From Idea to Impact: Nexus Conversations

About From Idea to Impact: Nexus Conversations

From Ideas to Impact: Nexus Conversations explores the people, partnerships and practices shaping higher education. Through conversations with educators, researchers, professional staff and sector leaders, we uncover how ideas become meaningful impact through leadership, collaboration and educational innovation. This podcast series is proudly supported by the Nexus Program at UNSW.

Publisher

UNSW Nexus

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

30 Jul 2026

Latest episode

4 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

9 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   4 Nov 2026

   Students as Partners: Rethinking Student Wellbeing and Belonging

   What changes when students are invited not just to give feedback, but to help shape their own learning experiences? Student wellbeing is influenced by relationships, belonging, agency and whether students feel their voices and contributions genuinely matter. In this episode of From Idea to Impact: Nexus Conversations, Gee Chong Ling, Lana Xu and Scott Shaner join Christina Byun to explore the connections between student partnership, belonging and wellbeing. Drawing on Lana's experience as a student partner, Gee's approach to student-led initiatives, and Scott's work on fostering belonging in large courses, they discuss how meaningful partnership can strengthen connection, autonomy and student engagement. The conversation also considers the challenges of making partnership inclusive and accessible, supporting staff and student wellbeing, and maintaining student agency during educational change. The episode leaves us with a question: What could we change in our educational practice to help students feel heard, valued and empowered to contribute? Continue the conversation Deeper student–teacher partnership in 5 steps: Adopting a design thinking approach to foster community building and personal development Research by Melody Li, Gee Chong Ling and Kristin Turnbull exploring a five-step approach to meaningful student–teacher partnership, co-design and community building. https://doi.org/10.14742/apubs.2023.496 (https://doi.org/10.14742/apubs.2023.496) UNSW Student Partner Program Explore how students and educators can collaborate during a teaching term to exchange feedback, identify challenges and improve learning experiences in real time. Student Partner Program | UNSW Staff Teaching Gateway (https://www.teaching.unsw.edu.au/about-teaching/students-as-partners/student-partner-program) Building relatedness and belonging: Practical examples at course and program levels Explore UNSW examples of strengthening student–student and student–educator connections through curriculum and teaching practices. Building relatedness and belonging – practical examples at course and program levels | UNSW Staff Te… (https://www.teaching.unsw.edu.au/healthyuni-main/belonging-examples) Empowering student partners for educational impact — Gee Chong Ling and Melody Li A UNSW Connections seminar exploring how student partnership can support student voice, engagement, co-design and community building. Recording and slides are available to UNSW staff. Empowering student partners for educational impact (https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/news-events/events/empowering-student-partners)

2. 

   20 Oct 2026

   Oral Assessment and the Bigger Assessment Question

   Generative AI has accelerated conversations about assessment, but what if the more important question is not how to make assessment more secure, but what evidence of learning we actually need? In this episode, Silas Taylor, May Lim and Colin Priest join Diana Turnip to explore what oral assessment can reveal about student capability across medicine, engineering and business. They discuss reasoning, professional judgement and communication, alongside the practical challenges of scale, standardisation, fairness, technology and preparing students for oral assessment. The conversation also asks where oral assessment does not belong and why no assessment format is automatically more authentic or valid. Ultimately, the discussion moves beyond oral assessment to a broader principle: design assessment around the capabilities we want students to demonstrate, then choose the method that provides credible evidence of those capabilities. Continue the conversation The return of conversation: Communication, performance and the future of university assessment (Silas Taylor) A broader reflection on communication, capability and what assessment should make visible. https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/return-conversation-communication-performance-and-future-university-assessment (https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/return-conversation-communication-performance-and-future-university-assessment?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Mark my words: Lessons learnt from a Nexus oral assessment redesign project (May Lim) Practical lessons from redesigning and implementing oral assessment. https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/news-events/events/oral-assessment-redesign (https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/news-events/events/oral-assessment-redesign?utm_source=chatgpt.com) What Are We Asking For? A Functional Typology of Questions in Artefact-Anchored Oral Defence (Colin Priest) A scholarly exploration of the kinds of questions used in oral defence and what they are designed to elicit. https://doi.org/10.35542/osf.io/bxnhz_v1 (https://doi.org/10.35542/osf.io/bxnhz_v1) The spark of collaboration: connecting expertise for institutional impact How cross-disciplinary collaboration around oral assessment developed through Nexus, and what it revealed about implementation at institutional scale. https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/news-events/news/spark-collaboration-connecting-expertise-institutional-impact (https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/news-events/news/spark-collaboration-connecting-expertise-institutional-impact?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

3. 

