Workshop 4 Overview
Tracks
Track 4
| Monday, July 6, 2026 |
| 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM |
| Stephen Riady Centre (SRC) Seminar Room 8 Level 2 |
Details
Aim
To empower academics, educational developers and education leaders to overcome systemic barriers to Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) engagement by applying evidence-based Communities of Practice (CoPs).
Focus
The workshop will present the Scholars for Health Innovations and Future Teaching (SHIFT) SOTL-CoP framework as a scalable response to professional isolation, time constraints, and the institutional undervaluation of SoTL, emphasizing on collaboration, mentorship, and scholarly identity. Participants will apply the SHIFT framework and develop an institutionally aligned plan to launch and sustain scholarly-teaching initiatives, translating CoP theory and best practice into innovative pedagogy.
Intended audience
Academics, educational developers; educators new to SoTL; SoTL researchers; program/course leaders; and administrators supporting scholarly practice.
Context
SoTL engagement is often hindered by the institutional prioritisation of discipline-specific research, limited resources, and time constraints, necessitating dynamic academic development models like SoTL-CoPs. CoPs provide collaborative spaces that foster reflective practice, peer mentoring and professional growth improving scholarly teaching when these supports align. This workshop is informed by the CoP–SoTL chapter (Schönwetter et al., in press: 2026), which proposes the SHIFT framework, grounded in principles such as psychological safety, distributed leadership, and scaffolded practice.
Workshop plan
The workshop will integrate active learning throughout.
Barriers Identification. Participants will reflect on the current SoTL challenges and/or barriers at their institution?”
Best Practice Analysis. Participants will analyse CoP enablers necessary for SoTL CoP success.
SHIFT-CoP Application (Map local conditions → outcomes). The SHIFT-CoP framework is introduced. Focusing on its design principles, participants work in small, interdisciplinary groups to identify a teaching/learning challenge. Groups then apply SHIFT’s guidelines to design a foundational CoP structure addressing that challenge.
Commit to Action: The session concludes with a commitment exercise, using the prompt: “Please share one idea, encouragement, or inspiration you gained from this session that you’re committed to applying”.
Speaker
Dr Manisha Thakkar
Learning Facilitator/research Assistant
HERDSA Vice-President, Centre of Learning Teaching and Scholarship, Torrens University
SHIFTing SoTL Horizons: Cultivating Collaboration through Faculty-Led Communities of Practice
Biography
Dr Manisha Thakkar is a Research Assistant at the Centre for Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship (CLTS) and a Learning Facilitator in Health Sciences at Torrens University Australia. Recently appointed Vice President of HERDSA, she brings over two decades of experience in innovative teaching, curriculum development, educational technologies, and academic quality assurance. Her research spans clinical reasoning, health workforce education, and evidence-based teaching. Manisha has presented nationally and internationally, led curriculum enhancements using cutting-edge learning technologies, and is passionate about fostering collaboration, mentoring academics, and advancing scholarly teaching and learning across the higher education sector.
Assoc Prof Accamma Oommen
Head Of Nursing
Torrens University Australia
Co-presenter
Biography
Assoc Prof Accamma Oommen is an experienced academic and researcher with a distinguished career in nursing education. Accamma has led and managed nursing programs across undergraduate and postgraduate levels, bringing strategic insight and pedagogical innovation to diverse educational contexts. Her work is grounded in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), where she integrates evidence-based approaches to enhance curriculum design and student engagement. Accamma’s research focuses on child health and best practices in nursing education. She is actively involved with various professional networks and is deeply committed to advancing excellence in nursing education through reflective practice, collaborative research, and transformative leadership.
Dr Dhivya Rajasekaran
Program Director
Torrens University Australia
Co-presenter
Biography
Dr. Dhivya Rajasekaran is a Program Director of Health Sciences at Torrens University of Australia. Dhivya passionate about teaching and academic leadership. Dhivya aims to improve the quality of teaching and learning through scholarly activities through the Scholarly Teaching Think Tank and focusses on staff capacity-building in teaching and scholarship
Dr Dieter Schonwetter
Director of Academic Services
University of Manitoba Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry
Co-presenter
Biography
Dr. Dieter J. Schönwetter is a Professor and Director of Academic Services at the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, University of Manitoba, Canada. With a Ph.D. in Social Psychology, his SoTL research focuses on effective instruction, clinician-patient communication, and empowering educators through real-time engagement, notably among Canadian, European, Australian and Latin American academics. His extensive record of dissemination includes over 184 publications, and he served as a Founding Co-Editor of the Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. A globally recognized speaker, he has delivered 22 international keynotes in locations such as Santiago, Adelaide, Brescia, and Sendai. Dr. Schönwetter’s scholarly impact is further evidenced by more than 720 total presentations and the acquisition of 48 research grants. He has received numerous international SoTL and research awards for his leadership in higher education innovation.
