The Thought Bubble by OES

Online Education Services (OES)

The Thought Bubble is OES’ flagship podcast for higher education, bringing together university leaders, policy experts and industry practitioners to explore the ideas shaping the future of learning. Each season focuses on a critical shift in the sector, combining expert perspectives with practical insight into how institutions can respond, adapt and lead. From artificial intelligence and student experience to learning design and quality assurance, The Thought Bubble goes beyond trends to examine how higher education is evolving in practice. Tune into our higher ed podcast for insights on strategic shifts in Australian higher education, shaping the future of academia.

  1. Episode 4: Learning through relationship – The human element that AI can’t see

    17 June

    Episode 4: Learning through relationship – The human element that AI can’t see

    How relationships and interaction reveal learning beyond assessment artefacts. This six-episode season of The Thought Bubble explores how higher education can credibly assure learning in an AI-enabled world. Drawing on OES’s Connected Assurance Framework, the series brings together academic leaders, learning designers and policy experts to examine how learning is designed, supported and evidenced over time. Focused on quality, equity and trust, it offers a practical, sector-facing conversation on building defensible evidence of student capability. Episode 4 focuses on the relational dimension of assurance of learning. Hosted by Amanda Ford, this episode features OES subject matter experts in effective online teaching practices, Andrew McLean and Sally Trudgen, who share frontline perspectives from teaching and student support in online and blended environments. The discussion explores how patterns of feedback, dialogue and interaction build a richer and more reliable picture of student capability over time. It highlights how these relational signals can strengthen assurance, particularly in AI-enabled environments where individual artefacts may be harder to interpret. The episode also examines how well-designed online and asynchronous environments can enhance visibility of learning, and the role of relational practice in supporting equity and student success. This episode discusses the Connected Assurance Framework, which underpins the entire season. This framework is discussed in OES's positioning paper on Assurance of Learning which can be found here: https://oes.edu.au/assuranceoflearning/ Published by OES (Online Education Services) – www.oes.edu.auRecorded in Melbourne, Australia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    36 min
  2. Episode 3: Design as integrity infrastructure – Pedagogical assurance in practice

    3 June

    Episode 3: Design as integrity infrastructure – Pedagogical assurance in practice

    How curriculum and assessment design generate credible evidence of learning. This six-episode season of The Thought Bubble explores how higher education can credibly assure learning in an AI-enabled world. Drawing on OES’s Connected Assurance Framework, the series brings together academic leaders, learning designers and policy experts to examine how learning is designed, supported and evidenced over time. Focused on quality, equity and trust, it offers a practical, sector-facing conversation on building defensible evidence of student capability. Episode 3 explores how curriculum and assessment design function as the foundation of assurance. Hosted by Amanda Ford (Associate Director of Gen AI, OES), this episode features OES' Dr Lucy Elliott, Jesse Keenan and David Robertson, who bring practical experience in learning design and program architecture. The conversation focuses on how well-designed programs generate defensible evidence of learning through scaffolded, cumulative assessment, rather than relying on single high-stakes tasks. It also explores the trade-offs institutions are navigating, including balancing authenticity with workload, maintaining perceptions of rigour, and reducing reliance on detection-led approaches. A central idea is that pedagogical coherence enables stronger, more credible assurance, and underpins both relational and technological dimensions of the Connected Assurance Framework. This episode discusses the Connected Assurance Framework, which underpins the entire season. This framework is discussed in OES's positioning paper on Assurance of Learning which can be found here: https://oes.edu.au/assuranceoflearning/ Published by OES (Online Education Services) – www.oes.edu.auRecorded in Melbourne, Australia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    29 min
  3. Episode 2: Beyond modality debates – Where does assurance really live?

    20 May

    Episode 2: Beyond modality debates – Where does assurance really live?

    Challenging the “online vs on campus” debate and exploring how program design drives assurance. This six-episode season of The Thought Bubble explores how higher education can credibly assure learning in an AI-enabled world. Drawing on OES’s Connected Assurance Framework, the series brings together academic leaders, learning designers and policy experts to examine how learning is designed, supported and evidenced over time. Focused on quality, equity and trust, it offers a practical, sector-facing conversation on building defensible evidence of student capability. Episode 2 challenges one of the most persistent assumptions in higher education: that risk is tied to delivery mode. Hosted by Amanda Ford (OES, Associate Director of GenAI), this episode features two of OES's senior leaders, Dr Aaron Wijeratne and Dr Karen Harvey, who bring perspectives from program design and student experience as well as their respective PhD research. Together, they explore how online, hybrid and on-campus programs often share similar assessment structures, yet are judged differently based on modality labels. Quality is not tied to physical location, but to how learning is intentionally designed as a structured environment, with clear weekly touchpoints, scaffolded progression and visible evidence of learning over time. The conversation shifts the focus from “is online safe?” to a more useful question: is this program designed and governed in a way that generates credible, connected evidence of learning? Drawing on the OES Connected Assurance Framework, the episode highlights the role of program architecture, coherence and progression in shaping assurance, and examines how modality-based assumptions can lead to blunt or inequitable responses. The episode also highlights how this plays out for career changers and time-poor learners, where flexibility must coexist with strong, ongoing evidence of capability. This episode discusses the Connected Assurance Framework, which underpins the entire season. This framework is discussed in OES's positioning paper on Assurance of Learning which can be found here: https://oes.edu.au/assuranceoflearning/ Published by OES (Online Education Services) – www.oes.edu.auRecorded in Melbourne, Australia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    22 min
  4. Assurance of learning in an AI world – what problem are we actually solving?

