Change One Thing Challenge | TeachWell Digital

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Change One Thing Challenge

The Change One Thing Challenge celebrates the power of small changes.

Do you have a great idea that has improved student learning?

If so, you are invited to participate in the Change One Thing Challenge, inspired by Dalhousie University. This is a low-risk, high-reward opportunity to showcase your innovation and receive a grant for your professional development.

Join us in shaping the future of education—one change at a time.

View the gallery of grant recipients.

“And that is how change happens. One gesture.
One person. One moment at a time.”
— Libba Bray

Dr Abhinaw Sai Erri Pradeep

introduced an ‘improvement pledge’ in postgraduate engineering course

Richelle Hewin

crafted a novel approach to enhance business communication among non-native English speakers.

Associate Professor David Moreau

created dynamic, interactive visualisations to demystify statistical concepts for psychology students.

Associate Professor Marian Macken

reimagined architectural media by incorporating the body as a measure of space.

Dr Sara Buttsworth

introduced an icebreaker that doubles as a theoretical framework application

Dr Sonia Fonua

emphasised relational learning and active engagement with teamwork and discussion assesments

Dr Subeh Chowdhury

upgraded the transport curriculum with hands-on campus safety projects.

Dr Asma Shakil

incorporated real-world client projects and a public showcase of developed software

Dr Thomas Loho

introduced an assignment that connects theory to daily objects, fostering active learning

Dr Andrea Kolb

creatively used Gen-AI for text-to-image transformation, encouraging practical application and ethical AI usage

Cynthia Orr

enhanced her course by integrating Perusall tasks, making discussions graded and interactive.

Nikki Chamberlain

introduced a practical client consultation exercise, allowing students to experience a realistic setting

Dr Marie-Anne Thelen

crafted an assignment for exchange chemistry students from China aimed at applying New Zealand’s health and safety standards

Dr Priyanka Dhopade

enriched her thermofluids lectures with videos featuring a spectrum of presenters offering students a variety of role models

Kevin Jia

added a practical PowerBI component to his course to develop data visualisation abilities through an interactive dashboard project.

Elizabeth Oliphant, Dr Sara Hanning, Dr Trudi Aspen

introduced an interactive session with university and clinical multidisciplinary staff for pharmacy students

Associate Professor Alys Longley

created an assignment for Dance students to explore their home environment

Dr Igor' Kontorovich

sparked interactive and social engagement in Mathematics

Jayden Houghton

introduced ways to encourage students to engage with course readings

Dr Jesin James

helped her Engineering students become culturally aware

Dr Sonia Fonua

boosted the confidence of Māori and Moana Pacific tutors

Dr Lynne Park

flipped her classroom through social engagement in course readings

Mareike Schmidt

fostered teamwork through technology in her language course

Dr Paramvir Singh

motivated his students with music and song

Dr Pedram Hekmati

introduced 3D modeling to help students visualise complex equations

Dr Rajshri Roy

created the fad diet challenge for fostering collaboration and dynamic learning

Waruna Weerasekera

brought student polling tools into the classroom to enhance engagement

Associate Professor Lokesh Padhye

identified difficult concepts for students and reinforced their learning through video

Dr Yanto Song

developed a module for her students to grasp the correct use of personal protection equipment (PPE)

Dr Elizabeth Peterson

used feedback from tutors to design a workshop that helps boost confidence

Applications for 2025 are closed

What is it?

The Change One Thing Challenge differs from typical seed grants. Instead of starting with an idea and seeking funding, we celebrate the small-scale changes that educators like you have already implemented and that make a difference. It can be anything that enhances student learning or their experience, and that you have developed or implemented in the last two years. Examples could include:

Collaborative assignments and projects
Peer feedback models
Undergraduate research experiences
Service, community, work, or place-based learning
Capstone projects
Experiential or inquiry-based learning
Technology-enhanced engagement, feedback, or assessment

What are the benefits?

