Casual Tutoring in Computing Available at the Australian National University

The School of Computing at the Australian National University has opened applications for casual tutoring for Semester 1 2023.  The School teaches everything from AI and machine learning, systems, software, theory, analytics, to the practicalities of  project management teams (I help with that in Techlauncher). Paid training is provided, & ACT Government staff visit the campus to help with getting your Working With Vulnerable People card.

The Future of Australia’s digital economy is bright

The Australian Computer Society has released "Australia’s Digital Pulse 2021". This is an annual snapshot of the digital economy and job prospects by Deloitte Access Economics. As the report notes, due to COVID-19 it is a boom time for computers and telecommunications. Work and study from home, tele-medicine, online parliament and courts, went from fringe ideas to the mainstream in 2020.  As the report notes, home working doubled from February 2020 to 2021. The resulting demand for technology workers to keep this boom working is likely to continue, at least until 2026. 

Deloitte Access Economics expects demand for working from home to continue, with a consequent need for better digital skills. The technology workforce grew by 4.3% in Australia and a remarkable  10% in NSW. 

Computing was the growth area for university degrees in 2020. The report identifies programming as still in demand by employers, particularly SQL and Java, and also DevOps (which is not a language). Employers also continue to ask for the usual soft skills:  communication (human to human, not computer to computer),  teamwork and problem solving.

Deloitte Access Economics identifies Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an area in demand. The report notes there is ground to be made up with less than a third female IT staff, compared to about half in  professional, scientific and technical jobs.

The report argues for increased professionalism of the technology workforce. As the report notes, this is typically done through higher education degrees. However, I suggest we will see a continuing trend to more flexible programs, integrating work experience and many small specialist qualifications which can be assembled into a degree.

Deloitte Access Economics take a pessimistic view suggesting  international travel restrictions will continue until 2024. They suggest this will force more reliance on those already in Australia obtaining qualifications to fill jobs. However, I suggest the lock-downs have shown that many jobs can be done from anywhere, with the right tools and training. The student teams I help teach, who are undertaking group projects are gaining valuable experience learning to work in virtual teams of people from different cultures, for clients they have never met in person. 

A difficult issue the report raises is how IT fits in the training of other professions. This is an area in which I suggest IT educators should take the lead, being able to tailor curricular for different needs of disciplines.

An even more difficult issue raised by Deloitte Access Economics is how to have more women studying IT. STEM content in schools may help, as the report suggests, but perhaps changes are needed to the definition of what an computer professional is and does. That computing has an identity problem did not occur to me until I studied education as an international student. Here I went from being part of the the dominant workplace culture to a minority.

ps: I am a member of the ACS Profession Advisory Board.

CEO Needed for ANU Cyber Institute

The Australian National University (ANU) is looking for a CEO for its new ANU Cyber Institute. This is an initiative of the ANU's College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) and the National Security College (NSC).

"The ANU has recently announced the establishment of Australia’s first interdisciplinary Cyber Institute, bringing together expertise across a range of areas to deal with the increasingly complex issues in the cyber domain. 

The Institute will present exciting new opportunities for research, innovation and education. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the Institute’s Head, operating under the broad direction of the Institute Advisory Board. 

The CEO will be responsible for driving the strategic vision and operational plan for the Institute, working closely with executives and stakeholders across the University, industry and government, to create a globally pre-eminent Institute focused on addressing Australian and global cyber needs."

From: Chief Executive Officer - ANU Cyber Institute, Reference 10646, KPMG, November 2017.

Fake day care center website

ANU students get a preview of some cyber issues in the Networked Information Systems course (COMP2410/COMP6340), where I run them through a Cyberwar Hypothetical Over the South China Sea. This includes the example of a fake day care center website, apparently targeting Australian intelligence staff in Canberra.

Digital Learning Project Jobs at ANU

The Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra has positions available for a Digital Learning Support Officer and Digital Learning Business Analyst. These are in the Digital Learning Project at the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific.

The Digital Learning Project (DLP) aims to promote innovative use of online and multi-media resources to enhance the teaching, learning, and research of the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific community and across the global digital landscape.

The Digital Learning Project at the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific seeks a business analyst to support our critical project goals. Main attributes of the position will require: strong project management skills (preferably Prince2/PMI), experience in training professional staff and academics, understanding of change management processes and oversight, development of training resources and materials, creativity and problem solving, ability to work well in a team setting and experience in the higher education sector. Those with experience with the Moodle Learning Management System are preferred and an interest and/or experience in the Asia/Pacific region would be welcome. ...

From: Digital Learning Business Analyst. ,  ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, 2013

Digital Technologies Job Available Teaching Governance for Melanesia

Recently I was asked if there were any jobs available in higher education at ANU. So I looked at the Current Vacancies at The Australian National University web page. There are currently sixteen positions available: eleven Academic Vacancies and five General Vacancies. One which caught my attention is a Digital Technologies Research Fellow in the State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program (SSGM). This involves the use of social media and new technology for teaching.