BY SHELLEY KINASH

This week, one of my media staff

University Excellence

invited me in to demonstrate his work

1. Graduate success

on virtual reality in higher education.

These universities acknowledge that

He fitted me with the latest Oculus Rift

the primary reason most students go

headset and controllers. I went for a tour

to university is not for university itself,

of the human body, travelling through

but for what comes after, and thereby

the skin to the muscles, organs and

set students up for graduate success,

bones. Then I visited an office, where I

including in careers.

brought objects to virtual life by using a simulated 3D printer. It was all very cool

2. Knowledge, skills and attributes

and exciting. It reminded me of my stats

Learning is clearly defined and

professor taking me to the computer

supported as positive change

lab and showing email to me and my

and development in a balance of

peers. He said that email was going to

knowledge (both discipline-specific

revolutionise education. I could not see

and overall), skills (both technical

how, but I believed him. Once again,

and super-skills such as problem

I cannot envision just how far virtual

solving) and attributes (meaning that a

reality, in combination with artificial

graduate has become someone more

intelligence, is going to take higher

advanced and mature than if they had

education. What I do know is that we are

not gone to university).

on the cusp of something exciting and I am optimistic about a whole new type of

3. Assessment and feedback

learning for my future grandchildren.

Much of assessment at these

Across nearly 30 years, two

universities is designed as learning

countries and three universities,

opportunities whereby students are

some of the roles I have held include

given rich and compelling assignments

postgraduate student, researcher,

and specific, personalised feedback,

practicum coordinator, tutor, director

as well as iterative chances to adopt,

and professor. In addition, national

adapt and improve.

research grants have allowed me to

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visit most Australian universities. These

4. Student experience, learning and

experiences, over this timeframe,

graduate outcomes

have led me to three groups of seven:

The university embraces each

seven conditions for a university to

student as a whole person and makes

qualify as excellent, seven exemplar

university life about heightened

applications of education technology

opportunities for the overall student

and seven technology-related problems

experience (including social), learning

or challenges.

and graduate outcomes.

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