ahmed is leading, in which 60 Palestinian students will create videos in English to tell their stories.
Accessibility in action: Designing and advising on PowerPoint presentations for all learners
Presented by Alice Lee, Team Coordinator, Academic Skills Unit, Centre for Education and Innovation at Australian Catholic University.
As ALL practitioners, we often have to deliver workshops and presentations to students and colleagues using PowerPoint, and also find ourselves at times asked to provide advice on students’ [or academics’] slides. This Connect Inspire Share session explores practical strategies for creating inclusive and effective presentation slides, taking into account diverse learner needs, learning and visual design principles, cognitive load and online accessibility standards. In addition, participants in this session are introduced to online tools and style guides for enhancing accessibility and consider how Artificial Intelligence can assist in the process.
- 5 components of accessible PowerPoint design for synchronous delivery (PDF 102Kb)
- Session Handout with links to resources and articles for further exploration (PDF 81 Kb)
- Accessible PowerPoint design for synchronous delivery (H5P infographic)
The AALL PD Committee is very happy to invite you all to our final Connect. Inspire. Share session for 2025 on Wednesday, 15 October, 1-2pm AEDT (Click here to find the time in your zone)
Our presenter is Dr. Jinqi Xu, author and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney, specialising in interdisciplinary education and inclusive teaching.
In the presentation, Becoming an International Student, Jinqi explores how Chinese learners reshape academic life through practice, contradiction, and quiet transformation. Highlighting student voice and silent becoming, the talk offers inclusive, practice-based insights for academic advisors supporting diverse cohorts. It reframes international learning as a dynamic process shaped by students’ lived experiences and educational difference.
This will be another impactful CIS and we look forward to you all joining us on the day.
This session will be held online on Wednesday 15 October, 2023 from 1.00 – 2.00pm ADST (find the time in my location).
AALL members have received a Zoom link for this session, however if you have not received the link and would like to join the session, please email Steve Campitelli from the AALL PD Committee: cas@unimelb.edu.au
Season 5 2024
Panellists:
Steve Campitelli, Learning Strategist, University of Melbourne
Kirstin Marks, Manager, Academic Learning Support, UniSA
Adam Gall, Learning Success Advisor, Uni of Sydney
Guido Ernst, Manager, Academic Skills Unit, Australian Catholic University
Services across ALL Centres: panel presentation on how services work at a range of universities
Recorded on Wednesday 13 March 2024
Alexandra García, University of Sydney, presents:
Designing discipline-specific ALL workshops.
Recorded on Wednesday 24 April 2024.
Panelists:
Leah Rosales, Team Leader, Learning Advisers, Edith Cowan University
Lyle Cleeland, Senior Learning Advisor and Equity Contact Officer, Centre for Education and Enhancement, James Cook University
Dr Sophie Able, Team Leader, The Writing Centre, Macquarie University
Dr Rebekah Clarkson, Learning Adviser, Student Engagement Unit, University of South Australia
Delivery and pedagogy of 1-1 Academic Skills advising
Recorded on Wednesday 29 May 2024
Download discussion summary and comparison of services provided by each institution (PDF 282 Kb)
Supporting neurodiverse students as an ALL practitioner requires a multifaceted approach that addresses their unique needs and leverages their strengths. This panel brought together experts from five Australian universities to present evidence-based strategies for creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment. The panelists also shared their experiences working one-on-one with neurodiverse students, discussing both successes and challenges.
Panel members:
- Matt Harrison – Senior Lecturer in Learning Intervention, University of Melbourne
- Jessica Riordan – Research Project Leader, University of Melbourne
- Tiana Blazevic – Academic Learning Advisor and Disability Support Project Officer, University of Adelaide
- Kathy French – PASS Program Coordinator, University of Tasmania
- Rebekah Clarkson – Learning Advisor, University of South Australia
- Kevan Jones – Academic Learning Advisor, University of Queensland
Recorded on Wednesday 21 August 2024
Supporting neurodiverse students
Download slides provided by panel members (PDF 2529 Kb)
This compelling CIS session has a panel of five students from universities around Australia representing a range of perspectives on the enablers and barriers to their success in the tertiary context, and also on their intersections with academic language and learning services.
Recorded on Wednesday 9 October 2024
Student panel
Season 4 2023
Professor Rowena Harper, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Education), Edith Cowan University, presents:
AI²: Artificial Intelligence, Academic Integrity and the opportunities for ALL work.
Recorded on Thursday 16 March, 3.30-5.30pm ADST.
John Mahoney, academic lead of ACU’s INSPIRE project, Australian Catholic University, presents:
How do we make better decisions in higher education?
Recorded on Wednesday 3 May, 3.30-5.30pm.
John Mahoney also shared the INSPIRE Evidence Tool as part of this session. Click here to view this external site.
Dr David Rowland from the University of Queensland presents:
AI and Large Language Model use – what insights can come from ALL teams and how do we ensure we are developing and sharing these insights?
Recorded on Wednesday 12 July 2023
Kerry Bond and Michelle Vanderburg from CQ University present:
Using pedagogies that promote disciplinary language acquisition
Recorded on Thursday 14 September 2023
Steven Thurlow of University of Melbourne, presents Creative Collisions: Advising, creativity and academic writing in the age of AI.
Recorded on Thursday 26 October 2023.