Selected submissions receive:

A grant of $1,000 for conferences or professional learning of your choice, e.g., workshops, online courses, conference fees or subscriptions, etc.
Recognition on TeachWell Digital. Your idea may be captured as a case study in teaching for others to learn from.

2025 grant recipients

Celebrating our 29 Change One Thing Challenge 2025 recipients.

Associate Professor Eileen Lueders

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

A 'Hot Seat' activity enhances communication and confidence in psychology seminars

Eileen’s “Hot Seat” activity in 4th-year psychology seminars enhanced communication skills and confidence by having students answer spontaneous questions, creating a supportive and engaging learning environment.

Profile: Eileen Lueders

Dr Nuddy Pillay

BUSINESS SCHOOL

Utilising FeedbackFruits for team-based learning

Nuddy used FeedbackFruits in a Team-Based Learning course to ensure fair recognition of individual efforts through AI-supported peer assessments, improving teamwork skills and fostering constructive feedback.

Profile: Nuddy Pillay

Dr Alex McAuley

FACULTY OF ARTS AND EDUCATION

Providing students with creative choices in Classics and Ancient History

Alex revitalised the Classical Tragedy course with creative assignments, allowing students to choose various formats, fostering engagement and personalised learning, and replacing traditional exams.

Profile: Alex McAuley

Blair Sowman

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

Improving lab inductions with AI-generated video

Blair modernised lab inductions with AI-generated videos covering safety and equipment usage, including interactive quizzes, enhancing engagement and knowledge retention.

Profile: Blair Sowman

Selena Donaldson

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

Hands-on experience in speech language therapy

Selena relocated a weekly clinic to an aged care setting, providing Speech Language Therapy students with hands-on experience and enhancing their understanding and confidence in real-life environments.

Profile: Selena Donaldson

Dr Pippa Bresser

FACULTY OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES

Bringing a 'sales pitch' session to medical imaging

Pippa transformed a Medical Imaging course exercise into a brainstorming and ‘sales pitch’ session using AI-generated images, encouraging creativity and collaboration.

Profile: Pippa Bresser

Dr Judy Thomas

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

Introducing movement-based activities in tutorials

Judy introduced movement-based activities in tutorials, such as “Game, Set, Match” and “Think, Pair, Walk, and Share,” to reduce sitting time and increase engagement and active learning.

Profile: Judy Thomas

Dr Minh Kieu

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND DESIGN

Enriching data analytics skills in Civil Engineering

Minh enriched Civil Engineering courses with individualised datasets and AI tutoring, fostering authentic problem-solving and improving data analytics skills.

Profile: Minh Kieu

Dr Andrew Hall

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND DESIGN

Bringing acoustics to life with hands-on experiences

Andrew enhanced the Acoustics for Engineers course with live interactive lab demonstrations, helping students understand real-world applications of theoretical concepts.

Profile: Andrew Hall

Dr Nicole Perry

FACULTY OF ARTS AND EDUCATION

Encouraging creative assessment in a Folktales course

Nicole’s “Interpreting Folktales” course featured a creative assessment where students developed their own folktale characters, enhancing their understanding of folktales and improving writing skills.

Profile: Nicole Perry

Dr Courtney Ruha

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

Connecting chemistry with practical applications through Gen-AI

Courtney’s project in chemistry courses used AI to design artwork and posters, connecting theoretical knowledge with practical applications and fostering teamwork and research skills.

Profile: Courtney Ruha

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Xin Cheng

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND DESIGN

Promoting hands-on creativity and sustainability in the Design Programme

Xin’s prototyping kit, using locally sourced materials, promotes hands-on creativity and sustainability in the Design Programme, enhancing critical thinking and research skills through collaborative prototyping.

Profile: Xin Cheng

Amanda Di Ienno

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND DESIGN

Improving teamwork in ENGGEN courses

Amanda improved teamwork in the ENGGEN course series with Team Charters, Feedback Fruits evaluations, and Team Debriefs, fostering better team dynamics and conflict resolution.

