UniSA Online Unite

Tuesday 13 February | 6.30pm – 8.30pm (ACDT)

Have you ever wondered how your Online Course Facilitators (OCFs) came to their area of expertise, what excites them about research and industry, and what advice they might have for your successful transition into a future career?

At this 'In conversation with...' event, you’ll get the chance to join various OCFs and hear about how they navigated the complex and often unexpected twists and turns of their career journeys. With presentations across disciplines and areas, there are plenty of intriguing stories to hear and experiences to share.

Sessions will be spread across two streams of break-out rooms, with multiple presentations per session. You’ll be able to choose which to attend on the night. Interested in more than one presentation? Don’t worry, all sessions will be recorded so you can catch up on them after the event.

You are also welcome to come in and out of the event to attend specific sessions only, and there is a small break between each presentation to allow for this.

Event Schedule
6.30pm–6.35pm	Formalities and Acknowledgement to Country
6.35pm–7.00pm	Keynote presentation – Evolution of a career Sarah Keenihan started her adult life as a medical student, but what seemed like a relatively simple career trajectory became an organised mess, shaped by push-and-pull of opportunity, doors opening and closing, family factors, a growing sense of self-awareness and the age-old question: "what do you actually want from a career?". Now Sarah works as a science writer and editor and is open to new possibilities in the future.
7.05pm–7.25pm	Breakout session 1 Exploring a career in academia – health research and teaching Hear from Hannah and Nicole as they explore their respective pathways to academia. They will discuss how they progressed through undergraduate degrees, honours degrees and their PhDs, and the decisions they faced along the way. They will also provide an overview of their research interests (nature play and outdoor learning, and the physiology of growth and development) and how they’re able to translate this to their teaching in the health degrees at UniSA Online.
7.05pm–7.25pm	Breakout session 1 Swings and roundabouts: A tale of two very different career journeys Career journeys are seldom straightforward. Steph and Paula are both Online Course Facilitators in the Bachelor of Psychological Science and Sociology, but their career paths have been very different to say the least. In this session, they will share some of the twists and turns that have brought them to this point, which might resonate with students grappling with career decisions in different life circumstances.
7.05pm–7.25pm	Breakout session 1 A journalist’s journey to the dark side (and back) Lachlan will be talking about how his UniSA journalism degree set him on a path to a successful career in journalism, then into a role as 'spin doctor' for the South Australian Premier, and then back into teaching journalism and communications at UniSA Online. He will be talking about the importance of adapting, the transferability of skills, and how the skills you learn at UniSA could lead you to unimagined roles.
7.05pm–7.25pm	Breakout session 1 Collaborating with industry This session discusses some of the advantages, challenges and outcomes of teaching academics working and collaborating with industry. Karen’s work consists largely of work with local government whilst Vaib was a serial entrepreneur before joining academia and continuing to work with startups. Together they will present some of the benefits of being involved in this type of work and the different types of stakeholder relationships that need to be considered.
7.05pm–7.25pm	Breakout session 1 Wandering through the maze of study, industry and academia with friends – how we got where we wanted to be An informal talk about the winding paths that begin with study and go in many different directions. See how everyone in an OCF’s study circle got to where they wanted to be; some in technical roles, some in management, some in their sheds and some here to talk to you tonight.
7.30pm–7.50pm	Breakout session 2 Getting the most out of the UniSA Online experience Stuart and Renee will be in conversation, providing both OCF and student perspectives on career paths, interests in digital media and study tips to help you along your UniSA Online journey.
7.30pm–7.50pm	Breakout session 2 Career pathways in nutrition As dietitians, Brittany and Kristy have diverse backgrounds and experience in industry, teaching and research roles. Join them to learn about their career journeys in the nutrition field, and some guidance on how to navigate your own pathway in nutrition.
7.30pm–7.50pm	Breakout session 2 Maximise career potential: Challenges are opportunities Facing and overcoming challenges can be transformative experiences, contributing to an individual's uniqueness and professional growth in career and research. Ruchini and Hansani will explore their career progress, how they started, how they used opportunities to progress, how working in teaching compares to working in industry, what inspires them and what is next.
7.30pm–7.50pm	Breakout session 2 What does my non-vocational degree get me? Marketing yourself with sociology, criminology and non-practising psychology degrees Haylie explores how degrees in areas like sociology, criminology and other related disciplines can provide important career opportunities, and how to best capitalise on that as you study and beyond.
7.55pm–8.30pm	Personal communications and branding by Rosslyn Cox You will be your most successful self when you embrace your strengths authentically and unapologetically. Learn the language to give you the confidence to articulate how you can be of service to others and in so doing achieve your personal and professional potential.
8.30pm	Event concludes

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Keynote speaker

Sarah Keenihan

Sarah Keenihan Headshot 300x300.png

Sarah Keenihan is a science writer and editor living and working on Kaurna land, South Australia. She loves to wrangle with complex, technical information and create compelling stories, articles, social media, reports and more. Her clients are in government, academia, industry and media. Previously Sarah worked as science and technology editor for The Conversation Australia, and as an immunology researcher in Indonesia and Australia. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys running and walking trails, and reading historical fiction.