Fiona Whittenbury, Advance HE’s Head of Partnerships (Australasia), shares information about our new member benefit for the region.
Across Australasia, educators and leaders are driving innovation, inclusion and impact in teaching and learning. As the higher education landscape continues to evolve – shaped by technology, diverse learner needs and shifting quality standards – there has never been a more important time to connect, share and celebrate the region’s educational excellence.
Our new initiative, Elevate Australasia, has been designed with this purpose in mind exclusively for our members as part of our Member Benefits 2025-26.
What is Elevate Australasia?
Elevate Australasia is a regionally focused series of events, publications and networks celebrating and strengthening educational excellence across the tertiary sector.
Built around Advance HE’s Professional Standards Framework (PSF) and the Essential Frameworks for Enhancing Student Success, it provides structured opportunities for institutions and individuals to engage with best practice, collaborate on shared challenges and showcase innovation in teaching and learning.
What makes Elevate Australasia unique is its regional relevance. The series reflects the distinct contexts, priorities and regulatory environments of Australasia’s tertiary education providers – ensuring that discussions, case studies and professional development activities are locally meaningful while still connected to global practice.
Why it matters for the Australasian HE sector
Teaching is core to universities – shaping student experience, institutional reputation and societal impact. Across Australasia, our higher education sector is globally recognised for teaching quality and innovation, yet faces growing expectations to evidence impact, uphold standards and ensure equitable outcomes.
Diversity of mission, culture and context is a strength of our sector – and peer review, observation and active communities of practice remain among the most effective drivers of teaching quality.
Elevate Australasia responds to these priorities by creating a regional platform to:
• showcase excellence through themed spotlight events
• share and publish practice in the Elevate Showcase
• translate frameworks into action via Elevate Pathways workshops, and
• strengthen leadership and collaboration through an Australasian Principal Fellow Network.
Elevate Australasia celebrates diversity, collaboration, and teaching excellence as the foundation of a vibrant, world-class tertiary sector
Fellowship
With over 2,000 Principal Fellows globally – and almost 200 based in Australasia – there is growing demand for opportunities to collaborate, exchange ideas and enhance visibility of Fellowship across the region.
The creation of a Principal Fellow (PF) Network will provide a dedicated space for these leaders to:
- share and co-create resources relevant to Australasian contexts
- mentor emerging Fellows, and
- shape future regional initiatives in partnership with Advance HE.
This responds directly to requests from Principal Fellows in our region and reinforces our shared commitment to fostering a connected, vibrant community of teaching and learning leaders.
Join in!
Calls for presenters and contributors are open now with the Elevate Spotlight Series launching in March 2026 and the Principal Fellow Network’s inaugural meeting planned for the same month.
We invite educators, leaders and practitioners from across the region to get involved – whether by presenting, contributing a case study, or participating in the conversations that shape our collective future.
