What It Takes to Shape a Great Global University

ALVIN ONG

Fellow, SCS Chief Information Officer, Nanyang Technological University

The advent of Industry 4.0 presented both disruptions and opportunities to organisations. With the bold vision of becoming a great global university, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) embarked on a digital transformation journey to rethink and reengineer our operating models five years ago. Along the way, climate change, cybercrime, geopolitical risk and the COVID-19 pandemic posed new challenges, calling for us to recalibrate strategies to support business resiliency.

START WITH MODERNISING LEGACY SYSTEMS

As a first step, a strategic business-aligned tech plan to modernise administrative functions and tech infrastructure, and strengthen teaching, learning and research capabilities was implemented. Integrated SaaS (Software as a Service) platforms replaced in-house built systems to facilitate the adoption of best practices, increased agility to meet business needs, business continuity and a safe online operating environment.

With the bulk of our applications on cloud platforms, NTU managed to conduct core functions remotely with minimal impact on delivery quality for over 40,000 students and staff during the COVID-19 outbreak. These translated to home-based learning, assessments, examinations, and virtual events such as open house, orientation, career fair and graduation ceremonies for students, and virtual meetings, discussion groups, town halls and webinars for staff. Significantly, these digitalisation efforts not only validated NTU’s strategy in the face of unprecedented challenges, but also won commendation from the Quality Assurance Framework for Universities (QAFU) assessment panel commissioned by the Ministry of Education.

CONTINUE EMBRACING NEW FRONTIERS OF TECHNOLOGY

In January 2021, NTU 2025 was launched. This strategic plan empowers a Technology-Enabled Future (TEF) characterised by a smart, secure and sustainable campus that emphasises agility, productivity and collaboration; and enabled by a unified 3As approach – Automation, Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Specifically, NTU 2025 focuses on achieving uniformity of excellence in all activities, growing impact, and deepening disciplinary strengths while nurturing greater interdisciplinary collaborations.

Transforming Teaching and Learning

With the goal of delivering tailored and holistic university experience to students, an integrated student management system that seamlessly follows students through their NTU life cycle is currently under development. Our NTULearn ecosystem embedded with AI and analytics enables better learning outcomes by creating engaging and interactive learning environments for both learners and teachers.

Transforming Our Workforce

A digitally savvy and responsive workforce is important for elevating organisational effectiveness and boosting productivity. That is why bots will be increasingly deployed to alleviate workloads for repetitive tasks, reinforce human capability in strategy and decision making and create opportunities for innovation and growth. For example, when a next generation green mark digital research infrastructure shortens DNA sequencing of more than 1,000 plant species from 20 to three years, it catalyses testing and development of innovative ideas and products in advanced manufacturing, robotics, urban solutions, cleantech and smart technologies.

Transforming the NTU Campus

In line with our vision of a vibrant and sustainable campus, we rolled out a mobile friendly navigation system that offers real-time driving and walking directions to 4,000 locations on campus, and an eco-sustainable electric shuttle bus service that provides real-time occupancy and arrival time information. These improve the commute experience on our 200-hectare campus. Complementarily, our IoT (Internet of Things)-enabled, smart, barrier-free carpark system also offers fast and hassle-free parking experience while reducing air pollution and traffic congestion in our 59 car parks and 4,000 parking lots on campus.

GO BEYOND TECHNOLOGY

Notably, TEF goes beyond technology deployment to encompass a fundamental shift to data-driven mindsets, culture, and practices. It necessitates continuous process re-engineering and the purposeful application of 3As. Additionally, the global shift to hybrid workplaces means that every NTU staff will have to get more done faster and smarter. Besides embracing data as a shared university asset and boosting data literacy to unlock new insights and opportunities, we need to democratise technology by empowering employees with tools to create their own solutions. One example is a low code development platform to automate processes. However, optimising processes calls for reimagining how work can be done through automation. Agile and user-centric design practices underpinned by a strong cybersecurity infrastructure and heightened cybersecurity awareness are also essential.

NTU won the top accolade for Leadership and Management Team of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards Asia 2022. This recognition affirms the success of our transformation journey and the OneNTU ethos to co-create a techenabled future that improves the lives of every member in the NTU community.

TRANSFORMING THE WAY WE LEARN, WORK, LIVE AND PLAY ON CAMPUS

Learn – Enhancing Digital Teaching and Learning Experience

NTULearnVideo – This cloud-based, secured video learning platform incorporates innovative and adaptive two-way virtual synchronous learning activities such as advanced viewer analytics to enhance online learning experiences and better understand learners’ behaviour and needs.

AI-based e-Proctoring Solution – Deployed in over 46,000 online test sessions across the University, the AI system can identify potential fraud during e-assessment while reducing labour required to administer live online tests.

Interdisciplinary Collaborative Core ColLABs

– This flipped classroom can house up to 210 students while concurrently hosting students in 35 separate groups of six students. Fitted with the latest audiovisual technology, ColLAB allows students to share or mirror their laptop, phone, tablet and computer screens onto the classroom wall monitors to facilitate discussions, and simultaneously broadcast the presenting student’s video feed. Sound masking also reduces distractions from other group discussions.

Work – Harnessing Human-Machine Collaboration From RPA to Intelligent Automation

– Bots have been deployed across Human Resource, Finance, Procurement, and IT to automate manual, repetitive tasks. An AI/ Machine Learning (ML) model was also piloted to process essays/reports submitted for Aptitude-based Admission and automate the shortlisting of applicants – providing a more holistic and efficient way for selecting candidates.

Next-Gen Digital Research

Infrastructure – This solution integrates research solutions from pre-processing and data collection to post-processing, bridging science and computational engineering to accelerate data analysis and scientific breakthroughs.

Live and Play – Creating a Vibrant and Sustainable Campus

NTUMaps – This mobile friendly navigation system provides users with real-time and step-by-step driving and walking directions to more than 4,000 locations on the 200-hectare campus.

Campus Electric Shuttle Bus Mobile

App – This eco-sustainable campus shuttle bus service integrates the mobile app with the fleet management system to enable real-time GPS tracking of the buses and provide timely information such as occupancy and expected time of arrival.

Barrier-free Smart Carpark – This system employs IoT technology to manage parking in 59 carparks and over 4,000 parking lots on campus. It offers a fast and hassle-free parking experience while reducing air pollution and traffic congestion. This initiative has clinched several awards, setting the benchmark for future commercial parking.