The Pro Vice-Chancellor Education & Student Experience (PVCESE) Innovation Pillar has launched a new Innovation Partner model designed to improve cross-collaboration and engagement with colleagues in faculties and divisions in the areas of educational technology and innovation. This new model plays a key role in implementing the Education & Student Experience Strategy that supports the UNSW 2025 strategic priorities.
The model operates with an assigned Innovation Partner for each faculty and selected divisions. The designated Innovation Partner will be the conduit to understanding their faculty’s unique needs and challenges while supporting them with central resources available in PVCESE. Overall, the main aim is to encourage innovation in education to create exciting, engaging, and personalised student experiences.
"Innovation Partners are a key part of the recently released PVCESE strategy around listening, challenging and supporting. We recognise that a lot of great educational innovation happens in local teams. A partner model allows us to share great ideas, and support and grow initiatives with the most potential to improve the experience of students and staff across the university,” says Associate Professor Simon McIntyre, Director of Educational Innovation.
To date, Innovation Partners have already established regular meetings with faculty education support teams and others in the education innovation space to streamline how they interact with faculties and divisions. This has been particularly important given the significant changes to the higher education landscape that have occurred over these past two years, both at the micro level and more broadly.
The initial outreach has revealed several common themes in what faculties and divisions are seeking from the PVCESE Innovation Pillar. These include:
- More regular updates from the PVCESE Innovation Pillar and the ability to share what is happening in faculties for greater collaboration
- Greater clarity around what support is available for educational innovations from the Innovation Pillar
- Greater guidance around key areas related to educational innovation (e.g., hybrid teaching)
- Greater involvement at the early stages of PVCESE education technology and Innovation Pillar projects and initiatives
These have been addressed in the September Innovation Partners update on the PVCESE Innovation Pillar SharePoint site, which also houses the latest information on current initiatives, their progress, and available services.
For more information on the Innovation Partner model, please contact Lead Innovation Partner, Amanda Yeung or reach out to your nominated Innovation Partner.