A year of UNSW Teaching Commons: a sanctuary for educators at the heart of campus
Published 15 October 2024 | By Apple Davalos
In September 2023, UNSW launched the Teaching Commons—a space with a big vision: to support, connect, and inspire its educators and the entire Learning & Teaching community. One year later, this once-empty venue has blossomed into a thriving hub where academic and professional education staff gather for professional growth and peer collaboration.
“We wanted a place where people could go if they didn’t know where else to turn for teaching support,”
says Dr Alex Bannigan, Head, Academic Development & Engagement. Alex was one of the many people instrumental in bringing the space to life, along with teams from the Pro Vice-Chancellor Education portfolio and other key UNSW leaders. The Teaching Commons has since evolved into much more, encouraging connections across faculties and creating a welcoming space for both formal events and casual meetups
A space for collaboration and innovation
The Teaching Commons was designed to bridge a gap often seen in universities: educators needing a central, supportive place to turn for advice and professional development. The vision was for a collaborative space where educators could share their own teaching experiences and knowledge. It wasn’t just about having a physical location but creating a community where UNSW colleagues felt they belonged.
Key to this was the Education Focussed (EF) network, a group that immediately helped breathe life into the Teaching Commons.
"The EF program gave us an existing community that could benefit from the space right away,” Alex says.
It also became the home of the nascent Nexus Program, which comprises EFs and educational developers from across the university. Now, the Teaching Commons has become a magnet for teaching and learning colleagues from all parts of UNSW, fostering cross-faculty and cross-institutional relationships and learning opportunities that didn’t exist before.
