Prof Kevin Ashford-Rowe, DVC Digital Learning and Dr Caroline Rueckert Director Student Success share how QUT - an innovative, tech-capable university - saw the need to evolve and build internal consensus for the digital student experience in recent years, and shares what that looks like in 2020-2021 in response to new velocity, urgency, and inclusive student care. In this session Prof Ashford-Rowe and Dr Rueckert invite discussion around the need and velocity for change, through the lens of thoughtful direction, a students-first approach, and due diligence. - The 3rd campus, and insight into QUT's cohort - Digital at heart vs digital in part - Equitable student support, Studiosity - Building consensus and support for investment in the "third campus", from leadership to all key technology, academic, and student services stakeholders.

1. Professor Kevin Ashford-Rowe
Pro-Vice Chancellor, Digital Learning
Dr. Caroline Rueckert,
Director, Student Success
the university for the real world
Digital Campus: A program to
empower & enable digital
education at QUT

2. Real World Learning 2020 Vision
digital in part
QUT's real world learning experience will reflect the physical and digital nature of the
world in which we live and work.
Real World Learning Vision 2025 Vision
digital at its heart
QUT is committed to a ‘real world’ academic teaching and student learning experience
and digital learning is integral to all aspects of that student experience.

3. The Digital University
for the Real World will:
Fully embrace a
digital learning
and teaching
paradigm
Deliver a digitally
enhanced and high
quality learning and
teaching experience
Have a framework i.e.
the policies, products,
services, processes,
systems and tools that
will drive excellence in
digital learning

4. Why now? Place in time
My first discipline: Economic and Social History
17/18th Century
Agricultural revolution
18/19th Century
From industrial revolution into
industrial economy
20/21st Century
Information and knowledge revolution
 Digital Economy

5. Why now? Place in time
Agricultural
Age
Industrial
Age
Digital
Age
Cusps – functional literacy, means of
communication, means of
production

6. WHERE
Digital
Campus
now…

7. WHAT
Driving digital transformation
Vision
Digital
Campus
Master Plan
Digital
Campus
Program
DX in Digital
Education @
QUT

8. WHERE
Digital
Sector
Alumni
Vendors
Public
Industry

9. WHY
From
digital in
part
To digital at heart

10. Why now: Our students expect…
• that their learning and teaching experience that is facilitated by world class education and mediated by
contemporary HE educational technology platforms
• to engage with their University and their teachers…engagement is a major determinant of student success
and we need to use technology to scale it
• to be provided with access to support tools and services at the point of identified need
• an increasingly unbundled and re-aggregated multi credentialed learning menu

11. Student-first approach

12. From reactive to proactive
• Data driven
• Aligned to student life cycle
• Whole of course design
• Needs driven

13. Partnership & co-design
with students
• Students as partners in course design
• Students helping students
• Design for connection and belonging
• Student voice and critical storytelling

14. Cohesive & elegant
solutions
• Design for the educational interface (self-efficacy,
belonging and wellbeing)
• Multi-disciplinary approaches (work/learn)
• Working in partnership with Faculties and
Divisions

15. Ecology of Support
• Relevant, available, useful
• From first come, first serve to needs driven
• Scalable and sustainable

16. Watch the gap…

17. Studiosity Pilot

18. Pilot 1 ( Sem 2, 2019) Pilot 2 (sem 1, 2020)
Selection guidelines Indicated by ADLT and/or suggested by
faculty-based support teams
(progression challenges, higher-risk
cohorts and/or a core first year unit).
EOI by unit coordinators of units with
progression challenges, higher-risk
cohorts and/or a core first year unit.
Number of units 36 21
Number of faculties 3 5
Number of students with access 3850 4620
Engagement 7.2% 8%
Units

19. Cohorts
First in Family %
No 63
Unsure 3
Yes 34
NESB %
No 61
Yes 39
Study load %
Full time 89
Part time 11
Age Group %
18-24 59
25-35 28
36-45 9
46-55 3
56 and over >1

20. Partnership
• Academic staff – provided with information, reminders and support regarding
Studiosity. Monthly summaries produced by Studiosity and the QUT based team
distributed to stakeholders.
• QUT support – established process for referral to QUT resources by Studiosity.
Timely communication of students requiring ongoing support. QUT aims to have
Studiosity as a cohesive part of the suite of support services.
• Studiosity – weekly quality assurance checks by QUT and prompt, appropriate
responses to issues raised. Studiosity staff are open to questions and respond
quickly.

21. Pilot Findings
• Students who used the service reported a positive experience with 86% and
93% of students strongly or somewhat satisfied.
• Feedback from a student survey of those with access showed 82% of
students (in each pilot) planning to use the service again.
• Access to after-hours support with 67% and 63% of usage outside business
hours.
• Support for new cohort with only 9% and accessing both Studiosity and the
equivalent QUT Student Success support.

22. Retention Lens
Start
Semester
End
Semester
Difference
NS42 – Bachelor of Nursing
Used Studiosity (no other SSG support) 4.07 4.75 +0.69
Didn't use Studiosity or other SS support 4.23 4.64 +0.24
BN87 – Master of Engineering Management
Used Studiosity (no other SSG support) 5.75 5.60 -0.15
Didn't use Studiosity or other SS support 5.70 5.47 -0.23
Pilot 1 Progression data
Of the 36 units in the pilot, 12 had increased progression (av.4.8%), 9 with a decrease
(av.3.8%), 7 with no change and 8 without comparable data.
NB. Not a direct causation, indicative only.
Pilot 2 GPA results from two large cohorts

23. What resonated with you?

24. Contact
kevin.ashford-rowe@qut.edu.au
caroline.rueckert@qut.edu.au