New Canberra Institute of Technology Building

One of Canberra Institute of Technology's new TV studios.
Photo by Tom Worthington, CC-BY, 21 August 2025

Yesterday I had a tour of Canberra Institute of Technology's (CIT) new building in Canberra.  I studied Audio-Visual Video (for training) at what was then the ACT TAFE in 1989 (my last assignment was "Bicycles"). I enrolled again in 2013, at what was then called CIT, for a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. When I studied video, we used magnetic tape and monochrome studio cameras, so It was a revelation to see the new building. CIT will be showcasing the building and its courses, Thursday 11 September (book online). 

CIT in Woden, 
Photo by Tom Worthington, CC-BY, 21 August 2025

CIT's new building is similar in feeling to Ngee Ann and Temasek Polytechnics in Singapore, which I toured in 2024. There are no lecture theatres, as found in old style institutions. There are some general purpose classrooms, but much of the space is used for specialist teaching rooms. Some of the specialist rooms look like a classroom but with  equipment added for each student to use. Other spaces look like the workplaces the students plan to work in. The chefs learn in a state of the art kitchen (all electric: no gas). The bar staff learn in a bar, restaurant staff in a restaurant, musicians in a recording studio, hairdressers in a salon and video producers in a TV studio. 

Recycling bins at CIT. 
Photo by Tom Worthington, CC-BY, 21 August 2025

The CIT building has one large multipurpose space, which can be used for large scale teaching, events, and musical performances. The spaces between the specialist areas are given over to places where students can sit together to study and work on projects. The building is unusually quiet, in part due to the acoustic panels on walls and lack of a false ceiling. There is the most complicated set of recycling bins I have ever seen: do they really need bins for X-ray and file alarm recycling? ;-) 

There is technology woven into the fabric of the CIT building, but not in an obtrusive way. The classrooms are equipped with the usual digital displays, cameras and video conferencing. But so are booths for small groups of students in the common areas. The large multipurpose space has a huge projection screen which can be lowered to cover one wall. Less obvious are remote control cameras around the room. Throughout the building there are CoWs (Computers on Wheels), which can be positioned to turn anywhere into a learning space.

Lego Cyber Range at CIT Woden, 
Photo by Tom Worthington, CC-BY, 21 August 2025

The cybersecurity teaching area has an unusual cyber range. This is a simulation of the Internet used for practicing detecting and defeating hacking attacks. The cyber range's network is isolated from the public Internet so that no harm is accidently caused to real systems. A cyber range is usually a very abstract place, only existing online. CIT have made an effort to make it more real with a large Lego City layout, depicting part of Canberra. Students can see the effect a cyber attack has on the Lego light rail, public buildings, and airport.

Universities are currently going through a painful process working out what their role is and how they can fund their activities. The vocational education and training (VET) sector doesn't have this problem, as their role is clear and they have always had difficulties with funding. There are some challenging questions for CIT and similar large VET institutions: will universities cooperate with them and leave a role for them, or should they offer their own degrees? Students in the past would undertake a diploma or advanced diploma in VET, and then seek credit towards a university degree. However, universities are now seeking to provide more short and flexible training, encroaching on VET territory. Should VET institutions respond by offering their own vocational degrees?

CIT Timber High-rise Campus Going Up

Greetings from the Woden Town Centre in Canberra, where the timber frame of the new Canberra Institute of Technology is going up.

CIT New Campus at First Wednesday

Rikkii Norris, CIT CEO

Greetings from Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) catering school where Rikkii Norris  is pitching the new CIT Woden Campus. This will be a far cry from the old rooms I studied video production here on the Reid Campus. CIT are hosting June First Wednesday, so there are several CIT pitches, including fir the new EV Center of Excellence. It is assumed that Canberra is just about government work, but there are significant tech related industries in Canberra, underpinned by educational institutions. 

Billion Dollar UNSW Canberra Campus

Greetings from First Wednesday Connect in Building K at Canberra Institute of Technology. Normally this is at Canberra Innovation Network's office and I went there finding only two confused students. We found the event at the other side of the city, after a quick number 3 bus ride. We are here to celebrate approval of UNSW's new campus and new CIT courses.

