HEDx

This second short and snappy podbite describes changes in the program of HEDx activities made in response to feedback. New new member of the HEDx team, engagement strategist Annabel Murphy joins the podbite. She brings experience of industry university engagement and content strategy from Europe and Australia. She using AI to align HEDx activities and content to members and partners needs. She dis...

Josh Nester MD of SEEK investments is joined by a group of the world's most innovative EdTech companies. Nicola Cresp of OES, Joel di Trapani of Vygo, Sabih bin Wasi of Stellic and Trevor Fairweather of ReadyTech dissect issues of scaling student impact with AI. They explore the need all students have for human connection and how tech solutions need to add, not detract from it, in personalised way...

This is the first in a series of snappy short podcasts called podbites. They are updates on a key topic and question with inputs from various members of the HEDx ecosystem at the time. This one follows a visit to Canberra and Sydney during the UA conference of 2026 and argues that we need more inputs from external sources including students, out-of-sector innovators, and international sources to a...

The first Student Experience episode features a lively panel of students and sector leaders from the launch event, exploring the exciting future of the podcast and the role of student voice in shaping higher education. Hosted by Kelly Matthews, with contributions from Martin Betts, the episode also features insights from David Turvey PSM (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) and Jonathan Dave...

Noah Pickus, Director of Global Strategy from Duke University joins the podcast to launch this alliance to Australian and NZ. With a closing date for EOIs of March 6, time is tight to join a global alliance of diverse institutions seeking to learn from each other in their innovation. HEDx is delighted to be working with Noah and bringing him to Sydney in June. We are also connecting his venture wi...

Timothy Burt from the Future Skills Organisation , Gail Bray from Victoria University , Colin Gniel from LinkedIn and Dr. Kathryn Blyth from The University of Queensland explore:  why AI evolves faster than curriculum, systems and our ability to keep up, why coordination across sectors is fragmented, and why human skills in communication, judgement and creativity are rising in value. One line stay...

Professor Deborah Terry AC leads The University of Queensland and the Group of 8 universities. She outlines declining trust as the key issue facing the sector. She explains why and how it has happened and that doing something about primarily calls for a return to purpose. She illustrates how that is being done at UQ through The Queensland Commitment. And she explains how that applies to the challe...

Charlsey Pearce as CEO of Mortar Caps Data Standard is a long term HEDx partner leading an innovation project around data standards for human capability records that support lifelong learning and tertiary harmonisation. In this episode she introduces, leads and comments on a HEDx webinar that led to the development of a White Paper recently submitted to ATEC, JSA and the Productivity Commission. T...

Kivanch Oner is CIO of University of Nevada Las Vegas. He joins me and co-host Matt Cavallaro of Salesforce to discuss how change to serve changing student needs is achieved in a leading R1 US university. Our discussion traverses changes facing students and how they impact providers seeking to serve them. The place of technology as an enabler is analysed through the UNLV experience. The importance...

Professor Kris Ryan DVCA of The University of Queensland introduces and reflects on the most recent HEDx event on Our Commitments to Students in the Age of AI. He does so by celebrating our adoption of the student voice in our work and the need to commit to it continuously in the future. We saw that in our most recent conference close up. And we saw how vulnerable all of us are and how that is som...

Professor Kylie Readman DVC of UTS leads a panel of Australian experts in online learning in a discussion of the needs of this special group of lifelong learners. Professor Dominique Parrish of Torrens University Australia, Tom Steer of University of Adelaide, Catherine Reynolds of OUA and Erin Jancauskus of OES share experiences from leaders of online education. They dissect how AI is impacting t...

George Williams of Western Sydney University launches a seminal essay on the crisis of social license in our universities and what we have to do about it. As a publication of The Australia Institute, George shares thoughts on why the essay was written and what is contribution will be with Alice Grundy of The Australia Institute Press. The session is a response to the conversation between Alphia Po...

