Key interest areas

Key interest areas (KIA) – sometimes referred to as ‘conference tracks’ or ‘program tracks’. These broad categories help the Committee plan a diverse and balanced program that caters to everyone’s needs and help attendees navigate the program schedule. 

Each KIA will appeal to a group of people (target audience) who share common interests, sometimes based on which education sector they work in or what type of role they have within their organisation.

The descriptions and list of topics below are intended as a guide, as topics often cross over more than one key interest area.

Click on read more to find out more about each interest area, including topics of interest.

Admissions and compliance

This KIA has a specific focus on admissions, compliance, government policies and the regulatory environment for international students across all sectors.  

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Employability

This KIA focuses on employability development, career readiness, and graduate outcomes for students. Employability is developed through experiential learning processes that continue to enhance and change attitudes, competencies, and mindsets life-long and life-wide. The impact and influence of employability can be realised by working with, for, and through people in a variety of ways, which have always and continue to change.

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English language

This KIA focuses on sessions relating to the provision of intensive English language training for international students as well as to English language testing.

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Higher education

This KIA is for sessions that have a sole or dedicated focus on the higher education sector and are not relevant to other education sectors. 

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Learning abroad

This KIA encompasses all forms of staff and student international mobility with a particular emphasis on student learning abroad (both outbound and inbound), as well as on virtual mobility.

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Marketing

The focus of this KIA is on marketing and communications across all aspects of international education and across all education sectors.  This includes campaigns, brand, digital, print, advertising, social media, public relations, events, market research and student recruitment.

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Multi track

This track focuses on topics that span multiple sectors and relate to more than one key interest area.  Sessions generally relate to high level, comprehensive, innovative or emerging international education strategies at the global, national, state/territory, institutional, organisational and/or sectoral levels. This includes major government initiatives, policies and regulations relating to international students and international education in general. 

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Pathways

This KIA focuses on pathways for international students into undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Australian universities, most usually diploma or foundation studies programs, but may also include pathways via ELICOS or high schools. The KIA covers all aspects of the journey of international students through pathway programs, including student recruitment, student engagement, learning and teaching quality, and partner relations.

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Professional development

This KIA focuses on sessions designed to provide specific professional learning and skill development opportunities for delegates.

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Schools

This KIA focuses on topics that are specific to the school sector (K to Year 12) plus topics from other key international education interest areas, where there is specific relevance to schools and/or to students under 18 years old.

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Scholarships and fellowships

This KIA focuses on all issues relating to international students who are sponsored to study in another country by their home government, host government or other agencies.

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Students

This KIA is all about international students, their expectations, needs and experiences, at all stages of the student journey, and the support services they require and deserve.

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Teaching and learning

This KIA includes all elements of the teaching and learning process and experience in relation to international education.

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Transnational education

This KIA focuses on all aspects, models and sectors of TNE: strategy and management, emerging markets and trends, risk, regulation and compliance, student experience, teaching and learning and graduate outcomes.

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Vocational education and training

This KIA focuses on sessions that are specific to the vocational education and training (VET) sector.

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Key dates

21 March - Call for proposals opens

12 April - Call for proposals closes

30 May - Registration open

July - Program released

31 July - Super early bird registration closes

13 September - Early bird registration closes

22–25 October – AIEC 2024