The catering for this event was excellent, as Building K is the CIT Hospitality and Culinary School. ;-)

ACT Higher Education Post-COVID-19 Strategy

Canberra's universities need to change how they work to remain viable during, and after ,the COVID-19 emergency. The major post-secondary educational institutions in the ACT are the Australian National University, University of Canberra and the Canberra Institute of Technology. I have studied at all three and am on the staff at ANU, however, these suggestions do not necessarily reflect the current policy of any, or of the ACT Government. I will be discussing some of this at an ANU symposium on Thursday.

The approach to COVID-19 has been short term, assuming that it will be over in months. However, it may take years to recover and it is certain there will be further pandemics in the future. Also the geo-political situation Australia finds itself in may result in international students again being unable, or unwilling, to study on Canberra's campuses, without warning. In addition other countries are offering increasingly attractive quality online and blended learning. Both Australian and international students may decide to take up those offers, if Canberra's institutions do not have quality, cost effective, flexible educational offerings. 

1. Adapt Infection Control Measures for Institutions

Reduced distancing for students

COVID-19 restrictions in the ACT have been eased, but even the current STAGE 3 makes it difficult for educational institutions.  As an example, the ACT requires persons to remain 1.5 m apart. I propose that for educational institutions, this be reduced to the WHO recommended distance of 1 m. 

Where seated, people should be able to be 250 mm apart, side to side. This would allow existing fixed seating lecture theaters to be used at 50% capacity, with every second chair empty. Active lecture theaters, flexible learning spaces and laboratories could be used at full capacity. Institutions should be encouraged to build these guidelines into the design of new teaching spaces to reduce infection rates for annual respiratory infections and allow for future outbreak measures.

Tracking on campus

The ACT Government and institutions should commission a tracking application compatible with the Apple/Google Privacy-Preserving Contact Tracing Standard. Unlike the current Australian Govenrment's COVIDSafe App, this would be reliable, effective and voluntarily taken up.

2. Training for Hybrid Teaching 

Canberra's university have been able to quickly introduce online learning for students unable to get to campus. Unfortunately, most people teaching at university have not been trained to teach online. and have no formal qualifications for doing so. Vocational teachers at CIT, and private providers, are required to have a qualification in training and assessment. It is proposed that the ACT Government assist Canberra's universities to introduce a qualification for university teachers at least to the standard for vocational education. This could be provided a set of micro-credentials building to an AQF qualification.

3. Offering Hybrid Qualifications

In the past domestic and international students have been required to move to Canberra to undertake the majority of their university studies. I suggest this be changed so that a typical student can undertake 80% of their study online. The ACT Government can lobby the federal government to make the necessary changes to visa rules for international students. The Canadian government has already eased its visa rules, making Australia a less desirable destination. 

The ACT Government can assist Canberra's universities to develop advanced qualifications in the design and delivery of education to provide a quality online experience. This can then be used in marking campaigns national and internationally which emphasize students can have both the flexibility of an online education and the option of quality lifestyle experience in Canberra, leading to a world-class qualification.

4. Work Integrated Learning

Many vocational qualifications require students to undertake work experience as part of their degree. This is increasingly seen as a desirable part of any university qualification. However, international students experience problems obtaining access to a workplace in Canberra, due to federal government restrictions on non-citizens working for the public service and for government contractors. I suggest the ACT Government assist the Canberra Innovation Network to expand its current start-up program,. Also the ANU's Innovation ACT and TechLauncher programs could be expanded to provide cross institutional participation.

5. Vocational Supplementation to University Qualifications

The Canberra Institute of Technology has the capacity to provide training to supplement the university education of students. I suggest the ACT Government work with the universities to develop and market standard packages of degrees with vocational qualifications.

ZeroCO2 Hackathon 2020

Canberra's ZeroCO2 Hackathon 2020 runs online over two-weeks, starting 18th August and is open for registrations. Teams will work on business ideas to reduce domestic and commercial carbon emissions, with $10,000 in prizes. I mentored teams in the 2019 competition and have volunteered again. 

