TECHNOLOGY
campusreview.com.au
When it comes to the use of technology
– both on campus and within a course
of study – students expect a usage level
that at least matches their own in other
areas of their life. One in three survey
respondents found the level of technology
innovation at their university (or within their
specific course of study) to be functional
yet uninspired. One in 10 declared it to
be either non-existent or outdated and
ineffective. These findings are a worrying
reflection on the very institutions that
claim to be preparing today’s students for
tomorrow’s world.
SMART CAMPUSES
Are universities
smart enough?
How smart technologies
can revolutionise the
university experience.
By Peter Nikoletatos
Y
outh may well be wasted on the
young, but not when it comes to
exerting influence on the higher
education sector. As we prepare to enter
the 2020s – poised to embrace the
emerging technologies and innovations
that a new decade will bring – students
are increasingly recognised as a driving
force for change and credited with shaping
tomorrow’s higher education landscape,
and smart universities are listening.
FALLING BEHIND THE TIMES
Today’s students have firm opinions on
what makes a good university experience,
as evidenced in a recent TechnologyOne
survey of 1000 currently enrolled
Australian individuals. The findings are
reported in What Do Students Want from
their University Experience.
When asked if their university used smart
campus technology – including connected
and optimised ICT technologies, smart
devices, artificial intelligence, virtual reality
and the Internet of Things (IoT) – nearly
half (40 per cent) of the respondents were
unable to answer either way. Additionally,
one in five (19 per cent) answered ‘no’.
For higher education providers that forgo
smart technologies or fail to communicate
existing initiatives clearly to students, the
next finding will be of concern. More than
half (54 per cent) of surveyed students
would switch (or consider switching) to an
alternative university where better usage of
technology and innovation is evident.
For institutions hoping to deliver on
student expectations and to revolutionise
the higher education experience, effectively
leveraging smart campus technologies is
now imperative.
LOOK TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT
In terms of service delivery and community
expectations, higher education institutions
essentially replicate the underlying
framework of local government areas – so
it makes sense to look to local councils
and their ‘smart city’ initiatives for insight
and inspiration. University and college
campuses can be viewed as mini cities
– even with the emergence of smaller,
urban‑based sites designed to deliver a
more intimate education experience.
When forward-thinking councils around
Australia began to investigate how to bring
their ‘smart city’ aspirations to life, they
recognised that the needs of a community
and its residents were the fundamental
starting point. They also understood that to
meet tomorrow’s expectations and to work
with the new transformative technologies
that would emerge, they had to move away
from legacy software and systems that
employed a closed, proprietary architecture
in favour of an open protocol.
For the education sector, the same base
points apply.
WHEN MANY BECOME ONE
A logical starting point is the software
and systems used to underpin operations.
Rationalising multiple standalone
applications into a single discrete
enterprise-wide solution enables universities
to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and
streamline processes through end‑to‑end
management of operations.
And before a university invests in a raft of
smart technology, it needs to ensure it has
the right foundations to interpret, analyse
and use the data that technology will
deliver in a meaningful way. Maintaining a
suite of on-premise products is expensive
and unnecessary, requiring dedicated IT
resources and a complex integration layer
to ensure interoperability.
Moving to a cloud-based Software
as a Service (SaaS) methodology allows
universities to operate a simple, cost-
effective and elastic model of computing
that puts the student community first,
rather than the technology.
ENABLING ENGAGEMENT
While the power behind the platform
is important, so too is what’s up front –
usability and effective engagement.
According to the study, 87 per cent
of students expect to access all course
resources and materials from anywhere,
at any time, on any device. Ninety-five
per cent believe that consistency across
all course touchpoints and interactions is
important. For education providers, this
means delivering an engaging platform
that is reliable, fast, easy to use and offers a
consistent user experience.
Developing and realising a truly smart
campus is an evolutionary process, taking
years – not months – to achieve. For
universities, vocational training providers
and colleges hoping to attract and retain
the best and brightest, the ideal starting
point is an enterprise solution that offers
ease in all aspects – procurement,
configuration, deployment, access,
integration and use – providing a suitable
foundation for smart ambitions. ■
Professor Peter Nikoletatos is industry
director, education, at TechnologyOne.
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