TeachWell Digital: 2025 retrospective
26 November 2025Kia ora koutou,
It has been gratifying to see the Learning and Teaching Design Team, Ranga Auaha Ako build on the great work of previous years as we collaborate with colleagues across the University to drive excellence in learning and teaching practice.
Our Professional Learning programme, established in 2024, has grown in breadth and depth and this year included the launch of Teaching Well, a two-day session exploring the foundations of learning and teaching, aimed at academics new to teaching.
Another highlight of the programme featured a masterclass and webinars led by the acclaimed international expert, Barbara Oakley, exploring the science of learning. Both initiatives were well attended and attracted excellent feedback.
This year we have continued to expand and refine our services, with the TeachWell Consult service gaining in popularity, our processes around faculty project choices refined to ensure greater alignment and impact, and streamlining our support for academic staff with their learning and teaching design needs. TeachWell Digital continues to go from strength to strength, impressing professionals here and beyond our borders, alike.
We look forward to an exciting start to 2026 with TeachWell Symposium in February featuring Emeritus Professor Ronald Barnett as keynote speaker, followed by a panel of distinguished thinkers, researchers and industry specialists exploring how education can reclaim its human-centered purpose in an era of rapid technological, social, and environmental change.
Continued at the bottom of the page …
Scaling academic capability
Professional Learning Series
The flagship professional learning programme is Teaching Well: Foundations of Learning and Teaching. Refreshed to align with the University’s TeachWell Framework, the programme introduces academic staff to learning and teaching practices and policies at our university and is delivered in person over two-days. In 2025, we saw 62 completions. Kudos to you all.
And we have delivered a series of professional learning self-paced sessions to suit our university context, plus numerous curated resources that resonate with us from peer institutions across the globe.
AI 101
“I found several concepts introduced in the workshop, such as feedback literacy and transparent learning, to be both interesting and helpful. The tools like NotebookLM and Gemini are incredibly powerful, and I plan to incorporate them into my own learning and work.” — feedback from staff
Foundations of learning and teaching
“Thank you, the two days with you were very enriching and confidence-building for me. I was able to connect to my previous wealth of knowledge and experience, which I almost forgot about. It was amazing to be in a group of wonderful and motivated people.” — feedback from staff
Engagement in the Professional Learning Series
Popular among the self-paced sessions are:
* Numbers represent the active user visits throughout 2025.
- AI 101
- Canvas accessibility
- Assessment for learning
- Teaching 101
- Teaching for GTAs
- Course design
- Reflecting on practice
TeachWell Consult
Shoulder-to-shoulder support for all aspects of teaching
Our learning designers and technologists work closely with teachers from all faculties, offering up to three hours of one-on-one support for designing assessments in context with generative AI, structuring course modules, applying blended learning strategies, embedding Canvas Baseline Practices, engaging with learning technologies, and more.
204 consultations were completed in 2025 and a further 52 are in progress.
Learning technologies support
We have also facilitated 68 workshops throughout the year in the genre of learning technologies for teaching. Topics covered: generative AI in education and writing effective prompts, Canvas (essentials, content design and accessibility, designing assessment tasks, marking and grading), Lucid collaborative charts, Ed Discussion, and H5P interactive content.
Consultations overview
Learning technologies support
We have also facilitated 68 workshops throughout the year in the genre of learning technologies for teaching. Topics covered: generative AI in education and writing effective prompts, Canvas (essentials, content design and accessibility, designing assessment tasks, marking and grading), Lucid collaborative charts, Ed Discussion, and H5P interactive content.
Arts and Education (51)
Engineering and Design (39)
Business School (27)
Science (26)
Medical and Health Sciences (22)
Law (15)
Other (24)
International connections
Learning How to Learn: A masterclass with Professor Barbara Oakley and Dr Michael Johnston
In April 2025, we were privileged to receive world-leading learning science expert, Barbara Oakley, and New Zealand education researcher Michael Johnston for a sold-out masterclass and workshop series exploring how we learn and how AI can support university teaching.
The masterclass brought together over 170 staff (74 in-person and 96 via livestream) underscoring the strong appetite for evidence-based insights into learning, teaching, and educational innovation.