   12 Oct 2026

   Learning With AI, Not From AI: The RECESS Model

   How can students use generative AI to enhance their learning without offloading the learning itself? In this episode, Dr Andrew Dymock, Nexus Fellow and Senior Lecturer at UNSW Business School, joins Dr Chris Campbell to share the story behind the RECESS model, developed to support students to use GenAI critically, responsibly and ethically. Andrew reflects on how the model emerged from a real assessment challenge, how it has evolved through teaching and collaboration, and how its underlying principles have travelled across disciplines, professional development and beyond the university. The conversation explores AI literacy, critical evaluation and verification, and why students need a strong foundation of knowledge before they can effectively judge what AI produces. At the centre of the conversation is a simple challenge: how do we help students use AI to enhance their understanding, rather than outsource their learning? Continue the conversation RECESS model: Examples of AI in learning and teaching See Andrew Dymock explain how the RECESS model can support systematic and critical use of GenAI with students. https://www.teaching.unsw.edu.au/ai/examples (https://www.teaching.unsw.edu.au/ai/examples?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Solving AI challenges in teaching: Analysing AI outputs critically Explore UNSW resources on critical use of AI in teaching, including Andrew's RECESS model and approaches to assessment design. https://www.teaching.unsw.edu.au/solving-ai-challenges (https://www.teaching.unsw.edu.au/solving-ai-challenges?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Responsible use of AI, the RECESS Model and the Feedback Model Learn more about how RECESS supports students to develop sufficient understanding to evaluate AI output and use GenAI responsibly in learning and assessment. https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/news-events/events/responsible-ai-recess-feedback-model (https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/news-events/events/responsible-ai-recess-feedback-model?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Nexus Program at UNSW The Nexus Program | Education & Student Experience - UNSW Sydney (https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/teaching/nexus-program)

4. 

   30 Sept 2026

   Beyond accessibility: Universal Design for Learning in practice

   Universal Design for Learning is often mistaken for an accessibility checklist or a single design meant to fit everyone. In this episode, Morgan Harris is joined by Mariana Rodriguez, Julie Chinnery, Mike Bogle, Emina Abroon and Lou Cardinale to explore what UDL looks like when it becomes everyday educational practice. The conversation moves from learner variability, identity and belonging to disciplinary and institutional barriers, the work of the UNSW UDL Guild, and the role of small, iterative changes in making inclusive design sustainable. It also considers how generative AI may support some of the design work without replacing human judgement. At its core, the conversation asks what changes when we locate barriers in the learning environment rather than the learner, while maintaining academic challenge and giving more students a genuine chance to succeed. Continue the conversation UNSW Universal Design for Learning (UDL) 3.0 – Staff Teaching Gateway — Practical UNSW guidance on UDL 3.0, learner variability, inclusive design and the UNSW UDL Guild. https://www.teaching.unsw.edu.au/universal-design-learning-udl (https://www.teaching.unsw.edu.au/universal-design-learning-udl) Universal Design for Learning – UNSW Equity, Diversity & Inclusion — An overview of UDL at UNSW and links to practical teaching resources. https://www.unsw.edu.au/edi/diversity-inclusion/disability-inclusion/universal-design-learning (https://www.unsw.edu.au/edi/diversity-inclusion/disability-inclusion/universal-design-learning) UNSW UDL Guild: New initiative champions inclusive education at UNSW — Read more about the Guild, its community-led approach and practical work to embed inclusive design. New initiative champions inclusive education at UNSW (https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2025/11/new-initiative-champions-inclusive-education-at-UNSW) CAST Universal Design for Learning Guidelines 3.0 — Explore the current UDL Guidelines, including multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/ (https://udlguidelines.cast.org/) Australian Universities Accord Final Report — The national higher education reform context referenced in the conversation. https://www.education.gov.au/australian-universities-accord/resources/final-report (https://www.education.gov.au/australian-universities-accord/resources/final-report) Tiny Experiments – Anne-Laure Le Cunff — The book referenced in the closing discussion on using an experimental mindset and learning from small iterations. Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff • Ness Labs (https://nesslabs.com/book)

5. 

   17 Sept 2026

   Educational change & the university: Why was Nexus created?

