Evidence for educators: professional development program for teachers

The Evidence for educators program by the ANU National Security College (NSC) aims to enhance teacher knowledge by providing secondary school teachers with up-to-date and accurate information on strategic issues of importance to young Australians.

This program is a TQI Accredited Professional Learning Program (TQI Number 007800). To claim attendance the time as Accredited PL, ACT participants must attend the session in person.

Topics include critical issues in national security, regional dynamics, cyber security, online extremism and more. It will equip teachers with the tools to foster critical thinking and informed discussions among students, and help teachers meet their annual Professional Learning (PL) requirements through accessible in-person or online content.

The sessions will cover current and critical strategic issues, aligning with Senior secondary curriculums Humanities and Social Sciences units. Topics such as cyber security, climate change, and misinformation are forward-looking, preparing teachers for the difficult conversations with students about future challenges.

Our goal is to increase awareness and understanding of national security issues among educators and, by extension, students. This program, delivered by nationally and internationally recognised experts, offers an accessible and engaging way for teachers to fulfil their PL requirements.

These sessions are free of charge with in-person sessions in the ACT and an online option available for those interested to join virtually.

The package will be comprised of three sessions:  

29 October 2024 – Artificial intelligence: risks and opportunities (Associate Professor Elizabeth Williams) 

Artificial intelligence (AI) comes in many forms and is already integrated into our daily lives. It is also a discipline, a contested term, and a topic of considerable controversy.

Participants will learn about:

• Some of the prevalent forms of AI, including key components.
• How human decisions shape AI-enabled technologies and their impacts.
• Ways to think through risks and benefits of AI, both for specific applications and for society and the environment at large.

6 November 2024 – Space: why it matters to you (Dr Brad Tucker)  

This session will provide insights into the importance of the space domain to Australia. It will consider Australia's space capabilities in the context of other nations’ space programs and examine the role of the Australian Space Agency. It will also explain the significant changes in the space race, and what it means for everyone on earth.  

Participants will: 

• Discuss the historical and legal context of why space matters.  
• Consider the risks and opportunities associated with the rapid nature of change in relation to space.
• Discuss options for Australia to be better positioned to capitalise on the opportunities, and protect against the threats, that exist in relation to space.  
• Discuss how the fields of physics, math, chemistry, economics, policy, law, and more interact with space. 
• Explore a historical and global political overview and context to the current development of space technology and exploration. 

14 November 2024 – China's global strategic agenda (Rowan Callick)  

Xi Jinping has a vision for the world. This vision involves the Chinese Communist Party shifting the global balance of power and reshaping the international rules-based order that it sees as unfairly stacked in favour of the United States and its allies.   

As China takes ‘centre stage in the world’ its foreign policy has become increasingly assertive, including in relation to Taiwan and the South China Sea, causing many to question what a new world order might look like under China’s global leadership.  

Participants will:   

• Explore what drives China's global strategic agenda.  
• Analyse China’s strategic rise and what it might mean for Australia.