    29 Apr

    Assurance of learning in an AI world – what problem are we actually solving?

    Reframing assurance of learning in the age of AI, moving from detection to program-level evidence. This six-episode season of The Thought Bubble explores how higher education can credibly assure learning in an AI-enabled world. Drawing on OES’s Connected Assurance Framework, the series brings together academic leaders, learning designers and policy experts to examine how learning is designed, supported and evidenced over time. Focused on quality, equity and trust, it offers a practical, sector-facing conversation on building defensible evidence of student capability. Episode 1 of OES's series about Assurance of Learning opens the season by reframing how we think about the process of teaching, and assessing what has been learned, in the age of AI. While much of the sector conversation has focused on detection and academic integrity, this episode argues that these responses are symptoms of a deeper issue: the challenge of generating coherent, program-level evidence of learning over time. Hosted by Amanda Ford (Associate Director of GenAI at OES), this episode features a conversation between Chief Academic and Partnership Officer, Dr Erin Jancauskas and Senior Academic Adviser, Sue Kokonis, who explore how AI is both exposing and accelerating long-standing tensions in assessment, evidence and academic judgement. You’ll also hear perspectives from Rebecca Hall, OES's Director of Government Relations and higher education policy expert, Chris Gartner, bringing policy, regulatory and sector-level context to the discussion. A key idea explored in this episode is the distinction between artefact security and evidentiary validity, and what it means to build confidence in learning through multiple signals across time, rather than relying on single assessment events. This episode introduces the Connected Assurance Framework, which underpins the rest of the season. This framework is discussed in OES's positioning paper on Assurance of Learning which can be found here: https://oes.edu.au/assuranceoflearning/ Published by OES (Online Education Services) – www.oes.edu.auRecorded in Melbourne, Australia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    31 min

  5. 24/04/2025

    AI in Higher Education: Key Insights for University Leaders

    Episode 8: The Thought Bubble Podcast An interview with Dr. Kendra Vant, by OES Lead Learning Designer, Jesse Keenan. With introduction from OES AI Programs Director, David Paroissien. Dr. Vant is currently Director of Europa Labs and author of the popular 'Data Runs Deep' Substack. Explore the transformative potential of AI in higher education and discover how Universities can leverage AI to enhance teaching, learning, and research, while navigating its challenges. Learn about the importance of data quality, personalised learning, and responsible AI adoption.  Get ready for the future of AI in education where both curiosity and caution are key! Published by OES (Online Education Services) - www.oes.edu.au Recorded in Melbourne, Australia. OES respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, live, teach, and learn. We pay respect to Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    55 min

  6. 08/05/2023

    Employment trends: What the workforce of the future looks like today

    An ageing labour force, a turbulent global economy, and the advancement of AI transforming ‘work’ as we know it… Today's graduates are entering the job market in a time of significant transformation. So how are these factors going to effect the employment landscape in the next five, ten and fifty years?  Matt Cowgill, Senior Economist at employment marketplace SEEK, takes us through the current labour trends that will help us best prepare for these changes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    18 min

  7. 28/03/2023

    Authentic assessment: Evaluating digital fluency, mature soft skills and resilience

    Recently, some universities have returned to pen and paper assessment, due to fears AI services are enabling students to cheat in exams and essays. But what if we’re looking at the problem all wrong? Maybe the better question is: does the exam and essay assessment format still make sense in the world we live in? There is no doubt in our rapidly evolving technological landscape that digital fluency and resilience are more critical than ever. So we spoke with Mark Andrews, from Adobe Education, about how to enhance students' employment prospects through creative technology and authentic assessment.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    26 min

  8. 28/11/2022

    Beyond the classroom: how peer-to-peer learning enriches student outcomes

    The sense of connection students develop in and around classes is vitally important to the university experience. But as higher education increasingly migrates into online spaces, how can peer-to-peer learning evolve and adapt? We sought insight from Jimmy Pearson, who previously ran an internal learning community at Google, a program encouraging any employee to take or teach a class on any topic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    28 min
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Ratings & Reviews

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6 Ratings

About

The Thought Bubble is OES’ flagship podcast for higher education, bringing together university leaders, policy experts and industry practitioners to explore the ideas shaping the future of learning. Each season focuses on a critical shift in the sector, combining expert perspectives with practical insight into how institutions can respond, adapt and lead. From artificial intelligence and student experience to learning design and quality assurance, The Thought Bubble goes beyond trends to examine how higher education is evolving in practice. Tune into our higher ed podcast for insights on strategic shifts in Australian higher education, shaping the future of academia.

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