HEDx

Jason Clare launches a new 2050 Alliance grouping of universities focused on students, communities and the future, HEDx joins them to define AI coalitions in Australia. George Williams ,Chair of the Alliance and its CEO Paul Harris reflect on the launches from Canberra. And ACU Provost Julie Cogin reflects on how AI presents opportunity to dramatically improve retention. This event progresses global universities joining forces to recreate the transformed university model to serve future learners.

Helen Bartlett Vice-Chancellor of University of the Sunshine Coast joins industry partner Yas Nemet of Microsoft and staff and student colleagues, They showcase a best practice example of universities and TAFE working in partnership with employers to provide workplace relevant skills. Described alongside feedback from a learner and teacher, this episode explores new models of how industry engaged learning can serve the needs of an AI era.

Four weeks from the June event saw us visit Melbourne to plan our first AI innovation coalition in Australia. Catching up with partners of 5 years OES and their CEO Jon Davey was followed by visits to Sam Jacob at Collarts and Laura-Anne Bull and Llew Mann at Swinburne. Day 2 saw feedback from Gail Bray of VU and Marcia Devlin on the importance of keeping the human dimension in these innovations and of partnering. And good feedback from Catherine and Cherie at OUA, PK at FSO and Theo and colleagues at LTU on pitfalls and the need for a clear value proposition in ventures like this. All concluded with our first VET coalition partner in Laura Macpherson CEO of BKI.

Lev Gonick CIO of ASU and Alphia Possamai-Inesedy of WSU join a HEDx event hosted by Helen Bartlett VC of University of the Sunshine Coast on employability and industry engagement. With 48 million living Americans who experienced but left university life with no qualifications and large debt, the certainty that university gets you a job is no more. Yet with one employer able to support 29,000 current ASU students to fee-free online study and 19,000 of them having graduated while working, there are innovative ways of universities and employers to work together to change it up.

For those looking for some joy and inspiration about the mission of Australian universities, it is right here.

In 20 minutes, this conversation between 2026 Australian University Teacher of the Year Associate Professor Roma Forbes, UQ undergraduate student Madi Piper, and Professor Kelly Matthews offers a grounded reminder of what higher education can be at its best: relational, human, intellectually stretching, and deeply committed to student success.

This is a conversation about teaching that values people, learning that makes room for uncertainty, and why student experience is shaped every day by the cultures teachers create. It will leave you feeling better about the state of the sector.

Professor Lucy Marshall is DVC of Community and Leadership at University of Sydney. In this episode she joins Peter Chun as CEO of UniSuper to explore the comparative issues of culture, change management and staff wellbeing between academic and commercial organisations. The transformation and disruption facing the sector, and the rapid emergence of AI and changing market demands, are adding to the loss of social license in making universities tough places to be. Stabilising workplace culture as a prerequisite to leading change and caring for staff wellbeing makes tough calls on leaders which this episode explores.

This week's podbite follows 3 major milestones of Annabel Murphy becoming the first HEDx FT employee, the launch of the Sydney June event program, and the kick off of new AI sandbox projects with collaborators in the UK, US and Australia. Get a summary with this 3 minute overview from the new HEDx offices in Brisbane.

Most PhDs are built on original ideas and critical thinking—so what happens when AI enters the equation? On this episode of the HEDx Student Experience Podcast, three researchers confront the daunting yet exciting challenges AI poses to research integrity, authorship, and the very core of scholarly originality.

Join HEDx Associate Sharon Saunders as she hosts an expert-driven discussion about how AI tools are already reshaping doctoral work across disciplines. Discover how AI influences research practices, the importance of balancing AI-assisted productivity with critical thinking, and the ethical dilemmas around authorship in an AI-enabled world. Perfect for doctoral candidates, research supervisors, and policymakers, this episode offers vital insights into navigating AI’s complex landscape.

CEO Margot McNeill and Chief Industry and Innovation Officer Georgia von Guttner host HEDx at the Canberra Institute of Technology to share insights into the new Woden campus at the heart of the tertiary harmonisation agenda. They outline its history, philosophy and strategy allowing a radical approach to skills development, AI mastery and giving voice to students as human capital is developed to be future-fit for a changing world of work. And Michelle Lincoln as Deputy Vice-Chancellor joins us in the foyer of the UA summit to comment on CIT and its success and outline the nature of its partnership with UC in the second episode in a HEDx tertiary harmonisation series.

This episode is from a site visit to the Wyndham Tech School in Werribee. A tour of a real tertiary harmonisation centre of excellence with Director Sam Nikolsky and VU's newly appointed Chief Transformation Officer Gail Bray. In the presence of some of the many thousands of students who get to have their curiosity sparked by a place that comes alive as you go through the front door, this is a great example of STEM and tech study aspiration-building in action. And it is set in the context of wider VU and sector-wide tertiary harmonisation strategies by Senior DVC and Chief Academic Officer John Germov of VU and CEO Patrick Kidd of FSO. A very good place.