DrAmara Atif

Teaching Philosophy:

My teaching philosophy is grounded in creating inclusive, innovative, and student-centred learning environments that empower students to become confident, ethical, and lifelong learners. As a teacher at heart, I believe that effective teaching extends beyond knowledge transmission to fostering curiosity, critical thinking, collaboration, and learner agency.

My approach integrates evidence-informed pedagogies, authentic assessment, and technology-enhanced learning to create engaging educational experiences for diverse cohorts. I am particularly interested in how learning analytics and Human-Centred AI can support educators in designing timely, personalised interventions that enhance student engagement, wellbeing, and academic success. By combining educational research with contemporary technologies, I strive to create learning environments that are equitable, accessible, and responsive to students' evolving needs while maintaining a strong commitment to academic integrity.

I teach both undergraduate and postgraduate subjects, including studios. Beyond classroom teaching, I contribute to curriculum innovation, assessment design, learning analytics implementation, and the integration of Generative AI and Indigenous perspectives into higher education curricula. My educational leadership is recognised through multiple University learning and teaching awards and through faculty-wide initiatives that strengthen student success and educator capability.

Some of the subjects I have taught and currently teach are:

• Business Intelligence
• Enabling Enterprises Information Systems
• IS Value Creation Studio
• Social Impact of IS Studio
• Introduction to Information Systems
• Business Process and IT Strategy
• IT Professional and Society
• Programming
  
  

I supervise Capstone, Honours, Masters by Research, and PhD students undertaking interdisciplinary research across Human-Centred AI, Learning Analytics, Educational Technology, Human-Computer Interaction, and the Learning Sciences.

My supervision philosophy is collaborative, student-centred, and research-informed. I work closely with students to develop methodological rigour, critical thinking, scholarly independence, and confidence, while encouraging research that creates meaningful educational and societal impact. My aim is to support students in producing high-quality research that prepares them for successful academic, industry, and leadership careers.

Outreach and Community Engagement:

I actively contribute to outreach initiatives that inspire future learners and strengthen engagement with the broader community. Through collaborations with schools, international partners, and university initiatives, I design and deliver interactive workshops that introduce young learners to computing, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies.

• Introduction to Python - Build Your First Program (2026)

In collaboration with the FEIT International Office, designed and delivered an interactive programming workshop for a delegation of 22 visiting secondary school students from Vietnam (aged 12-18). The workshop introduced foundational Python programming concepts through hands-on activities, promoting computational thinking and inspiring interest in computing and STEM education.

Open Education Leadership:

I am passionate about advancing open educational practices that improve access, equity, and the quality of learning experiences. My contributions include:

• Author of Scaffolding as a Teaching Strategy OER (2022). 
  Atif, A. (April 2022). “Scaffolding as a Teaching Strategy” in Reusable Activities for Teaching with Technology, LX.lab, Institute for Interactive Media & Learning, University of Technology, Sydney. 
• Adaptable resources for teaching with technology Video
• Lead author, editor, and project manager of Decoding Data: A Complete Guide to Business Intelligence (2024-2026)
  Atif, A., Qureshi, M.A., Yang, Y., Jha, M., Mwagwabi, F., & Papini, M. (2026). Decoding Data: A Complete Guide to Business Intelligence. UTS ePress. Ebook ISBN 978-1-923373-06-8.

Educational Resources and Knowledge Exchange:

I enjoy translating educational research into practical resources that support educators and institutions. In addition to scholarly publications, I contribute to educational blogs, reusable teaching resources, professional development workshops, and institutional initiatives that promote evidence-informed teaching and learning. Below is the list of blogs I wrote or collaborated with colleagues and co-authored.

• Leaving outdated textbooks behind with Decoding Data [28 May]
• Are we teaching or just policing? [15 May 2026]
• Decoding Data with Dr Amara Atif at Open Education Week [12 May 2026]
• Planting a seed: Welcoming mother languages into learning [18 March 2026]
• From confused to confident: resources that demystify GenAI use at UTS [8 July 2025]
• OnTask: personalised feedback to build student belonging [10 June 2025]
• Stories from the subject dashboard [10 March 2025]
• Building GenAI literacy and academic integrity with a simple submission template [9 January 2025]
• Bright spots: success stories from FEIT summer studios [8 November 2022]
• Not-so-secret strategies to enhance our students’ teamwork experiences [17 August 2022]
• Developing students’ feedback literacy via peer feedback in FEIT Studios [28 July 2022]
• A closer look at adaptable resources for teaching with technology [28 July 2022]
• What the subject dashboard can teach you about your students [13 April 2022]
• Portfolium in Practice: An agile approach to developing and assessing portfolios [2 February 2022]
• What does authentic assessment mean to you? [7 October 2021]
• Make a splash in Microsoft Teams: increasing engagement during synchronous online classes [11 August 2021]
• Using the Canvas ’Message students who’ function for personalised feedback [17 June 2021]
• Why all the buzz about rubrics? [23 April 2021]
• Analyse this: improving student engagement with New Analytics in Canvas [8 April 2021]
• Let’s discuss: how 4 academics increased student engagement in discussion forums [9 June 2020]
• Introducing first years to MS Teams [21 May 2020] 

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL):

I actively contribute to the SoTL through workshops, invited presentations, institutional forums, and international conferences. My presentations focus on learning analytics, feedback literacy, Human-Centred AI, assessment innovation, student engagement, and educational design.