 Due to COVID-19 this years event is entirely online, whereas last year we were all at the Canberra Institute of Technology's excellent renewable energy training facility. However, this will be my fourth time helping with an online hackerthon this year, and the activity has easily translated to the online format.

Renewable Energy Hackathon in Canberra

Shane Rattenbury, 
ACT Minister for Climate
Change and Sustainability

Greetings from the ZeroCO₂ Renewable Energy & Sustainability Hackathon at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT). I will be mentoring teams working for two days on renewable energy, waste disposal, sustainability in food and manufacturing, transport & travel, smart cities, building and education. There is a a $10,000 prize pool, plus access to Canberra Innovation Network desk space and coaching.

It is easy to get cynical: what can you do to save the planet in two days? Certainly new tech can't be completed in that time, but new ideas of what is needed, and how what is available can be better used. The hackerthon is a compressed version of the group project teaching techniques we use in ANU Techlauncher.

Before the hacking, we have Shane Rattenbury,  ACT Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability speaking.The ACT Government is currently working on the sustainability plan for 2025. He pointed out that this gets more difficulty when households have to change their behavior. Canberra's transport emissions are increasing.

There is also a Renewable Energy and Sustainability Industry Forum taking place in conjunction with the hackerthon. Both events will end with competition results at  First Wednesday Connect, 5pm tomorrow.

All events are taking place in Building K at CIT Bruce  Campus. This was a purpose built for renewable engendering. There is a big workshop on the ground floor, full of neat color coded pipes and machinery. Above the workshop are floors of classrooms, and then space for texting solar panels on the top.

ps: CIT is where I studied for my Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

Are Students Paying Attention in the Virtual Classroom?

In their 2016 dissertation Trabinger asks how we know if students are paying attention in the virtual classroom (VC). When a live lecture is replaced with a video conference or webinar, how do you know if the students are paying attention or are actually "multitasking".

 

The work gives a good overview of the issues with the victualer classroom and is not about some far-away place, but based on research at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT). I was a student at CIT around the time of the research but did not attend any classes, virtual or otherwise, with all instruction asynchronous.

Two research questions were asked:

1. How can teachers design content and/or activities to encourage interaction, engagement and attention while participating in a VC? The answer was  ‘planning’ and structuring of sessions. Many of the suggested ways suggested for improving virtual classrooms I suggest are also applicable to face-to-face classes.
2. What training, guides and support do VET teachers and learners require to provide an environment that supports learners in the VC? Professional development in virtual classroom techniques was suggested for teachers. Curiously what was not suggested was for the teacher to first participate as a student in a virtual class (I found this very useful) or to have formal training or qualifications in this area.

One question not asked in the research was if students in a virtual classroom pay any less attention than in a face-to-face classroom (FTFC). The assumption seems to be that VCs are not as good as FTFC. However, with students now equipped with smart-phones and tablet computers there is no way to know just by looking at them if they are paying attention, or not. Even without the added distraction of gadgets: how much do student pay attention in class?

 

Particularly in the VET field it is not clear that simply having students sitting and listening is a useful learning activity. Students should be doing something, not just sitting there.

Reference

Trabinger, K. L. (2016). Encouraging learner interaction, engagement and attention in the virtual classroom (an investigation into the phenomenon of multitasking) (Doctoral dissertation, University of Southern Queensland). URL https://eprints.usq.edu.au/29694/1/Trabinger_2016_whole.pdf

University Open Day in Canberra on Saturday 26 August

Canberra's universities and Institute of technology are having an open day on Saturday 26 August 2017. Prospective students, and anyone else who would like to see what happens at a university, can come and look:

1. Australian Catholic University (ACU)
2. Australian National University (ANU)
3. Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT)
4. University of Canberra
5. UNSW Canberra/Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA).

Each institution has its own character.  ACU is calm and cloistered, being a former seminary. ANU has a grand tree lined avenue, from North America's Ivy League. CIT has workshops and funky designers. UCan has gone upwards with new high rise accommodation. UNSW/ADFA is a modern interpretation of West Point Academy, with a parade ground and everything squared away.

