EPSW Bulletin - August 2024

Flinders University acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands on which its campuses are located, these are the Traditional Lands of the Arrernte, Dagoman, First Nations of the South East, First Peoples of the River Murray & Mallee region, Jawoyn, Kaurna, Larrakia, Ngadjuri, Ngarrindjeri, Ramindjeri, Warumungu, Wardaman and Yolngu people. We honour their Elders past, present and emerging.

Update from Prof. Deborah West, Vice-President and Executive Dean

In Deb's August update, she reflects on the successful Open Days, expressing gratitude to everyone involved for their dedication and hard work. She also notes that the Your Voice Survey results will be reviewed shortly, with action plans to follow. Additionally, Deb announces the upcoming advertisement for an Indigenous Student Liaison and Support Officer role and encourages everyone to help promote the position. She touches on the ongoing process of selecting a new College name, and highlights the importance of focusing on student retention as we move through Semester 2.

Please click the link to read more.

Get to know your College

Staff Movements

An update on the college's staff movements:

Anna Hardie has joined the College as a Associate Lecturer in Social Work.

Yu Takizawa has joined the College as a Lecturer in Mental Health.

James Gordon has joined the College as a Lecturer in Evaluation and Research Methods. 

Marja Elizabeth has joined the College as a Senior Lecturer in Psychology. 

Carl Salt has joined the College as a Lecturer in Active Communities and Social Impact.

Catherine Johnson has joined the College as a Research Fellow.

Rachel Laattoe has joined the College as a Research Associate in Psychology. 

Please see profiles of some of our new starters above.

Congratulations to Dean (Research), Raj Shekhawat being recognised as a Principal Fellow

We are proud to announce that Professor Raj Shekhawat has been recognised as a Principal Fellow, which reflects his significant impact on teaching and learning at a strategic level. There are now two Principal Fellows at Flinders University, Raj and Professor Deborah West that both sit within our College! This honour underscores their dedication to enhancing the student experience and their commitment to academic excellence.

Learn more about the Fellowship program here.

Games and 'Feast of Strangers' to welcome College of EPSW students!

CEPSW kicked off Orientation Week S2, welcoming new students to the college with a free lunch and goodie bag filled with useful items to settle in to their first semester. 

College student success lead, Chido, welcomed students to a cosy space and introduced them to the concept of feast of Strangers. To encourage genuine connections, over lunch, students engaged in menu of conversation, featuring an entrée, main and dessert of questions to get to know each other on a deeper level. The positive connections continued, with students also enjoying the opportunity to engage in some friendly competition with giant games. 

Meeting our future students at Open Days 2024 

Thank you to everyone involved in Open Days for the incredible effort on Friday 9, Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 August. The event has been a display of how talented, creative and passionate Flinders staff are.

Key highlights include:

• 5,389 total registrations, 1,968 being for our City Campus
• 58 school buses transported 2,440 students from 35 schools on Friday
• 12,322 information sessions attended (11,151 Bedford Park / 1,171 City)
• 2,471 people walked through the doors at the City Campus

On Sunday, we successfully brought the festival atmosphere from Bedford Park to our first Open Day at the City Campus. We had a sea of friendly Flinders faces in gold making guests feel welcome and supported, hands-on activities, and food trucks. Our information sessions were full, with many guests needing to use overflow rooms to watch them. Plus, a live concert ensured the party atmosphere was in stark contrast to our friends down the road, providing a clear point of difference on what students can expect from studying at Flinders.

Looking ahead

Our focus now turns to conversion activities. We’re reaching out to all registrants with a customer satisfaction survey, outbound calls, and personalised emails to maximise the number of first preferences by the end of September.

Watch our highlights reels from Bedford Park and the City Campus.

AI Agents Pilot Project Update

Introduction: Damien Raidis and Sam Elliott introduced AI Agents at Flinders, providing personalized student support. They've conducted six workshops and will extend the pilot into Semester 2, 2024.