Simon Biggs VC of JCU recently visited TEDI-London as an exemplar of learning innovation and of how AI can democratise education for disadvantaged learners. Little did Simon and I know that he was meeting Professor Lisa Brodie TED-London Dean shortly before she would be able to be public about it transitioning into ASU London. As its foundation Dean, she joins Simon and I to reflect on their meeti...

Bill Shorten, Pascale Quester, Sharan Burrow and Simon Biggs answer this and other questions posed by Dionne Higgins of KordaMentha. "Nothing about us, without us" is the essence of the call for action that Kelly Matthews of UQ a nd I hear clearly and will return to in future episodes in 2026. Never was the student voice more clearly made, head and accepted for action.

Sir Chris Husbands former VC of Sheffield Hallam University and founding chair of the UK Teaching Excellence Framework joins Professor Helen Bartlett VC of University of the Sunshine Coast. They were on stage at HEDx at UQ for an opening keynote and fireside chat that dissects the global issues facing higher education. They argue the clear need to identify purpose, implement that purpose clearly a...

Ian Oppermann is Chair of Data Standards for the Commonwealth and Industry Professor at UTS. From a lifetime in AI and driving technology to serve the needs of consumers and their data rights, he is partnering with Charlsey Pearce of the Mortar CAP data standard. They led a sector workshop at AWS in Sydney recently of sector representatives jointly crafting a white paper to guide improved data sta...

This episode gives voice to 34 students from 8 different HEDx member universities and partners in UQ, Adelaide, Swinburne, OES, OUA, Torrens, UniSC, and Canberra. We asked each 9 questions about what they thought of higher education, what they would change, and how they felt about AI and the future of work. Their answers might surprise you. Professors Suzanne Le Mire and Kelly Matthews of UQ helpe...

Danny Liu and Adam Bridgeman at the University of Sydney have pioneered the development of AI and a two-lane strategy for its use and assessment. In this episode they convene a diverse panel of their staff and student colleagues to discuss how the strategy works and can be implemented. As an exemplar of staff and students working as partners it illustrates an excellent approach to working through...

Professor Suzanne Le Mire as PVC of Education and the Student Experience at The University of Queensland brings a student panel to the podcast. The panel is from the recent summit of The Queensland Commitment at UQ and saw 4 diverse UQ students comment on what they loved about their experience, what they thought could be better, and what they would do if they were Vice-Chancellor for a day. A grea...

Professor Amanda Broderick is Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of East London. UEL in 2018 was heavily in debt and rated the UK university most likely to fail. After 7 years of adverse policy settings it has the UK's fastest and most diversified income growth, no debt and is implementing a 300m pound investment programme. It has doubled in size by focusing on a mantra of creatin...

Alex Elibank-Murray and Rania Shibl of the University of the Sunshine Coast share experiences of industry partnerships to give work experience to students in fast changing fields. Partnerships with industry partners that include Microsoft, are used to co-design learning experiences that combine certificated and non-certificated university courses with practical skill achievements. In an episode co...

Professor Kylie Readman as DVC Education and Students at University of Technology Sydney outlines a new venture in global online education. Launching new Mandarin-language online postgraduate education courses to global student markets as a trans-national education strategy is a bold and unique step for an Australian university. In a partnership with Cinlearn, this is distinct and differentiated f...

HEDx launched its first podcast on September 9 2020. Since then over 183 episodes, more than 200 global leaders have shared thoughts on the future higher education landscape and how it can achieve equity goals though strategy, leadership, culture, technology and partnerships. This episode looks back over 5 years with Sue Kokonis of foundation and continuing lead sponsor at OES helping us consider...

John Dewar and Dionne Higgins are experienced leaders of Australian universities now leading a higher education consulting practice at Korda Mentha. They have recently published an annual report showing Australian universities under significant financial pressure to be able to invest in the digital transformation they desperately need. They see it as a time for courageous leadership to cut through...

Professor Kristian Widen is Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Cooperation and Innovation at Sweden's industry-engaged Halmstad University, after a distinguished career at its leading research university in Lund. In describing the diverse landscape of a well-funded and stable Swedish university system, he observes that many if its staff and students are happy and calm, including regulators. With little...