New UNSW Campus in Canberra for 10,000 Students

The ACT Government has announced discussions with the University of New South Wales for a new campus for up to 10,000 students in Canberra. The ACT Government describes this as being "alongside" the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) Reid campus. However, news reports, such as in the Canberra Times, characterize this as a   redevelopment of the CIT site for UNSW and CIT.

The CIT Reid campus is in need of renewal (I was a student there in 1990 and it does not seem to have changed much). The building need to be refurbished or replaced to suit the new teaching techniques.

One aspect not discussed in the announcement, or media reports, is a possible role for the National Convention Centre Canberra (NCCC) in teaching. The NCCC is across the road from CIT and linked by a pedestrian bridge. The NCCC is also in need of renewal, no longer being adequate for national or international conferences. However, there has been no viable strategy to upgrade the NCCC by the ACT Government. It may be possible to have NCCC as part of a dual use university facility.

Modern university teaching facilities resemble a convention center, with large flexible spaces, movable seating and walls. Universities don't need large permanent lecture theaters, as students spend very little of their time in lectures. The new Australian National University union court will have large flat floor rooms, with Tiered Retractable Seating. At the push of a button a room can be converted from a flat open conference exhibition space, to a theater. Other rooms will have movable walls for meetings of dozens to hundreds of people. Something similar might be provided for UNSW/CIT.

As the ACT Government announcement notes, higher education is an important part of the Australian and Canberra economy. However, this depends on a fickle international student market which, like the extractive industry, can change rapidly. Australia is currently experiencing an unprecedented boom in student numbers. This could change without warning in a matter of days due to regional tensions, or incidents involving international students in Australia.

In the longer term, developed nations (including Australia) will continue to expand e-learning as an alternative to international student travel. I spent the last three years as an international Canadian graduate student, without ever having set foot on the campus I was studying at in Canada. Next week I will discuss a proposal for ANU to have 200,000 m-learning students.

Also countries in our region will continue to build their own universities to educate their own, and international students. Canberra's institutions will need to be able to offer a reasonably priced, quality blended programs to remain competitive with these international offerings.

History of Innovation ACT in Canberra

Greetings from the Australian National University in Canberra, where renewable energy entrepreneur and rocket scientist, Dr Lachlan Blackhall, is recounting the history of Innovation ACT. This started in 2007 as a start-up competition for ANU students (Innovation ANU) and  opened to students at other Canberra higher education institutions in 2009.

Apparently at the first launch event I was so surprised by the large amount of prize money being offered, I asked the distinguished senior academic doing the launch: "Is this a scam?". After ten years of completions, I have concluded it is not a scam.

Students form teams and learn about how to turn an idea into a product or service. To give them incentive, there are prizes. The prizes are now in kind help with furthering their business idea, rather than just cash.

Innovation ACT has helped normalize the idea at Canberra's universities that it is okay to aspire to start a business, rather than just work for one, or be a researcher. With the popularization through media and many government and business programs on
entrepreneurship, perhaps it is time to remind everyone this is not easy.

here is a belief in some of the entrepreneur community that formal higher education is not needed any more and school kids should just learn on their own and go into business. I challenged Steve Baxter, best know for Shark Tank, at at River City Labs in Brisbane. Steve suggested that a tech entrepreneur could obtain business advice and training, but a business person without the needed tech training would have more difficulty. I think I managed to get him thinking that some formal training in both tech and business was worthwhile.

Currently I am tutoring ANU Techlauncher students, mostly computer science, with a few engineers and some interns. The students are learning what are referred to as "soft skills" but are hard, particularly for STEM students. Students who have mastered very technical computer skills soon discover that planning, management, estimating and communication are not easy. Competitions such as Innovation ACT help with this.

Using the Quiz tool to help facilitate learning

Coralie Daniels, Canberra Institute of Technology, will present a free webinar on "Using the Quiz tool to help facilitate learning", 2pm, 29 October, hosted by the National VET E-learning Strategy. Apart from the content of these VET webinars, they are a useful way for teachers to experience a well run on-line event.

