One of the top ten global Catholic universities, the Australian Catholic University has deployed Microsoft solutions to enhance the student and staff experience. In a shift to cloud, the digital workplace at ACU now offers Sharepoint, OneDrive and Teams.
Microsoft revealed on its official blog, “ACU is also developing its own applications and workflows to replace existing third–party workflows using the Microsoft Power Platform.
Leveraging technology and digital solutions is a critical element of the strategic plan to deliver a technology-enriched and immersive student experience.”
The entire transition to remote working for ACU staff was achieved in about two weeks
Chief Information Officer
Also Read: Gartner identifies top 10 Data and Analytics Trends
The Pre-COVID Shift to Cloud
The journey to the cloud started in pre-COVID days has benefited the University immensely amid the pandemic imposed restrictions.
Microsoft stated, “In October 2019 ACU had 1100 active Teams users – by March 2020 that had soared to over eight thousand, a 690 per cent increase in just five months”. Interestingly, ACU analysis also suggests productivity has more than tripled since the introduction of the digital workspace.
In terms of effecting massive change, CIO Niranjan Prabhu notes; “There’s nothing like a crisis to present an unprecedented opportunity for change and transformation.”
Contain, Sustain and Grow
Mr Prabhu states the medium-term focus for IT at ACU will be to “contain, sustain, and grow.”
This means making smart decisions about technology deployment that can boost efficiency, deliver savings through process automation, as well as create a competitive advantage – such as having the ability to build and leverage a rich data lake of insights to support the University decision-makers and students as they strive for success.
The quantum spent on virtual infrastructure will only continue to increase exponentially
Dr Stephen Weller, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of ACU said the shift proves “people want to have more choice, with 50 per cent of students choosing to attend lectures on campus and 50 per cent choosing to view it online.”
Dr Weller said he expects the investment in cyber security will increase substantially.
Also Read: Worldwide IT Services Market Growth Disrupted by COVID: IDC
Temporary arrangement or Tectonic Shift
The COVID impact on University business model and the growing prominence of distance learning has raised questions on the survival of the in-person education model.
Although remote learning is not new, the shift to online means students can enrol from anywhere which puts to test the current model and cost structures of Universities.
World’s second-oldest university, Cambridge recently announced it was shifting to online for the rest of the academic year.
The reputed institution revealed plans to replace group face-to-face lectures with on-line lectures for the 2020/21 academic year.
The Cambridge University statement said “Given the likely need for continued social distancing, we have decided to suspend mass lectures in person for the next academic year. Lectures will be available online”.
While digital initiatives are part of the technology imperative, it’s only fair to ask if the current education model will sustain.
ITVibes has reached out to ACU for their views on the digital shift and its implications.
ITVibes Recommended Reading:
