Event information
The ACSES Trials and Evaluations program invites you to the first Equity Hub Community of Practice (CoP) event for 2026. Our CoP brings student equity colleagues together to provide an opportunity for practitioners to share their lessons learned and best practices in student equity and program evaluation.
This event, to be held online, will include guests from Edith Cowan University and Flinders University who will discuss recent work in evaluation capacity building and learning support, respectively.
Presentation 1 | Edith Cowan University
Meeting people where they’re at — grounding evaluation capacity development for Higher Education equity practitioners in day-to-day activities and needs.
In this session, the Edith Cowan University ACSES Capacity Building Grant project team will share key insights and adaptations of the activities and outputs developed through ongoing engagement with equity service areas. We will show how we applied a pragmatic focus on increasing the usefulness of evaluation resources for time-stretched, diverse teams through a personas-based approach, which enable users to access and engage with evaluation approaches and tools to fit their specific needs.
Presenters
Elle Beaumont-Bilsby is the Project Manager, Employability at Edith Cowan University (ECU) and has been working in digital and interactive media since the early web. Through learning, unlearning, adapting and breaking tools/rules, Elle has learned ways to create meaningful, valuable and persuasive human connections using design practices that are informed by user research and digital engagement data.
Elle’s work in the Centre for Employability involves collaborating across disciplines, service areas, and diverse student cohorts at ECU to find ways to increase student agency. At the heart of this work has been a commitment to impactful, pragmatic initiatives that are inclusive of diverse lived experiences and service modalities to support inclusive employability.
You can connect with Elle on LinkedIn.
Liam Downing is an evaluation specialist whose work sits at the intersection of capacity building, equity, and evidence-informed practice in higher education. With an 18+ year background spanning university equity programs, government and applied evaluation research, he has played a significant role in strengthening the sector’s ability to meaningfully assess and improve outcomes for under-represented student groups. His scholarship – including The Emerging Equity Evaluation Landscape in Higher Education – has helped shape national conversations about how institutions evaluate the impact of widening participation initiatives, particularly those funded through the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP).
Across roles at Charles Sturt University and in national equity research projects, Liam has contributed to major studies examining the experiences of students from low socioeconomic, regional, and disability backgrounds, helping institutions better understand structural barriers and design more responsive support systems. His work emphasises embedding evaluative thinking into program design and management, enabling teams to build sustainable internal evaluation capability rather than relying solely on external expertise.
You can connect with Liam on LinkedIn.
Presentation 2 | Flinders University
Building Learner Engagement at Flinders University
This presentation describes Flinders University’s 2024 HEPPP initiatives Case Study that was designed to enhance learner engagement and academic attainment for students from regional, rural, and remote (RRR) backgrounds.
Led by the Student Learning Support Service (SLSS), the approach is grounded in an embedded, equity‑focused model that supplements existing on‑demand academic support. Two initiatives are highlighted: the Post‑Enrolment Language and Learning Assessment (PELLA), an early‑intervention strategy embedded within curriculum to provide personalised feedback and targeted support, and the Online Learning Lounge, which extends access to academic skills assistance through virtual drop‑in sessions with expanded hours.
Service data indicated increasing engagement from RRR students, demonstrating improved reach and accessibility, while highlighting the need for further evaluation of impact on retention and progression outcomes. The project describes how these initiatives were iterated in 2025 including generative artificial intelligent agents (Learning Buddies) and further developments being rolled out in 2026 after a series of design thinking workshops with student and disciplinary academics.
Presenter
Professor Michelle Picard serves as Pro Vice Chancellor Learning and Teaching Innovation at Flinders University. She leads a portfolio which encompasses enabling/Fee-fee Uni-ready Programs, Student Learning Support, Learning Design, Learning Technologies, Academic Development and Professional Learning for academic staff. Her research interests encompass equity in higher education, academic literacies and blended and online learning.
Dr Kung-Keat Teoh serves as a Senior Academic Language and Learning (ALL) Academic Teaching Specialist within the Student Learning Support Service at Flinders University. His research interests encompass student support and equity, academic support for online studies, artificial intelligence in tertiary education, human-computer interaction, augmented reality learning systems, and natural language processing. He has authored scholarly publications on topics including interactive chatbots and the development of multimedia educational resources.
Ms Melanie Worrall serves as Senior Manager Learning and Teaching Innovation at Flinders University. Melanie leads staff across the portfolio to deliver learning and teaching programs and services. Her deep experience in learning design, the VET and higher education sectors supports her leadership of projects drawing on principles of design thinking and student/staff partnerships. Melanie has a research interest in and has published on equity and inclusion.