   What does it take to create educational change across a large university? In this episode, Emeritus Professor Louise Lutze-Mann, one of the key originators of the Nexus Program, and Samadhi Driscoll, inaugural Program Lead of the Nexus Program, join Sharon Aris to explore why Nexus was created and how an ambitious idea for university-wide educational change became a functioning program. They reflect on the conditions that gave rise to Nexus, the challenges of building something without an existing template, and what they learned about stakeholder engagement, collaboration, capability and institutional infrastructure along the way. Looking back, they also consider what they would do differently and what lasting educational change requires when the institution, and the problems it is trying to solve, continue to evolve. Continue the conversation Nexus Program at UNSW Learn more about the Nexus Program and its approach to educational innovation and capability development. https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/teaching/nexus-program (https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/teaching/nexus-program) Nexus Innovation Incubator Read about the Innovation Incubator, how it brings together educators working on educational challenges across disciplines, and its expansion. https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/news-events/news/innovation-incubator-2025-expansion-plans (https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/news-events/news/innovation-incubator-2025-expansion-plans) Education Focused Careers at UNSW Learn more about UNSW's Education Focused academic community and career pathway. https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/teaching/education-focussed-careers (https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/teaching/education-focussed-careers)

6. 

   28 Aug 2026

   AI, Rubrics and Human Judgement: The Story Behind the AI Rubric Project

   Episode description How can AI support better assessment design while keeping academic judgement at the centre? Dr Cherie Lucas, Associate Professor Mark Ian Jones and Dr Chris Campbell share the story behind the AI Rubric Project, developed with collaborator Dr Helena Pacitti through the Nexus Program at UNSW. They discuss how multidisciplinary collaboration shaped the project, what they learned through taking it into practice, and the role of responsible AI in supporting assessment design. Continue the conversation AI Insider: AI for Rubric Design Explore the practical approach to using GenAI to support rubric design. https://www.inside.unsw.edu.au/education/ai-insider-ai-rubric-design (https://www.inside.unsw.edu.au/education/ai-insider-ai-rubric-design?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Ethical Use of GenAI in Designing Rubrics Read more about the project and its approach to responsible and ethical use of GenAI in assessment design. https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/news-events/news/ethical-use-gen-ai-designing-rubrics (https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/news-events/news/ethical-use-gen-ai-designing-rubrics) Nexus Program at UNSW Learn more about the Nexus Program and its work in educational innovation. https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/teaching/nexus-program (https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/teaching/nexus-program)

7. 

   18 Aug 2026

   What changed our thinking? Voices from HERDSA 2026

   This episode brings together voices from across higher education reflecting on one question: What conversation, session or encounter changed your thinking? From systems thinking and student partnership to cross-disciplinary learning and AI, Chris Campbell and Diana Saragi Turnip explore the ideas people are taking back into their practice, and what it takes to move from an interesting conversation to meaningful impact. The conference conversations were recorded during the HERDSA 2026 conference, with contributions from Gavin Mount, Gee Chong Ling, Steven Davis, May Lim, Sharon Aris, Patsie Polly, Anita Heywood, Kalli Spencer, Silas Taylor, Rita Prestigiacamo and Tahmina Akhter. Continue the conversations Learn more about HERDSA and its higher education community: https://herdsa.org.au (https://herdsa.org.au/)

8. 

   30 Jul 2026

   Introducing: Nexus Conversations

   How do you create meaningful change in a large, complex university? This trailer introduces From Ideas to Impact: Nexus Conversations, a podcast exploring the people, partnerships and practices behind educational innovation and institutional change.

9. 

   30 Jul 2026

   What is Nexus Today? with Patsie Polly

   Episode description Professor Patsie Polly, Director of the Nexus Program and Professor of Pathology at UNSW, shares her perspective on educational leadership, innovation and institutional change. From her journey as a scientist to leading one of UNSW's most ambitious educational initiatives, Patsie reflects on what Nexus is today, why relationships matter in creating lasting impact, and how communities of practice can transform learning and teaching across a university. Continue the Conversation Nexus Program Learn more about the Nexus Program and its work supporting educational innovation across UNSW. https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/teaching/nexus-program (https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/teaching/nexus-program) UNSW Scientia Education Academy Learn about the Academy and its work in advancing educational leadership and excellence. https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/teaching/scientia-education-academy (https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/teaching/scientia-education-academy) Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Explore support and resources for engaging in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/teaching/developing-teaching/sotl-support (https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/teaching/developing-teaching/sotl-support) Educational Innovation at UNSW Discover educational innovation projects and initiatives across the university. https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/tags/educational-innovation (https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/tags/educational-innovation) Education Focused Careers Learn more about education-focused academic careers and the UNSW Education Focused network. https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/teaching/education-focussed-careers (https://www.education.unsw.edu.au/teaching/education-focussed-careers)

Contact From Idea to Impact: Nexus Conversations

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.