Professional Learning Pathways
Professional Learning Pathways
Melbourne ACE supports clinical educators across their professional development journey through a connected series of learning opportunities designed to build capability, foster collaboration and support leadership in clinical education.
Our pathways — Foundation, Extension and Advancement — provide opportunities for educators across the health professions to strengthen teaching and supervision skills, engage with peers and communities of practice, and contribute to the future of health professions education.
How to Get Involved
Clinical educators can participate in Extension activities by attending Melbourne ACE workshops, events and professional learning opportunities throughout the year.
Information about upcoming activities and opportunities to engage with Melbourne ACE are shared through the ACE mail list and on the Extension events tab.
Foundation
Build foundational supervision and teaching capability
The Foundation pathway supports clinical educators to develop the core skills, knowledge and confidence required for effective clinical supervision and teaching across healthcare settings.
Designed for educators across the health professions, Foundation activities provide flexible and practical learning opportunities that support high-quality student learning and patient care.
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The Clinical Supervision Online course is a flexible, self-paced program designed to support clinicians who supervise and teach students in clinical environments.
The course focuses on practical and evidence-informed approaches to supervision, feedback, learner support and creating effective clinical learning environments.
The CSO is available to clinical educators across Medicine, Genetic Counselling, Psychology, Dentistry, Oral Health, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Social Work, Optometry, Audiology, Speech Pathology and Public Health.
Clinical educators supervising University of Melbourne students may be eligible for support to complete the course.
Extension
Expand your practice through collaboration and professional learning
The Extension pathway supports clinical educators to build on foundational teaching and supervision skills through workshops, collaborative learning opportunities and interprofessional engagement.
Extension activities provide opportunities for educators to connect with colleagues across disciplines, explore contemporary topics in clinical education, and share ideas and experiences from practice.
Participation in Extension activities is flexible, allowing educators to engage in opportunities that align with their interests, professional goals and availability.
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Melbourne ACE offers a series of online and in-person Extension Events throughout the year designed to support ongoing professional learning, collaboration and connection across the clinical educator community.
These events bring together educators from different disciplines and healthcare settings to explore contemporary topics in clinical education and share approaches to teaching, supervision and learner support.
Extension Events may include:
- workshops and seminars
- educator forums and panel discussions
- networking opportunities
- professional learning communities
- interprofessional learning activities
Topics may include:
- feedback and assessment
- learner wellbeing
- simulation and experiential learning
- interprofessional communication
- inclusive teaching practices
- placement support and supervision
- emerging issues and innovations in clinical education
In-person events also provide opportunities for educators to build professional networks, exchange ideas and connect with colleagues across disciplines and healthcare settings.
Through these activities, educators can strengthen professional relationships, share experiences and contribute to a growing interprofessional community of clinical educators.
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Extension activities bring together educators from different disciplines and healthcare settings to support collaboration, shared learning and professional connection.
These opportunities allow educators to exchange ideas, discuss challenges and innovations in clinical education, and build networks across the health professions.
Advancement
Lead and contribute to the future of clinical education
The Advancement pathway supports clinical educators seeking to further develop leadership capability, education and expertise in health professions education.
Through advanced study, scholarship opportunities and engagement in educator leadership activities, Melbourne ACE supports educators to contribute to innovation, teaching excellence and the future of clinical education across the health professions.
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The EXCITE (Excellence in Clinical Teaching) program is a flexible suite of postgraduate courses at the University of Melbourne designed for health professionals who teach, train, or supervise students and peers. The program bridges educational theory with practical, day-to-day clinical workplace scenarios.It is highly interprofessional, bringing together doctors, nurses, dentists, physiotherapists, and allied health professionals. The curriculum is structured to accommodate busy clinical schedules through a blended model of online and face-to-face learning.Program StructureThe program offers a nested suite of qualifications that participants can complete part-time:
- Graduate Certificate in Clinical Education: Covers foundational teaching methods, assessment strategies, and feedback delivery.
- Graduate Diploma in Clinical Education: Expands on foundational skills to focus on curriculum design and educational evaluation.
- Master of Clinical Education: A comprehensive degree involving advanced leadership training and a workplace-based educational research project.
See further information about each of these courses below
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The Graduate Certificate in Clinical Education is part of the University of Melbourne’s Excellence in Clinical Teaching (EXCITE) program — a suite of postgraduate clinical education offerings provided through the Department of Medical Education.
Designed for health professionals involved in clinical teaching, the Graduate Certificate supports educators to further develop practical skills in clinical teaching, learner assessment, curriculum design and educational leadership.
The flexible one-year program brings together clinicians from diverse professional backgrounds and provides practical experience in clinical education theory, practice and scholarship.
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Melbourne ACE is pleased to offer one scholarship per Discipline within the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences to support completion of the Graduate Certificate in Clinical Education (EXCITE program) in 2026.
This is a one-year, four-subject program: Graduate Certificate in Clinical Education
The 2026 course fee is $17,000.
- University of Melbourne staff receive a 25% fee reduction, bringing the fee to $12,750. Melbourne ACE will cover 50% of this amount ($8,500).
- The remaining 25% ($4,250) is to be covered by the staff member or their Department.
Each Head of Department will work with their Course Co-ordinator and/or Clinical Co-ordinator to identify the most suitable candidate for this opportunity. Each Department/School will manage its own nomination process.
Eligibility and Conditions
- Applicants must hold a University of Melbourne appointment of at least 0.4 FTE and meet standard entry requirements for the program.
- Scholarship recipients must be able to complete all four subjects in 2026 (January intake; two subjects per semester).
- Successful applicants will be expected to contribute to Melbourne ACE activities in 2027.
Enquiries: speak to listed staff within your Department or email Melbourne-ACE@unimelb.edu.au
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The Graduate Diploma in Clinical Education (part of the EXCITE suite) at the University of Melbourne is a multi-disciplinary postgraduate program designed for health professionals who are moving beyond day-to-day teaching into the planning, development, and evaluation of clinical education.
Delivered over 2 years part-time using a flexible blend of short on-campus intensives and online learning, the program allows busy clinicians to balance their studies with active clinical practice.
Learn more: Graduate Diploma in Clinical Education -
The Master of Clinical Education (the capstone qualification of the EXCITE suite) at the University of Melbourne is an advanced postgraduate degree designed to prepare healthcare professionals for senior academic leadership, policy, and educational research roles.
Delivered part-time over 3 years, this flexible program uses a blended learning model featuring short on-campus intensive workshops supplemented by online learning, allowing clinicians to study without interrupting their active practice.