Progress So Far:

• AI 'clones' embedded in topics from Feb to Jun 2024.
• Positive student feedback on learning, engagement, and success.
• High ratings for ease of use and 24/7 access to content and support.

Extended Pilot: With College support, the project will expand in Semester 2. The team includes:

• Damien Raidis and Sam Elliott (leads)
• Madison Richter, Gareth Furber, Chido Alozie, Matt Norris, Jeremy Chance

Objectives:

1. Expand to four more topics.
2. Develop additional 'clones' for student support.
3. Evaluate impact on learning, engagement, and wellbeing.

Click here to see the full report.

2024 SAVL Championship Winners

The South Australian Volleyball League (SAVL) is the premier competition for club-level volleyball in the state. Spanning multiple divisions, the SAVL allows players of all abilities to represent their clubs in a season-long contest. Culminating in finals to crown the division champions, it's the heart of competitive indoor volleyball in South Australia.

With a great turnout to watch some EPIC volleyball, there could only be one winner! Congratulations to the Austral Phoenix championship winners! Also showcasing one of our amazing Digital Content Producer's, Jahan Emery! 

Follow the link to read more.

Registrations for the 2024 Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN) Research Week are now open

Held from 16th - 20th September 2024, Research Week at SALHN provides an opportunity to hear about the important research being undertaken by talented health and medical research teams from across across SALHN and Flinders University.

With a packed schedule including keynote sessions with national and international experts and networking opportunities, don’t miss this important event on the research calendar. 

Follow the link for further registration and program information.

EVENT GUIDELINES QUICK REFERENCE

Flinders University adopts a risk-based approach to ensure event safety. Key points for managing event safety include:

• Attendees should not attend if unwell, symptomatic, COVID positive, or a close contact.
• Hand sanitiser and alcohol wipes will be available at event entrances and exits.
• Consider venue capacities and the impact of additional equipment and furniture.
• Prefer outdoor events when possible.
• Use multiple entrances and exits to manage crowd flow.
• Brief and induct event workers on their duties beforehand. Event induction template.
• Ensure food and drink are served safely and hygienically.
• Follow external venue WHS policies and guidelines if applicable.
• Professionally set up marquees and ensure they are securely weighted.
• Have a backup plan to move events online if necessary.
• Complete an event safety assessment. Event safety assessment.
• For COVID-19 updates, visit COVID-19 information.

Follow the link for further information.

Flinders New City Campus Update: Student Ambassador Involvement in Open Days

Flinders University has illuminated Adelaide's skyline with the installation of the sky sign atop our new vertical campus in Festival Plaza, marking the opening of enrolments for 2024. Located in the heart of the city's cultural precinct, Flinders' new city campus connects students and staff to key institutions across arts, business, and more. With over 60 programs available, Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Stirling highlights the excitement for the opportunities this new campus will offer when it opens next semester.

CEPSW in the News

Veterans transitioning to civilian life deserve better support
Featuring Professor Ben Wadham.

Read more.

Open Door Research Initiative welcomes new honorary Professor
Featuring Professor Ben Wadham.

Read more.

The future is bright: Flinders awarded $6.67 million for six ARC future fellows
Featuring Professor Emma Thomas.

Read more.

Can doom scrolling trigger an existential crisis?
Featuring Mr Reza Shabahang. 

Read more.

What is the purpose of the EPSW Bulletin? 

The purpose of the EPSW Bulletin is to showcase what has been happening around our College and the University as well as what is coming up. We promote and celebrate the hard work of all our teams and welcome new faces! The Bulletin will be distributed bi-monthly and the College welcomes article submissions to cepsw.operations@flinders.edu.au. 

We have a new distribution process for the EPSW Bulletin, so if you know anyone who should receive this newsletter and does not receive it, please forward it to them and email cepsw.operations@flinders.edu to request they be added to our distribution list.

Flinders University
Sturt Rd, Bedford Park South Australia 5042