| | October - November - 201919The Power of Partnering in Educational TechnologyBy Paul Oppenheimer, CIO and Sue Bolt, Executive Director, Planning & Transformation, RMIT UniversityThe role of technology in a tertiary educational setting is rapidly evolving. Meeting expectations requires more than maintaining operational performance levels and requires a deep and broad partnership with staff and students in exploring and creating experiences that matter. In earlier times, students carried primary responsibility for learning, with the lecture being the main form of knowledge transmission. Importantly, the institution granting the qualification mattered. But lines are now blurring, with many large organizations moving at pace to disrupt traditional educational settings. In this environment, how do you best compete, innovate and differentiate? Further, how do you deliver value that will surpass others that occupy adjacent, rapidly evolving industries? And how does the role of the IT department need to adapt to not only remain relevant but to play an increasingly integrative role in positioning long standing institutions for enduring success?Paul OppenheimerSue BoltCIO INSIGHTSStudents shaping learningUniversity students increasingly recognize that they are powerful purchasers of knowledge, skills and credentials they can trade in the labor market. Less than a decade ago the term "customer" was seen as antithetical to the university sector. Today, in an economy where goods and services are even harder to delineate, we see the co-production of services, where experiences are just as much shaped by the expectations of the consumer as by service staff. In effect, we are moving to empower students to create their own product and derive value from their personal experience.Working with students and academics in designing technological solutions to enhance their experience and outcomes -such as the provision of online communities to support meaningful interaction with peers, tutors and industry mentors-is a wonderful opportunity for collaboration.
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