All the Bright Lights: Living and learning with a disability

Abby Himashi Jayasuriya is a PhD student at UNSW, specialising in ethnomusicology. She was born in Australia after her parents migrated from Sri Lanka and was soon diagnosed with a visual impairment called retinitis pigmentosa. She overcame many difficulties with perseverance and a strong dependence on technology. One of her missions in life is to develop mastery over her devices and to share this knowledge with others when possible. She was therefore very pleased when invited to join the PVC(E)’s Students as Partners project last May. Her role was to audit online courses in accordance with accessibility requirements of visually impaired students. Her collaboration with Nicole Saintilan and Emily Chandler has sparked some awareness of existing issues and methods of creating accessible content.

Stream A: Students’ collective intelligence enriching education

Technology plays a vital role in making student learning experiences seamless and efficient. Student partners working with the UNSW Educational Technology Services team have been involved in a number of innovative projects such as the Teaching Gateway redesign and the annual Moodle upgrade, bringing in their unique skills and perspectives. They will share their experiences working with the team and their newfound appreciation for the various educational technologies utilised in our courses.

Mahika Suri – School of Computer Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Jason Soehendra – School of Economics, Business School
Paritosh Ursekar – Faculty of Art & Design
Sumeet Pachpatil – Faculty of Art & Design
Location: Leighton Hall

Stream B: Student skills in design thinking

Design Thinking has transformed from being a guiding process for designers to a key philosophy in most businesses. Ensuring that products and services enrich customer’s experiences, the methodology can be just as impactful in the University community. Student partners from the Faculty of Art and Design will discuss how human-centred design principles guide research that helps empathise with students’ perspectives.

Vidushi Singh – Faculty of Art and Design
Shruti Naik – Faculty of Art and Design
Location: Tyree Room

Stream C: Student practices informing existing and new career pathways

Student partners from the Faculty of Arts & Social Science, Engineering and Science will discuss how being a part of the Inspired Learning Initiative has broadened their skill set, enriched their university learning experience and influenced their current and future careers within UNSW Sydney and beyond. They will also showcase the resources they have developed using innovative technologies, including GeoGebra simulations and STACK questions, to enhance the student experience, as well as educational outcomes, in diverse courses ranging from biology to business.

Yuxi (Jessie) Chen – School of Education, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Poojan Modi – School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Jeremy Nugent – School of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science
Location: The Galleries (Room1)

Ethical (and acceptable) use of student data to enable the personalisation of learning and to inform the evaluation and improvement of teaching quality, at a time in which controversy about data privacy is prominent in the public discourse.

This panel debate provides an opportunity to collectively challenge our beliefs and preconceptions to articulate core principles that might frame institutional policies on the use of student data in the digital era.