Profile: Amanda Di Ienno

Dr William Lee and Dr Jesin James

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND DESIGN

Reflection quizzes promote self-regulated learning

William and Jesin introduced non-invigilated post-test reflection quizzes in ELECTENG 101, promoting self-regulated learning and deeper understanding, and improving student engagement.

Profiles: William Lee, Jesin James

Associate Professor Anne Gaskett

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

Diversity and inclusion in zoology education

Anne revamped BIOSCI207 by highlighting the diversity of sex and reproduction, using diverse examples and themed outfits to create an engaging and inclusive learning environment.

Profile: Anne Gaskett

Dr Hazim Namik

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND DESIGN

Innovative Inspera quiz tools for fairer assessments

Hazim improved MECHENG 222 with Inspera’s Numerical Simulation Question Type, providing fairer assessments and better feedback, leading to increased participation and higher scores.

Profile: Hazim Namik

Associate Professor Nawawi Chouw

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND DESIGN

Applying real-life situations and analogies to complex concepts

Nawawi transformed “Structural Dynamics” teaching by using real-life situations and analogies, making complex concepts more relatable and engaging for students.

Profile: Nawawi Chouw

Dr Reza Arjmandi

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND DESIGN

Computational modelling in chemical engineering

Reza enhanced CHEMMAT 205 with computational modelling and live demos, providing valuable tools for solving engineering problems and improving student engagement.

Profile: Reza Arjmandi

Associate Professor Christopher Squire

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

Hands-on poster sessions to engage students

Christopher engaged students in China with interactive poster sessions on drug discovery, fostering active participation and collaboration, and plans to implement this model in first-year biochemistry at UoA.

Profile: Christopher Squire

Dr Udayangi Muthupoltotage

BUSINESS SCHOOL

Enhancing students' technical proficiency and critical thinking with Gen-AI

Udayangi integrated Generative AI into data analytics coursework, enhancing students’ technical proficiency and critical thinking for AI-integrated workplaces.

Profile: Udayangi Muthupoltotage

Dr Chris McMillan

FACULTY OF ARTS AND EDUCATION

Personal learning survey fosters classroom connections

Chris introduced a Personal Learning Survey to foster a collaborative learning environment and enhance student engagement by understanding their backgrounds and learning preferences.

Profile: Chris McMillan

Associate Professor An Hertogen

AUCKLAND LAW SCHOOL

Fostering active learning through written and oral briefings

An transformed the International Economic Regulation course with written and oral briefings, ensuring thorough reading and enhancing presentation skills.

Profile: An Hertogen

Dr Anthony Gampell

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

Bridging classroom learning with real-world sustainability practices

Anthony’s SUSTAIN Citizenship Portfolio bridges classroom learning with real-world sustainability practices, enhancing coursework and developing practical skills.

Profile: Anthony Gampell

Dr Andrea Kolb

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND DESIGN

Enhancing research writing with inquiry-based interventions

Andrea’s initiative equips students with essential research writing skills through an inquiry-based intervention, significantly improving writing performance.

Profile: Andrea Kolb

Dr Kathryn Jones

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

Student engagement grows via an interactive guessing game

Kathryn’s interactive guessing game in her Cellular Regulation course enhanced student engagement, creative thinking, and factual recall.

Profile: Kathryn Jones

Associate Professor Stephanie Budgett and Leila Boyle

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

IOAs to enhance engagement and preserve academic integrity

Stephanie and Leila’s Interactive Oral Assessment in STATS 150 enhanced student engagement and preserved academic integrity, boosting confidence and pass rates.

Profiles: Stephanie Budgett, Leila Boyle

Dr Ofer Marmur

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

Maths lectures enhanced by dual perspectives

Ofer’s method of incorporating both expert and student perspectives in lectures enhanced engagement and understanding of complex mathematical concepts.

Profile: Ofer Marmur

Previous award recipients

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Page updated 30/06/2025 (a minor change to 2025 winner)

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