UWA: A digital transformation of the student experience
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Transforming the student experience through digital innovation WRIT TEN BY
CATHERINE S TURM AN PRODUCED BY
MIK E SADR
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w w w.c o mpa w ny w w.uwa. we bsite. ed ucom .au
One of the most renowned academic institutions for research and development innovation, The University of Western Australia has invested in new digital tools to transform the student experience
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echnology has opened up new opportunities across the education sector. Students are no longer
content with traditional ways of working, but are looking for learning tools which seamlessly blend technology and creativity to 04
promote engagement and deliver new ways of thinking. Projections show the e-learning market worldwide is forecast to surpass US$243bn by 2022, leading institutions to turn towards innovative education models and develop student-focused solutions which work to provide personalised support wherever possible. Situated on the outskirts of Perth, with a second campus in Albany, The University of Western Australia (UWA) is the oldest educational institution in the region. The university houses competitive spirit founded on collaboration, with many illustrious alumni to its name. Former Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke, former CEO of British
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“ I decided to enter higher education, which I feel is an opportunity to provide something to the community. It also helps to shape the way that future leaders will come into the world” — Warwick Calkin, Chief Digital & Information Officer
Airways, Sir Roderick Ian Eddington, as well as Noble Prize winners have all studied here and gained international acclaim. “A bunch of people from the university have made a difference to the world, not just to their local community,” reflects UWA’s Chief Digital & Information Officer, Warwick Calkin. “The indigenous people that lived in this part of Australia, the Noongar people, came to this area for learning. They bought people to this part of the world and taught them here,
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so it was actually a university way before it was a university, so to speak. However, the education sector has changed significantly. The days of having someone stand at the front, and ‘chalk and talk’ no longer appeals. Students are used to having something far more dynamic, far more interactive, and want tools that give them the ability to exchange ideas. “A lot of students don’t necessarily come to the lectures in person and just look at the lectures online and the bits which are most important to them. Technology has enabled students to actually receive education in a different way and not necessarily on campus.”
CLICK TO WATCH : ‘PROFESSOR DAWN FRESHWATER – NEW UWA VICE-CHANCELLOR’ 07 Working in a number of industry
students from China, India, Singapore
verticals, from telco’s, utilities, finance
and Malaysia in particular, he found
and mining, moving into the education
that even locating the application form
space would seem a surprise move, but
on its website to be a frustrating process.
Calkin, wanted to build a career which
Not only that, prospective students
he felt would hold greater purpose.
then had to print off the 15-page PDF
“I decided to enter higher education,
form which was solely accessible in
which I feel is an opportunity to provide
English. Once completed, the required
something to the community. It also helps
forms had to be sent via the mail, placing
to shape the way that future leaders will
further delays. Those who completed
come into the world.”
the form incorrectly, or if supplied
Calkin has often sought to ‘walk in the shoes’ of the students, even from the very start of the application process. With high numbers of international
images were blurry, had to redo the process all over again. “By the time they eventually got an offer from us, which was sent via w w w.uwa. ed u . a u
C O M PA N Y FACT S
• UWA has sought to implement cloud software to protect up to six petabytes (PB) of research data, which previously sat in a outsource data centre
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• UWA’s new digital support mechanism allows students to designate family members or friends to be alerted if they miss a tutorial or assignment, or if they haven’t been on campus for a period of time • The University of Western Australia (UWA) is the oldest educational institution in the region • The university houses competitive spirit founded on collaboration, with many illustrious alumni to its name
snail-mail, there’s a good chance that they had an offer from another university,” he laments. By identifying key pain points, Calkin has worked to digitise the application process. The time taken to complete the required forms has been reduced to 20 minutes, where applicants can now also receive an electronic offer within five working days. Additionally, applicants can now pay online via credit card. “We’re the first of all the highest ranking (GO8) universities in Australia that issue an electronic letter. Everyone
else still does it with a paper offer,”
an experience where they value me,
says Calkin. “You start looking at the
they respect me and they’re going to
things which you just expect to be
treat me as a customer.”
there and work, and yet these people,
Recognising that students demand
who are our customers, we weren’t
technologies promoting convenience
treating them with the same respect.
and accessibility, Calkin has worked
We were saying, ‘Well, if you want to
alongside the students themselves. He
come here, you’ll work it out. You’ve
received support from the Student
got to be smart enough to work it out
Guild to build digital tools, such as the
to come here in the first place.’
ability for students to locate friends on
As a consumer, if it’s that hard to
campus, receiving reminders around
consume something, you start thinking,
key events and information regarding
‘is this the experience that I want to put
assignments. Partnering with Involvio
myself through? I should go and have
has also seen students gain access to
E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Warwick Calkin was appointed Chief Digital & Information Officer for the UWA in 2017. Warwick has over 30 years’ experience in IT. Prior to working in the Higher Education sector, Warwick worked in Senior IT leadership roles in a number of industry verticals such as Mining, (CIO of South32, CIO of BHP Potash, CIO of BHP Diamonds) Telecommunications (General Manager of Platform Services for Telstra), as well as roles in Utilities, Software Development, and Wagering & Gaming. Warwick has worked in more than 20 other countries around the world including New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands and Canada. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a Non-Executive Director of a Not-for-Profit organisation, Carers WA.
