Preparing students for a changing world through curriculum innovation
The Learning and Teaching Initiatives (LTI) grants support educators to enhance how teaching, learning and assessment is delivered at the University of Melbourne.
Since 2006, the program has invested in educational innovations and initiatives that improve the quality and effectiveness of student learning experiences across the University.
The program funds curriculum-based projects that align with the University's strategic priorities, demonstrate cross-faculty collaboration, and aim to generate outcomes that can benefit teaching and learning more broadly across the University.
Two projects led by Dr Sarah Yang Spencer from the Faculty of Business and Economics and Dr Sarah Webber from the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology demonstrate how educators are using LTI funding to drive curriculum innovation in line with these priorities.
Helping students build confidence and capability with Gen AI
As GenAI tools become more common, many students are unsure how to use them effectively and responsibly to complement their learning. In accounting, where AI is reshaping professional practice, employers now expect accounting graduates to possess AI literacy to remain competitive and future-ready.
In response, Dr Sarah Yang Spencer, alongside colleagues in Academic Skills, Students and Scholarly Services and the Williams Centre for Learning Advancement (WCLA), developed an LTI grant funded project to embed AI into the learning process, harnessing its potential as a tool to support student learning.
More than 400 students in the Integrated Accounting Studies subject across 2024 and 2025 worked collaboratively with peers and educators using AI tools to explore course content, test ideas, and compare outputs. This approach encouraged students to question assumptions, evaluate information, and reflect on how to use AI critically, ethically and effectively in their work.
Students have reported increased confidence using AI, improved analytical capability and a higher quality of work, with students sharing that the subject was very innovative and forward thinking.
By placing human judgement at the centre of AI use, the subject helps students develop the skills and confidence needed to work thoughtfully and ethically with emerging technologies.
Connecting technology to global sustainability challenges
In IT, sustainability is becoming an increasingly important consideration in how digital systems are designed and used.
Through another LTI funded project, Dr Sarah Webber, with support from the Associate Deans Sustainability Network, is helping Information Systems and Information Technology Masters students to develop the capability to understand and respond to sustainability challenges in IT.
Early educator engagement with students showed limited awareness of sustainability as part of technical practice, with many students viewing it as separate from core IT skills. To address this, educators explored how sustainability could be meaningfully embedded into the existing curriculum, in ways that encourage students to understand its importance and how it connects to a career in IT.
In focus groups, students engaged with case studies examining real world examples of how IT systems can influence sustainability outcomes, exploring the resource demands of digital infrastructure such as AI data centres. This supported a shift in perspective, helping students recognise sustainability as part of their role as future IT professionals and how emerging technologies can shape both opportunities and challenges in this space.
This approach has already influenced subject design, with 130 students applying design thinking to a sustainability focused project. This also lays the foundation for broader integration across Masters programs, reaching around 600 students each year.
Supporting innovative, future-focused learning
By incorporating priorities such as GenAI and sustainability into the curriculum, teaching teams are adapting subjects to better reflect how knowledge is applied in real-world contexts.
“The value of schemes like our LTI grants is that they create space for experimentation. LTI grants help turn good ideas into real experiences for students, whether that's building confidence with generative AI or tackling complex sustainability challenges through an IT lens” said Jamie Evans, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Students and Education).
As industries continue to evolve, these capabilities will be essential. Through LTI-funded innovation, these changes are supporting students to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to contribute as those fields continue to evolve.
Applications for 2026 LTI grants are open until 24 July. University staff can find out more about the grants and how to apply on the Staff Hub.