| THE NEXT STEP
5. Passionate staff Staff (including but not limited to academics) are happy and passionate about supporting students, teaching, research, leadership and/or contributing to communities. Furthermore, these staff persons pass that enthusiasm on to students, thereby creating healthy learning cultures. 6. Student diversity All students are respected, believed in, trusted and treated as diverse individuals with multiple life roles and responsibilities within and beyond the university. 7. Learning to think Students are invited, compelled and taught how to think, inquire, learn and to develop and portray their distinct identities and value propositions.
Exemplar Technology Applications Just as there are these seven descriptors that characterise university excellence, there are also seven applications of technology that I have experienced as exemplar. This full set of technologies is not present at
portfolios and databases, has enabled
managed in regard to type, sequence
4. Innovation and invention
all (or most) universities, but large
this personalisation and flexibility.
and content.
Some universities are knowledge
applied at those universities who are
2. Program mapping
3. Data analysis
preparing students for industries with
striving to achieve some or most
While some disciplines and
Netflix makes choosing movies easy,
existing technologies, but they are
of the characteristics of excellence
corresponding industries lend
because algorithms sort and classify
encouraging and fostering innovation,
described above.
themselves to micro-credentialing (e.g.
choices onto the viewer’s personal
including supporting students
ever-shifting digital industries), others
picks based on characteristics of their
to come up with new solutions,
1. Micro-credentialing and badging
are better suited to a fixed, sequential
watch history. Likewise, education uses
thus creating digital futures. Such
Some universities have realised that
offering. This is the case for many
data such as how long students spend
universities do not (over) lecture at
pre-packaged degrees do not work
degrees that lead to membership in
on which online resources to create
students or use rote, standardised
for some students in some contexts
professional associations, such as
a profile and make predictions about
assessment that does not change year
and as development for emerging
engineering and nursing. Technology
future behaviours. Specifically, some
after year. These universities have
careers. These universities use
has enabled careful mapping,
universities now have clear predictors
makerspaces, equipment, tools and
supporting technologies to manage,
benchmarking and refining of programs
indicating which students are likely to
a spirit of creativity, as well as high
document and certify the offering of
versus haphazard collections of
succeed with the standard offerings and
tolerance for trial, error and success.
short modules. Students can complete
courses (individual units of instruction
which are likely to need extra supports
Academics and students partner to
these modules in a personalised
which some universities call subjects).
so that they do not fail or drop-out.
‘give it a go’ researching, inquiring
sequence and timeframe that works
This allows careful learning plans that
Armed with this data, sometimes all a
and experimenting.
for them. Students receive badges for
sequentially progress students through
student needs for a nudge back onto a
each completed module. Completion
being introduced to knowledge, skills
success path is a personal phone call.
5. Visualisation
of a specified number of badges
and attributes, which are further
Hearing the voice of a caring university
Textbooks, photographs and
qualifies students with a degree.
developed and then assured (certified)
staff person can be metaphorical
illustrations do not compare with
Technology, in the form of online
closer to graduation. Furthermore,
chicken soup for a student who
3D printing, virtual reality and
learning management systems, digital
assessment is carefully planned and
previously felt like ‘only a number’.
simulations. Emerging architects can
hubs. Not only are they effectively
numbers of these technologies are
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