Excellence and Innovation in Education Symposium
The School Education Committee coordinates the annual Excellence and Innovation in Education Symposium. This forum is designed for staff to share their experiences and learn from each other about innovative teaching, learning and assessment strategies. Our Keynote speakers offer insights into different aspects of education and staff from each SPAHC department present on education excellence from their profession specific contexts.
2025 Excellence and Innovation in Education Symposium
The School of Primary and Allied Health Care’s Education Symposium on Thursday 10th July at Peninsula campus brought together educators and health professionals for a dynamic day of knowledge exchange, innovation, and collaboration centered around the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in health education.
The event commenced with a warm welcome address from Professor Cylie Williams and Lisa Murphy, who set the tone for a day of critical discussion around emerging educational technologies and strategies.
This was followed by an inspiring keynote address by Associate Professor Kelli Nicola-Richmond from Deakin University, who explored forward-thinking approaches to teaching and learning in health education, emphasizing adaptability in an evolving digital landscape.
Dr. Helen Gneil, Monash University Registrar, presented next, sharing insights on institutional perspectives and strategic priorities in education, further grounding the day's themes in practical and administrative realities.
After a short morning tea break, the symposium transitioned into a series of departmental presentations, showcasing a diverse range of initiatives exploring the intersection of AI, simulation, and health professional education. Each thematic block concluded with Q&A sessions, fostering rich discussion and interdisciplinary exchange.
Following the lunch break, participants engaged in an interactive Google NotebookLM Workshop, facilitated by Cristian Cortes and Kerrie Stubblety,Senior Advisors for Learning and Teaching in the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education)'s portfolio. This hands-on session introduced educators to Google’s AI-powered research assistant, NotebookLM, emphasizing evidence-based learning design. Participants explored its core features, considered ethical and security implications, and worked through practical use cases for both teaching and student learning.
The symposium successfully showcased the innovative efforts of departments across the School of Primary and Allied Health Care. With AI emerging as a transformative force in education, the event highlighted both the opportunities and responsibilities facing health educators.
View the symposium google site
2024 Excellence and Innovation in Education Symposium
For 2024, the theme was ‘Embracing diversity in Education’ and we were very excited to have Fiona Marshall, Director, Equity Diversity and Inclusion, Portfolio of the DVC-E delivering the keynote address, speaking to the Monash University Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Framework 2022-2030.
This was followed by a robust panel discussion moderated by John McInerney, Senior Lecturer, Medical Imaging & Radiation Sciences and Ally Network member with members of our Monash University community - staff, students and allies.
After morning tea, our Departments had an opportunity to showcase innovations and educational excellence in their fields.
Dana Bui, Educational Designer, FMNHS led a facilitated discussion group through the afternoon.
View the symposium agenda and linked presentations
2023 Excellence and Innovation in Education Symposium
The 2023 Symposium titled ‘Education Excellence: Building Thriving Communities’ was held in The Seahorse at the Peninsula campus on Wednesday 12th July. The event, hosted by SPAHC Director of Education A/Prof Caroline Wright with support by School Education Committee members Lisa Murphy (Occupational Therapy), Marcelo Maghidman (Social Work), Malia Ho (Podiatric Medicine) and Emily Berlouis (administration). The symposium was attended by over 60 Monash University staff and industry partners.
Professor Wayne Hodgson’s overview of the Sub-Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor Claire Palermo’s update on Faculty Education were very informative and well received.
Robyn Newitt’s keynote address on the topic of Cultural Safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Clients/Patients: Preparing students for Culturally Safe Practice set the tone of the day and flowed on to the afternoon workshop with co-host Dr Kat Nelligan.
The presentations from each department within SPAHC were engaging and inspiring, showcasing the incredible accomplishments of our staff and the communities they work with. Another highlight of the day was the 2022 Education Grant Recipient presentations. The presenters managed to encapsulate their projects into a short presentation followed by question time.
All in all the event received very positive feedback and planning for the 2024 Symposium is already underway.
View the symposium agenda (PDF, 0.37 MB)
2022 Excellence in Education Symposium
On July 14th the SPAHC Excellence and Innovation in Education Symposium was held at the Peninsula campus. This was the first opportunity in a while for staff to get together on campus and via zoom to share examples of their curriculum innovations. The keynote presentation from Prof Wayne Hodgson provided an insight into the challenges for higher education at a national and a university level, and Prof Claire Palermo, shared with us her vision for integration of authentic assessment into curricula. We had a series of great presentations from the SPAHC courses, which highlighted innovation in student support and cultural safety learning using iSAP, simulation, online objective structured clinical assessments, creation of a human library, teaching with Tik Tok and students as simulated patients. The workshops on academic integrity and work integrated learning, as well as Moodle provided the opportunity to learn and share ideas. I would like to thank everyone who participated in the symposium and the SPAHC Education Symposium Organising Group (academics and professional staff), as well as Prof Terry Haines for his support of the event.