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“ We are working with Pure Storage, who have provided a platform that is used partially for the research side. All the files that were previously on disks and servers are now sitting on that platform, which enables some incredible performance and analytics” — Warwick Calkin, Chief Digital & Information Officer
some friends on campus at this time who you can meet for lunch’. It’s pretty intuitive,” notes Calkin. “A QR code is also built into it, so if students forget to bring their student ID, they can still buy lunch at the cafeteria. It’s all these practical things which we’re trying to make as easy as possible. One thing a student will never lose is their mobile phone.” Even the safety of its students has been considered. UWA’s new digital support mechanism allows students to designate family members or friends to be alerted if they miss a tutorial or assignment, or if they haven’t been on
a platform which provides real-time
campus for a period of time. If there
information via their phone or laptop,
was a serious incident, students can
such as the classes a student has that
also be sent a push notification.
day, including a map and directions if
Despite such innovations, it is easy
required, all in a bid to deliver a student
to disregard the fact that large volumes
experience which is personalised,
of personalised data are routinely
highly mobile and digitally connected.
stored on a daily basis. Protecting this
“The technology will prompt students
data has become a critical area for
with things like, ‘You’ve got one subject
Calkin, but with a digitally savvy
this morning and another this after-
student-base, he has developed an
noon with a gap of three hours in the
essential way for students to guaran-
middle, so here are some events that
tee that their data can be stored and
are on campus that you may be
shared through an ‘opt in’ feature, which
interested in attending’, or ‘you have
the students themselves must enable. w w w.uwa. ed u . a u
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“The feature on the mobile application, Transparent Mode, is defaulted to be off, so students have to switch this on. Once they opt in, we can track where they’re going and what they’re doing,” he says. “The reason to turn it off is, to protect their right to privacy. If they say they want to know where their friends are, they can then do so. The data is associated with Involvio’s base in the cloud which has tight security around it. Approximately 60 universities in the US are also using this technology.” 12
Even travelling to and from the university is set to be revolutionised, with autonomous vehicles being deployed to support students’ travel across campus, which would work to protect them from the harsh
looking at the community that supports
40-degree heat in the summertime.
us and to engage more effectively, and
“We trialled this autonomous vehicle
in some areas, partner up to deliver
to look at how can we can transport
innovations which everyone can benefit
people around campus, but also looked
from,” observes Calkin.
at the broader context of incorporating
Throughout its expansive digital
this into the public system. We’re
investment, from student focused
working with the Department of
technologies to its extensive research
Transport to try and work out how to
capabilities, UWA has sought to
take this forward. There’s a lot of
implement cloud software to protect
things we are looking at more broadly
up to six petabytes (PB) of research
than just the university itself – we’re
data, which previously sat in an
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outsourced data centre. Bringing the
used partially for the research side.
data back on site, situated in two data
All the files that were previously on
centres on campus, the university is
disks and servers are now sitting on
set to undertake a 12-month project
that platform, which enables some
to work alongside librarians and sift
incredible performance and analytics,�
through large volumes of data, identify
depicts Calkin.
ownership, and decide whether it should
Technology has reshaped the way
be retained or archived, with the aim to
we interact, engage and communicate,
house a complete catalogue of relevant,
yet UWA has taken this a step further.
high quality data.
Home to one of the largest indigenous
“We are working with Pure Storage, who have provided a platform that is
art collections in the southern hemisphere, the university is exploring the w w w.uwa. ed u . a u
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use of augmented reality (AR) and
the Year, implementing a trading room
virtual reality (VR) to offer a cultural
which would replicate becoming a trad-
experience quite like no other. While
er on the floor, dealing with situations
UWA is looking to build a school of
in real-time. Receiving feeds from the
indigenous studies to celebrate this
market, students could initiate and pull
work, strict guidelines regarding where
trades and see the results.
such work can be shown remain. VR
With facilities dotted everywhere,
will therefore enable this work to be
Calkin has recently undertaken
displayed, where students can gain
a study with UWA’s Director of Campus
a greater understanding of Australia’s
Management to develop a campus
rich history.
master plan, looking at the university
Catering towards its business
from both a digital and physical
students, in 2018 the university was
perspective to ensure it remains one
awarded the Education Project of
of the most advanced educational w w w.uwa. ed u . a u
institutions in the world. The first focal point is being urban, which UWA has achieved through its location, just outside of Perth. Second is green space, which the university has been committed to maintaining throughout its inception. Thirdly is history, which UWA has in spades. “The last one is density and Oxford and Cambridge University were faced with similar challenges,” he explains. “While Cambridge elected to carry on sprawling, Oxford elected to consoli16
“ The education sector has changed significantly. The days of having someone stand at the front, and ‘chalk and talk’ no longer appeals. Students are used to having something far more dynamic, which gives them the ability to exchange ideas” — Warwick Calkin, Chief Digital & Information Officer
date with a smaller footprint but with a higher density. We’re looking at going down this route and create an environment which is more collaborative. The notion of teaching in a box is disappearing, and has become a lot more experiential.” Long-term, Calkin believes that new technologies, such as blockchain, will even lead to the introduction of bespoke degrees, where students will build their own degrees, and complete modules at various universities
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worldwide. New technologies will
one you know recommends you. “It’s not
be able to then authenticate a user’s
just about saying that we’re good. I want
credentials across a number of
them to be able to walk away from here
different universities. For UWA,
and feel like they had the best experience
however, what is its long-term aim?
they possibly could, which we are
“That’s easy,” Calkin concludes,
committed to consistently achieve.”
without missing a beat. “Success is that our students leave here and they say it was an awesome experience. What’s the best form of advertising? It’s word of mouth. It is the strongest and most powerful form of reinforcing that something is good, where somew w w.uwa. ed u . a u
The University of Western Australia 35 Stirling Highway Perth WA 6009 Australia T (+61 8) 6488 6000 www.uwa.edu.au