Feedback from staff was extremely positive. Participants described the sessions as engaging and relevant, highlighting the value of learning directly from world-leading experts in cognitive science.
“The session I attended yesterday, presented by Barbara Oakley and Michael Johnston, was outstanding—both highly engaging and deeply relevant for our academic community. […] It would be wonderful if the Learning and Teaching Design Centre [sic] could continue to host internationally recognised speakers on a regular basis. Events like this have a real impact and contribute meaningfully to the quality of teaching and learning at UoA.” — Professor Tanya Evans, Faculty of Science
The Future of Higher Education: Dystopia, Utopia or Re-Humanizing Hopefulness — OR all three?
In February 2026, we are delighted to host Professor Ronald Barnett, who is Emeritus Professor of Higher Education at University College London and a leading voice in the philosophy of higher education. His keynote speech at our annual symposium will explore the modern interpretation of higher education, the role of industry and governments in driving the focus towards a skills-based economy, and what the future may hold in an increasingly challenging educational environment.
See also
Award recipients, 2025
‘Change One Thing’ grants celebrate the power of small changes
Congratulations to the twenty-nine recipients of the Change One Thing Challenge for 2025. Each applicant received $1,000 towards their professional development for demonstrating how small changes (already implemented) have made a difference in their teaching practice.
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grants integrate teaching, learning and research
Our annual SoTL Grants received 28 applications this year. Comparing the numbers over the last three years, almost 3/4 of all applicants are awarded funding to bring their enhancement of student learning aspirations to life.
Teaching Excellence Awards recognise the value of teaching excellence
This year’s TEA round included an additional category—Outstanding Service to Teaching and Learning Environments—bringing the total number of award winners to seven. The categories were:
- Sustained Excellence in Teaching (x3)
- Early Career Excellence in Teaching (x2)
- Leadership in Teaching and Learning
- Outstanding Service to Teaching and Learning Environments
Enhancing the curriculum
Although the Curriculum Transformation Framework (CFT) has moved to ‘business as usual’, the work continues with our learning designers collaborating on faculty projects to deliver the aspirations of the Curriculum Framework and embedding our Signature Pedagogical Practices.
Projects are defined as mid- to large-scale improvements to programmes and courses that typically take up to 12 weeks, or more. Here are the stats:
38 course (re)design projects
Complete (22)
In progress (16)
Subject areas
Science (10)
Transdisciplinary (5)
Engineering & Design (3)
Business (2)
Arts & Education (9)
All others (5)
Medical & Health Sciences (3)
Law (1)
Canvas Baseline Practices: Improving accessibility one audit at a time
Now that Canvas Baseline Practices (CBP) is well understood and embedded within faculties, our learning technologists continue behind the scenes auditing courses—about 25 per semester—to deliver accessibility reports to each associate dean learning & teaching (ADs). These reports enable ADs to focus in ironing out common pitfalls for accessibility of digital course content.
Since the CBP project began in 2022, together we have reduced the issues reported by UDOIT—our accessibility assistant for Canvas—by a massive 50%.
Accessibility issues reduced by 50%
2024
2023
2023
2024
2025
Accessibility issues reduced by 50%
Accessibility issues reduced by 50%
Our motivation
TeachWell Digital continues to provide contributions from our teachers with a further 23 new teaching tips and insights showcasing excellence and innovation in teaching. We have introduced guidance on the Two-Lane Approach to assessment, inclusive course design, and the Semester Timeline. Additions to learning and teaching technologies include Gemini & NotebookLM, and Lucid for Education. Another recent improvement is the Search Assistant provided by Digital Services. The tool provides an Ai-driven method of locating information across the University’s web ecosystem.
With 67K active users between 1 January – 21 November 2025, our audience has grown 60% compared with the same period last year. Here is a snapshot of the top content that you are engaging with:
active users
active users
active users
per week
in 2025
newsletter
active users
active users
active users
Learning Futures CoI
Learning Futures CoI
Google AI Essentials course
I wish to thank the UoA community, in particular senior leadership, the Deans, the Associate Deans Learning and Teaching, and Academic, Assessment Services, product owners, and the Curriculum Development Managers. We value their support.
I look forward to what 2026 brings and, as the year comes to a close, wish you a wonderful festive season.
Ngā mihi,