ACERE 2025 Educators Forum

Theme: Reimagining Entrepreneurship Education: Integrating AI and Innovation

We are pleased to invite educators, program directors, and academic leaders to participate in the ACERE 2025 Educators Forum. This forum will focus on the intersection of AI, entrepreneurship education, and university incubators, providing a platform to explore cutting-edge approaches to curriculum design, assessment innovation, and industry integration.

Through interactive sessions, participants will:

• Engage in discussions on AI-enhanced entrepreneurship education and its impact on learning outcomes.
• Explore university incubators and accelerators as key drivers for multidisciplinary innovation and work-integrated learning.
• Participate in roundtable discussions to collaboratively shape the future of entrepreneurship education in response to evolving industry needs.
• Network with academic and industry leaders to foster partnerships and resource-sharing opportunities.

Date: Tuesday 11^th February 2025

Venue: Deakin Downtown, Level 12, Tower 2, Collins Square, Docklands, Melbourne, Australia

Participation Requirements

• Registration and payment of 100 AUD is required. Those delegates who already register and pay for the full ACERE Conference are exempt from separate registration and payment for this forum.
• Limited to 80 participants to ensure interactive engagement

Submission Process

To participate, please submit a one-page statement HERE outlining:

• Your current role in entrepreneurship education
• Brief description of a successful initiative or challenge you’d like to discuss
• Preferred round table discussion topics

Program Structure

Registration and Coffee: 9:00 to 9:30

Session 1: AI & Entrepreneurship Education (9:30 – 10:30)

1. Panel Discussions

• AI-Enhanced Entrepreneurship Curriculum Design
• Measuring Learning Outcomes in the AI Era
• Assessment Innovation in Entrepreneurship Education

Panel Members:

• Jim Crisp (Deloitte) – Strategy and AI-Enabled Transformation
• Bert Verhoeven (University of Newcastle) – Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education Governance
• Timothy Hor (University of Newcastle) – Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Joan Sutherland (Deakin University) – Digital Collaboration and Education Design
• Bess Brennan (Cadmus E-Learning) – EdTech and Digital Assessment

Moderator: Jesse McMeikan, Manager SPARK and Entrepreneurship Programs, Deakin University

15 min break

Session 2: Building Sustainable University Innovation Ecosystems (10:45 – 11:30) 

Panel Discussions

• Incubator-integrated learning experiences
• Multi-disciplinary innovation projects
• Work-integrated entrepreneurship programs

Panel Members:

·  Elle Phillips (LaunchVic) – University Relations & Startup Ecosystem 

·  Alicia Darvall (RMIT Activator) – Director of RMIT Activator  

·  May Flaming (Wade Institute) – Program & Engagement Management 

Moderator: Jesse McMeikan, Manager SPARK and Entrepreneurship Programs, Deakin University

15 min break

Roundtable Discussions (11:45-1:00)

Lunch & Networking (1:00 – 2:00)

Close (2:00)

Submission Deadline: January 21, 2025, Notification: January 30, 2025

Expected Outcomes

• Practical strategies for AI integration in entrepreneurship education
• Network of Entrepreneurship Educators
• Resource-sharing platform access

For queries, please contact:

Jesse Mcmeikan, Manager of SPARK Incubator at Deakin jesse.m@deakin.edu.au

Manjula Dissanayake, manjula.dissanayake@adelaide.edu.au

The Educator’s Forum is complimentary for ACERE delegates. For those attending the educator’s forum but not the conference, please register and pay a fee of $100 HERE.