The GIHE offers academic staff a collegial community of academic practice, supported by high quality professional development programs and resources. Our role is to contribute to enhanced learning and teaching at Griffith by supporting academic staff at all stages of their career, from casual staff to senior managers.

Effective university teaching involves a sound understanding of the students and their needs. Diversity of cultures, backgrounds and educational experiences is a feature of the student cohort at Griffith. For example, in 2007, Griffth provided higher education services for more than 300 Australian Indigenous students, 900 students from non-English speaking backgrounds, and more than 1000 students who have disabilities. International students comprised 24.4% of all students and 32.3% of students were mature age.

Learning and teaching at Griffith is characterised by a commitment to:

• An academic culture of enquiry and innovation in and across disciplines
• Stimulating, socially inclusive, and accessible learning environments
• Engagement with community and key issues in the public domain
• Respect for the individuality of staff and students
• Teaching and support appropriate to the diverse backgrounds and learning needs of students
• Evidence-based approaches to curriculum design, teaching and assessment
• Creative and effective application of blended learning strategies
• Scholarship in learning and teaching in higher education
• Promoting, recognising and rewarding excellence in staff and student achievements
• Developing students as global citizens

The activities and resources of the GIHE support these principles by assisting academic staff to:

• Understand and respond to the changing learning needs of students
• Learn about practical ways to enhance their teaching practice and curriculum design
• Make the most of opportunities to engage with collegial communities of practice in learning and teaching
• Access examples of leading practice and current theories in higher education
• Resourcefully address Griffith's learning and teaching priority areas including WiL, internationalisation, and research-based learning.