CQUniversity academic staff were treated to a series of seminars and workshops on assessment and moderation last week as part of the Office of Learning and Teaching's theme-based activities.

Leading British academics Professor Sally Brown and Professor Phil Race covered topics such as using feedback to inform learning, enhancing student experience, fit for purpose assessments and learning and assessing in large groups, through presentations that aimed to engage and challenge staff, with practical advice and ‘how to' suggestions that staff could apply to their courses.

Lecturer Justine Lawson, Professor Phil Race, Professor Sally Brown and Professor Rob Reed. Professor Brown has co-written or co-edited more than 30 books on learning and teaching and is internationally recognised as an enthusiastic keynote speaker on innovative, down-to-earth approaches to teaching and learning, inclusivity and especially assessment.

Professor Race works on both sides of learning and teaching - working with students to develop their learning skills and with staff to develop their teaching methods. He is particularly interested in assessment design and processes and is keen that both assessment and feedback should play positive and motivating roles in student learning.

The workshops were warmly received by many academics including sociology lecturer Wendy Hillman who found the workshops "stimulating, engaging and informative".

"I learned a lot from both Sally and Phil, especially about assessment and student retention. These are two of my main areas of interest within teaching, as one has a direct bearing on the other."

Course coordinator from the School of Information and Communication Technology Mike O'Malley said the workshops challenged staff to take a fresh look at assessment items including how they mark, teach and support students throughout the process.

He said he now plans to work with students and incorporate various improvements in his assessment strategies.

CQUniversity's Professor Rob Reed said the Office of Learning and Teaching aims to play a key role in enhancing student learning experience by providing targeted professional development for academic staff across the University.

He said by offering collaborative academic development activities and opportunities to engage with leading scholars in learning and teaching, the Office seeks to enable and develop best practice across our learning community.