Using the Quiz tool to help facilitate learning
When: Tuesday 29 October
Where: https://connect.ed.act.edu.au/actelearning/ (Online webinar)
Time: 2:00 - 3:00pm
Cost: Free
Register: http://flexiblelearning.net.au/news-and-events/calendar-of-events/ (On the calendar select the the day of the event and click on the actual event. In the popup window select the icon Sign up and register your information)

Presenter: Coralie Daniels
Using the Quiz tool to help facilitate learning
A quiz is often used as a form of assessment however Coralie Daniels decided a quiz would be the best way to help facilitate learning for staff. For the Bullying Awareness and Prevention Training Program the aim was not to test people’s knowledge but to help them to learn about Bullying Awareness and Prevention and CIT’s processes. By setting the right parameters on the Quiz tool it became possible to provide people with extra information and expand on current knowledge, going further and referencing original source documents. Various tactics were used to entice completion including incentives, ease of access and ease of completion as well as continuous feedback.

Certificate IV in Training and Assessment

Today I received my Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE40110) from Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) in the mail. This does not have quite the gravitas of being handed a certificate by the ANU Chancellor a few weeks ago, but is a lot more useful.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Of the ten courses I was required to undertake for the Certificate IV, I was able to obtain eight by Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). This was made a little easier by having just completed the equivalent university qualification, a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education.

Having prepared open on-line course material also made it much easier to provide the evidence needed for RPL. This still was not an easy process, requiring me to find people to attest to my teaching experience along with evidence.

On-line Courses

Two courses I could not obtain RPL for and I had to complete on-line assessment (Workplace Coaching  and Learning in the Workplace). CIT use the same Moodle Learning Management System I am used to at ACS, ANU and USQ, which simplified the process.

CIT has very standardized, carefully designed and consistent on-line documentation, as is common in the vocational sector. However, this was not without problems. The very modular nature of vocational courses meant there was a lot of repetition and the emphasis on standardization meant for some very long winded materials.

One glitch with on-line access is that CIT does not permit students to change their password remotely.  I was required to travel to a CIT campus to change the password. As a result I suspect that many student never change their password from the default. This is a serious security law in the CIT system.

Lack of e-Portfolio System

One surprise was that CIT does not use an e-Portfolio system for the student to collect their RPL evidence in.

ACS and USQ both use the Mahara e-portfolio software. This allows the student to collect materials and then submit them for assessment on-line.

CIT uses Moodle's submission system for on-line assessment tests, but not for RPL evidence, which is tracked using a paper form, with photocopies attached. This made the process cumbersome and error prone (added to the fact that I could not read the hand-written notations from the RPL assessor).

Vocational Standardized and Work  Relevant

The CIT certificate arrived about two weeks after I completed the program, whereas the ANU certificate took four months to arrive. The Cert IV T&A is recognized nationally and required for teaching in government TAFEs and private Registered Training Organizations (RTOs). Many universities run graduate certificates in higher education, but these are not mandatory for  university teaching staff and no standard syllabus. Presumably an ANU certificate will be well regarded nationally, but there is no guarantee it covers what is needed at another university.

Need for Mutual Recognition of Vocational and University Teaching Qualifications

While the RPL process allowed me to gain the qualification for teaching in the vocation sector largely from my university qualifications, this should not be necessary. Apart from the terminology used, there is no real difference in teaching between the vocational and university sectors. This is particularly the case with universities catching up with TAFEs in the use of on-line technology and practical work-orientated assesment.

There is no reason why vocational and university teachers could not undertake the same training. Currently postgraduate university students may receive some ad-hoc training to help them tutor, but in general will graduate and go into university teaching with no formal teaching qualifications.  It would make sense for higher degree students to obtain at least a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

Previously when I suggested university postgraduates should have vocational qualifications my university colleagues were shocked and suggested I did not know what I was talking about. But I am now more qualified than most of them to express an opinion. ;-)