• UTS 2030 Practice Showcase Series: Designing Learning with GenAI [24 September 2026].  
  # Talk Title: "Rethinking Think-Pair-Share with Generative AI as a Thinking Partner".

• ACDICT T&L Forum Presentation [2 July 2026].  
  # Talk Title: "Evaluating the Integration of Generative AI in ICT Higher Education".

• ACDICT Symposium [5 November 2025].  
  # Talk Title: "Template to Transformation - Building AI Literacy and Academic Integrity in a First-Year Subject".

• AISNSW Education Research and Leadership Symposium: Contextual Insights [30 October 2025].  
  # Talk Title: "Understanding the Impact of AI Tutors on Student Engagement and Learning Outcomes in Real-World Classrooms".

• UniSQ 2025 Pathways Education and Research Colloqium: Advancing the Agenda [24 October 2025].  
  # Talk Title: "Bridging the GenAI Gap: Scaffolded Approaches to Student Engagement, Belonging, and Success in Transition".

• UTS Institutional Workshop: Overview of the subject dashboard. [7 February 2025].  
  # Talk Title: "Using the Subject Dashboard: A Coordiantor's Perspective".
  
  

• UTS 2024 Learning and Teaching Forum: Generative AI impact on students and the future of assessment. [29 November 2024]. The program and abstracts are available here.  
  # Talk Title: "Building AI Literacy and Academic Integrity in a First-Year Subject: A Case from FEIT Using a Template for Weekly Submissions to Foster Responsible and Sustainable Generative AI Use".
  
  

• UTS 2023 Learning and Teaching Forum: Shaping the future of learning and teaching. [24 November 2023]. The program and abstracts are available here.
  # Talk 1 Title: "Beyond automation: Fostering metacognition through reflections in the age of generative AI". 
  # Talk 2 Title: "Decoding student sentiments: An approach to granular feedback analysis".
  
  
• UTS 2022 Learning and Teaching Forum: Putting the human at the heart of our blended future. [2 December 2022]. The program and abstracts are available here. 
  # Talk 1 Title: "Summative collaborative learning, a friend, or a foe?". 
  # Talk 2 Title: "Strengthening teacher presence and belonging: A case study from FEIT".
  # Talk 3 Title: "Improving feedback literacy through reflection".
  
  
• UTS FFYE Forum on Facilitating Teamwork: Attending to the socio-emotional aspects of effective collaboration. [16 August 2022]
  # Talk Title: "Practice-based Socio-Emotional Dynamic of Online Teamwork".
  
  
• 010305 Crunch: Learning Analytics for Performance Improvement (Graduate Certificate Learning Design). [9 June 2022]
  # Talk Title: "Learning Analytics: The World of Learner Data".
  
  
• UTS 2021 Learning and Teaching Forum: Putting feedback for learning to practice. [29 November 2021]. The program and abstracts are available here. 
  # Talk 1 Title: "Measuring and enhancing Student Feedback Literacy through Automated Feedback". 
  # Talk 2 Title: "Developing students’ feedback literacy via peer feedback: FEIT Studio insights".
  
  
• UTS-CIC: EdTech Ethics: OnTask. [18 November 2021].
  As an academic, I shared my experience with OnTask, summarising the evidence that these tools work :)
  
  
• UTS Lx Lab Workshop: Portfolium in Practice: Stories and lessons from Spring 2021 [3 November 2021] 
  
  
• UTS FFYE Forum on Warm, wise, and personalised: Designing feedback for supporting student learning [10 August 2021] 
  
  
• UTS 2020 Learning and Teaching Forum: Beyond 2020: connecting current practice with future direction program. [1 December 2020] 
  # Talk Title: "Use of Canvas Discussion Forums for Active and Collaborative Learning".

International Engagement:

• Pedagogy for Higher Education Large Classes (PHELC) Symposium [2026]

# Talk Title: "Scaling Up or Scaling Down? Rubrics, Peer Assessment and Feedback Literacy in a Large Postgraduate Cohort"

• Learning Analytics in Practice - Online Only (LAP) SOLAR Event [2025]

# Talk Title: "From Data to Design: Empowering Teaching Practice with the UTS Subject Dashboard"

• University of Michigan’s SEISMIC Collaboration [2023]

# Talk Title: "Personalised feedback’s role in cultivating equity in STEM education"

• LAK22: 3rd Workshop on Personalizing Feedback at Scale [22 March 2022]

# Talk Title: "Personalise & Timely Feedback for Supporting Student Learning"