Thursday, November 12, 2026

Recipient, Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Programs that Enhance Learning

ANU Computing Work-Integrated Learning Program Team 

I am delighted to be a member of the Techlauncher team, which has been selected for the ANU Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Programs that Enhance Learning. For the last eight years I have been helping out teaching teams of students, who spend a year, doing a project. For an instructor it is a rare privilege to be able to work with students, on a real project, for an extended period. In the latest version of Techlauncher, the students work intensively for one full day each week, in a dedicated office environment, called The Hive. There is a call for projects for next year out now. 

"The ANU Computing Work-Integrated Learning Program is a university-leading exemplar of work-integrated learning (WIL) at scale, encompassing internships, team-based industry engaged projects, entrepreneurial activities, and student-industry engagement events. The program provides over 400 students per semester with transformational engaged learning experiences, successfully bridging academic learning to student employability and real-world impact. 
The program services undergraduate and postgraduate students across computing programs, with WIL opportunities purposefully built into all ANU computing programs. Students can choose to undertake an internship project, where they are embedded in a host organisation for one semester, or a team-based TechLauncher project, where they collaborate with an external partner over two semesters. Both options culminate with students presenting a final poster at ANU Computing’s flagship Showcase event at the end of each semester, where over 500 students, staff, and external partners gather to celebrate the work and achievements of the students. 
Students and hosts can access ANU Computing’s Hive co-working space. Additionally, computing students have access to sponsored co-curricular entrepreneurship activities, including hackathons and international exchange programs, to cultivate their entrepreneurial skills and help launch their own endeavours. The ANU Computing WIL Program receives high praise from students and partners, boosts student employability and employment outcomes, and attracts students from around the world to study at ANU. The program is supported by a large, dedicated team of people including academics, industry mentors, and professional staff across student services, engagement, and careers and employability."